Amateur Radio Blog
It seems like some kind of magic object, the 1:1 balun. The object could solve many antenna problems. It could turn a bad SWR into a good SWR. Reduce interference in reception. Prevent RFI (RF strikes in equipment) and cause interference to neighbors and in one’s own shack. To even Continue reading Why does an antenna need a 1:1 balun?
You often hear about it and it is a hot topic on forums, repeaters and club gatherings. I have interference (RFI) on my equipment or that of my neighbors caused by my own radio signal. What can I do about it? First of all, the best strategy is to tackle Continue reading How to prevent RFI caused by EndFed, vertical and dipole antennas
Because of the very limited space for antenna placement, 20m2 at most, I have experimented a lot with different antennas for transmitting and receiving over the past few years. Most important for me is the performance on the 10 meter to 20 meter band. For those bands, I have now Continue reading The Cobweb vs Rybakov vertical antenna part 1
It has been around for a long time, but is only used on a small scale in the ham radio world; diversity reception. This is a pity, because diversity reception not only offers the possibility to reduce QSB (fading). With diversity you can also eliminate QRM (manmade noise) very effectively. Continue reading Getting rid of QRM with diversity receive mode
In the world of amateur radio, the terms balun, unun, common mode choke, line isolator and impedance transformer are often used. But also often mixed up and sometimes lead to heated discussions on forums and social media groups. For your convenience (you don’t have to ask on a forum or Continue reading The difference between a balun, unun, common mode choke, line isolator and impedance transformer
When I worked with the Cobweb antenna for a while, I started to miss working the lower bands, 30 to 80 meters. Now it’s not easy having all your antennas on only only 20m2 of space on te roof. I can’t fit an EndFed, G5RV or a Windom. I can Continue reading The surprisingly well performing Rybakov HF vertical
If there is one antenna that has grown considerably in popularity in recent years, it is the Cobweb antenna. The Cobweb is so popular because of various reasons, like its small size, only 2.8 x 2.8 m for a version with the 20 meter band, as its longest wavelength. In Continue reading Cobweb antenna pros and cons
It’s been a while since I posted again, but then I have something to report. Last year, I started experimenting with variants of a horizontal polarized omnidirectional antenna. The Cobweb, the Cobwebb and the Classic Halo. I can now tell, from my own personal experiences, which of these variants could Continue reading Multiband Cobweb(b) vs Classic Halo; final verdict
It’s becoming more and more a standard part of the average radio amateur station, the X-phase QRM Eliminator. In the fight against manmade noise on HF, a QRM Eliminator can be an excellent tool. Ay least, if the noise source is close by and that it is also a single Continue reading Tips on how to operate and finetune a QRM Eliminator
There is no other band that is affected by so many forms of propagation as 6 meters (50 MHz). Sporadic-E (Es) in summer and midwinter. TEP (transequatorial propagation) around March/April and September/October. F2 propagation and aurora in periods of high solar activity. Meteorscatter and the almost daily present troposcatter. But Continue reading The Hula Hoop Halo; a simple DIY antenna for 6 meter band DX