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The Chalkline Antenna is gone

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  The Chalkline Antenna is gone. If you have read my previous post, Playing with Tuners and Longwires - https://zl3cc.blogspot.com/2024/09/playing-with-tuners-and-longwires-i-am.html and you have considered building one of these Chalkline Antenna’s, I can only offer two words of advice……JUST DON’T. Mine is is gone from my Go-Bag, in a box in a tangled mess, just waiting for a rainy day when I have the time and patience to untangle the wire for use in another project Why the sudden change in heart you might ask and I shall tell you. Last Saturday I went out to my favourite country road site to set up for the Go-QRP evening. I had taken the Chalkline Antenna with me intending to use it as, apart from a longer and heavier doublet, it was the only portable antenna that I had in my inventory that could work the 80 metre band. I had the antenna out earlier in the afternoon and ensured that the marks for the 80 metre band were still on the wire and easily distinguishable in the dark and I...
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Amateur Radio in Disaster Relief - New Zealand

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Amateur Radio in Disaster Relief - New Zealand Posted in QRZ.com 24/09/24 As I write this post I am aware that it may get some mixed reactions, but its main intent is to get some ideas and advice on how to tackle a problem I am having here in New Zealand. Just to make things easier going forward let me list some comparative organisations and classes of radio in the NZ and the equivalent in the States. NZART ( https:// www.nzart.org.nz ) = ARRL AREC ( https://arec.nz ) = ARES CDEM ( https://www.civildefence.govt.nz ) = FEMA PRS - Personal Radio Service ( https://www.rsm.govt.nz/licensing/d...n-band-cbpersonal-radio-service-prs-licensing ) = CB, MURS, GMRS, FRS In NZ we have another recently formed organisation, HFRadio.NZ ( https:// hfradio.nz) and more relevant to this discussion Alpine Fault Net ( https://hfradio.nz/alpine-fault-net/ ) which is an integral part of the HF Radio Charitable Trust. I am not sure if there is an equivalence in North America. Amateur Radio plays an important...
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ZL3CC.BlogSpot.com Index

  ZL3CC.BlogSpot.com Index Batteries for Portable and Field Radio Operation Small Lightweight Capable Manual Tuner Playing with Tuners and Longwires EFHW antenna from AliExpress PRS (CB) Radio within the Community Baofeng BF-5C PRS Handheld Small folding Solar Panels for handhelds
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Small folding Solar Panels for Handheld Radios

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  Small folding Solar Panels for Handheld Radios  I Picked this up off Temu for $16.31 NZD. I have had it hanging in the window all day and have charged 3 of these Baofeng UHF radios. A great piece of kit to have in a grid-down situation. Granted, none of the batteries were completely flat but I thought reasonable performance anyway, especially for the price.  I shall run one of the Baofeng handhelds flat and time it to full charge next time. No doubt it would be able to charge a power bank but I would imagine that it would take considerably longer. It  folds up to an almost wallet size of 120 x 185 x 20 mm, very convenient for throwing in a pack or carry-on luggage. I shall keep on using it and report back at a later time as to how it performs in the long term. Does anyone else use something similar? Love to hear about it.
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Batteries for Portable and Field Radio

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  Batteries for Portable and Field Radio When we go portable or operating in the field with radios, what batteries do we use? Well if it is a handheld radio or the radio comes with its own battery installed chances are that is the battery you will be using in the first instance. If you intend operating for any length of time or are preparing for an emergency situation chances are you will have auxiliary or backup battery or power supply. Myself, when in the field or up in the hills and mountains I currently work exclusively of battery, though I will be adding some solar panels to that mix shortly. But lets concentrate on batteries at this time. New Zealand being the antipodes of just about anywhere suffers a lack of range and choice that our fellow radio operators in USA, Europe and even Australia can often take for granted. With batteries specifically, it comes down to the regulations regarding shipping of some of the new technology lithium ion and phosphate batteries, which are l...
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