KH6JRM's Amateur Radio Blog
The arrival of long-awaited rain heralds the approach of winter on Hawaii Island. For most of us islanders, there are only two seasons--wet (winter, early spring) and dry (summer, early autumn). This year has been unusually dry, perhaps a legacy of the El-Nino phenom- enon. Fortunately, the cooler and drier weather has kept tropical storms and hurricanes away from us. So, one must count the blessings where they are found. This is a good time for many of us amateur radio operators to repair, rebuild, and redesign the antennas we use to con- nect to the world. Lately, I've been working with NVIS (near vertical incidence skywave) antennas--basically low- level loops and dipoles that give excellent 1-300 mile coverage. These high angle radiators are great for local and state-wide nets on 80 and 40 meters. Several help- ful articles can be found on the internet. Try a few. You may find these skyhooks a lot of fun. Have a good week-end. Aloha es 73 de KH6JRM.