John S. Huggins

Stony Man AT Golden Packet 2012

May 23, 2018July 14, 2012

Results from station 6 of the Appalachian Trail Golden Packet attempt from Stony Man mountain.

KX4O 1B VA Field Day 2012

May 22, 2018July 8, 2012

KJ4FAJ helps with 6m LFA Beam Dis-assembly

Even a 1B ARRL Field Day Station offers visitors a rare glimpse into Amateur Radio.

Geo. Coordinate Transmission Efficiency

September 18, 2015July 4, 2012

What’s the best format to send your geographic coordinates using Morse Code? Degrees, Degrees-Minutes, Degrees-Minutes-Seconds, Grid Squares? We take a look at the various formats and use a stopwatch to measure the send time.

Field Day Logging Computer Networking Tips

June 15, 2012

Learn from our six successful years rolling out a computer network for the ARRL Field Day. Tips, techniques, dos and don’ts are among the highlights.

EFHW LNR Precision EF-10/20/40MKII Test Data

May 18, 2019April 16, 2012

SWR Measurements of LNR Precision EF-10/20/40 End Fed Antenna

Basic tests of the LNR Precision EF-10/20/40 multi-band portable HF EFHW antenna including S11, SWR and a bandwidth check of the match box.

EFHW LNR Precision EF-10/20/40MKII Examination

May 22, 2018April 15, 2012

Schematic of LNR Precision 10/20/40 Portable Antenna Matchbox

The background and details of the LNR (Par Electronics) EF-10/20/40 end fed half-wave multi-band portable HF antenna. Come see what’s inside the mysterious “black box.”

VAQP 2012 – Join in the Fun

March 9, 2012

Fun times await participants in the 2012 Virginia QSO Party. This post links to Official Rules, Information and Past Statistics.

Hawksbill Mtn. APRS Appalachian Trail Test

March 5, 2015March 4, 2012

This is the view as you approach the top of Hawksbill on the only trail.

The Northern Virginia team of Ham Radio operators and companion hikers manned Hawksbill Mountain for the 2011 Appalachian Trail Golden Packet event. Gear included a Kenwood D710 with Green Light Lab GPS, 2m Collinear J-Pole and a 70cm collinear J-Pole.

Antenna Measurements on Taurus 2m Whip

September 28, 2026February 20, 2012

Return Loss and SWR measurements of a permanent 2m whip installation mid-roof of a Ford Taurus. The effect of doors is shown.

NMO Through-Hole Mobile Antenna Installation

May 11, 2019February 20, 2012

Finished Taurus 2m NMO Antenna Install Side View

Highlights from the installation of a 3/8 inch NMO permanent mount into a 1998 Ford Taurus rooftop.

J-Pole Antenna – Should I ground it?

September 24, 2018January 28, 2012

Impedances competing for current in a J-Pole

To function as intended, the J-Pole antenna needs RF electrical isolation from its mount. Here’s why and in technicolor no less.

Help: How can I Migrate Microsoft Works 2004 Logs to New Program

November 5, 2011

K3CDQ asks: I have an old computer with lots of 2002, 3 and 4 software on it. I have thirty years of ham contacts logged in a data base that I worked up using Microsoft Works 2004. I now have a new computer with all 2010 and 2011 software on it and running XP. I … Read more

Installing Ground Rods the Easy Way

July 26, 2018October 5, 2011

Impact Drill the Rod by KJ4FAJ and brother

Ground Rods… so easy a pre-teen can do it. Presented is a method learned from other hams on how to install a ground rod with minimal or no hammering. Using a watering can, even children can sink an 8 foot ground rod into the ground. All it takes is water and time.

Hexbeam Gets a Spine

June 2, 2018October 3, 2011

Aluminum 8 ft. 1.5" dia. mast with 1/4" inch walls.

My G3TXQ Hexbeam gets a new metal backbone to accommodate a VHF beam antenna. A byproduct is a much stronger antenna assembly than the common Hexbeam approach.

‘UHF’ Connector Test Results

January 11, 2017October 3, 2011

Real measured data reveal the UHF (PL259 and SO239) connectors have real limitations.

Lab Tests: SMA, BNC, TNC and N Connectors

September 28, 2026August 6, 2011

S11, Return Loss, of Post WW2 Connectors

Lab tests show post WW2 connector designs perform exceptionally well up to 500 MHz. The SMA, BNC, TNC and N connectors are great.

PL-259/SO-239 Return Loss and Attenuation Test

September 28, 2026August 3, 2011

Figure 6 - Adapters for 1" PL259/SO239 Connector Test

We pit the PL-259 (and SO-239) against more recent connectors. This is the list of contenders plus a description of the test setup.

Pretty Lousy? (PL) 259 Connectors

May 28, 2016July 29, 2011

The PL259/SO239 (aka UHF) connectors have harsh critics and religious defenders. Questionable measurement techniques complicate matters. Let’s clear things up.

Virginia Summits On The Air

February 24, 2012February 11, 2011

After some Virginians volunteered to research the mountain peaks in the Commonwealth and see which ones are sufficiently prominent to qualify for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program, we now, as of Feb 1, 2011 have 542 peaks from which to operate a ham station.

If you are a hiker and a ham, the Summits on the Air award program is for you. Originally organized in England, SOTA has become very popular in Europe for both hikers and summit collectors. Operators in the United States have caught on; Volunteers are working feverishly to add US peaks to the growing number of valid SOTA summits.

Virginia is now proudly represented in the W4 area.

Check out the Virginia peaks right here in this web domain.

43 Foot Vertical Pops a U-Bolt

September 28, 2026December 15, 2010

The top U Bolt holds while the bottom just hangs there.

My 43 foot vertical took a beating last night in the Canadian cold air clipper and lost its lower U-Bolt.

Dallas Cowboys, DTV, Wife and Hex Beams

September 28, 2026October 31, 2010

One popular UHF TV Antenna using two bays of four bow elements.

So what do the Dallas Cowboys, Digital Television over the air broadcasts, my wife and the Hex Beam have in common…

You’re probably thinking…

“Man… John has lost it. He’s blogged one post too far… On Halloween afternoon too…”

Hang with me for a moment.