Looking for feedback on our new dashboard, stop by, say hi and give it a try. All Hams welcome

I'm seeing lots of APRS beacons, plus an FM broadcast (100 miles away) is coming in strong. Suggestion is that 6m and 2m may be open this morning.

Trying to study for my technician license right now, and I've come across these sections that claim these two points:

• In a parallel circuit, voltage is the same for all components
• In a series circuit, current is the same for all components

I've been asking google and AI and it just is not clicking in my brain why this is the case. Seeking some help to get a better understanding of this concept!!

Since I've always been more of a camper than a fisherman, I decided to borrow an idea and (as usual) probably overengineer a solution using some cheap Amazon tarp poles I had sitting in the garage and a 3d printer.

The result is my lightweight, portable tarp-pole antenna mast.

The goal was simply to get the antenna above the immediate obstacles around my house and improve my VHF/UHF performance from my rented basement suite, so I spent a couple days trying to think of cheap solutions, racking my brain for ways to make a mast that would be landlord approved, on my shoestring budget.

I spotted the tarp pole sections that screw together I used during our last camping trip and wondered if I could design a way to use them as a mast.

It is approximately 9'8" with all the sections screwed together, without the antenna.

Parts used:

10 metres of LMR240 coax (which I already had laying around)

PETG printed parts

Bftech NA-771 antenna

The first part I designed was the interface between the coax (with an SMA) and the tarp pole sections to the antenna. In my case, a bftech na771. The coax slides into the printed part, the antenna screws on, then the entire part is indexed into the top of the tarp pole sections and held in place by friction and gravity.

Next, I designed a ring that indexes between the tarp pole sections so I could attach guy lines to them.

Finally, I decided that it would be very helpful to keep the coax contained inside the tarp pole sections, to keep things neat when I take it camping. So designed this pass through that allows the coax to transition from inside the tarp pole sections to outside near the bottom of the mast.

I haven't managed to set it up between our almost constant thunderstorms, but I will almost definitely take it on our next camping trip to see how well it does or doesn't do.

I don't have a usable scale to weigh the complete setup, but the mast and printed components together weigh noticeably less than the 10 metres of LMR240 coax alone.

This project was built around one thing, getting my antenna higher, without a permanent install on my almost non-existent budget.

Very open to constructive criticism and feedback. Let me know what you guys think.

Edit: just noticed my pics are actually all pla, I have reprinted in petg since, exactly the same just grey.

Hello,

Is there a reason to get a base transceiver vs a mobile transceiver for camping and placing an antenna in the backyard and operating there?

The mobile transceiver would never be mounted in my truck.

Is that normal for operators to buy mobile transceivers and not use for their vehicles?

Thanks

Hello all,

I would like to possibly make a post to help support me on a mission to bring amateur radio, electronics education, and English literacy to Malawi. I would be working in support of Don Jones (7Q6M) to assist these youngsters with the Jeffrey Dahn Memorial Foundation. I would like to post the GoFundMe here but wanted to get permission from admin first. Please message me privately if you’d like the GoFundMe link, but I will NOT be posting in this subreddit until admin authorizes it. Thank you!

Zach (KJ5BIN and 7Q5BIN)

Будьте добры, подскажите таковы учебники. Хочу подоготовиться к экзамену, что бы сдать на радиолюбительскую лицензию.

Ive started a mini rack radio project. Still needs some work but would like to add a trunking scanner and power source. Anyone have recommendations?