2022 September VHF Contest Report

Well, my first September VHF Contest could simply be described as rough. Unlike my other reports, I’ll cut to the chase up front and say I only made six contacts during the weekend with a claimed scored of 42. While this probably sums up my frustration, there is a lot...

Fixing LiFePO4 Batteries That Won’t Charge

As is the seemingly the craze in ham radio, I recently picked up several LiFePO4 batteries of varying capacities to use with my Yaesu FT-991a. I was able to get these as part of the Amazon Vine program, so there is no particular reason I chose the models in question:...
2022 Kansas QSO Party Report

2022 Kansas QSO Party Report

Another Kansas QSO Party is in the books! I had a great weekend traveling through southern Kansas activating six counties along the way as 1×1 W0P. I used the same setup as described in my 2022 Field Day Report except I operated from the backseat of my car instead. I...
2022 CQ WW VHF Contest Report

2022 CQ WW VHF Contest Report

For my first CQ WW VHF contest, I decided to try my hand at some VHF roving. I set out to hit four grids around the Kansas City area using my Par Electronics 6m Moxon, Diamond 5 element 2m yagi, Max-Gain Systems mast, new Yaesu FT-991a, and new 10 Ah and 16 Ah LiFePO4...
DIY Yaesu FH-2 Keypad

DIY Yaesu FH-2 Keypad

After buying my Yaesu FT-991a and using it for Field Day, I realized that some functions are a bit annoying to control. In particular, getting the voice keyer going requires the display to show the specific recording buttons for operation. This blocks the waterfall as...

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...