Going mobile? Installing a ham radio station in your vehicle expands the usefulness of amateur radio, making automobiles ham shacks on wheels. It’s a convenient way to have instant emergency communications onsite without any tedious setup. You can even treat yourself to park and POTA—no picnic table needed. Those of you who have moved to mobile radio operation probably started with combination VHF/UHF radios. Some go the extra mile and later add HF radio to the mix. Either way, ham radio mobile installations can present some unique challenges for the operator. Anyone who has shopped for a car ..read more

Have you thought about changing your current call sign? Maybe you’ve upgraded your license, moved to a new call area, decided you want a shorter call, or have a real tongue twister that’s hard to decipher on the air. It could be you want a call that’s easier for your friends to remember or one the net control station won’t keep asking you to repeat. A vanity call sign is one that a ham or amateur radio club wants in place of an existing call sign. Vanity call signs often include alphabetical characters that are important to the licensee—initials, parts of names, hobbies, nicknames, or amateur ..read more

Space, the final frontier for antenna installations. The ham’s ongoing mission: to explore their shrinking lot sizes and seek out smaller antennas that will keep them on the air—ones that boldly perform with the fewest compromises. There’s nothing that says you can’t bend or wrap antenna elements to make them more compact. Think of open folded dipoles or the end droop on a wire antenna when it’s a few feet too long. Keep in mind that making a dipole smaller by wrapping it back on itself reduces not only the size but affects bandwidth as well. Regardless, this might be a good tradeoff under the ..read more

For most people in the path of totality, the April 8 Great American Eclipse was likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. (Only residents in southern Illinois were in the path of totality for both the 2017 and 2024 eclipses). In case there is still someone out there who is unfamiliar, a total solar eclipse happens—as it did earlier this month—when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky darkens as if it were dawn or dusk. The next total solar eclipse that will be visible in the U.S. (only in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota) will be in ..read more

High-performance products from the portable operating specialists at Chameleon Antenna have been a fixture in the DX Engineering Amateur Radio Products Catalog for years. Everything from the MPAS Portable HF Backpack Antenna Systems to EMCOMM Portable HF Antennas are prominently featured in the catalog’s Wire & Portable Antennas section. The 2024 DX Engineering catalog—available next month—includes the addition of several new products from Chameleon, all currently available at DXEngineering.com. Here are a few: Antenna Winders These specially shaped plastic tools are ideal for winding up w ..read more

It’s been a busy time for DXpeditions—and a great time to be in the thick of the pileups. The avid DXers at DX Engineering have been right in the thick of things as well, providing equipment for a number of high-profile and unique operations that have given DXers ample opportunities to fill bands and record All Time New Ones. From all of us at DX Engineering and OnAllBands, our thanks to the intrepid operators who continue to put infrequently activated DXCC entities and IOTA spots on the air, and congratulations to the persistent chasers who have skillfully worked them. Here’s a rundown of a f ..read more

April 18 marks the annual celebration of World Amateur Radio Day (WARD). This year’s theme is, “A Century of Connections: Celebrating 100 Years of Amateur Radio Innovation, Community, and Advocacy.” The global event runs from Thursday, April 18, 0000 UTC to Friday, April 19, 0000 UTC. All radio amateurs are invited to get on the air in the spirit of goodwill and friendship with other amateurs and to demonstrate their skills to the public. This non-contest event is an opportunity to talk about the value of amateur radio with the public and fellow amateur colleagues. As the ARRL notes, it’s also ..read more

Bhutan QRV in April Our second QSL card post for April highlights an opportunity to add the Kingdom of Bhutan—the 67th Most Wanted DXCC Entity—to your list of contacted countries. The A52 DXpedition by SP9FIH (as A52P) and SP6CIK (as A52CI) is scheduled to be active April 18 to May 8 on 40-6M SSB, CW, and digital. The A52 team, who will be operating from the Dochula Eco Retreat, asks that DX chasers follow these requests: Do not make duplicate contacts. Please listen before you call. Do not ask for our call signs. When calling, give your full call sign, not two or three letters. The team not ..read more

Space, the final frontier for antenna installations. The ham’s ongoing mission: to explore their shrinking lot sizes and seek out smaller antennas that will keep them on the air—ones that boldly perform with the fewest compromises. There’s nothing that says you can’t bend or wrap antenna elements to make them more compact. Think of open folded dipoles or the end droop on a wire antenna when it’s a few feet too long. Keep in mind that making a dipole smaller by wrapping it back on itself reduces not only the size but affects bandwidth as well. Regardless, this might be a good tradeoff under the ..read more

Whether you just got your license, or you have been in the hobby for a while, your interests may be leading you to explore the HF bands. For many of us, HF radio was the reason we got interested in the hobby in the first place. There are a lot of things to think about when you are considering buying your first HF transceiver. With prices all over the place and so many features and options, it can be difficult to wrap your head around where to start. My goal with this article is not to compare each HF radio that is available today, but rather to create a foundation for you to decide what rig is ..read more