Chelegance

Most enthusiasts familiar with shortwave should have used or heard about BALUN (Balanced to Unbalanced) at some point. A typical application scenario is connecting a BALUN between a balanced antenna and coaxial cable. What is its purpose? BALUNs serve various functions, such as balancing to unbalance conversion, suppressing common mode current (CMC), impedance transformation, and …

BALUN Series 1 – Current BALUN, Common Mode Current (CMC) Read More »

In our daily lives, we often overlook the potential applications of certain technologies until crucial moments reveal their immeasurable value. Recently, in an emergency situation in New Jersey, Dave, KD2GIY, played a crucial role utilizing the amateur radio station’s APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) and the 2m frequency band. He became a key factor in …

Amateur radio to the rescue in emergencies: the power of APRS and 2m Read More »

In shortwave radios, the function of filters is to eliminate unwanted signals, allowing the receiver to only capture the signals of interest. Filters are broadly classified into three categories, as also encountered in the Amateur Radio Class B exam: high-pass, band-pass, and low-pass filters. Their meanings are as follows: While these concepts are straightforward, the …

Filters in short-wave radios Read More »

Today i’m setting up my M-104 antenna on the roof. There are many ways to set it up but today i used it as a portable GP, vertical polarized. I used a clamp and mount the base to a railing. M-104 does require a good counterpoise, I used the ring terminal comes with M-104 and …

Set my M-104 on a roof Read More »

We all know that when an antenna resonates at a specific frequency, its efficiency is at its highest. When making or purchasing antennas, we often observe and adjust their resonance conditions (such as finding a lower VSWR value) by modifying the length of the antenna elements, among other factors. We also understand that for the …

Is it true that with an antenna tuner, everything is an antenna? Read More »

Most of the shortwave radios we we use internally employ the superheterodyne structure for signal up/down conversion in both reception and transmission. Today we are going to talk about the superheterodyne, focusing on analog signal superheterodyne receivers. The SDR architecture of the models, spectrum analyzers, many also use the superheterodyne structure to receive and transmit, …

Superheterodyne Structure in Radio Read More »

Any shortwave radio enthusiast likely knows this common knowledge: the 20-meter band is suitable for communication during the day, while the 40-meter band becomes optimal in the evening and at night, with the 20-meter band’s efficacy diminishing. But why is this the case? Let’s focus our discussion on skywave propagation, where our radio waves are …

The Enigma of the Ionosphere: Exploring the Intricate Relationship Between Solar Cycles and Radio Wave Propagation Read More »

Great news! We’re excited to announce that the highly sought-after MC-750 portable HF-GP antenna is back in stock. This compact and versatile antenna has been designed to deliver outstanding performance across all HF bands, making it a perfect choice for field operations, POTA, SOTA, and more. Whether you’re a seasoned ham radio enthusiast or just …

MC-750 Portable HF-GP Antenna Now Back in Stock! Get Yours Today! Read More »