EAST ALABAMA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
This is the internet home of our Club. Welcome to all!
EAST ALABAMA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
This is the internet home of our Club. Welcome to all!
UPCOMING DATES AND EVENTS
Check back here often to stay aware of upcoming meetings, events, or other important dates related to The Club or ham radio activities.
Subscribe to the Club Calendar on Your Mobile Devices:
Caution - Beware of Reverse Polarity Connection to Ham Radio
Even the best among us have seen the sparks fly when incorrectly using jumper cables on an auto battery. Hopefully, that resulted in little or no damage, but connecting your radio or other electronic device with polarity reversed could result in considerable damage and could "let the smoke out" of your equipment. Some modern radios have reverse polarity protection in the form of a diode installed in series in the supply line (preferably a Schottky diode is used to minimize voltage drop and battery consumption. Remember question 6B02 from your Extra exam?). Some, however, do not. Anderson Powerpoles incorporate reverse polarity protection features. Additionally, and more importantly, using measures at the power source (e.g., the battery) is simple and good.
See this great example provided by a Club Member of how he protects against reversed polarity at the source! Link to Photo.
Yaesu Announces New QRP Rig
There is quite a bit of buzz going on out there now about Yaesu's latest annonuncment, the FTX-1 Series QRP radio. The radio is apparently going to be available in at least two configurations with price points of around $1,500 for the FTX-1 Field to around $1,900 for the FTX-1 Optima, which will come with a 100 watt amplifier. These radios come with a 6400 mAh Li-Ion battery. The major distributors are taking reservations now. Is this machine the next POTA favorite??
Use the Local Repeaters!
We are lucky to have several first-class repeaters to use for 2-meter work in our area. Feel free to get onto these machines and use them. It is encouraged. Keeping activity up on these repeaters helps as follows:
- promotes participation in ham radio in the area
- helps keep us familiar with the repeaters and ensures that they are ready in the event of a need to use them for emergency purposes
- encourages community and camaraderie among hams in the area, and
- just makes ham radio around here more fun in general.
Thanks for keeping the repeaters in use. See the "Repeaters and Nets" page for more information.
Tech Talk
Monthly topics from the technical side of things:
December, 2024: Single Side Band
January, 2025: Antenna Resonance and Bandwidth
February, 2025: Near-Vertical Incident Skywave, or “NVIS” Antennas
March, 2025: Understanding Standing Wave Ratio (SWR)
April, 2025: The Art of Soldering
May, 2025: Which Coaxial Cable Should I Use
June, 2025: How the Sun Affects HF Radio Propogation
Our Partners
