Shopping for a Mobile Radio
As you expand your ham radio horizons, you’ll probably want to move beyond your handheld radio to something larger with far greater output power. For many hams, that next big move is a mobile radio — one that is designed for use in a vehicle, featuring a slender profile, higher output power, more audio punch, and a display that’s easier to read. A base transceiver is larger and is intended for use indoors, but as you’ll discover, mobile radios can be easily used indoors as well.
Antenna Tuners: Making a Match
Antenna tuners are known by many names — matchbox, transmatch, coupler, matching network, antenna tuning unit, or simply a tuner. They can be built into your transceiver, or they can be a separate, external device, manually operated, or automatically controlled with the push of a button. Here’s a closer look at the tuners hams use to create an efficient transfer of power between the transceiver and the antenna.
Identifying Cables with Colored Zip Ties
Colored zip ties make it easy to identify all the wires in a tangle of cables. Let’s say you have a USB cable that links your transceiver to your station computer. Attach red and yellow ties to both ends of the cable. Now you’ll always know where the cable goes — and why. You can pick up a bundle of multicolored zip ties from Amazon for less than $10. Just search for “colored zip ties.” Thanks to Tom Sanders, K6CHK, for this tip.
Taking a Closer Look at Antenna Tuners
In this episode of the On the Air podcast, we take a closer look at HF antenna tuners, along with some shopping tips!
Build an End-Fed Half-Wave Anetnna from a Kit
ARRL offers a popular four-band end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antenna kit through a partnership with HF Kits. This antenna, which works on 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters, is easy to set up and great for new hams who want to try HF operating during Cycle 25.
Learn Why All Hams Need the ARRL Handbook
The ARRL Handbook is an excellent reference for all hams — from beginner to experienced. Let some of ham radio's most popular YouTube content creators carry you through select content from the book in this six-part video series on YouTube.
Hamspeak
PL-259 — This is the most common RF connector you’ll encounter in amateur radio. It’s designed to plug into a socket known as an SO-239. The PL-259 attaches to the SO-239 with a threaded metal shell that screws onto the outer portion of the socket. Once the shell is screwed on tightly, the connection is mechanically and electrically secure.
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