Tak-Tenna is a type of compact antenna which is suitable for those who has space constraints on erecting their HF antenna. It is small enough that a 40 meter Tak-Tenna is just about the size of a 4-element Yagi 2 meter antenna. Here’s photographs of 40-meter Tak-Tenna in action. Compare that to the typical 40-meter dipole or Inverted-V configuration ! Thus it has the advantage of space-saving and unobtrusive setup when compared to other design of HF-antenna.

Tak-Tenna is available in 3 models – 40, 20, and 10 meters, with the 40 meter model can be use on 40, 30, 20, 15, and 10 meters with a tuner.

Refer to this article: “The TAK-Tenna™ Review – A Limited Space HF Antenna Review” for further review on Tak-Tenna performance and advantages.

Tak-Tenna can be ordered from the official Tak-Tenna website

Tags: amateur radio, antenna, ham, hamradio, hf, radio, tak-tenna

Here’s the simplest antenna that you can build to transmit with your HT or mobile rig when you have nothing else to rely to. The configuration gives you a 3.5dBi gain and it is simple to construct when you’re at outdoor.

I built this antenna, specially for hitting repeaters during lightning storm, as my usual high mounted antenna might attract lightning.

This antenna can be built using any conductive wire. Though, for my configuration, I use thick copper wires with the length A = 0.525m and B=0.4815m. The A-B angle is about 100-110 degree. It gives SWR 1.0 between 145.5MHz – 145.8MHz and SWR 1.3 at 148.0MHz, the edge of 2 meter amateur radio band.

Tags: 2 meter, 2m, 2meter, antenna, hamradio, radio, vhf

Are you planning to take the Malaysian Radio Amateur’s Examination (RAE) this year? Good news for you as you can test your knowledge and skill using the RAE web quiz at – http://www.mycallsign.my/webquiz.php

The benefits of the the online web quiz are :

• You will be able to test your knowledge before sitting on the real exam
• You can customize the test set according to match your free time and level of comfort
• Can view result of the test in whole or within specific section, allowing you to focus more on section that need to be improved
• The question set mimics the real RAE test
• It’s free, and you can take the test as many times as you like!

Tags: exam, examination, malaysia, radio, rae

A seminar on APRS will be held in Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) on 7 March 2009. Details of the talk as follows:

Name: Art Takahashi
Academic Qualification: Satellite Microwave System Engineer
Expert Field: Satellite communication engineer & Hamradio
Experiences: Hamradio licence holder about 40 years

Holder Radio Callsigns
PA0HMW,F0DKS,VK3PAT,VK3BFM,VK6MX,VK3EO,
P29EO,VK6MX,VK4GO,VK4GO/BD,JA1OGS
Working for NEC Japan Yokohama & Australia Papua New-Guinia

Professional Bodies Membership:
Rens & Rens , Stedehouwer NERG
The Netherland , Australia Japan

Title: A.P.R.S (Automatic Position Report System)

Synopsis:
Explain what is all about APRS, how it works and what do with it.
Main reason about my second visit is to Malaysia is to help radio amateurs in this country, to understand a other side of hobby. So they start building digital electronics project for the radio amateur hobby. (APRS)

Date: 7 march 2009
Time: 10:30 am ~ 1:30 pm the length from the seminar is depends about visitors interest.

Vanue: Lecture Hall, UniMAP Kuala Perlis.

Info Direction QRV: 9M2RMK 147.9800Mhz Shift -0.600 Tone 203.5
Info Direction on :
a) Wikimapia
b) Google Maps

Those interested to learn more about APRS technology are invited to join in the seminar. It’s free of charge!

Tags: amateur radio, aprs, ham, Ham Radio, hamradio, malaysia, radio, radio amatur, satellite, seminar, unimap

Radio Amateur Examination (RAE) results is out! Congratulations to those who have passed the examination! Heck even piju passed the test!

You can view the results here : RAE 2008-2 results from MCMC website.

Important Forms to download :

• Letter Of Reference (to be signed by two 9M license holder)
• Declaration of Secrecy
• Application for Apparatus Assignment
• Callsign Application Form

For those who didn’t pass, dont despair.. there’s plenty of time to study for the next RAE!

Tags: amateur, amateur radio, exam, ham, hamradio, malaysia, mcmc, radio, radio amateur, rae

The Malaysian Amateur Radio Examination result is out, congratulation to those who passed the examination. You can view the result directly from MCMC (SKMM) website or download it from the local mirror.

Download :
RAE 2008-1 result (local mirror)

Tags: amateur radio, communication, malaysia, radio, rae, result

• Before making a call, listen to the repeater frequency for 10 seconds or more to make sure it isnt busy
• If you are going to test if a repeater is working in your place, just announce “your callsign, testing” “your callsign, monitoring”. Do not press the PTT and listen for its tail feedback (kerchunking).
• When joining a conversation, do not say “Contact, contact” that will make it harder for the stations on the repeater to identify you and arrange your station in a conversation, especially for mobile station. The correct way is to announce your callsign between the pause, or say “your callsign, join”.
• Most Important: When people pass the mic to you, do not immediately transmit. Wait for 2 seconds then continue your conversation. Failing to do so will prevent others to join your conversation, and will make other people uneasy with you when you are on a repeater
• When you heard a station requesting radio check on a repeater, then wait 2-3 second then respond. It is common courtesy to do so in order to help a fellow ham testing his setup. But you should only answer radio check when you are in a good position to do that yourself. See Below
• Avoid answering to radio check when you are operating in a less than desirable setup, such as operating on a moving vehicle behind mountains or tall buildings. Worst if you are operating from a moving vehicle with rubber ducky antenna
• Please give an honest report to a station when responding to a radio check. If the station can barely hold the repeater, just say so. Do not give a Q5 report on a Q2 signal. The station might be in false impression that it can established a good transmission between repeater and this going to create undesirable interruption during a conversation.
• Leave a conversation when the other stations are giving you a Q2 signal report, unless if its an absolute emergency. your signal would be too noisy to be readable by other stations it will disrupt communication.

Non Repeater specific

• When signing off, simply say “guys, I need to sign off because i want to attend some chores, waiting for your final“, then pass the mic. Avoid using Q-Code, especially the wrongs one. Some station even combine QRU, QRX and QRT together in conversation when signing off, this will create confusion to newcomer as well as old-timer as the codes were used wrongly in this type of situation.
• Using tons of Q-Codes simply to look cool, isn’t going to make you sounds cool . Using QSY as in “I’m going to QSY to Singapore tomorow” is not correct, QSY should only be use when you are changing frequency. Just say “I’m going to Singapore tomorrow”, sounds even better. Malay rendering would be like this, “Esok saya nak QSY ke Kuala Lumpur” versus “Esok saya nak pi ke Kuala Lumpur“. Notice the pronunciation “Q, S and Y” actually makes the conversation longer and harder to pronounce than a normal conversation. Try and think it over

Note that this post serve as a general reminder to myself as well to others when working on air, especially on a busy repeater. It is just a common sense guideline which I accumulated from old hams over time and it is a good advice to be practiced by all hams.

Tags: amateur radio, ethics, guideline, hamradio, radio

As an amateur radio operator, you might need to upgrade your radio equipment from time to time. This might involve you having to import new radios from other country into Malaysia.

However any type of radio communication equipment is considered as control item by Malaysian Government so therefore you need an import permit in order to get the equipment into the country.

How to apply Approved Permit (AP) using JK 69 form

1. First you need to obtain JK 69 form from government printer (Percetakan Nasional) branches or from local bookshop. Fill in the form.
2. Make sure you have photocopies of your Apparatus Assignment, Identification documents (IC or Passport or Driving licence) and Brochure/catalog of the intended radio to be purchased/imported.
3. Submit it to the nearest SIRIM office. You will be charged RM 30 for the processing fee. You will receive the AP on the same day or the next working day.
4. You can use the AP to show to custom official in order to get your amateur radio equipment into the country.

Customs code for amateur radio transceiver: 852520200

Important Note on Importing Radio Equipment
The radio you are importing must be listed on the MCMC website on Approved Amateur Radio Equipment list. Otherwise you will be charged extra RM 150.00.

Acknowledgments
The material of this website has been taken from MARTS official website

Tags: amateur radio, authorities, authority, electronic, equipment, export, import, malaysia, radio, sales

Here are few photos that 9W2AZV and I have taken during the course of building our 6 element OWA yagi with 10dbi gain.

Materials used to contruct the antenna

• 8mm aluminium tube, 20 feet
• 6 feet length of 3/4″ PVC plumbing pipe
• Ordinary household plug box

We use a plan taken from LB Cebik (W4RNL) website, first covered in : 10dBi – 6 element OWA Yagi-Uda Antenna for 2 meter band

Here are the photos of the antenna in construction :

‘ Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: amateur radio, diy, hamradio, homebrew, photos, radio, tutorial, yagi

Here is a few electronic question that would be asked in the upcoming Radio Amateur Examination RAE Malaysia.

• Download : RAE Electronic Example Question
• Download : Contoh Soalan RAE penuh (100 Soalan)
• Download : Contoh Soalan RAE 2

Alternatively, you can take take the online Malaysian RAE web quiz and measure your profiency before taking the real examination

Tags: amateur radio hamradio, exam, malaysia, radio, rae