N5KWD

09/10/2026

DXpeditions are a great way to pick up ATNOs (all-time new ones) for the log and increment your DXCC count. Some DXpeditions go to very rare DX entities and operate on multiple bands and modes but if you miss it, they may not come around again for many years. This customizable calendar features DXpeditions, special event stations, contest, and QSO parties.

N5KWD - David C. Taylor, amateur radio operator in Kingwood, TX. Ham radio news, calendars, tools, license search and a technical library.

09/09/2026

Greene County Fairgrounds & Expo Center, Xenia, Ohio. May 21-23, 2027. NOW is the time to book your hotel, actually 4 months ago was the best time.

09/02/2026

I've been watching pretty incredible 6 meter openings almost every day recently. Early, there are huge F2/TEP openings from North America to Europe. Later in the day, those mostly fade leaving gobs of Sporadic E hops over 1,000 to 2,000 km. Still going on right now. Magic Band. Surf's Up!

N5KWD - David C. Taylor, amateur radio operator in Kingwood, TX. Ham radio news, calendars, tools, license search and a technical library.

08/29/2026

Understanding the sun is a prerequisite to understanding radio propagation. Get a good book, wach some videos, and then come back to n5kwd.com to get realtime conditions, historical data, and predicted upcoming conditions.
https://n5kwd.com/propagation/solar-imagery

N5KWD - David C. Taylor, amateur radio operator in Kingwood, TX. Ham radio news, calendars, tools, license search and a technical library.

08/26/2026

A SpaceX jellyfish over Georgia on Aug. 25th. Credit: Ricky Johnson. And one over North Carolina.

08/22/2026

So James N5CDL picks me up at the airport and we ran out to Monte Sano State Park where there was this large gathering. Lots of podcasters and POTA people and plenty of food and conversation. After that we headed over and Madison County Public State Fishing Lake. Hamfest in the morning!

08/19/2026

TEAC bought 5 of the DR-2X back when Yaesu was practically giving them away to clubs to promote System Fusion. They worked great . . . for a while, and then they didn't. The DR-3X aims to fix its shortcomings and improve its reliability and performance but I feel like that will come with a price. I will be looking these over at the Huntsville Hamfest in a couple of days.

Yaesu Gen 2 repeaters face lock-ups, poor selectivity, esense, and weak shielding. The new Gen 3 (DR-3X) offers 85 W VHF / 65 W UHF continuous duty.

08/11/2026

All k***s to the right!

QRO to 1.5 kW gives ~12 dB (~2 S-units) over 100 W. Tube amps need skill; Solid state amps (Mercury LUX etc.) ease it. Costly but wins contests.

08/02/2026

If you like to watch ham radio videos I have aggrgated my favorite video podcasts and channels on this page. The page works well on a smartphone so I can watch them on the go and don't have to mess with a bunch of different sites. I'm open to add more channels if you send me your suggestions, can be YouTube channels or any other site. Let me know what you think

New amateur radio videos from the channels worth following - antennas, portable operating, electronics and gear reviews, gathered automatically and playable here.

04/14/2026

https://makezine.com/projects/meshtastic-walkie-textie/

Stay in touch without cellular using Meshtastic in this LoRa mesh communications project.