Ham Radio

Testing an amateur radio transmitter is best done by using an antenna known as a dummy load. This allows for testing without transmitting and unnecessarily tying up sometimes-busy amateur radio...

Scanners are an exciting way to grow the hobby of electronics, as well as educate yourself about the world around you and open up your ability to listen to a variety of broadcasts. Knowing how to...

Working with antennas has long been an exciting hobby both for the novice and the expert. Whether you are building one from a kit or from items laying around the house, you're sure to have a great...

Getting a gig on a radio station can be a challenge and also can take quite a bit of time. But you can do your own broadcasting from home with a ham radio license. With the right study manuals and...

The Cobra 2000 GTL CB Radio was the company's Cobra's flagship radio model for many years. Advanced for its day, the 2000 remains a great yard-sale find and a favorite of classic CB collectors...

An integral part of an amateur radio station is the antenna. Both transmitter and receiver use the same antenna, which can be concealed in your attic. A variety of antennae are commercially...

All radio stations must conduct themselves based on the radio communication rules established by the United States Federal Communication Commission. This group is also known as the FCC. These...

"HAM" radio is a term used to describe amateur radio equipment. Hobbyists use these HAM radios as a way to communicate over the airwaves with one another for a variety of different purposes. Just...

Citizen's Band (CB) radio is not as popular as it was in the 1970s and 1980s, but it is far from dead. It isn't elegant, but this quick and simple CB antenna design is ideal for children curious...

A Uniden 510 Citizen's Band radio is a 40 channel transceiver that can be mounted to the dashboard of most vehicles, allowing 4 watts of communication power for emergency or non-commercial use....

PSK31 is a very easy, relaxed mode of communication in ham radio. It can be done with very low power. I have talked to Siberia from the southwest U.S with 2 watts and a very simple wire antenna...

Antennas come in thousands of designs and styles, for use with everything from car stereos to microwave data repeaters. Each use calls for a specialized antenna, and the mounting position will...

With so many excellent choices in radio gear, how does one decide which to purchase when building a ham radio station?

Amateur Radio, commonly known as Ham radio is still popular and the licenses are now easier to obtain.

One of the first skills that someone interested in electronics as a hobby needs to learn is how to solder. Soldering is simply the gluing together of electronic components to form an electrical...

Family Radio Service is a frequency range designated for use by walkie-talkies commonly used for non-commercial applications. FRS has been expanded from 14 to 22 channels, and includes several...

A directional antenna will transmit a signal to a greater distance, but have a limited angle. The signal will propagate further because the field is being directed at the receiver with a...

The exchange of QSL cards is part of the enjoyment of amateur (ham) radio. The cards serve as a record of contacts made with other stations. The card can be initiated by you or, it can be in...

The J-pole antenna is a frequency-sized transmitting antenna, usually shaped like a large "J." The materials used can be any conductive metal, but the most common is copper pipe. The J-pole...

QSL cards are a confirmation of a radio communication between amateur radio operators, reception of a radio broadcast or shortwave broadcasting station. At a first broadcast or if there is a...

SWR stands for "Standing Wave Ratio." In many applications, especially ham radio and CB, the SWR reading is important to ensure the highest transmission of power. It is the ratio of power...

One of the best things about being a ham radio operator is the chance to talk to people on the other side of town, the other side of the state or even the other side of the planet that you...

Using a citizen's band radio properly takes only a few minutes to learn and will make a new operator sound like a seasoned professional. Over the course of several decades, the local use of radio...

An EMF meter measures the flux density of an EMF radiation field. The EMF radiation field will be either Alternating Current (AC) or Direct Current (DC). The measurement appears in units called...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issues a variety of radio communication licenses. The basic operator's licenses are those for amateur ("ham") radio operators. The requirements for...

A relay switch is a simple electromechanical switch which uses a small current to turn a much larger current on and off. It is most often used in power supplies, mode settings and other...

Radio vacuum tubes were crucial to the development of radio, television, telephone, computers, radar and reproducing sound. Without radio vacuum tubes these systems would not have developed on...

Multimeters can be valuable troubleshooting tools when working with circuit boards. Even if you don't have an electrical schematic of the circuit board, which would identify components and give...

A potentiometer is a variable resistor. A resistor is an electric component that resists the flow of electricity, slowing it down, but not stopping it. Unlike with a normal resistor, the...

Most people consider metal detecting to be a beach activity. In reality, there are many different segments of the hobby, but metal detecting at the beach is one of the most popular. Here are some...

Even in the age of the Internet and easy, modern telecommunications, ham radio has its enthusiasts and remains alive and well. What exactly ham radio is, what it can do and how it works are also...

Amateur (or ham) radio is a popular hobby with people around the world. Ham radio operators also perform valuable services, especially during emergencies, when they can relay information to and...

If you are an avid AM radio listener, whether it be on a old fashioned radio, a new AM/FM radio or a shortwave radio, you know it is a bit of a challenge to pick up the radio signal from the AM...

You will find many articles on how to become a Radio Amateur. I hope mine will be set apart due to the information and resources I offer. The steps outlined are only suggestions to help start and...

Ham radio is a hobby shared by thousands worldwide every day. These hams use their radios to talk one another from city to city, state to state, and even continent to continent.

Amateur radio operators, commonly referred to as "hams," use various types of equipment to talk to one another. These hams can talk to the person next door, in the next state, or even the next...

Dipole antennas are composed of two parallel wires. The wires produce a magnetic field that attracts the electrons being broadcast from another antenna. The open circuit of the two parallel wires...

Amateur radio, often called ham radio, can be both a hobby and a service. The participants who often call themselves "hams," use various types of radio communications equipment to...

Learn the correct steps necessary to register, prepare for, and take the amateur radio Entry level exam. This article will help you do everything in the correct order and make your exam session go...

The test for the entry level license is not hard. People as young as 5 years old have become licensed ham radio operators. The most popular license for beginners, is the Technician Class license,...

How to get your licences to be a amateur radio operator.

CBs are most commonly associated with truck drivers or those who travel long distances. Some folks, however, enjoy talking to fellow CB'ers from home. When a CB radio is not working, though, it...

Generally, amateur radio operators can be found operating via Morse code and voice. For those individuals who are new to ham radio and need to know how to operate a ham radio, then this article is...

For those of you who are not familiar with amateur radio, also called ham radio, I am going to tell you the steps you need to take in order to become a ham radio operator. There is no denying that...

In today's world we don't think much about radio' s. We turn it on in our car to keep us entertained. But have you thought about using a radio to contact people? Today, amateur radio operators use...

The first thing that your ham radio license renewal form will ask you for is information from your current FCC license record. Have a copy of it handy while filling out the application. You will...

The 2 Meter is frequency 144.000 to 148.000. This band is used primarily for the local Ham's in the area to keep in touch. Building an antenna and using it to communicate to people can be a fun...

D-Star stands for Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio. The technology was first developed by the Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL). D-Star technology has been widely embraced by...

Sometimes, you just want or need to put a radio on the air in the simplest manner possible. Perhaps you just bought a brand-new (or used, hamfest treasure) radio and want to use it NOW, not after...

After I published the article about how to upgrade from Technician to General class, it occurred to me that those who would like to get their first license could benefit from the same information,...