I get just the right amount of reader email and public replies to my articles here at Off Grid Ham: Not so much that I can’t personally respond to everyone, but enough to get a good feel for what’s important to the off grid amateur radio community. Surprisingly, the number… Read more »
Field Day is an annual opportunity for radio amateurs to practice their skills and show the world what a valuable resource the amateur radio service is. Many amateurs who are not particularly active in the hobby the rest of the year will always come out for Field Day. Then there… Read more »
Based on reader comments and what I see around the internet, the off grid amateur radio community seems to be of the mindset that there are only two real options for solar energy: Large, expensive arrays that produce a lot of power but are permanently installed, and small inexpensive panels… Read more »
Inexpensive gas generators are a big favorite in the amateur radio community. Everyone seems to love these effective albeit cheaply made power plants! As they became more popular, the law of averages kicked in and there was an unfortunate but not unexpected increase in accidents and deaths related to small… 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 »
Deliberately stepping away from a comfortable home operating position to practice ham radio in poor conditions is not an idea too many amateurs find appealing, yet it is a situation that radio amateurs should be familiar with before it actually happens, because at some point it probably will happen. If… 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 off grid amateur radio world seems to revolve around solar. There’s a good reason for that: Solar has become easier, less expensive, and the required equipment is relatively hands off once it is installed. The other options have shown incremental improvements as well, but none have matched solar in… 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 »
One of the perceived barriers to off grid amateur radio is the selection of solar panels. Most hams fall into one of two categories: Those who spend many hours researching the various options and end up more confused than when they started; and those who impulsively buy whatever is cheapest/easiest… Read more »