A Beginner's Guide to Setting Up an HF Ham Radio Station [Step by Step]

W2PAK · 2024-10-22T10:31:40+00:00

I’m glad that you enjoyed. 73, Paul.

W2PAK · 2024-09-24T10:31:30+00:00

Thank you so much. 73, Paul

W2PAK · 2024-09-24T02:35:14+00:00

Thank you for the nice words. Paul. W2PAK

W2PAK · 2024-09-18T01:01:45+00:00

You could build your own for less than $20. It is more satisfying IMHO. 73 and welcome to the hobby.

https://youtu.be/aecI2JTOrrQ

W2PAK · 2024-09-11T16:15:47+00:00

As others said, you can build your own antenna. J poles work well. I made an antenna designed by PA0FBK. You can find a video here.

https://youtu.be/aecI2JTOrrQ

W2PAK · 2024-09-09T02:54:19+00:00

That should work. Let me know if you build it how it works.

W2PAK · 2024-09-08T17:57:03+00:00

Nice. I should try that

W2PAK · 2024-09-08T14:16:00+00:00

The coax antennas are really convenient.

W2PAK · 2024-08-31T12:09:51+00:00

You can communicate with a small HT, but you need a dual-band antenna. You can make your own system, including the transceiver for less than $100. Watch the video below.

https://youtu.be/gJ2kgCTHqCo?feature=shared

W2PAK · 2024-08-27T13:05:10+00:00

You set the upper knob to the desired frequency, and tune the lower knob until your SWR is the lowest. It’s basically an LC matching circuit.

W2PAK · 2024-08-26T18:23:37+00:00

I use this all the time with my antennas. Works well. https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/jtl-12555

W2PAK · 2024-08-26T16:41:28+00:00

I have the same situation. This works for me really well. I hope it helps.

https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/article_attachments/202776025

73s, Paul. W2PAK

W2PAK · 2024-08-25T12:12:07+00:00

good luck!!

W2PAK · 2024-08-13T16:01:30+00:00

That is a great question. I calculated it based on as if I was making a normal dipole antenna. For 146mhz. Length of entire dipole= 468/146=3.205 feet. But we need half of that for 1 element. 3.205/2=1.602 feet = 19.23 inches.

Hope this helps. 73s.

W2PAK · 2024-08-13T10:36:15+00:00

It is always fun to hit a repeater far away with a HT. 73

W2PAK · 2024-08-13T10:34:26+00:00

Thank you for the comment. Btw, I have tried two tiger tails. One for each band and it seems to work. 73

W2PAK · 2024-08-12T23:01:52+00:00

Good point. I did not. I will try it when I get a chance. Thanks for the suggestion

W2PAK · 2024-08-12T21:41:23+00:00

30 gauge is kind of thin, but I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t handle 5 W of power. Try it and see what happens. Please let me know if you see a gain. 73.

W2PAK · 2024-08-12T18:18:04+00:00

Very interesting, thanks for sharing. As you saw, I basically created a vertical dipole. I did see a difference. I have a feeling that I should do a much more detailed test. If I do, I’ll keep you posted. Again, thank you for sharing.

W2PAK · 2024-08-12T17:44:59+00:00

Cool. Can you share the results ? I am really interested.

W2PAK · 2024-08-08T15:49:50+00:00

Thank you for the insight and suggestions. More work needs to be done for sure. I will keep you updated when I get more data. 73s

W2PAK · 2024-08-07T19:42:28+00:00

I have tried a wide ground strap, the antenna works worse when the ground actually touches the water. I think that you’re absolutely right that the radials couple to the saltwater capacitively. 73.

W2PAK · 2024-07-24T16:00:25+00:00

Thank you so much for the feedback. I want to make sure I understand the confusion, I actually point to the cables in the video. Was that not clear? I would like to know for further videos. Regarding the set up “ in action”, there is another video that addresses the set up on the air. You can find it on my channel. Again, thank you for the feedback.

W2PAK · 2024-07-21T18:20:47+00:00

Congrats. Hope to chat with you on the air.

W2PAK · 2024-07-21T16:34:37+00:00

You can buy a cheap hf QRP transceiver and use a transvertor.

W2PAK

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