Blog
VP5/KD8RTT 1/31 Update
Yesterday was a busy day of sea kayaking, exploring the Grace Bay shops, and checking out the Island Fish Fry, so I had no time allocated for radio. I still managed about an hour on 20m FT8 🙂 I only worked around twenty stations using a tuned wire strung up outside...
Ham Radio Airborne Mobile Setup
Since I got my pilot license back in 2016, I’ve been wanting to bring the radio in the cockpit for some airborne mobile ops. Although I did set up some APRS tracking of me flying once, I’ve been putting off figuring out all the logistics of some basic 2m operation in...
2022 Field Day Report
For Field Day this year, I decided to run a solo HF operation from Tuttle Creek State Park (K-2353) in Manhattan, Kansas. At Dayton Hamvention, I bought a Yaesu FT-991a to use for HF and VHF/UHF given that my recent interests have been a lot of car-portable and roving...
2021 Kansas QSO Party Report
For my first time participating in the Kansas QSO Party, I decided to operate as W0V, a 1x1 rover station activating several counties at different state parks around Wichita. By operating from state parks, I figured I'd have decent locations to operate from that would...
W0V 2021 Kansas QSO Party Plans
For my first Kansas QSO Party, I'll be operating as a rover station under the special event call sign W0V on 20m and 40m SSB and FT8. I'll be traveling to the Wichita area hitting up five counties throughout the weekend. I am also planning for each of my operating...
2021 Field Day Report
For the first time in several years, I decided to participate in a club Field Day operation. I headed to down Orlando, Florida to operate with WD4WDW, the Disney Emergency Amateur Radio Service (DEARS), of which my brother (KK4LWR) is the current club president. They...
2021 June VHF Contest Report
After my experience in the 2020 June VHF contest, I decided to participate again this year with a better setup and more dedicated effort as a Single Operator Portable (SOP) station. After searching for good campsites around eastern Kansas, I booked a campsite at Fall...
March 2021 Satellite Operations Gear
At the time of posting, I'm actually in the midst of changing my satellite gear so it is no longer my current setup. That said, I wanted to document it before I forgot about it and pass along my thoughts in case anyone else finds the information useful in the future....
Powering a Ham Radio with USB Power Delivery
A while back, I built a cable to power 12V devices (in my case a Kenwood TH-D74 HT) using the QuickCharge standard available in some USB power adapters. This allowed me to use a USB charger to charge my HT rather than bringing a dedicated wall wart which helped save...
Replacing Top Panel and Belt Clip on Kenwood TH-D74
I've enjoyed using the Kenwood TH-D74 for the last four years or so, and despite its regular use and fragile design, it has survived that period without any major damage. However, a couple years ago, a...
November 28 Roving Plans (EN70/71 and EN60)
I'll be hitting a few more grids on Saturday, November 28th. I'll try to keep this page up to date but plans are subject to change. Follow along on Twitter (@kd8rtt) for updates along the way including planned frequencies for linear sats. EN70/EN71 Grid Line: 1708z...
November 21-22 Roving Plans (EM48/49, EM58/59, EM69, EN70/71)
After a hiatus from the sats for a few months, I'm planning to hit some new grids during the weekends around Thanksgiving. These are tentative plans and subject to change. Follow me on Twitter (@kd8rtt) for real-time updates during the rove and frequencies for the...
Keeping Arrow Antenna Elements Tight with Loctite
I'm a big fan of the Arrow Antenna for satellite operations for its good performance and portability, but one issue that pops up is the constant need to tighten the elements. I leave my Arrow assembled in the back seat of my Honda Accord, so it loosens up on its own....