Collaborate Disseminate
As far as hobbies go, ham radio tends to be on the more expensive side. A dual-band mobile radio can easily run $600, and a high-end HF base station with …read more Continue reading Few Things Are Cheaper than This Antenna
The Altoids tin has long been the enclosure of choice for those seeking to show off their miniaturization chops. This is especially true for amateur radio homebrewers — you really …read more Continue reading Matchbox Transceiver Pushes the Spy Radio Concept to Its Limits
How may radios do you own? Forget the AM/FM, GMRS/FRS radios you listen to or communicate with. We’re talking about the multiple radios and antennae in your phone, your TV, your …read more Continue reading A Practical Guide To Understanding How Radios Work
The round bottom of a proper wok is the key to a decent stir fry, but it also makes it hard to use on traditional Western stoves. That’s why many …read more Continue reading Wok Your Way to the Center of the Galaxy
Dipole antennas are easy, right? Just follow the formula, cut two pieces of wire, attach your feedline, and you’re on the air. But then again, maybe not. You’re always advised …read more Continue reading The Dipole Antenna Isn’t as Simple as it Appears
Dipoles are a classic builder’s antenna, after all they are usually little more than two pieces of wire and a feedline. But as [Rob] shows us in the video below, …read more Continue reading A Cheap Dipole Antenna from an Extension Cord
The perfect antenna is the holy grail of amateur radio. But antenna tuning is a game of inches, and since the optimum length of an antenna depends on the frequency it’s used on, the mere act of spinning the dial …read more
Continue reading Capstan Winch Central to This All-Band Adjustable Dipole Antenna
A dipole antenna is easy, right? Two wires, each a quarter wavelength long, emanate from a coax or other feedline. Unless it is an off-center dipole. The length is still the same, but you move the feed point to a different part. [KB9VBR] explains how this changes the antenna’s impedance …read more
In general, you get what you pay for, and if what you pay for is a dollar-store WiFi antenna that claims to provide 12 dBi of signal gain, you shouldn’t be surprised when a rusty nail performs better than it.
The panel antenna that caught [Andrew McNeil]’s eye in a …read more
Continue reading The Rusty Nail Award for Worst WiFi Antenna
What is this world coming to when a weather satellite that was designed for a two-year mission starts to fail 21 years after launch? I mean, really — where’s the pride these days?
All kidding aside, it seems like NOAA-15, a satellite launched in 1998 to monitor surface temperatures and …read more
Continue reading The Death of a Weather Satellite as Seen by SDR