w2aew

w2aew is the channel of Alan Wolke, an RF applications engineer at the test equipment company Tektronix and a licensed radio amateur. The channel name is his amateur radio callsign. He has published more than 400 numbered videos, with an index to help viewers find topics.

The videos cover hobby electronics, test and measurement, and ham radio. He explains how to use oscilloscopes and vector network analysers, how amplifiers and filters behave, and how antennas and transmission lines work. Most videos are filmed at his workbench, with real circuits on the bench and measurements on screen, and he explains the theory as he goes.

Some highlights include:

A back to basics introduction to what a vector network analyser is and what it measures.

Using a low-cost NanoVNA to measure the length of a coaxial cable, with a bonus explanation of transmission lines, Smith charts and standing wave ratio.

An introduction to sending Morse code, comparing straight keys, paddles and iambic keying.

The channel has around 233,000 subscribers.

This is how practising electronics engineers actually work: build a circuit, measure it and compare it with the theory. It is a strong way into electronic engineering, radio frequency and telecommunications engineering. Some videos assume prior knowledge, so it suits students who already have the basics. Amateur radio, which he covers often, is also a well-trodden route into an engineering career.