Many thanks to Christian (IX1CKN) who shares the following field report: POTA Friends Meet to Activate IT-0737 by Christian (IX1CKN) With Andrea (IW0HK) in Turin for a few days, it would have been a shame not to use Sunday for a POTA activation, recreating the “Multicountry Rove” team that participated in the Friedrichshafen Fair. Our chosen destination, … Continue reading Quarter-Wave Conquers: Christian and Andrea’s POTA Success Despite Solar Slumber →

My buddy Jonathan (KM4CFT) made a big announcement this morning. He’s been working tirelessly since the start of the year, designing and testing a brand-new field-portable CW transceiver he’s dubbed the CFT1. As of this morning, you can purchase the transceiver kit on HamGadgets.com. A little backstory Jonathan first mentioned his plans to design a … Continue reading Introducing the New CFT1 Five Band Portable CW Transceiver Kit! →

Somedays, I just need a little POTA and radio-active therapy to energize the day. And this was one of those days. On Thursday, July 18, 2024, I woke up still feeling quite tired because I had been out the entire day before helping my sister with a move–my wife and I didn’t get back home … Continue reading Field Report: POTA Energy Boost at Tuttle Educational State Forest →

Many thanks to Rand (W7UDT) for sharing this short field report: Eiffel Tower QRP (Failed) “Activation” by Rand (W7UDT/FR) Earlier this Spring, my wife & I went on a ten day vacation to Paris. What a beautiful city, and a memorable time we had! Amongst our many excursions, was a visit to the Eiffel Tower. … Continue reading QRP Dreams in the City of Lights: Rand’s Eiffel Tower Beacon Attempt →

Many thanks to Anthony (M7TAW) who shares the following guest post: A first timer’s POTA activation at the Devil’s Punch Bowl! Anthony (M7TAW) Introduction Let me start with the confession that I am an amateur radio operator born out of the Covid lockdown. With the switch to remote examinations by the RSGB in 2020, and … Continue reading Code, Contacts, and a Stunning View: A POTA First-Timer’s Experience at the Devil’s Punch Bowl →

As mentioned in previous field reports, my wife and I spent the week of July 7th, 2024, in Wilmington, North Carolina, while our daughters were at summer programs at NCSU and UNCW. We had an amazing time and I managed to squeeze in some Parks on the Air (POTA) activations at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State … Continue reading A Radio-Active Day in the Triangle: POTA, Satellites, & Southern Hospitality in the Summer Heat →

My buddy, Jonathan (KM4CFT), is close to releasing a new CW Field Transceiver kit he designed for POTA, SOTA, and pretty much any other field radio activity. Today, he shared the following photo, which is a bit of a teaser: Those of you who attended Four Days in May this year may have already gotten … Continue reading KM4CFT Teases a New CW Field Radio! →

Many thanks to Christian (IX1CKN) for sharing the following video recorded during his multi-park rove with Andrea (IU1APL). The video was only recently published, but I’ve added it to Christian’s original field report. We’re highlighting it here for those who may otherwise miss it. (Note: Some of the video is in Italian, but YouTube closed … Continue reading Video: IX1CKN & IW0HK’s Friedrichshafen ’24 POTA Rove →

On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, my wife and I were in the middle of a week-long stay in Wilmington, North Carolina, while our daughters attended residential programs at NCSU and UNCW. That particular day, we couldn’t decide what to do because the weather was fickle! Temperatures and humidity were high, fueling a constant string of … Continue reading Beautiful POTA activation at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson and Afternoon in Southport! →

Many thanks to Christian (IX1CKN) who shares the following field report: A Breathtaking “Support Your Parks” Weekend in IT-0120 by Christian (IX1CKN) …Day 1 The goal I had in mind was to take advantage of early morning greyline from a POTA reference, combining the appeal of an activating station with the propagation opportunities at that time of … Continue reading Christian Chases Greyline DX on Support Your Parks Weekend! →

Many thanks to Conrad (N2YCH) who shares the following field report: QRPppppp….WSPR By: Conrad Trautmann (N2YCH) WSPR, or Weak Signal Propagation Reporter, is a digital mode you can select within WSJT-X. You can use the data that’s generated by the WSPR network to check your own antenna’s performance for transmitting and receiving and also to see what … Continue reading Beyond the Beacon: Conrad Discovers the Unexpected Benefits of WSPR →

Tuesday, July 9, 2024, was a very radio-active day! I was in Wilmington, North Carolina, and that morning, I had the privilege of activating the Battleship North Carolina from inside the battleship. Click here to read the field report and watch the video. In short? It was amazing and certainly a fabulous way to start … Continue reading Carolina Beach State Park: A QRP Oasis Amidst the Summer Heat and Activities →

Many thanks to Karl (K5KHK) for sharing this guest post, which originally appeared on his blog, Karl Heinz Kremer’s Ramblings: A Digital Station in Your Pocket by Karl Heinz (K5KHK) How small can a complete station to work FT4/8 be? With the QRP-Labs QMX, we have a transceiver that certainly fits the bill for a … Continue reading Karl Heinz’s Pocket-Sized Digital HF Station →

This past weekend, I attended the WCARS hamfest in Waynesville, North Carolina. My buddy Vlado (N3CZ) and I purchased a few indoor tables to sell some gear we no longer needed. I also gave a short presentation about the ins and outs of going QRP. It was a lot of fun! I was surprised at … Continue reading Do I make videos of all of my field activations? →

Those of you who know me know that I’m a huge World War II history buff. Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by the stories of bravery, sacrifice, and technological innovation that defined this era. That’s why the activation I performed on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, was very special. I activated the … Continue reading Sweat, Signals, and History: A POTA Activation from the Battleship North Carolina’s Radio Room! →

Black-A-Tor Copse National Nature ReserveMany thanks to Lee (M0VKR) who shares the following field report and video: A QRP CW POTA Adventure on Black-a-Tor by Lee (M0VKR) It was another sunny morning when my wife Joanne and I set off for a new mini adventure. Our destination was Black-a-Tor on Dartmoor, Devon, a scenic location ideal for … Continue reading Lee’s QRP CW POTA Adventure on Black-a-Tor →

If you listened to the latest Ham Radio Workbench Podcast episode–our Field Day Debrief–you will have heard that my Field Day was a pretty low-key event. Originally, I had hoped to fly out to Oregon and hang with my friend George (KJ6VU) and his radio club, but there were just too many family activities happening … Continue reading Field Day: It’s all about the audio… →

As I write this report, I’m on the road with my family–we’ve been spending the week on the coast of North Carolina and are now (at time of publishing) in Raleigh. I’ll keep this field report short and sweet so I can publish it quickly and also fit in an activation before record temps heat … Continue reading Morning POTA with KM4CFT: Back-to-Back activations with the venerable Yaesu FT-818! →

Many thanks to Doug (KO4WDE) for sharing the following guest post: POTA and FBLA by Doug (KO4WDE) I have recently found myself fully immersed in the world of Future Business Leaders of America, as my wife is the chapter leader for the middle school where we teach.  She started the program with just a handful … Continue reading Guest Post: Combining POTA with an FBLA national competition road trip! →