Preparedness: From Theory to Practice

This article was submitted by Jeryl Matlock, KQ4EDV. She collaborates with TARS, the Tallahassee Amateur Radio Society, accessible via k4tlh.org. TARS is a community hub for amateur radio enthusiasts. Some people group emergency management hazards into three broad categories: natural, human-caused and technological. Others in emergency management use a paradigm from the field of economics, consisting of Gray Skies, Gray Rhino, Black Swan, and Dragon King scenarios. So, what do rhinos, swans and dragons have to do with emergencies and disasters and how do I prepare myself and my family for these scenarios? That is an excellent question. The best place to […]

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An Empowering Journey with AI: From Wires to Wi-Fi

After years of tinkering and redefining my Liberal Arts and Humanities education I have toiled rigorously to understand technology. Although my military exercises put me on this path I hadn’t quite embraced nor had the power to know what fundamental path I was on. Upon stumbling on an electrical apprenticeship the technical development began. Here I AM NOW writing my 1st piece of literature on my current experience. My 1st article and or Blog post as a regular guy giving AI and LLMs a shot. My brother Sahr Nelson Nyandemoh always motivated me . Now my life hobbies include #technology […]

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Reflections Of a New Ham Radio Operator

This article was submitted by Jeryl Matlock, KQ4EDV. She collaborates with TARS, the Tallahassee Amateur Radio Society, accessible via k4tlh.org, is a community hub for amateur radio enthusiasts. They host monthly meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 7 PM at the American Red Cross in Tallahassee, FL, fostering a sense of community and shared interest. For those looking to get involved in amateur radio, TARS facilitates license testing on odd-numbered months. Beyond formal gatherings, the group also organizes casual “TARS Lunch Bunch” meetups every Thursday, providing an informal setting for members to connect and discuss their shared […]

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Around the Shack de N4GG May, 2025

My new end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antenna consists of a 132-foot radiating wire fed via a 49:1 matching transformer.  The transformer brings the impedance of the wire to 50 ohms, more or less.  It’s definitely “more or less.”  EFHWs are high impedance antennas and their characteristics are sensitive to their surroundings.  My store-bought EFHW came with a small in-line coil six feet out from the matching transformer.  That coil is there to add a small amount of inductance to lower the antenna’s resonant frequency on 10 meters.  This is a tried and true approach to getting an EFHW antenna to cover […]

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ISS Station Tracker is Changing

There is now an app for that.  NASA has announced that starting June 12th, the email notifications will be discontinued. Never fear, there is a great phone app available for both Android and Apple phones.  Here’s a picture of the app running. Features: 1 -The upper left box tells you the next visible event. 2 – You can receive text messages of the same. 3 – The coolest feature is the globe thing.  Put your finger on it and spin it in any direction. Reference: Spot the station info Enjoy and 73s, WA3TRA  

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Around the Shack de N4GG April, 2025

As with ham radio in general, this column has readers at all levels of technical expertise.  Ohm’s law might seem basic to many, but to others it’s seldom used and in the category of “once learned then forgotten.”  As a practicing EE, Ohm’s law is second nature to me.  It’s one of the lenses through which I view the everyday world.  I can’t see a transceiver, or a power supply, or an antenna, or power lines, or a toaster without thinking about how many amps, volts and/or watts are involved. Meanwhile, most of us are not EEs.  The good news […]

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Telnet and how it is used today

Scope: This article focuses mostly on CW and N1MM logger since that’s what I mostly operate. What is Telnet? Telnet was developed in 1960 and is one of the first internet standardized utilities by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).  It was used extensively for mainframe and Unix system maintenance in the early days of computers by sending commands.  Unfortunately, Telnet transmits all information including usernames and passwords in plain text, so security is a big concern.  The utility is built into almost all DOS and Microsoft Windows operating systems. The Telnet program is the standard used by many logging […]

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W6GB Estate Sale

Items from Gary Bush, W6GB’s estate are now being offered for sale to the ham community.  The sale is being handled for Gary’s family by North Fulton Amateur Radio League. Bidding will open to those who are willing to expeditiously pay and pick up item(s) in Roswell, Georgia. All sales cash only.  No checks please. Some smaller items may be considered for shipping. E-payment fees, packing and postage costs will be added to final sale price. Items sold as is, mostly untested – please feel free to inquire about the items and we will do our best to provide additional info. The […]

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W4QO Estate Sale

In December of 2021, we lost a dear friend and a great man, Jim Stafford, W4QO. Words here cannot describe what a fine gentleman Jim was, and the far reaching and positive impact he had on the local and national amateur radio community. Items from Jim’s estate are now being offered for sale to the local ham community. Bidding will open to those who are willing to expeditiously pay and pick up item(s) in Roswell, Georgia. All sales cash only.  No checks please. Some smaller items may be considered for shipping. E-payment fees, packing and postage costs will be added to final […]

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ARRL Book: Getting Started with Ham Radio

Get on the air now! A guide to your first amateur Radio station. Select radios and antennas. Explore operating modes: voice, Morse code, digital and more. Assemble your station. Have your license? Get radio-active! Now you can get on the air with confidence. Here, in one place, is help getting started in just about any ham radio activity. Contents: Your First Radio. Advice on choosing a transceiver and power supply that fits your budget and operating style. The Antenna–The Most Important Part of Your Station. Practical information to help you choose and install economical, yet effective, antennas. Propagation–The Science of […]

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