HamRadioList Blog
Articles, tips, and stories from the ham radio community — by operators, for operators.
Your First 30 Days of Ham Exam Study: A Daily Plan
Studying for a ham radio exam feels like a big job until you break it into small daily pieces. Thirty days is a reasonable window for many people to get through the material for an entry-level exam, p...
Choosing a USB Sound Interface for Your Digital Station
Digital modes like FT8, PSK31, and RTTY all depend on one unglamorous piece of gear: the sound interface that carries audio between your rad...
Linear vs Switching Power Supplies: Noise, Weight, Cost
Every HF station needs a steady source of 12 to 14 volts DC, and the box that provides it gets less attention than the radio or antenna sitt...
Working a Pileup: Tips for Both Sides of the Microphone
A pileup happens whenever more stations want to work one station than can reasonably fit into the gaps between transmissions. It might be a ...
Choosing the Right Coax: RG-8X, LMR-400, RG-213 Compared
Every foot of coax between your radio and your antenna quietly takes a bite out of your signal, both on transmit and receive. Pick the wrong...
Best Bands by Time of Day: An HF Cheat Sheet
Ask ten experienced operators which band is "best" and you'll get ten different answers, because the honest answer is: it depends on the tim...
Choosing a Radio for Remote Operation: What Matters
Operating a radio from somewhere other than the room it sits in is no longer a niche trick. Whether you want to check into a net from a hote...
How to Read a Propagation Forecast Before You Turn On the Rig
You sit down at the radio, the dial is full of static, and you wonder which band is worth your time. Tuning up and down for ten minutes is o...
Solar Panels for Field Day and Portable Ham Radio Operation
A solar panel lets you stay on the air long after a battery would have run flat, and it is a large part of what makes Field Day, park activa...
Finding a VE Exam Session: A US Beginner's Walkthrough
Every US amateur licence starts the same way: you sit an exam supervised by volunteers, not by the government. That surprises many newcomers...