Mobile /Portable Solar At Scale
A few years ago we got into solar to power ham radio equipment. 18 Volt, 100 watt panels (name plate maximum 5A at 18 volts) were available, for $100, and we could power modest projects like remote packet radio nodes. These needed a deep cycle battery and semi smart charge controller, that would protect the…
Three New D-Star ID-RP4010V Repeaters Purchased
Icom was having a closeout sale on the newest D-Star repeater modules. We bought three. We were actually saving up for one – they were $1600 retail. They have two key features for us- one they are controller less (takes up less rack space), and two they support FM. FEMA goes on and on about interoperability. The idea of the…
Radio in pop culture
Radio as a technology doesn’t seem to have a major place in most modern movies and TV shows, with few exceptions. Most recently, however, Netflix now has a mini-series where Radio technology plays a dominant plot role. The limited series “All the light we cannot see” has a fairly dominant radio-based theme. The story is…
Ham Radio Outlet Superfest
If Dayton sounds fun but you need more ham radio hardware in your life, HRO in Milwaukee might be the closest “candy store” for us Minnesotans. it’s closer than Dayton but still hours away. A great time to visit is September. The local store there has an annual “Superfest” gathering, with local clubs, vendors, and…
Use of VOACAP for Contact Planning
Suppose you want to make a ham radio contact with a specific location. How do you figure out when is the best time and frequency to make that contact? One way is VOACAP – the Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program. VOA created this tool to support receipt of their broadcasts, but have also expanded…
POTA the hard way – Lake Maria State Park
By now everyone has heard about “POTA” – Parks on the Air, and I’ve previously covered it. Based on the parks on the air rules, just being inside the park boundaries is sufficient to operate and work that park. So some people may just drive into the parking lot with their HF gear and get…
OSTicket – Ticketing
For many years hams in Minnesota have supported outdoor sporting events- marathons, ski races and charity bike rides. These regularly have “missing persons” – such as family members asking about a participant who has not finished the race on time. Are they injured or in a medical tent or the hospital? If you are tracking…
ARRL Field Day 2023
This weekend is ARRL field day! The Anoka County Radio Club will be operating the contest from the Laurie Lamotte Park in Centerville, MN. We plan to operate three HF stations – one voice, one digital, and one CW (morse code). If you’re interested and in the area, please stop by! On Saturday at 6:00…
Operating POTA with Contests
POTA stands for “Parks on the air”. Parks on the air is to Ham radio like fantasy football is to real football. Basically, statistics about your contacts are kept and that maintains a scoreboard about how many parks you’ve contacted, how many have contacted you, etc. Some people consider POTA its own mission, and are…
Power usage tracking for batteries with Coulometers
Running around with ham radios and 12v DC devices, knowing how much power is left in the tank can be pretty important. For simple lead acid batteries, the voltage of the battery can give you a pretty good idea how much capacity is left. But nowadays a lot of people have moved to the LiPo4…
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