Word of the Day: (Elmer): Why Do We Call a Ham Radio Mentor “Elmer?”
Say the word “Elmer” to a non-Ham and two thoughts spring to mind: glue for elementary craft projects and a bald-headed rabbit hunter who has trouble pronouncing his Rs (see […]
An Amateur Radio Blog by DX Engineering Recent Posts
HAM Radio 101
Technical Articles
Ferrite Chokes, What are They, Anyway?
In other OnAllBand entries, we’ve covered what ferrites are, how their behavior varies with frequency, and some of their applications in the ham station. This time, we’ll focus on their […]
HAM Radio 101
Word of the Day (Band Map): What is a Band Map?
In contesting, a graphical, real-time display of stations arranged by frequency presented by most popular contest logging software. The map is either populated by telnet/packet spots from clusters and skimmers, […]
Events
It’s All in the Cards! A Look at Wallis and Futuna QSLs
Every month, DX Engineering features QSL cards from our team members’ personal collections. To highlight upcoming DXpeditions, we’ll be displaying a few of our favorite cards along with details about […]
HAM Radio 101
Word of the Day (Yagi Antenna): What is a Yagi Antenna?
Invented in 1926 by Shintaro Uda and Hidetsugu Yagi of Japan, the Yagi-Uda, most often shortened to “Yagi,” refers to a type of directional antenna with a single driven element […]
Events
How to Get the Most out of Hamvention
This year’s Hamvention is fast approaching and operators worldwide are making travel plans to attend this year’s impressive event. With over 500 indoor exhibits and over 2,500 outside you’ll have […]
HAM Radio 101
Word of the Day: Scheduled or Skeds
In contesting, schedules are advance arrangements to make QSOs with specific stations at specific frequencies and times. Schedules are often made during a contest to try to work additional multipliers […]
HAM Radio 101
Word of the Day (CW): What Does CW Stand For?
If you’re new to Ham Radio, you’ve probably asked yourself: Why can’t these people just say what they mean? A lot of the fun of being an Amateur operator is […]
Technical Articles
What is Ferrite Used For, Anyway (Part 2)
In the OnAllBands entry, “What is Ferrite, Anyway?” we discussed what ferrite is and what makes up a “mix.” We also explored how ferrite behaves at different frequencies. Ferrite has […]
HAM Radio 101
Word of the Day (Digital Voice Keyer): What is a Digital Voice Keyer?
Hardware which digitally records one’s voice for CQs, contest exchanges and other frequently spoken information. The recording is played back using keystrokes defined by software (or by pushing a button […]
