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1500 questions
6
votes
3 answers
What exactly is field day, and do I need equipment?
I have been a ham not quite long enough to experience field day. I have been excited for the weekend ever since I heard about it.
I looked at the ARRL site for field days in my location, and found a few I could visit.
I currently don't have HF…
Skyler 440
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6
votes
5 answers
Grounding a vertical antenna from a balcony
I have a multiband vertical antenna mounted onto the railings of my balcony apartment high up on the 6th floor of an apartment building. The antenna is not grounded. This antenna comes without radials.
I can see at the side of my building, a ground…
Engineer999
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6
votes
4 answers
Weather-proofing antenna connections
Here's a problem: you buy a fancy new vertical for a fair bit of coin, but there's no coax connector on the thing. There are just screw terminals.
You need to attach coax to it, but in such a way that the coax termination is protected from the…
Phil Frost - W8II
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6
votes
2 answers
Romanian amateur radio license
Romanian amateur radio license
Hello. I am wondering how to get a amateur license in Romania, and whether there is any material on this. I am licensed in the US, am a Romanian citizen, and can speak Romanian, so that should not be a problem. I did a…
smarnav
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6
votes
1 answer
How does a loopstick antenna actually receive signal?
Around 1970, I acquired a little transistor radio (powered by 4xAA cells, 6V) that had no external antenna. Inside the back panel (which opened to allow replacing the battery cells) one could see the loopstick antenna, just a ferrite rod with a lot…
Zeiss Ikon
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6
votes
2 answers
What rig or rigs are onboard the ISS?
This article mentions the Ham Shack aboard the ISS. From the picture it looks like a small very light rig like a Yaesu FT-817. What radio(s) do the astronauts use when they talk to Hams and School-age kids (with help from licensed hams) on earth?
Warren VA7WPX
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6
votes
1 answer
Has an amateur radio communication ever taken a path outside the Earth-Moon system?
As a bit of curiosity, I was wondering what the longest path ever used by amateur radio operators has been.
Of course the opposite side of the Earth is no problem with a good HF station. And you can work long-path, so that's at least the…
Phil Frost - W8II
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6
votes
2 answers
How to increase antenna aperture?
I know that in the short wavelength region, where parabolic antennas are used, the aperture can be increased simply by making the dish larger, as is the case with the radio telescopes. But how to do this in the RF? If I make a half wave dipole…
Tr00rle
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6
votes
2 answers
What are the EXACT rules about FCC vanity call sign assignments?
I'm a US extra class, but a little late to the party, so to get a short 1x2 I have to fight it out at the vanity call sign fair. I thought I understood the rules, but apparently I don't.
The only chance we have to get a concise 1x2 call sign (or by…
Gunther Schadow
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6
votes
3 answers
Antenna options
I am considering a new ham station in a relatively urban environment on the South coast of England, and would like like some ideas / feedback on antenna options.
Aim is to get reasonable performance for 40/20/15/10m bands with 100W TX power from an…
Oliver Schönrock
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6
votes
1 answer
What is a 'Call' Channel?
While programming my Icom radio it has MR (memory)channels, VFO (Variable Freq) channels and Call Channels. What are call channels as comparred to memory or vfo channels? What is their use?
Steve Miller
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6
votes
2 answers
Can an oscilloscope be used as an RF voltmeter?
I just recently acquired a slightly functional Icom IC-735 HF radio, and am trying to resurrect it.
The service manual outlines procedures that specify the use of an RF Voltmeter, which I do not own. I do have a Tektronix 2236 dual channel 100MHz…
user14945
6
votes
4 answers
Can SDR receivers be detected remotely?
It's my understanding that active superhet receivers can be detected by looking for the emissions from the local oscillator, particularly because the LO's frequency is usually set at some fixed offset from the carrier.
Is a similar technique…
chrylis -cautiouslyoptimistic-
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6
votes
6 answers
If receive performance doesn't depend on SWR, then how can I tune my manual HF antenna tuner by band noise?
The popular question "What is the relationship between SWR and receive performance?" asks if a receiver with a well-matched antenna (low SWR) beats a receiver with a poorly-matched antenna, with everything else being equal. The consensus opinion…
rclocher3
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6
votes
2 answers
What does ALC do on a transceiver?
What is ALC on an HF transceiver?
What are the disadvantages (if any) of operating using a rig without ALC?
What might be the difference between a good and bad implementation of ALC?
hotpaw2
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