Equipment · Operating
How to Track Down RFI
By OneShack Staff
A step-by-step way to find the noise on your receiver, from the main breaker test to power-line noise, plus what to do when the interference is yours.
Articles
Longer reads for hams: how-tos, explainers and a bit of history. Pick a topic, or browse everything below.
Featured Writer
Bill Rinker, W6OAV
Longtime Elmer, and writer for many amateur radio club newsletters in Colorado and California.
Antennas
Receive-Only Antennas
By OneShack Staff
On 160 and 80 meters, hearing is the hard part. Beverages, loops, active whips and noise cancellers improve signal-to-noise, not gain.
Antennas
Verticals and Radials
By OneShack Staff
A vertical is only as good as what lies under it. Here is why radials matter, how many you need, and when a few elevated ones will do.
Antennas
End-Fed Half-Wave Antennas
By OneShack Staff
Why a half-wave wire fed at its end needs a 49:1 or 64:1 transformer, how one wire covers several bands, and how to tame common-mode current.
Antennas
Yagis and Hex Beams
By OneShack Staff
How a Yagi beam works, what dBi and dBd really mean, why hex beams are so popular, and how to put a beam up safely.
Equipment
Simple Homebrew Projects
By OneShack Staff
Proven first projects, from a wire dipole to a Powerpole power panel, plus the soldering habits that keep you safe at the bench.
Equipment
Test Gear for the Shack
By OneShack Staff
A friendly tour of the meters and instruments hams use, what each one tells you, what to buy first and how to stay safe.
Equipment
Receiver Numbers Explained
By OneShack Staff
What MDS, noise figure, dynamic range, intercept point and phase noise mean, and how to read a receiver test report.
Antennas · Equipment
Grounding and Lightning Protection
By OneShack Staff
Three kinds of ground, one bonded system: how to protect your station, your gear and your home from faults, surges and lightning.
Operating
DXing
By OneShack Staff
How to work distant stations: when and where to listen, how to handle pileups and split, and how to confirm the contact.