AE4WX

Allstar is one of several systems used by amateur radio operators to link to other stations anywhere in the world using voice-over-Internet (VOIP) technology What this means, simply, is that I can connect my station to other stations anywhere in the world, so long as they are also connected to the system. There are other…

On August 25, 2023, a Category 4 Hurricane Franklin was looming in the Western Atlantic, and a low pressure center developed near the Yucatan Peninsula; it would ultimately become the Category 4 Hurricane Idalia that made landfall at Keaton Beach, FL, devastating the Big Bend area of Florida and causing extensive damage in Georgia, South…

One of the more fun and valuable experiences I have in amateur radio is participating in Parks on the Air (POTA), a program that encourages amateur radio operators to get out of their home shacks and work in the field under less than idea conditions. POTA is excellent preparations for emergency operations, as it forces…

A lot is made of the amateur radio operator’s motto “When All Else Fails,” but truth be told it’s not often we’re put in that position. Modern life is built on easy access to electricity and communications connectivity via cellphone and other Internet-connected devices. It’s not that often that resiliency from failures of infrastructure are…

I use an FT-891 for HF operations connected to an end-fed half wave dipole antenna in an inverted V configuration with the apex about 35′ up a pine tree. At the desk I have a Yaesu FT-7250 for FM analog operations, which monitors 442.425 MHz in Carthage NC (linked to Echolink node WA4IZG-R) 24 hours…

I’ve always had an interest in radio, though I never was exposed to amateur radio as a kid. I would look for DX clear channel AM stations, listening to baseball games in Cleveland, New York, and other faraway places. I remember being fascinated by some FM station in Chicago that was changing formats, and played…