Welcome to the world of AMATEUR RADIO!

Amateur (ham) radio is a fine hobby. It is enjoyed by all ages and varieties of people. In its most simple form, the hobby allows a citizen to talk to other hams using his own personal radio. The range can be short or long, depending on the frequency employed, considering the season, time of day and other exotics such as the 11-year SUNSPOT CYCLE. You can use voice, International Morse code, slow or fast (like a common TV) television, as well as other modes to communicate with other hobbyists. Many use their home computers as accessories as well.

See more information on what HAM RADIO is all about here. <--(Click on the link...)

My QSL cards

First (below) is my ORIGINAL QSL card; I was a teenager, back on the farm near Benson, Minnesota. I was about 18 years old at the time that this picture was taken.

This is my LATEST QSL card; This is a completely home-made design. (Many "layers" and so on, using Photoshop.)

The Cormac Propadex - Current Ionospheric Conditions:

Propadex is updated four times per hour

Eight hours of history is shown on the graph.

When the Propadex is high, it means the F2 maximum useable frequency is higher than average for this time of day.

Technical Details on Propadex:

The Cormac Propadex is based entirely on the latest government reports for f0F2. This is the maximum useable frequency for the F2 ionosphere layer. Some government stations are updating this value 4 to 6 times per hour.

The Propadex value is the DIFFERENCE between the latest reported f0F2 value and the 60 day average FOR THIS SAME TIME OF DAY.

For example, if the Propadex shows as +110 at time 1700 Z, it means means the government monitoring station is reporting a maximum usable frequency 1.10 MHz higher than the 60 day average for this exact same time of day.

Currently, we are obtaining data from the U.S. Air Force Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN) site in San Vito, Italy. We have found this site to be one of the most reliable with timely data.

The above is a picture of my MAIN ham radio station. It is located in our home's ground-level family room, where my Mac computer desk is located. The main radio (at the LEFT) is a Flex-5000a, which is my main HF (High Frequency) radio. It covers all ham bands from 1.8 through 60 Mhz. To the left of the Flex-Radio is an MFJ-868 "Giant SWR/Wattmeter." An Astron SS-25M switching power supply is under the MFJ wattmeter. To the right of the Flex-5000a is an Icom IC-2200, which is my two-Meter (144 Mhz FM) radio. Below the IC-2200 is another Astron SS-25M DC power supply, which powers the IC-2200H as well as the TS-590 radio. To the right of the Icom IC-2200H is a Kenwood TS-590, another HF transceiver. Both HF radios have built in ATU (Automatic Antenna Tuner Units), so can handle a wide variety of antenna loads. The SHARP weather station on the wall rounds out the setup. The two antenna switches on the wall allow me to select either the 160 Meter loop antenna or the 75/40 Meter dipole that are available at this end of the house. (In the CENTER position, the switched antenna is grounded for the safety of the radio.)

(Click the above image for a FULL SIZE picture of my operating desk, then use the BACK BUTTON to return here...)

This image shows a better view of the radios on the left side of the operating position. The item at the left is the MFJ-868 peak-reading Power and SWR meter. Below this is the power supply that feeds the needed twelve Volts DC the Flex-5000a, which is an SDR (software defined radio). The Flex-5000a is an HF (high frequency voice and CW (Morse code) radio. It will output 100 Watts of RF power.

(Click the above image for a FULL SIZE picture of THE LEFT SIDE of my operating desk, then use the BACK BUTTON to return here...)

The above image shows the right side of this ham-radio operating position. On top of an Astron SS-25M switching power supply is an Icom IC-2200H "two meter" FM transceiver. The item on top of the IC-2200H is an actual ARTIFACT from one of Northwest Airline's Boeing 747 airplanes! The red part is an actual piece of the skin from NWA's ship number 6622, which is now retired! (This fine item is on loan from our son, Nick, who is actively employed at good old NWA. -Only ACTIVE EMPLOYEES were given this fine item.)

(Click the above image for a FULL SIZE picture of THE RIGHT SIDE of my operating desk, then use the BACK BUTTON to return here...)

How To Get Started In Amateur Radio

Getting started in Amateur Radio has never been easier! You can usually find a ham radio class in your area sponsored by friendly volunteers who will help you learn the "ropes."

Entry-Level ham licence...

The Technician Class license NO LONGER REQUIRES A MORSE CODE EXAMINATION, and gives you all ham radio privileges above 30 Megahertz. You'll pass a relatively easy exam on radio operating practices, FCC rules and basic electrical theory. Technician Class operating privileges include FM voice, digital packet, satellite, television, single-sideband voice and several other interesting modes. You can make international radio contacts via satellites, using relatively simple equipment. The TECHNICIAN PLUS class of licence no longer requires a five word-per-minute code proficiency, and offers some limited HF (high frequency) priveledges, I believe.

Other levels of ham licenses...

Other classes of licenses offer HF (high frequency) bands of frequencies; The GENERAL and the EXTRA class licenses offer similar bands, but the Extra has exclusive rights to segments of some of the HF ham bands.

Where Do I Start?

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and others publish ham radio license study guides to help you learn the things you'll need to pass your exam and have fun with Amateur Radio. ARRL can also assist you in finding ham operators in your area who'd like to help you get started.

Radio Shack Stores also sell a very good reference book, NOW YOU'RE TALKING. This is a complete study guide for the Novice, Tech and Tech-Plus exams. (The book is published by the ARRL.)

The ARRL Educational Activities Department (EAD) distributes a "Prospective Ham Package" that is sent at no cost to you. The material describes Amateur Radio, popular ARRL study guides, and includes a list of your local ham radio clubs, ham radio classes and volunteer examiners in your area. Contact the ARRL for a "Prospective Ham Package", today!:

TOLL-FREE -- 1-800-32-NEW HAM (our New Prospect "Hot Line")

mail	  -- ARRL EAD, 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111

phone	  -- (203) 666-1541

fax	  -- (203) 665-7531

e-mail	  -- pbudnik@arrl.org

(Make sure to include a specific request for the "Prospective Ham Package" and include your postal address because there is too much material to send via e-mail or fax.)

Here is a good place which is perhaps the BEST overall guide! (-Tons of related information on how to learn more about ham radio...)

Radio-GEEK stuff...

Near-Real-Time MUF (Maximum Usable Frequency) Map map here. (It is updated every five minutes.) Here, you will see a recent high-resolution map of Maximum Usable Frequencies (MUFs) for 3,000 kilometer radio signal paths. It is also a map showing the current location of the auroral ovals, the sunrise/sunset terminator and the regions of the world where the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon (which estimates the gray-line corridor where HF propagation is usually enhanced). <--(Click on the link...)

Easy to make: CATV connectors for ham radio use!

Here is an easy-to-make adapter, for using inexpensive (free, mostly!) CATV cable for ham use. (I used common copper-pipe fittings, etc.)

My home made CATV connector instructions . <--(Click on the link...)

Icom IC-746 radio modifications

Here are a couple of modifications (which I developed) to enhance the popular IC-746 radio... One increases the "too low" mic gain of the radio, and the second one allows the cooling fan to run at a very slow (QUIET!) speed whenever the radio is turned on, but still allows the higher speed, as needed.

The modifications are also listed on the Mods.dk web site. -This is an extensive collection of modifications for all kinds of communications equipment! <--(Click on the link...)

See the same modifications here on my web site. <--(Click on the link...)