The radio guide I wish I'd had when I started.
Start with electricity and work through signals, antennas, operating, SDR and the rest. One short lesson per subject, with pictures you can hold in your head.
9 lessons · 2 of 10 subjects open
Ten subjects. Start where you are.
The map stays put. Open subjects jump to the lessons. The rest are still being written.
Electricity
Signals
Propagation
Antennas
Station
Operating
Regulations
SDR and DSP
Data networks
Field and safety
- 01Electricity
Electricity
4 lessons
Lesson 01Charge, Electrons, and Antennas: The Atomic Physics Behind Radio
Every radio wave you transmit starts with charge moving in a conductor. Key the microphone, and electrons in the antenna slosh back and forth. That motion is what launches the wave. You do not need the SI size of one electron to use a radio.
September 17, 2026
Lesson 02What Moves and What Pushes
Electric current is the flow of charge (like electrons in a wire), measured in amps, while voltage is the push driving it, measured in volts.
September 17, 2026
Lesson 03Ohm's Law Without the Intimidation
Resistance opposes electric current flow in a circuit, influenced by material, length, thickness, and temperature. Ohm's law (V = I × R) explains the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance, essential for designing and understanding electrical systems.
September 17, 2026
Lesson 04Kirchhoff's Rules as Bookkeeping
Gustav Kirchhoff introduced two rules in 1845 to analyze DC circuits: Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL) ensures charge conservation at nodes, and Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) ensures energy conservation in loops.
September 17, 2026
- 03Propagation
Propagation
5 lessons
Lesson 35Sporadic-E on VHF: A Practical Guide to E-Skip Propagation
In June 2026, during the Northern Hemisphere's summer sporadic-E season, 6-meter operators worked contacts of 1,000 to 1,500 miles with 100 watts and a horizontal loop, then watched the band fall silent within the hour.
September 17, 2026
Lesson 36Tropospheric Scatter and Ducting
Temperature inversions in the troposphere (7-20 km above ground) can bend VHF and UHF radio signals, trapping them in ducts that extend transmission ranges beyond the horizon.
September 17, 2026
Lesson 37Auroral Backscatter Basics
Solar flares eject charged particles toward Earth, funneled by its magnetic field into the polar E layer (100-120 km up), creating ionization that scatters VHF signals, enabling auroral backscatter communication.
September 17, 2026
Lesson 38Meteor Scatter Contacts: Reading the Pings
Meteor trails in the E layer (85-120 km above Earth) briefly ionize, reflecting VHF signals over 500-2,250 km, enabling amateur radio contacts via forward scatter.
September 17, 2026
Lesson 39Moonbounce: The Moon as a Radio Reflector
Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) communication, or moonbounce, uses the Moon as a passive reflector to transmit signals between Earth stations. First demonstrated in 1946 by the U.S.
September 17, 2026