Tag: rag chew

This past week, I’ve been revisiting my shack, paring down, and reorganizing. By that, I mean separating the wheat from the chaff and reevaluating my grab-and-go radios and accessories. Before Hurricane Helene (a moment in time I seem to use to benchmark events now), I picked up a few IKEA shelf organizers and was quite … Continue reading A Subtle Shift in My Field Gear: Rethinking the external ATU →

New Year’s Eve Sand Dune SOTA & POTA by Tim (W8TMI) My wife and I head to Northern Michigan over the New Year’s holiday almost every year. It’s a nice way to wrap up the year and the busy holiday season. Most of our friends and family obligations are met, and we can spend time … Continue reading Snow, Sand, and Solar Storms: Tim’s New Year’s Eve Radio Adventure →

As always there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things! ? by Vince (VE6LK) Ahhhh, the midwinter get-a-way. Everyone does it a bit differently, but for most of us, when you have only a few days and a couple of nights you don’t venture too far … Continue reading Busted Antenna in Jasper Alberta →

Last week, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, I finally broke a three-week no-POTA activation streak with a short trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway Folk Art Center. Catching Up on POTA Over the holidays, I’ve been doing plenty of POTA hunting from the QTH (you’ll see some reports and videos surface over time), but I … Continue reading Some Much-Needed Radio Therapy with the Elecraft KX1 →

Many thanks to Pedro (PP2PB), who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit, which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. Pedro’s (tr)uSDX Compact and Affordable Field Kit by Pedro (PP2PB) Here’s my new kit. This kit weighs just under 1,2kg and has phone and CW operations in mind. I … Continue reading Field Radio Kit Gallery: Pedro’s (tr)uSDX Field Kit →

Yesterday was one of those rare days where I had no pressing reason to leave the house—other than the temptation of a POTA activation. These days are a rarity, and honestly, staying home often wins out. As much as I love POTA, it’s also nice to settle in and simply enjoy being at home. Yesterday … Continue reading The Best Ham Radio Hack: Re-Reading Your Radio Manual →

Many thanks to Glen (KC8LA) who shares the following guest post: New QRPer and Eight Months with the Elecraft KH1 by Glen (KC8LA) Let me introduce myself—I’m Glen, KC8LA. I’ve been a ham for 30 years, but I only started hunting POTA activators in mid-to-late 2023. Before long, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun to … Continue reading Living the QRP Life: Glen’s Thoughts on Eight Months with the Elecraft KH1 →

Wednesday, December 18, 2024, was a full but wonderful day. My wife, daughters, Hazel the dog, and I spent it exploring Beaufort, Morehead City, and Atlantic Beach, North Carolina—coastal towns all within a ten-minute drive of one another. We started the morning at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. While my wife and … Continue reading Portable POTA Hunting in Beaufort: A Relaxing Back-Yard Session with the Elecraft KH1 →

In 2022, we created The QRPer Board, a discussion forum hosted at QRPer.net, where QRPers can ask questions, share insights, and explore amateur radio topics in depth. Why use the QRPer Board? The discussion board is the quickest way to get answers to your questions—much faster than sending an email to K4SWL–! Our growing community … Continue reading The QRPer Board: Your QRP Community Hub →

Many thanks to Conrad (N2YCH), who shares the following field report: Testing a new Buddistick Pro at the Silver Sands State Park “Antenna Test Range.” by  Conrad (N2YCH) Silver Sands State Park in Connecticut borders the Northern shoreline of Long Island Sound and is located in Milford, a town on the Western side of New Haven … Continue reading Conrad Field-Tests the Buddistick Pro at Silver Sands State Park (US-1716) →