Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society

Ragchewing       I subscribe to a ham blog from KB6NU.  I always like to learn from other hams, whether they are new or have been on the air for decades. I received ham blog dated November 27th, 2019 from KB6NU that sparked something in me.     He quoted Wayne Green, W2NSD, “Rag-Chewing for Fun”. […]

Test Equipment for the New Ham, and other Hams, as well              I bought a new portable antenna.  I have family responsibilities, so it took me a while to take it out and try it.  It would not work.  What was wrong with this antenna?  I had seen videos of other amateur radio operators […]

A New Antenna for VHF and UHF Operation       I don’t think I have ever promoted a commercial product in this column before, so this is a first. Disclaimer: I am not making any money off of this. This is not a commercial advertisement, but just a way to make hams aware of a […]

Preparing for the Inevitable     In the years I have belonged to GARS, over eleven years now, we have had a few silent keys (SK), or ham radio operators who have passed away. Some of them have passed suddenly. Yes, we miss them, but we realize that we will all have to go sometime. […]

Some of my Favorite YouTubers   Last time we took a look at some webcasters. Now let’s take a look at some Youtubers who don’t have regular webcasts or those who make videos in addition to their regular webcasts. First on the list is Dave Casler, KE0OG. You can find him on YouTube by typing […]

Youtube Channels Revisited     It has been a while since we have covered all the amateur radio programs available on the internet, so I thought I might make a thorough review and update everyone on some new programs out there. Tuesdays at 8 pm means that it is time for the W5KUB “Amateur Radio […]

Create Your Own OTA         We have spent a number of columns of late sharing some of the On-the-Air programs designed to get you out of your “shack” and get on the air. First, we will look at an unusual OTA program, Walmart Parking Lots on The Air (WMPLOTA, wmplota.org”. “Walmart parking lots”, […]

Lighthouses on the Air       This time we will look at one of the last “OTA” programs that we are aware of, Lighthouses on The Air. Lighthouses have fascinated people on land, as well as on sea. One of the earliest lighthouses was in the Roman Empire. There is some romanticism about a lonely […]

Islands of the Air   This month, we take a look at Islands of the Air (https://www.iota-world.org/). IOTA’s mission is to “increase activity on the amateur radio bands by encouraging operations from island locations, to keep a database of contacts made by IOTA participants and to recognise high performance in the making of such contacts […]

Islands of Fun   We will take a look at the Islands of the Air, another of the fine OTA programs, but before we do, there is a program that covers U. S. islands that bears mentioning first. The US Islands Program has announced its 25th anniversary this year. I’ll bet you didn’t even know […]

Climb to New Heights with SOTA Part II      Stone Mountain is the nearest SOTA summit.  Kennesaw Mountain and Brasstown Bald are also good spots.  You can drive to Kennesaw Mountain National Park. (it can also count as a Park on the Air.) Call before you go and let them know you are coming.  […]

Climb to New Heights with SOTA By KJ4CMY   We continue our series on portable operations by looking at SOTA, Summits on the Air. According to the web site (sota.org.uk), SOTA is “an awards scheme for radio amateurs that encourages portable operation in mountainous areas”.    This doesn’t mean you have to climb miles up […]