How to Test Coaxial Cable
Coax became popular with hams after World War II when war surplus was plentiful. Hams liked it because it was easy to obtain, relatively inexpensive, and easy to install—much easier […]
An Amateur Radio Blog by DX Engineering Technical Articles
Technical Articles
Technical Articles
Ham Mobile Install–Mounting Your Radio
In this installment of Ham Mobile Install, it’s all about mounting options for your mobile radio—the where and how of making sure the transceiver or head is in a place […]
Technical Articles
So, You’re Ready to Buy Your First Handheld Transceiver. Now What?
You just got your first license. Congratulations! Now you are ready to buy your first radio. For many of us, our first radio was a handheld (HT) transceiver. On the […]
Technical Articles
Ham Mobile Install: A Few Things to Consider about Transceiver Placement and Detachable Heads
In this installment of Ham Mobile Install, we will talk about selecting a radio, where to mount it in the vehicle, and placing a detachable head. When choosing a mobile […]
Technical Articles
What is a Band Stacking Register? MPAD? QMB?
Ask your ham radio friends what a Band Stacking Register is and you’re likely to get some blank stares. Others may pull out their smartphones and do an Internet search. […]
Technical Articles
Types of Feed Line Chokes
A feed line RF choke creates a high impedance in the path of RF common-mode current on the outside surface of a coaxial cable shield. The choke doesn’t affect currents […]
Antenna Tech / Technical Articles
Installing Your Ham Radio Mobile Antenna on a Vehicle
In this installment of Ham Mobile Install, we will be discussing ways to set up an antenna for mobile operations. Remember, the goal here is to get on the air […]
Technical Articles
Ham Radio Tech: EchoLink & Broadcastify
So where else can radio be handy? In what ways has technology helped us expand our love for radio? There are quite a few ways amateur radio can be mixed […]
Technical Articles
Ham Radio Tech 101: What Causes Galling & How Can You Prevent It?
You are just wrapping up the installation of your new antenna on your tower. You slip a bolt through the clamp and begin to tighten the nut when, suddenly, the […]
Technical Articles
Is PSK31 Still a Thing?
Who has used PSK31? More accurately, who has used it lately? And I don’t mean for any contests dedicated solely to PSK31, but as an actual mode of communication. What […]
