Tag Archives: ham

A Portable AM/FM/SW/SSB That Fulfills a Need

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Kenneth Carr

My need? I enjoy having a personal radio along whenever I go on vacation. Not just any radio..it has to receive AM/FM/SW and if possible SSB. A radio just makes me feel connected to the world regardless of what … Continue reading →

Posted in Radio: Amateur & Broadcast | Tagged 20-629, ATS-505, DX-402, ham, inexpensive, portable, radio, review, sangean, shack, shortwave, SSB | 1 Comment

Which has priority: Ham Radio or Fire Pit Construction? (or OCFD, Obsessive Compulsive Firepit Disorder)

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Kenneth Carr

Ever since the year I gave my wife a Kodak electronic picture frame for Christmas I always make sure to ask her what she wants. That includes birthdays. This year was no different. My wife turned ____ in July (I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Radio: Amateur & Broadcast | Tagged amateur, antenna, center, dipole, feed, fire, Firepit, ham, line, OCF, OCFD, off, pit, Wavz, Windom | Leave a comment

There’s a Grocery Store in my Garage

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Kenneth Carr

How much room does anyone have to store groceries, dishes, pans, etc. in the kitchen? For us it always seems that everything is squished into lots of small cupboards. You have to be real careful when you reach for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Commentary, Radio: Amateur & Broadcast | Tagged DIY, garage, grocery, ham, hardware, K1GTI, materials, mickey, mouse, radio, retro, shelf, shelving, store, telephone, vintage | 1 Comment

Icom IC-706MkIIG Operation Guide

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Kenneth Carr

Some years ago I purchased an Icom IC-706-MkIIG transceiver.This was the third and final version of this very popular amateur radio. I was attracted to the 706 for a number of reasons, some of which are: Small size makes it … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Commentary, Radio: Amateur & Broadcast | Tagged 706, amateur, chart, cheat, guide, ham, IC-706MkIIG, Icom, instruction, manual, menus, MI, mobile, operation, quick, radio, reference, SAR, service, sheet | 116 Comments

A Hamfest Weekend

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Kenneth Carr

What makes a good weekend for you? Some would answer eight hours straight of football games on Sunday afternoon. Others would say climbing Mount Washington or a good 100-mile bike ride. For me it is my annual trek … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Commentary, Radio: Amateur & Broadcast | Tagged 900, amateur, Bristol, Bristoline, Bristolscope, CT, Dayville, ECARA, ham, microscope, radio, RI, stewart, warner | 1 Comment

Feed line Issues Revisited

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Kenneth Carr

How do you weather-proof your feed line connections and the coax itself? Some coax claims to be direct-bury or buriable (my word processor spell check does not like that word). Just cover it over with dirt and forget about it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Commentary, Radio: Amateur & Broadcast | Tagged 2228, amateur, antenna, coax, duct, feed, gap, ham, line, PVC, radio, scotch, seal, tape | 2 Comments

Getting The Coax In

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Kenneth Carr

How many different techniques for bringing a signal into the shack have you experimented with? I’ve tried a number of them. My first shack, outfitted with a Heathkit HW-101 transceiver, was in the basement. Immediately to the left of the HW-101 … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Commentary, Radio: Amateur & Broadcast | Tagged amateur, antenna, coax, coax-seal, duct, eaves, feed, feedthru, gap, ham, how, line, mfj, radio, seal, soffit, thru, to, transmission | 6 Comments

Installing a new Antenna: Gap Titan DX

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Kenneth Carr

Moving day was full of wind, rain, and flying November leaves. The day was made even drearier since my ham radio antenna (a used Gap Titan DX vertical) along with lawn furniture and a ladder were all stolen the day … Continue reading →