Background The struggle is a term that gets thrown around quite a bit. In this context, the struggle is having a limited amount of funds to spend on ham radio. For some, the struggle is real. Not everyone has an unlimited budget to spend on everything they want. The issue comes from the gatekeepers. TheContinue reading “The Struggle”
Author Archives: kd9nrt
MI UP Trip and HF Radio
Part 2 If you missed part 1, I talked about our handhelds and the day to day use of them in the dunes. It is an interesting read, though I feel the results are pretty self explanatory from the introduction. The results are important in driving home a point that I emphasize quite a bit.Continue reading “MI UP Trip and HF Radio”
Frustrations
New Hams and Lack of Elmers There has been a recent influx of new operators lately, which is a great thing for a diminishing hobby. Earlier this week, new operators were using the local repeater and their calls are in the KD9TXX range. Having new blood on the air is always a great thing. ItContinue reading “Frustrations”
MI UP Trip and Radio Recount
Background My master’s advisor invited me to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as a research assistant. His research site is in the Grand Sable Dunes, just outside of Grand Marais. For those who know the area, it is isolated. Michigan tends to be heavier with AT&T, so we didn’t have cell reception. There was anotherContinue reading “MI UP Trip and Radio Recount”
Where Have I Been
I haven’t posted on this site in a bit. I haven’t forgotten about it either. I upgraded to my general license in Oct 2019 and was planning to upgrade to my extra license before the change happened in summer 2020. Unfortunately, COVID hindered that plan. The testing session I planned to attend was cancelled. OnceContinue reading “Where Have I Been”
Hamshack Upgrades
Introduction My shack has been constantly evolving since I got into ham radio. It originally started as a radio on a deck with coax passing through a laundry room window. It then changed to a radio sitting next to my computer. The coax was still going through the same window. Now, I have a deskContinue reading “Hamshack Upgrades”
Antenna Comparison Test
Introduction Anyone that has seen this blog knows that I spend a fair amount of time on Reddit. It is a love/hate relationship. It is a great place for information but can also contain some of the dumbest people. I have this same love/hate relationship with r/AmateurRadio. Many of the posts are about new licenses,Continue reading “Antenna Comparison Test”
Something New Learned About Pi-Star Hotspots
Quick One This post will be quick. I just wanted to highlight something new that I just learned about Pi-Star hotspots. This is specific for those running the Pi-Star software. I was trying to show my wife digital voice radio using Yaesu System Fusion. I set the Pi-Star to the Parrot, which is a privateContinue reading “Something New Learned About Pi-Star Hotspots”
Digital Voice Radio
Background As you know, I love digital radio. I acknowledge my bias but that doesn’t mean that I’m blind to the realities. Watch any YouTube channel and they will say, “It sounds like you are right next to me.” While I’m on System Fusion and most of the rooms are cross linked with DMR, IContinue reading “Digital Voice Radio”
My Recent Radio Silence – Burnout
Although the traffic to this blog is relatively low, I do want to post regularly. As with any social media platform, one way to gain traffic is to keep a regular schedule. My plan was to have a new blog every Sunday. This was easy since Sunday is a slow day for me. I amContinue reading “My Recent Radio Silence – Burnout”
KD9NRT - Adam 