Favorite Links

This link is newly added. Some time ago, I created a database of repair shops that handle repairs to amateur radio equipment. I am quite sure there are others, but this was what was available at the time it was created.

This is an old friend from The Meriden ARC in Connecticut. A club I still belong to, by the way.

Here are the two local clubs I belong to. Both are good clubs. Currently, I am the President of the Manatee ARC and a member of the Bradenton Amateur Radio Club. If you live in the Bradenton area, join us at the Manatee Amateur Radio Club. We meet on the first Tuesday of each month from September through May at the American Red Cross Chapter House on 59th Street West in Bradenton.

If you are thinking about getting a Vanity Call, this is the place to go for information and advice. Also much more info available here.

Here is a link to KI4FH's web site. Burt is a good friend and his web site has great info on APRS and WX stations in the Ham Shack.

This is a link to KV5R's technical articles and the club he belongs to. Harold has some very good articles for the beginning homebrewer. Harold designed the original version of the OCF Sleeve Dipole that I modified and wrote about for a QST article. He is a fantastic resource for Amateur Radio. Take a look.

Bert, VE2ZAZ's web site has a very complete coverage of many subjects, not the least of which is converting Bluetooth Cell phone accessories to use for amateur radio. The site is in both English and French. Great site! Bert haas been very helpful in my own forays into Bluetooth.

This club is just getting started again after many years in limbo. For now we meet on an Echo-Link Net once a week. It is open to anyone with an association with Yale University, not just graduates, If you worked there, or went to school there, you are eligible. See their site for more details.

These sites are a must here in Florida. The price for living in Paradise, I guess. Much more accurate than the TV Weather Guy/Gal.

A link to McMaster-Carr, a vendor of many things a ham operator can use, like aluminum tubing, hose clamps, wire, etc.

Mouser Electronics: One of the big boys, but never too busy to fill a small order for a Ham Operator

All Electronics: One of those places with an ever changing assortment of overstock and surplus electronic stuff that may just be perfect for your next home-brewed project.

Tower Elecronics: These people seem to be at every hamfest I attend, anywhere in the country. They have an abundance of those things you just cannot get anywhere else, like coiled mic cords, coax adapters, windscreens for microphones and the like, plus sooo much more.

DX Engineering: These guys specialize in antenna and antenna supports. As the name implies, they are one of the go-to places for antenna components and other similar gear.

MPJA: right here in Florida, so shipping will be quick. In some ways similar to All Electronics, but with a slightly different mixture of products. Their web site is easy to navigate around and the people are very friendly.

Here is a great place to get a FREE toolbar specifically designed for Ham Radio Operators. I downloaded it and it is fantastic. There are so many features I can only say go take a look at it.

This is a great web site for those of us in West Central Florida. Particularly those of us active on D-Star or who would like to be. A lot of great info and a new link on Chuck's site will show you how to get rid of that annoying WIRES button that always seems to get pushed by accident, just when you don't want it pushed.

Here is a link to my interview on WSRQ, a local radio station on 1220 AM. The host, Matt Bruce, is also a ham (KI4VOB) and after retiring from long service in the local Fire Department, has become a real mover and shaker in the local emergency preparedness scene. The show episode is about 60 minutes long, and my "15 minutes of fame" show up from around the 32 minute mark. Congratulations to Matt on his new show, among the top 10 in the Tampa Broadcast Market.

This is a good site to visit if you are looking for a Service Manual or an Operating Manual for a radio you might have picked up at a hamfest. If the documentation was missing, perhaps you can find it here.

Pedro Motilla, EA5BFT is a Spanish amateur who has some very good ideas for constructing simple antennas (The kind I like). His item in QST Hints and Kinks in November 2011 inspired me to create a new dual band antenna using mono-band ground planes and a diplexer. He has not had time to translate his site into English yet but maybe soon.

Joe Leggio, WB2HOL, has a great web site for Radio Direction Finding, also known as "Fox Hunting" There are plans and instructions on building yagi antennas and attenuators to make the hunt easier and more fun.

This site is very helpful anytime you want to adapt a microphone to a different radio, or even build a homebrewed microphone to connect to a transceiver. G4WPW has done an outstanding job of collecting and arranging all of this information and I have used his site many, many times.