The 2-meter band is one of the most heavily used portions of the VHF spectrum in amateur radio. Its popularity for FM repeaters, simplex operation, packet, APRS, satellites, weak-signal work, and experimentation makes it especially important that operators understand harmonics—what…
DigiPi 2.0: Building a Reliable APRS Digipeater & iGate with Low-Cost Hardware DigiPi 2.0, created by KM6LYW, is a purpose-built Linux distribution designed to simplify the deployment of APRS packet radio digipeaters and iGates. It combines proven packet-radio tooling with…
How to read this table and Fundamental (MHz) 2nd Harmonic (MHz) 2nd Overlaps 3rd Harmonic (MHz) 3rd Overlaps 4th Harmonic (MHz) 4th Overlaps 160 m 1.800–2.000 3.600–4.000 80 m 5.400–6.000 — 7.200–8.000 40 m 80 m 3.500–4.000 7.000–8.000 40 m…
Harmonics are an unavoidable byproduct of RF generation. Every HF transmitter—no matter how modern or well-filtered—produces harmonic energy at integer multiples of its fundamental frequency. On the HF bands, these harmonics have both theoretical significance and practical operating consequences, particularly…
The Yaesu FT-65 occupies a deliberate niche in the handheld transceiver market: a rugged, affordable, analog-only VHF/UHF radio designed for operators who value reliability and clarity over feature bloat. Whether you are a newly licensed amateur, an experienced operator looking…
Long before smartphones tracked our every move and apps pinged our location to friends, ham radio operators created something remarkable: a system that could track vehicles, report weather conditions, send messages, and share telemetry data—all without the internet, cell towers,…
Few topics generate as much debate among whiskey drinkers as whether to add water or ice. Purists argue that whiskey should be consumed neat; others insist that dilution “opens up” the spirit. Both sides are partially correct—because dilution and temperature…
Step 1 — Identify the symptom category A) “SWR is high everywhere” Likely causes: Action: B) “SWR is reasonable, but RF in the shack / hot mic / noisy receive” Likely causes: Action: C) “It tunes, but performance is weak,…
A. Which mix to use (HF-focused) Mix Best general region Typical “why” Practical guidance Mix 31 ~1–30 MHz Excellent for choking common-mode on HF; good broadband behavior Best first choice for chokes and many broadband transformers Mix 43 ~5–50 MHz…
Baluns and ununs are often treated as interchangeable “black boxes,” but selecting the correct impedance transformation ratio is critical for efficiency, bandwidth, and feedline behavior. Choosing incorrectly can lead to high SWR, excess loss, common-mode current on the coax, and…