HR4NT BLOG

Operators wearing headphones working side by side at stacked radios in a multi operator contest station, with a world map and walls of awards behind them, during a ham radio contest weekend

Your First Contest Without Embarrassing Yourself

September 26, 2026

Contesting for People Who Have Never Tried It Your First Contest Without Embarrassing Yourself A contest contact is eight seconds long and uses about nine

An antenna silhouetted against a star filled night sky, when the low bands of 160, 80 and 40 meters come alive

The Low Bands Are Waking Up: What Fall and Winter Change on 160, 80 and 40

September 23, 2026

Seasonal Propagation — 160, 80 and 40 Meters The Low Bands Are Waking Up: What Fall and Winter Change on 160, 80 and 40 Ten

A rooftop mounted HF beam antenna and vertical above the tiled roof of a house, the kind of installation an RF exposure evaluation has to account for because people live directly underneath it

The RF Exposure Evaluation Nobody Did (And How to Do Yours Tonight)

September 20, 2026

RF Safety and the Rules That Changed The RF Exposure Evaluation Nobody Did (And How to Do Yours Tonight) The rule that used to let

Smart electricity meters on the outside wall of a home, the kind of device that shares the 902 to 928 MHz band with amateur radio

Someone Wants the 900 MHz Band. Here’s What That Means for You.

September 17, 2026

The 33 Centimeter Band — 902 to 928 MHz Someone Wants the 900 MHz Band. Here’s What That Means for You. There is a band

image of Mamuel Morse and KI5NPL painting together

Samuel Morse Was a Painter First (And So Am I)

September 15, 2026

Samuel Morse trained at the Royal Academy and painted presidents for twenty-five years before he ever sent a dot or a dash. Here is the half of his story most hams never hear, from one operator who also paints.

Energy-saving LED and CFL light bulbs, among the most common sources of radio interference in a modern home

Why Your Radio Hears Nothing but Noise (And Why It’s Probably Your House)

September 15, 2026

Noise, Interference and the Modern Home Why Your Radio Hears Nothing but Noise (And Why It’s Probably Your House) A new radio will not fix

A Seeed Studio Wio Tracker L1 Pro LoRa mesh node with its antenna fitted, showing the small color display and side buttons used to run MeshCore

MeshCore vs Meshtastic: Why Hams Are Switching, and What You Give Up

September 13, 2026

LoRa Mesh Networking — MeshCore vs Meshtastic MeshCore vs Meshtastic: Why Hams Are Switching, and What You Give Up Two off-grid text networks, one real

The Sun imaged by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light, showing active regions and coronal loops

Solar Cycle 25 Is Heading Downhill: What the Decline Actually Does to Your Bands

September 13, 2026

Solar Cycle 25 peaked in October 2024 and the bands have been sliding ever since. Here is what the sun actually does to your signal, what happens to every band from 10 meters down to 160 on the way to minimum, the four things that genuinely get better, and how to change the way you operate.

A LiFePO4 lithium iron phosphate battery pack sitting beside its matched charger, the correct charger for the chemistry

Lithium Battery Safety for Ham Radio: How to Charge Your LiFePO4 Without Starting a Fire

September 13, 2026

Twelve special event stations go on the air October 4-10, 2026 for Fire Prevention Week, and this year the theme is lithium-ion battery charging safety. Here is what that means for the LiFePO4 battery under your operating desk, the five charging rules that actually matter, and the one cold-weather rule almost nobody tells you.

HR4NT BLOG

Your First Contest Without Embarrassing Yourself

The Low Bands Are Waking Up: What Fall and Winter Change on 160, 80 and 40

The RF Exposure Evaluation Nobody Did (And How to Do Yours Tonight)

Someone Wants the 900 MHz Band. Here’s What That Means for You.

Samuel Morse Was a Painter First (And So Am I)

Why Your Radio Hears Nothing but Noise (And Why It’s Probably Your House)

MeshCore vs Meshtastic: Why Hams Are Switching, and What You Give Up

Solar Cycle 25 Is Heading Downhill: What the Decline Actually Does to Your Bands

Lithium Battery Safety for Ham Radio: How to Charge Your LiFePO4 Without Starting a Fire

Exploring the World of Portable Ham Radio: Gear, Radios, and Power Options

Parks on the Air (POTA) Crash Course

How to Use the Yaesu FTM 500D Radio: A Beginner’s Guide