Student filmmakers from the University of Montana investigate the culture of Montana Amateur Radio Operators, or "hams", as they recount their admiration for the global Amateur Radio community. As they say "This niche hobby has produced long-lasting friendships between radio enthusiasts around the globe, and has been a pastime of choice for much of their lives." CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE 25 MINUTE VIDEO
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![]() Historic
Posted: 11/329/2023
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TV Duplexer
Some things are interesting, even if totally useless nowadays. Such is the case with the Philco 426-3034 Crossover Kit for UHF TV. What the heck is that? Well, back in the late 50s, UHF television stations operating on channels 14-83 started to appear in many areas of the US where viewers had a VHF-only TV antenna, and in many cases an externa UHF converter was... READ MORE |
![]() Crystal Replacement
Posted: 11/327/2023
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Replacing failed crystals
For decades, quartz crystals were used everywhere a stable frequency source was needed, even in some applications that depended on overtone (harmonic) behavior into the VHF range. These crystals were less stable and more dependent on circuit parameters that fundamental types and thus more problematic. Such was the case with the 94 MHz crystal in the 2 meter converter ... READ MORE |
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Posted: 11/315/2023
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My Own Ham Radio Story by W9RAN
Everyone has a story of how they got involved in ham radio - this is mine. It started much earlier, including receiving a Knight Kit Span Master shortwave radio for Christmas in about 1963, at age 12. I'll never forget the night my dad and I finished building it and I wanted to try it out. It came with a 50 ft. antenna which was still coiled up - but ... READ MORE |
![]() Technical
Posted: 09/267/2023
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Hot to simulate vacuum tubes in LTSpice
LTSice is a powerful simulation tool that is provided free by Linear Technology Corp. It comes with a complete library of passive and common analog solid-state components but if you want to use it to simulate vacuum tubes, it doesen't work as-is. Even though triode and pentode symbols can be found in the "Misc" folder, they are just schematic symbols and... READ MORE |
![]() Friends Remembered
Posted: 07/208/2023
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Merv Schweigert, K9FD (SK)
Comments from Robert Nickels W9RAN, July 27, 2023: There is nothing worse for a ham radio operator than to see a beloved friends callsign with the letters "SK" behind them. Yet sadly, that's what happened on July 23, 2023, when I learned of the passsing of Merv Schweigert, K9FD. While many of our ham radio interests were different - Me... READ MORE |
![]() Vintage Ham Radio
Posted: 01/19/2023
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"Winter Projects"
I know many of us who enjoy restoring and repairing vintage gear look forward to winter when there is less competition for time and energy, and a chance to really make a dent in our "to be fixed" piles. A couple of years ago I set time aside for "Heathkit Singlebander Week" and went through every one of them I had, with the result that they're all working ... READ MORE |
![]() Vintage Ham Radio
Posted: 11/330/2022
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The Galaxy COMM2
Leo Meyerson had been in the ham radio retail and manufacturing business for over 25 years, and by 1970 he was ready to retire. His son took over the WRL distribution and retail business but the Galaxy Electronics manufacturing operation was sold to his long-time friend Andy Andros WØLTE, founder and president of Hy Gain Electronics in nearby Lincoln NE. The CB radio eleme... READ MORE |
![]() Historic
Posted: 10/304/2022
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Don Taylor of the Yukon, and the Trappers Sched
Most of the articles on this site are about hams, or ham radio. This one is not about a ham but about a man who built as much a reputation through HF radio as any ham on top of the BPL ever did. Don Taylor is one of those rugged independent-minded people who thrive on a lifestyle most of us couldn't even imagine - as a trapper in Canada's Yukon wildernes... READ MORE |
![]() Historic
Posted: 09/252/2022
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KYW-KFKX - Linking Broadcasting Stations by Shortwave
Most radio fans know the history of KDKA but maybe not "the rest of the story". In November 1920 the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company began operation of a radio broadcasting station, KDKA, in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, often described as the "Pioneer Broadcasting Station of the World." KDKA is generally considered to be the fi... READ MORE |
![]() Historic
Posted: 09/251/2022
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AT&T Scranton LongLines tower
The microwave network constructed by AT&T Long Lines and other telecommunications companies in the past 50 years were engineering masterpieces using state-of-the-art technologies and some were designed to withstand nuclear attack during that Cold War era. This is a non-hardened site on top of a mountain in upstate New York that existed long enough for graffiti taggers t... READ MORE |
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Paul Stoffregen is the creator of the Teensy microcomputer and related products and has authored a vast amount of exceptionally good and useful public domain software to go with it. As the old saying goes "no good deed goes unpunished" and in the course of answering customer and would-be customer questions, Paul has written over 18,000 replies. From that he's ... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 12/10/2018
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The VERSA-TR kit designed by RAN Technology Inc. is available from our friends at Hayseed Hamfest. Please direct all order-related questions to them at https://hayseedhamfest.com/pages/contact-us... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 11/11/2018
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