Category: Reviews

2020 Drone Review: Good? Yes. But it gets better…

Some time back I posted about a cheap little drone that I was gifted, and despite it getting ran over by a car, it still flies, mostly. With its 720p camera, the photos were as good as a digital camera from around 2002, and without GPS, there was no “return to home” function in case …

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Cheap Soldering Iron: Which one?

This article was originally published in January 2017. It has been updated. In this entry we’ll talk about my search for a cheap soldering iron. I’ve been burning myself with cheap soldering irons since I was about 10 years old and I taught myself various bad ways to solder. I’ve dabbled in electronics here and …

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LED Magnifier Upgrade Time!

Hey everyone, in this post we’re going do do something a little different. I don’t usually do a product review just for the sake of doing a product review, but I couldn’t pass this one up. I use my lighted magnifier all the time. It was given to me a few years ago, and it …

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Cheap Drone becomes Roadkill

Last month, I posted about the cheap drone I have and showed off some of the photos I’ve taken with it- clearly, I shouldn’t be able to get such good photos with such a cheap drone, but I have! I’ve also crashed the thing more times than I can count, and it’s come away mostly …

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Drone Photography On The Cheap: Worthwhile?

Long before cheap drones were a thing, in fact long before the quadcopters we call drones were a thing you could buy for a kid for $50, I was obsessed with the idea of taking aerial photographs. I didn’t really have any money to speak of- and by aerial photography standards, I still don’t. I’d …

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Finishing a QRP Guys Para40Set

A few weeks ago, David KA4ZUC posted on the QRP Amateur Radio Facebook group: He was unable to finish his Para40Set radio kit because of some physical limitations, and asked if he could pay somebody to wind the T1 toroid for him. Apparently, another ham had done so for a fee, but did it wrong. …

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Excellent QRP, Homebrew, and DIY YouTube Channels Worth Checking Out

In this post, we’re simply going to show you some YouTube channels that you should check out, and subscribe to them if you like them. First up is Mark, G0MGX. His channel focuses on QRP Homebrew, and he has a great approach to how he builds. Here has an excellent series on scratch building a …

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Review: More Hand-Carried QRP Antennas

Ever since I restarted with ham radio in 2016, I have looked up to Peter Parker, VK3YE. His extensive coverage of various topics on his YouTube channel was inspiring, and you can see his influence throughout These Pages, such as the VK3YE inspired L-Match tuner. My own perception of QRP radio was greatly influenced by …

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The Phaser: A Digital Only QRP Radio Kit

Recently we looked at a digital DSB transceiver kit for FT8 that’s been making the rounds, and talked about the pros and cons of such a design. There’s also been discussion about the DSB digital FT8 rigs on several groups.io and Facebook groups. Another vendor has entered into the arena of digital-only QRP radios. It …

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Jackite Pole Wind Handling, and a Tour

Over a year ago, we reviewed the Jackite 31′ antenna pole in This Post. It’s been some time since then, and you might wonder: How’s it holding up? Check the video below, and then go buy your new Jackite 31′ antenna pole Here should you feel so inclined. Also, look below for another video. This …

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