DXing

Heathkit SB-221 brought back to life

May 9, 2016

An overview of my SB-221 amplifier repair project — a notebook about what it needed and what I did.

The Large and Powerful Spider Beam

January 23, 2016

Here’s a homemade, lightweight but full-size triband yagi (with directors and reflectors in V configuration) interlaced on a 32-foot boom. And it works like a dream.

Hybrid wire element SteppIR 40M yagi

January 23, 2016

Expand a 40M rotatable dipole into a 2-element yagi with a fixed wire element. Add a relay to the wire and get instant 180-degree rotation, too.

LED lighting for CDE/Hygain rotator meter

September 7, 2015

Tired of burned-out bulbs in your CDE rotator meter? Replace the bulb with an LED strip — it’s inexpensive and LEDs will last a very long time.

Rebuilding the radio room

August 15, 2015

Big plans for the radio “shack” at VA7ST… will it ever be built?

Astron power supply digital meter (volts/amps)

July 10, 2015

Want to know what that “blind” power supply is putting out? Add a digital volt/ammeter to your meterless Astron power supply

Contesting from the West

June 30, 2014

Here’s my perspective from the West Coast, looking at what we do that may be different from the tactics of contest stations located further East.

My CW (Morse code) paddles

September 30, 2011

Morse code is a joy, and with the right “paddles” it is pure bliss. Here’s an essay on the pursuit of ham radio happiness.

End of paper QSLs from VA7ST

August 5, 2011

The cost and environmental impact of paper QSL cards makes this aspect of ham radio part of our history, not our future.

CDE rotator scale: refit for North center

April 11, 2011

Depending on your location, changing your rotator control meter’s scale to a north-centered scale could greatly reduce the turning required to work the most popular areas. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making the change on a CDE rotator control — including a printable high-resolution image of the North-centered meter scale.