Women in amateur radio

Women in amateur radio

History In landline railroad telegraphy, operators traditionally had referred to each other as OM (“old man”). The term YL was coined in 1920 by the American Radio Relay League for young ladies of all ages, as “OM will not fit and … Read More

Attenuators

Attenuators: Everything You Need to Know

What is an attenuator? An attenuator is a resistive device that reduces the amplitude of a signal without adding distortion to it. The amplitude of a radio signal is the power, so an attenuator is … Read More

DTMF

What is DTMF? (dual tone multi frequency)

DTMF Dual Tone Multi-Frequency DTMF is used in ham radio in applications such as IRLP and Echolink, as a means to dial outside numbers via phone patch and as a means for repeater owners to configure the system remotely. It is … Read More

Squelch

What is Squelch?

In telecommunications, squelch is a circuit function that acts to suppress the audio (or video) output of a receiver in the absence of a sufficiently strong desired input signal. Squelch is widely used in two-way radios to suppress … Read More

Antenna loading coil

Antenna loading coil: Everything You Need to Know

An antenna loading coil is an inductor placed in series with an antenna element in order to lower the antenna’s resonant frequency. A standard dipole antenna is resonant if constructed with a length of one-half wavelength. A vertical antenna (effectively half … Read More

The Complete Guide to Weak Signal Propagation Reporter

WSPR Weak Signal Propagation Reporter WSPR (usually pronounced “whisper”) is a software application that uses the transmission mode MEPT-JT (Manned Experimental Propagation Transmitter – Joe Taylor). In MEPT transmissions, the radio becomes a beacon that transmits for just under … Read More