KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

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From my Twitter feed: Hand-carried antennas, 3D printed antenna parts

Posted: 24 Aug 2016 05:24 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kb6nu...m_medium=email



Randy @K7AGE

Probably a lot of good info in Peters new book Hand Carried QRP Antennas $5
goo.gl/EVa7rw#hamradiopic.twitter.com/YpDsTvoJao








M0ZPK @m0zpk

8yr old wants RX antenna for 2m/70cm and wx sats. So we 3d printed a
x-dipole centre and built one #hamr#hamradio









2600 Magazine @2600

All audio from @hopeconf is now up at xi.hope.net/schedule.html





The post From my Twitter feed: Hand-carried antennas, 3D printed antenna
parts appeared first on KB6NUs Ham Radio Blog.


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Let me help you pass the Extra test

Posted: 24 Aug 2016 12:01 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kb6nu...m_medium=email

There are several questions on the Extra Class test about this circuit.

In another blog post, a reader commented:

I’m amazed at how many people say the Extra is easy. I’m happy for you if
you find it so. I’m about to take the Extra for the 6th time. I don’t have
an electronics background. I’m a junior high music teacher, licensed since
1969. I’ve been studying the material for weeks, and will continue to take
the test until I pass.

I replied:

I dont think that the Extra Class exam is easy. Indeed, taken to extremes,
to really learn everything thats on the test, youd have to get a degree in
electricalÂ*engineering. Heck, I actually do have a degree in electrical
engineering, and I had to study before I took the Extra Class exam.

I think that a lot of hams get distracted when studying for the test. By
that I mean that they try to learn everything there is to know about a
topic, rather than learning what they need to know to pass the test. For
example, there are several questions on digital logic on the Extra Class
test. To learn everything about digital logic, youd have to take several
college courses or pore incessantly over thick textbooks and build lots of
digital circuits. While that may teach you a lot about digital logic, it
may not help you answer the digital logic questions on the Extra Class
test. And, thats only one of many topics on the test!

Thats why my study guides are written as they are. The goal isnt to teach
you all the nuances of digital logic, or antenna theory, or circuit design,
but to give you just enough background so that you understand why the
correct answers to the questions on the test are the correct answers.

Some hams think thats cheating, but like I said before, to really learn
everything thats on the test, youd have to get a degree in electrical
engineering and work as an engineer for many years. This is just a hobby.
If we really wanted to ensure that all Extras were electronics (and antenna
and RF systems) geniuses, then wed have to make the test a lot harder, and
very few would be able to pass.

Getting back to your situation, Id be happy to help you. If there are
particular topics or questions that you dont understand, please feel free
to e-mail, and Ill either e-mail you back, or we can schedule a time to
talk on the phone or maybe even on the air.

Ill extend that offer to all my readers. My e-mail address is
. If I get enough responses, we could even do
regularly-scheduled classes over EchoLink or the Internet. At one point, I
was holding weekly Extra classes on the W8UM repeater here in Ann Arbor. It
had an EchoLink connection, and we had people from all over the country.

The post Let me help you pass the Extra test appeared first on KB6NUs Ham
Radio Blog.