V44KF

 We are in the middle of July, continuing to prepare for the hurricane season, but ham radio continues to thrive and flourish, irrespective of the doom and gloom mouthed by some hams who I suspect should know better. I do not know what is wrong with them, but it seem to be a phase that some people go through. I notice that the fallout of the pandemic has sent many hams into retirement, and health care facilities that do not allow them to be as active as they once were. It is a dramatic lifestyle change, and I do empathize and hope that the ham fraternity could fabricate a system that would allow this growing number of ham radio operators, to remain active on-the-air for years to come. This does not happen in the Caribbean with a different culture and geography. Ham radio is taking off as the world continues to embrace the passing of the pandemic, and everyone gets more comfortable accepting their new normal lifestyle. Last week Yaesu introduced the world to their third transce...

  WOW!! It is July already, so let us get this show on the road. Welcome to all amateur radio operators, well wishers, supporters, all. A few matters passed by my shack, as we call our amateur radio station, last month which I will briefly touch. This is my view and you are advised to seek the views of other ham radio operators, draw your conclusions and make your decisions. All ham radio stations need feedline, and most radios and antennas use coaxial cable. Some hams use 50 ohm coax cable some use 75 ohm coax cable. Personally, I prefer the 75 ohm coax cable, because it works good for me and it was available. There is much more to it, and you may be lucky to find it in the right text book. Remember that dipoles are 72 ohm. I suspect that  most hams used the coax cable that is available to them, and the radio manufacturers just designed the radios to match it. Check to see if your radio can only use one cable or if it can use a range of cables, then you know how to proceed....

  The end of the second quarter in 2022 is almost upon us, ushering in another year of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. In Saint Kitts and Nevis no one is considering the season seriously as people are engaged in the excitement and heartbreak of an election campaign two years ahead of schedule. This campaign ends in the next couple weeks and we get back to living. In the picture above is one of my vertical antennas due a makeover as we prepare for the next Atlantic Hurricane Season. June to November, with the peak around August to September, and most of us hope that this year will be like those of recent times. However this year could be different and we still need to be ready and prepared early. Most people let the storm and hurricane preparation run from year to year, and just touch up and improve durability as necessary. That is a strategy that I see practiced in another island, and it seems to work for them. In Saint Kitts and Nevis this is not the norm, as most of us build ...

  Looking North West from the gallery of V44KF Amateur Radio Greetings from the QTH of V44KF. In the picture above is the 34-foot tall vertical used for the experimental 20-meter EFHW [end fed half wave] antenna. While testing the antenna my ongoing research indicated that the EFHW was not as good, by a long shot, as the half wave vertical that I used over the past few years. Not saying that the EFHW is no good, but compared to what I have it it just not as good, and in most cases by 2 or more 's' units. The EFHW seems to be a great antenna if you can't get up anything better to work DX. I am into working DX, that radio station on the other side of the world, not rag chewing with the hams down the block. As a DX station in V4 land this is what it is all about. All amateur radio transceivers are great in their own right, but the station antenna is what makes the ham radio station tick. Antennas seem to be the biggest problem for radio stations, because there seems to be the ...

  WOW!! The second quarter of 2022 is upon us. Amateur radio may not be rolling out as some of us thought it would. Question is, what can we do about that? There is always something that we can do, but many of us most times FOCUS on the apparent problem and not the solution or the possible solution. In this time as we get our lives, and everything else back together, we need to be perpetually proactive in every area of our life. We need to erase the word impossible from our vocabulary, because in reality, everything is POSSIBLE, no matter how it may look. What I have discovered over the years, is that when you begin to move towards the goal, it seems to meet you halfway. Some people call it luck, but it is just the way that "things" work, but you only find out IF you try. So to all Amateur Radio operators, everywhere, make your wish list of EVERYTHING that you need to take your ham radio to another level. I will not tell you to meditate  on it daily, or do any such thing, but...

  Alure of the Seas at Port Zante, Basseterre, St Kitts. 2022-01-03 It is a nice warm, bright, not cloudy, and not windy day in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.  A wonderful day to begin taking our amateur radio on a journey to another level. Amateur radio in this Federation can only go upward, as all of us seek to make our amateur radio mark in 2022. We all need to seriously consider what is next, so that we can effectively and efficiently take our amateur radio to the next level. I suspect that all of us wish to take our amateur radio knowledge and education to that next level. I know for a fact, that some amateur radio operators used the pandemic "stay at home" and "lockdown" to update their radio knowledge online. There are problem situations in V4. There are almost 200 amateur radio operators by call sign, and many of them are not active, as in being on the air regularly. That is not a real problem. Our resident amateur radio population are either opera...

The Allure of the Seas at Port Zante, Basseterre, Saint Kitts. 2022-01-02.  Picture made from a second floor bedroom window at V44KF. I do not have the  answer. As we begin the New Year some of us are asking that question, and also where do we go from here? As an amateur radio operator for some years, I have formulated a plan which forces my amateur radio development and progress every year, irrespective. Amateur radio is ongoing, and one can never run out of amateur radio activities. Durng the last sunspot cycle when the bands were dead for some operators, they turned to the digital modes rather than go to sleep or play dead, just because the ham bands appeared dead. Ham radio operators should always have a plan, because amateur radio is a hobby that affords it.   There are amateur radio operators who are watching and waiting on other amateur radio operators, while there are others who are charting their our amateur radio course, rather than watching and waiting for...