Most people managing a repeater or using a Pi-Star open-spot at home want to automate the connection to a specific reflector to ensure they don't miss a net. To automate that task, they look online, and the internet tells them to insert a line in the file /etc/crontab to …
If you've experimented with HF antennas, you've probably encountered the Half-Wave End-Fed (HWEF) antenna. It's popular for its simplicity, ease of deployment, and ability to resonate on multiple bands. In my previous post, I outlined several significant drawbacks of HWEF antennas, including their inefficiency, susceptibility to noise, and the persistent …
Half-wave end-fed (HWEF) antennas have gained popularity among amateur radio operators for their simplicity, versatility, and ease of installation. While they have a few notable benefits, they also have many problems that make them less than ideal. Here's why I'm not totally sold on HWEF antennas. The Benefits of HWEF …
In my previous article, I've been exploring the details of total losses in transmission lines and the extra losses caused by SWR. I've created a loss calculator to help users effectively determine their cable losses. This project required meticulous data collection from various cable manufacturers…
Heliax Coaxial Cable The coaxial cable is critical when setting up a radio communication system. This cable transmits RF signals from the radio to the antenna. We use coax cables because they have a conductive shield surrounding the inner conductor. This shielding minimizes electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference …
In my last article, I explained how to measure the resonant frequency of an LC circuit by simulating a grid dip meter using an antenna analyzer or a NanoVNA. This method is convenient when you only have an antenna analyzer. However, a NanoVNA has two ports, and you can use …
In previous years, amateur radio enthusiasts heavily relied on dip meters as an indispensable tool for circuit testing. These meters are also known as grid dip meters. However, as of 2024, dip meters have become increasingly scarce …