One of the primary concerns of radio amateurs who operate with alternative energy is something I call communications efficiency, or, getting the most signal you can for the input power. A lot of fuss, maybe too much, is spent on squeezing every last watt out of our solar panels, generators,… Read more »
You did your homework, absorbed all the great advice here on Off Grid Ham, and put together an off grid amateur radio setup that works well and serves your needs, at least in theory. What now? To continue with a theme from my last article about Winter Field Day, here’s the… Read more »
For all the choices, it’s surprisingly hard to find a portable antenna for HF that is affordable and practical. A portable antenna does not have to be an epic quest. In this article I’ll discuss a few options and then give detailed instructions on how to make a super-easy, super-cheap HF… Read more »
I am usually against buying wire antennas, especially dipoles. It seems kind of lazy to buy something that can be made quickly for very little money. There are exceptions, though. In my situation, I needed a multi band antenna for limited space and would work without a lot of tinkering… Read more »
The following comes from my great friends over at Prepared Ham: The next major step in the Amatuer Radio Parity Act…The US House of Representatives will consider the Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, under a suspension of the rules on Monday, September 12. A suspension of the rules is… Read more »
Off Grid Ham is not even a year old and has already become a popular destination for the amateur radio and survival/prepper community. I’m sincerely thankful for the huge wave of goodwill, support, and kindness. Because of the warm response, I’m branching out with an all-new Off Grid Ham YouTube… Read more »
There has been a lot of on line chatter about how the public communications network (i.e., “the phone company”) fits into off grid ham radio and survival/prepping plans. After listening to endless anecdotes, half truths, misunderstandings, and in some cases amazing fiction, I will attempt to clear up a few… Read more »
Radio amateurs who never drift outside the ham bands and don’t see a need for a scanner receiver to monitor other services are cheating themselves out of a very valuable resource. Not only is monitoring non-ham communications interesting and fun, it can give you a huge advantage in a shit-hits-the-fan… Read more »
A recurring theme at Off Grid Ham is the importance of going out and testing your ideas and projects in real world operating conditions. Very few of my schemes have ever worked exactly as planned the first time I tried them. Most needed modifications; a few were complete flops and… Read more »
There are not too many options for radio amateurs who want portable DC power beyond the batteries in their devices. The Off Grid Ham 100 Watts For $300 Solar Power Plant is one alternative, but that can be too much for the ham who only needs to run a handheld/QRP… Read more »
Even many experienced ham operators will approach a table full of coax cable reels at a swap meet or stare at on line listings and feel lost in all the options, then out of confusion will default to buying whatever the vendor suggests or whatever is cheapest. They end up… Read more »
Advances in technology has made off grid ham radio a lot easier and more enjoyable. One of the most exciting developments is the relatively new lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery. New technology requires new knowledge, so we’ll be exploring LiFePO4 batteries and where they might fit (or not fit) into… Read more »