Amateur radio guide
All guides, tutorials and technical articles in one place.
Licence and learning
How to get your licenceCategory 1 or 3, UKE exam, fees, application and callsign — step by stepExam trainer521 questions with answers and a mock exam in your browserCW trainerCW tree, listening, sending with a key and online dictationQSO simulatorYour first contact on a trial run: the station speaks, you reply into the microphoneQ‑codes28 Q‑codes: QRL, QRZ, QSO, QSL, QTH, QSY — with flashcardsPhonetic alphabetICAO and Polish spelling — cheat sheet, flashcards and quizHam abbreviations73, 88, CQ, QSO, DX, RST — cheat sheet, flashcards and quiz
On the air
2 m / 70 cm bandRepeaters, simplex, CTCSS and your first QSO on 144/430 MHzHF (shortwave)The 160–10 m bands, propagation, antennas and SSB/CW/FT8 modesProgramming your radioOffset, CTCSS tone, saving a channel and CHIRP using Wanda as an exampleCan’t open the repeater?Offset, CTCSS tone and 12.5 kHz step for every repeater in Poland, plus diagnosis by symptomsInterference (QRM)Where band noise comes from and how to hunt the source: main switch test, an interference catalogue by sound, ferrites and reporting to UKE.QRZ and logbookTwo entries, one QSO: what has to match for the contact to be confirmedQSL cards and the PZK bureauWhat must be on the card, how the PZK QSL bureau works, direct, IRC and your own card generatorVHF/UHF contestsCountdown calendar, 59 001 KO02ME report and your first entry step by stepPOTA and SOTARadio from the park and the summit: rules, map of 2981 parks and 211 summits, the ones nearest to youWebSDR: listen onlineListen to the bands without a radio: receivers near you, what to listen to and live NCDXF beaconsWanda: SR5W repeaterWanda, that is SR5W: a 2 m repeater on the 300‑metre chimney of the Kawęczyn Heat Plant. FM and DMR settings, coverage, history since 2008, how it works, photo gallery.
Antennas and coax
2 m / 70 cm base antennas13 Diamond and Comet antennas: gain, length, prices and installationYagi antenna — constructionThree projects to build: dimensions from NEC‑2, drawings, 50 Ω feed and tuningJ‑pole antenna — constructionAn omnidirectional antenna made from copper tube: dimensions calculator, construction and tuningAntenna before winterAutumn check‑up: cable test, sealing connectors, ice, mast and earthingAntenna and the housing associationBoard approval, regulations, case law and a letter templateCoaxial cables32 cables from RG‑58 to Heliax, Messi & Paoloni, connectors, prices and installationSQ4MN’s antenna for 2 m and 70 cmMarian SQ4MN assembled an antenna for 2 m and 70 cm from parts of two previous builds. The heart: a copper folded dipole. Parameters? A secret.SQ4MN’s 70 cmMarian SQ4MN added a second support to his 70 cm Yagi and the boom stopped dancing in the wind. What changed, why it works, and a ribbon contest.
Digital modes
D‑STAR from scratchCallsign registration, DR mode, XLX reflectors and a hotspotD‑STAR / C4FM / DMRThree digital systems side by side — which one to start withFM PolandSVXLink network, 260xx groups, DTMF codes and your own hotspotFT8 on 2 mYour first contact step by step: IC‑9700 over the network, WSJT‑X and who heard meAPRS: position from your radioHow a packet lands on the aprs.fi map, a position‑packet encoder, 144.800 MHz and D‑PRS on Icom radios
Bands and propagation
IARU BandPlanCW, digital and phone segments, and calling frequencies on HF and VHF/UHF1200 MHz bandThe 23 cm band is your entry into microwaves: directional antennas, repeaters, digital modes and ATV.Cyfrowa Małopolska and 23 cmThe KPGK D‑STAR and DMR network from Chorągwica to Gubałówka, and 23 cm repeaters in PolandAutumn tropoWhen to catch DX on 2 m and 70 cm: high pressure, inversion, time of day, frequencies and polarisationAurora on 2 m and 6 mContacts via aurora: antenna to the north, 55A report and live Kp indexMeteor scatterContacts via meteor trails: MSK144, live showers and the ping soundSatellite commsFM satellites, transponders, the ISS and QO‑100 — your first QSO step by stepS‑meter and decibelsdBm, µV and S‑units, kTB noise, RST report and an S‑meter calculatorEmergency commsPACE plan with a printable card, IARU frequencies, NVIS and a go‑box