Gone again!

In my last blog entry I wrote about the “code hanger antenna” I put up. It is in fact a MFJ-1795 antenna of course that looks a bit like a coat hanger. I tested it out a bit and decided that it’s not bad, but not really a big improvement over my homemade antennas. I...
Is it a coat hanger?!

Is it a coat hanger?!

I put up a new antenna; the MFJ-1795. It’s a nice antenna, for people with limited space. It is 3.5 meters long, the big HF antennas are 7 meters long or more. So I’m playing in the minor league when it comes to antennas! Anyway, already 2 of my HAM radio...
See who I talked to!

See who I talked to!

One of the biggest HAM radio contests of the year was this weekend; the CQ World Wide DX Contest 2013. This is a voice contest (we talk to each other) and the goal is to make as many talks to as many far away places as possible. It lasts 48 hours; the whole weekend....

Doing more with less

What a strange hobby this amateur radio hobby is! At home I’m trying to have the highest antenna with the biggest radio and the most power. Whereas while traveling I want the smallest antenna with the smallest transmitter; which means, low power. While traveling size...
Using a CW filter in digital mode

Using a CW filter in digital mode

I discovered another use for the new CW filter I put in my FT-817; I found out it also works in digital modes! During my stay in Montreal, working as VA2/PA1CA, I decided to work an hour or so in the 2013 Russian RTTY contest. Because I was using my Yaesu FT-817 I was...