With no clear plan or purpose I registered the offgridham.com domain on August 22, 2015. I had a few loose ideas, but I wasn’t sure if I could commit to producing consistent, fresh material. That, plus my demanding full time “real job” as a communications electronics technician, had me asking myself how much sense it made to undertake a blog when I was already overextended.
At first I didn’t do anything with offgridham.com other than make a short “coming soon” placeholder post, which I knew was wishful thinking. Equivocating over whether I wanted to do this at all while concurrently pre-writing articles for future posting (when there may be no future) wasn’t a good use of my time. I had to either get serious, or let it go.
IMAGE COURTESY OF DRAWCEPTION.COM
Where we’re at right now.
Offgridham.com started as an obscure experiment with low expectations. It wasn’t long before radio amateurs, alternative energy enthusiasts, preppers, and survivalists found Off Grid Ham and spread the word. Today OGH is a thriving destination website with thousands of monthly visitors from all over the world. My gut feeling that there is a genuine craving for common sense information & affordable ideas amateurs can use in the real world has been vindicated.
Off Grid Ham does not deal in nebulous theories or abstract concepts. This is a place for people who actually go out and do things. The goal is to guide amateurs to quick, practical, effective, and attainable solutions. Money is a concern for many amateurs, so everything on Off Grid Ham has a healthy respect for readers’ wallets. I get it. I’m “regular people” just like most of you.
What the future will bring.
It’s not about what I want to say; it’s about what the readers want to hear. Many Off Grid Ham articles are extracted from reader questions and comments. I would rather address topics that readers are interested in than just come up with something on my own. Let me know what topics you want me to write about.
I’m also considering re-posting relevant content from other sources. The number of my own original articles would stay the same; outside material would be a bonus. If you come across something that Off Grid Ham readers might like, send me a link and I’ll consider passing it along here.
Another purpose of Off Grid Ham is to boost spirit and morale within amateur radio. Teaching someone a technical/physical process will be ineffective if their heart & head are not in the right place. Off Grid Ham is as much about people as it is about things. In the future there may be more “inspirational” themed articles similar to Go Box Zen, Field Day, and Goals.
Thanks and gratitude.
I’m grateful and deeply humbled that thousands of loyal readers have turned this “obscure experiment” into a popular & valuable resource for radio amateurs. Without you all, I’m just another schlock babbling into empty space. Off Grid Ham will be here for the foreseeable future because the demand for knowledge is loud and clear.
Thank you very deeply for three years of encouragement and support. We’ll see you out there. 73!
I’m always looking forward to articles that are related to what the OFF GRID HAM name implies, off-grid HAM radio operation and related articles. Preparing for Post-EMP radio preservation, set=up, and operation in a nationwide grid down scenario, that’s a big reason a lot of people have HAM radios. Articles on Faraday Cages and Boxes, small, low-voltage CW setups that can be carried and operated from a bug out bag. Ham Radio Survival stuff, Off-grid-ham stuff, that’s the name that drew so many people to you….. What if a person had to leave on foot with nothing but a bug out bag and a small CW setup to communicate while on the move. What types of set ups would be good to carry in such a situation, how to set it up and use it, small light weight solar power for the CW set up that will fit in a backpack, stuff like that….. Off Grid Ham stuff….
Hi Tony, I’ve done “backpack portable” articles before and have another in the pipeline. The official focus of Off Grid Ham is operating off grid of course, but we do drift into other areas too. Thanks for your input; it’s engaged readers like you that make OGH a great place.
Congrats on your continued success! Definitely one of the good guys and a great resource for the larger community. Here’s to many more years & 73!
Thanks for your support, Scout. But the way, for those who don’t already know, Scout runs the Brushbeater blog, which is well worth your time. There is a link on the Off Grid Ham “links and resources” page.
Although I haven’t dug deep into some of your comments and articles I do think you provide interesting reading. You seem to always have good subject matter.
73’s keep up the good writing
Thanks for riding along Roy. I do my best to offer something for everyone.
Thanks for your efforts. I check in here regularly for your very useful and common sense content.
Thanks for being a regular, Mike. One of the main goals of Off Grid Ham is to keep it real and offer ideas that anyone can try.
I’ll always be part of your blog page. I like getting those emails that say there’s a new story. I always stop what I’m doing to read it.
Wow, Drago, that’s quite a compliment! Thank you so much!
Great job, Chris. With your permission, I’ve reprinted your articles in our monthly newsletter for the Livonia (MI0 Amateur Radio Club, and they are always very well received. I don’t have the knowledge to research and write many articles myself, so yours are excellent. Keep up the great work.
Hi Sandy, yes I remember you. Although I have no direct experience with your club, I have read the newsletter and I must say you folks have it together! It appears to be a very lively and active group. For those who don’t know, reprinting/reposting Off Grid Ham articles is always permitted as long as appropriate attribution is made and a link back to the original article is included. Thanks for your kind words, Sandy.
Chris: I’m always delighted when a new item by you pops up. I can be sure it is going to be easy to understand and well written. I’ve been following your blog for a while now and it’s one of the best that deals with things like solar power systems, batteries and alternative power and I hope you keep it up for a long time to come.
I certainly don’t have a problem with you posting material from other sources. There is always going to be good material being written by others or that is outside of one’s own area of expertise that readers might find interesting.
Hope you can keep this up for a long time to come!
KC9YGN
Thanks again Randall. I pride myself on posting original compositions that can’t be found elsewhere. It’s hard to give that up, but there is a lot of good material out there. I’m still on the fence with this one, but we’ll see how it goes.
Congratulations!!!
Off Grid Ham provides newbies and old timers alike with accurate, excellent information.
You are providing a true public service and sharing of knowledge in the HAM tradition.
73..
Lew, N9WL
We’re here for everyone, old and new. Thanks for riding along.
Thank you for all you’ve done. Blogging can seem a thankless task at times (been there done that), but you are read and the info you provide is of great value. Keep up the good work!
Hi Richard, Off Grid Ham is a lot of work but the rewards are very gratifying. Thanks for the encouragement.