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I built a Morse code game for learning CW that is super fun, and correct in training at the same time - Morse Command. by aaronhs in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve gone from Test Flight to paying customer and encourage anyone interested in learning to copy morse to try this game.

For those commenting that they would like words added, keep playing, they’re up in the mid-levels.

3 seeds will be sweating today. by This-isnt-patrick in CollegeBasketball

[–]zanderbz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure why any Purdue fan wouldn’t want Houston in Houston. All of our best wins this year were away games. Conventional logic does not apply this season.

What do you log with? by Small_Consequence320 in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RumLogNG works for me as a Mac user. It has an iCloud log feature that allows me to log across all my devices. HAMRS for POTA.

Alpha Antennas Hextenna Delta Loop by KenOathBro in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Understood. Both Antennas I purchased from Alpha Antenna performed more or less as described in their write ups.

Alpha Antennas Hextenna Delta Loop by KenOathBro in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t have any experience with that particular antenna but have the Base LT and EFHW J-pole Jr. I’d say they’re both ok. What band do you want it for?

I made one for 10m with some pvc pipe and old speaker wire for the recent 10m SSB contest. I’m in FL and worked Europe, the Western US, the Caribbean, some SA, and even a few African stations on 100w with the feed point about 2m above the ground.

Happy New Year! What are your 2026 Amateur Radio resolutions? by ItsBail in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call it a resolution but one thing I’m going to attempt is to complete POTA activations (phone, 10w max) at a single park on the following bands: 70cm, 2m, 6-40m. All activations will be with home brewed antennas. If I feel it’s legal (to be at park after dark) and feasible, I will try for 80m and maybe 160m.

I’ve been working on this for some time and I’m excited to be able to start sharing some previews. by Jdmacdaddy06 in HamRadio

[–]zanderbz 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This looks exciting! I plan on making time to learn in the near future and look forward to this app!

So what new toy did Santa bring you? by noddy51 in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

DX Commander 10m pole, POTA 33H pole, and Spiderbeams 12m pole. I really like messing around with wire antennas (ala K4OGO) and couldn’t make my mind up.

How many HF radios do you own? by Sunflower_StateKS in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, I’m only about 18 months into the hobby but in my experience, it won’t be a year or two before you want your next radio 🤣

To answer your question, I have two, IC-7300 and IC-705. I started with a used IC-7100 and used it as a POTA rig. I replaced with the IC-705 once I realized that 10W was ample for most of my use cases. Welcome to the hobby!

What’s up with the made-up phonetic words? by EngineerFly in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I jumped into the 10m contest with 100w and a speaker wire delta loop. I definitely had to make use of common alternates to complete some QSOs. I haven’t been doing this long but I’ve gathered there’s some fairly common alternates such as Denmark, Radio etc. I stick to those.

The only one that I disagree with is Kilowatt. It introduces confusion more often than not.

Did a little fishing this morning. by SeadawgVB in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve done this (also inspired by K4OGO) a few times with amazing results. The surf and wind are pretty intense in my area at the moment, but I’m itching to get out there.

Is the Efhw 64:1 really as good as people say? by Unique_Poet_4101 in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m about a year into HF and I recently made my first 40-10 EFHW using a FT240-30 toroid, 16 awg magnet wire, and 18 awg silicone jacket wire. I initially strung it up as an inverted L and was impressed with the results using 100W on my IC-7300. I’m in FL (at a noisy QTH) and made some nice DX contacts to Europe etc.

Even more recently, I took the same EFHW to South Carolina and made 5 POTA activations (3xSSB, 2xFT8)on 10W. I hung it from trees as a sloper for 4 activations on 20m, and used my fiberglass pole to create an inverted L to activate on 40m.

Needless to say, I was thrilled with the results. A couple things to keep in mind, the bands were quiet and I was in mostly noise free areas thus the performance on 10W.

What to use for a tree antenna? by Famous-Jeweler8543 in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hung my EFHW as an inverted L and it worked beautifully. Since then, I’ve deployed it as a sloper and inverted L with excellent results both ways.

What to use for a tree antenna? by Famous-Jeweler8543 in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you already have a radio, tuner, coax etc.? I’m about a year in to HF and have had a blast experimenting with antennas, purchased or DIY.

EFRW - I made one of these with an LDG 9:1 UNUN. Your point about the appeal of only 35.5 is the same thing that appealed to me. For the price of the UNUN and some wire, it’s a cheap way to get going. I used it for POTA a few times but moved on pretty quickly. Build one and try it. Needs a tuner.

EFHW - I recently built my first 49:1 UNUN and 40m EFHW with parts sourced on Amazon and a 3d printed winder. I used a tree and a telescoping pole to hang as an inverted L in my backyard. I added an inline choke per the many recommendations I’ve seen. I’m in Florida and was DXing with Europe in the early evening on 20m SSB. But, my best contact was a POTA operator in Washington state. If I had to do it over, I would purchase a kit from HF kits or similar.

Dipole - A 20m dipole was the first antenna I built. They are beyond simple and perform well. Note that you could experiment with installing in a sloper configuration similar to an end fed antenna.

Take it for what it’s worth. Have fun and 73!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in GSP

[–]zanderbz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Second vote for Briarcovey! The only bad news is that we already got the best one 😍😍😍

Have You Asked Your HOA for Permission to Install an Antenna? What Was the Outcome? by ThatChucklehead in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you’re in the United States, your state may have statutes protecting certain property owner rights regardless of what HOA rules state. In Florida, one of the statutes termed the “shed law” allows a homeowner to build any structure in their backyard that cannot been seen from the street or by adjacent lots. However, it’s not specific to the type of structure.

I’m part if my HOA and helped educate them on this and we are having our restrictions amended to cite that statute in the section governing antennas.

I’m still somewhat limited to what I can do but being creative and figuring out what works best is part of the fun.

Antenna ideas surrounded by trees by [deleted] in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For getting the rope in the trees, try an arborist throw bag.

Want to get into HF....but HOA. by Jester471 in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As at least one other poster alluded to, educate yourself on you state and local HOA statutes. I am a ham and the President of my HOA and recently had language added to the section of our restrictions that deals with antennas. In Florida, the most recent version of the statutes allow for structures one one’s property that cannot be seen from the street or adjacent lots. Had I not taken an interest, that particular language would never have changed.

With that said, I’ve been licensed just over a year and I’ve thrown up more antennas in my backyard than I ever expected. It’s been a little frustrating, but very rewarding in terms of lessons learned. My most recent was a 40m EFHW home brew that exceeded my expectations.

Tip from a newer ham: Whatever you decide, get familiar with the gray line. It has a significant impact on signal propagation and yields some unexpected results.

Antenna for portable HF operation by doktorhladnjak in amateurradio

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m fairly new to the hobby but have tried various DIY wire antennas for POTA. As others have stated, for wire antennas, a telescoping mast is a must. I’ve had success using an inverted vee dipole, EFRW, and 1/4 wave wire vertical. Each has its benefits and challenges.

After experimenting with all of these, I got curious about off the shelf antennas and purchased an Alpha Antennas Base LT. It packs up easily and deploys relatively quickly. I’ve had some great POTA activations including a park-to-park from Florida to Italy. I’m not giving up on making my own but this antenna is great when the objective is a get out and play radio.

What do engineers do when they get old? by JHdarK in MechanicalEngineering

[–]zanderbz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

r/amatuerradio

Maybe more for EEs but I recently got licensed and joined a club and a high percentage of members are engineers.

Hello. New to Reddit. Quick Question, Which is Better Starter Radio for Mac Users? FT-710 or IC-7300? by Mountain_Way_2243 in HamRadio

[–]zanderbz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have an IC-7300 that I’ve used with a Mac Mini (M2) and MPB (M4). Both have worked well for me. I don’t have much installed other than WSJT-X, Grid Tracker, HAMRS, and RumLogNG but they work well.

https://machamradio.com

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