Search results

The NWAPRS is here to support APRS events, activities and amateur radio enthusiasts primarily in British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana

Operating 28.249 MHz and 50.074 MHz from Bozeman, Montana

Hellgate Amateur Radio Club W7PX - Missoula Montana

This resource presents a placeholder page for the _Tobacco Valley Amateur Radio Club_ (TVARC), signaling the future establishment of an online presence for this amateur radio organization. The page currently displays a "Coming Soon" message, indicating that the club's official website is in development. It serves as a preliminary marker for the club's digital footprint, suggesting an upcoming platform for members and prospective hams. The current state of the page offers no technical details, operational information, or specific club activities. It functions solely as a temporary landing page, prompting site owners to log in for launch and visitors to check back later. The resource does not provide any data on club repeaters, meeting schedules, or special events, nor does it detail any past achievements like **DX contacts** or **contest scores**.

DMR in Helena, Montana. Experiments in Digital Amateur Radio Communications

Of interest to solar keen hams is the YPOP section. Near real time movies of active solar regions in JAVA,GIF or MPEG.

Operating amateur radio satellites presents unique challenges, particularly concerning antenna design and signal propagation. Juan Antonio Fernández Montaña, EA4CYQ, recounts his three-year journey into satellite communication, starting with initial guidance from EB4DKA. His early experiments involved a portable 1/4 wave VHF antenna with four 1/4 wave ground planes, designed for hand-held use to adjust polarity. This setup, paired with an FT-3000M transceiver, allowed full-duplex operation on **VHF** transmit and **UHF** receive, proving effective for early contacts on satellites like AO27, UO14, and SO35. EA4CYQ's experience highlights the critical role of coaxial cable loss and antenna polarization. After encountering significant signal degradation with longer RG213 runs, he experimented with a 1/2 inch commercial cable, noting improved reception but persistent fading due to varying satellite polarities. This led to the construction of an **Eggbeater II** antenna, an omnidirectional UHF design offering horizontal polarization at the horizon and circular right polarization at higher elevation angles. Subsequent modifications resulted in the directional **TPM2** antenna, which provided sufficient gain for LEO satellites with a wide 30-degree lobe, enabling consistent contacts from his home station. The article concludes with practical insights on the performance of the Eggbeater II for both UHF and VHF, and the TPM2 for UHF, emphasizing their utility for portable and fixed operations. EA4CYQ's journey underscores the iterative process of antenna development and the importance of adapting designs to overcome real-world propagation challenges in satellite communications.