PRESENTER OPINION : How to Measure Wire Length

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PRESENTER OPINION : How to Measure Wire Length

A recent post on the reddit /r/amateurradio, got me to thinking about a better way to measure wire length here in my shack. I’ve been using one of two methods:

  1. Laying the wire on my basement floor, where I’ve marked off different lengths.

  2. Going out into the backyard and measuring the length using a 100-ft. measuring reel.

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PRESENTER OPINION : How to End a Contact

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PRESENTER OPINION : How to End a Contact

If you like to actually converse with other hams on the air, there’s always an issue with when and how to end a contact. It’s bad enough on phone when there are no visual cues and even worse on CW because there are no audible cues. A recent article that I came across online, “2 Science-Backed Ways to Politely End a Conversation,” might offer some help in this regard.

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Operating Notes: Youkits TJ5A Problem, One Good thing about a Dead Band→

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Operating Notes: Youkits TJ5A Problem, One Good thing about a Dead Band

Yesterday, I worked a guy who was running a Youkits TJ5A. I had called CQ on 7028 kHz, but missed his first replay because he was 700 Hz off frequency. After I set the RIT to +700 Hz, we began the QSO. On my second transmission, I mentioned that he was off frequency. He said that yes, he realized that and that he was having some trouble with his rig, a Youkits TJ5A. He asked me to stand by while he did something to the radio. When came back, he was transmitting on frequency (7028 kHz), but he was also transmitting some kind of spurious signal on 7028.7 kHz. See the panadapter display at right.

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