Ham On A Bike

  Springtime is antenna time.  Warmer temperatures give Amateur Radio operators an opportunity to check on their QTH antenna systems for repair and or maintenance. It is also a time for us to put to practice some of those antenna designs and projects we developed over the winter months. Those of us who do a lot of portable, Parks on the Air, Summits on the air and World Wide Flora and Fauna are eager to construct antennas which are lighter, durable and easy to deploy providing increased window of opportunity for those chasing us. Over the years, I have successfully and failed in constructing HF, V/UHF portable and permanent  antenna. It is always great to enjoy the fruits of my labor in using an antenna I've built. There's one antenna which has been on my bucket list for years. This spring is the year I remove it from that list.  This antenna has been around for more than a century. It hasn't change much, except for the materials used to build it. It is the Marconi K...

  It's My Frequency .... BUT! I've been siting on the contents of this blog for several weeks.  As we move forward through the recovery process from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and NOW with the approahing CAT 4 Milton about to slam Florida the week of October 7th, 2024, I felt there is no  better time than the present to post this topic about  "IT'S MY FREQUENCY!" Recently I've began spending some time returning to some of the digital modes I've been absent from for quite a while. I was dismayed to hear some vocal chatter from operators of frequencies TRADITIONALLY set aside for digital operations.  The vocal chatter consisted of operators stating they knew it was for digital operation but I'm going to use it anyway. Let me put it out there. NO ONE OWNS A FREQUENCY. TRUE. BUT..... I also understand the eagerness to get on the air and capture that rare DX, or that POTA or SOTA operator you've wanted for months or that last state for your WAS ...

Amateur Radio - From The Back Rooms to the Open Air W3HCW 1957 Photo: Courtesy https://www.twocommunications.com/ For most of my early years of my Amateur Radio existence, operators' stations locations were known for their simple, modest and sometimes enormous antenna towers. This was and is basically a good indication that a "Ham Radio" operator resides somewhere near those structures.  And if you had the opportunity to visit the radio rooms (Ham Shack) of those operators, some of them may have been in a corner of a room, in a closet, a spandrel, a garage, a shed or look similar to the photo above In today's world, that is far from the case.  Due to HOAs (Home Owner's Associations) and other covenant restrictions, ham operators in their infinite ingenuity, come up of many types of inconspicuous means of assembling antennas to enjoy their hobby. The minimization of electronics have given Ham Radio operators the ability to communicate "To infinity and Beyond...