DIY Arborist's Throw Bag

September 13, 2025 - 1 min read

How to get a wire into a tree One popular way to hang your EFHW or Dipole wire in a tree is to use an arborist’s throw bag and line. You attach some line to the bag, throw it up over a high branch, then attach the antenna wire to the throw line and feed it on up. If you’re really fancy you can feed a pulley up and make a more servicable install.

Build a 20m Dipole

August 10, 2025 - 2 mins read

Why a 20m dipole? A squirrel chewed through my 40m EFHW and it was nearly right in half, so I trimmed one end, extended the other, and turned it into a 40m dipole. Problem was that I forgot that a 1/2 wave dipole doesn’t resonate well on the higher harmonics, and I work 20m way more often than 40m. So I cut down the wire again and made myself a 20m dipole instead.

SSTV Gallery

April 15, 2025 - 2 mins read

SSTV - A mode for the ages I like SSTV operation because it has a nostalgic sound that brings me back to the space shuttle era. Like a dialup modem, but more astronauty. Tuning into 14.230MHz on a night with good propagation is like the world’s slowest instagram feed (or I assume so, having never actually used instagram). The screeches and pulses of the slow scan signal delivering each image with excruciating deliberation.

How Not To Build an EFHW

November 11, 2024 - 6 mins read

(…and have it work anyways) Why a 40m End-Fed Half-Wave? Convenience of installation; that’s it, that’s why I chose it. I can put the matching unit near the window of my shack, close to my grounding and lightning protection, using very little feed line, and just run a small wire into a nearby tree. The ~20m of wire even fits rather conveniently in my yard if I allow for some “compromises”.

Parks On The Air CA-6204

October 24, 2024 - 1 min read

Here are some pictures from my Oct 24 2024 POTA activation at Vincent Massey Park. It was a beautiful fall day with plenty of sunshine. I got started around 11AM local time. I used the grate on the charcoal disposal pit to attach my mag-mount. It wasn’t a great ground plane, but it did the trick. Very low noise in the area, with lots of 10m traffic that day. I managed to log 52 QSOs over the course of about 3hrs.

Antenna Grounding

October 7, 2024 - 2 mins read

This is not a how-to article This is sharing (parts of) my own experience installing an amateur radio antenna grounding system, but that doesn’t mean the details are right for you. For hams in North America, a good place to start is the ARRL BOOK on the topic. Please be sure to consult your local electrical code and seek help from qualified professionals if you have any doubts. Grounding rod Nothing says “radio communications” like driving a 10ft steel rod into the ground.