Many thanks to Christian (IX1CKN) who shares the following field report: Friedrichshafen: POTA Across Borders by Christian (IX1CKN) The Friedricshafen fair is one of the most interesting events for its social aspects, where you can finally put a face to colleagues whose voices you’ve only ever heard. Among the various OM (radio amateurs) I met this year … Continue reading Friedrichshafen: Christian and Andrea’s Multi-Country POTA Rove →

Many thanks to Scott (VO1DR) who shares the following guest post: Construction Notes – VO1DR Antenna Mount for Camera Monopod by Scott Schillereff,  VO1DR Further to my article about radio during trip to Portugal, a number of readers asked for details on how I mounted my whip antenna system to my camera monopod for /P … Continue reading Construction Notes: VO1DR Monopod Antenna Mount →

Many thanks to Lee (M0VKR) who shares the following field report and video: SOTA CW Activation on High Willhayes Dartmoor by Lee (M0VKR) It was an overcast and breezy morning when wife Joanne and myself Lee, M0VKR set out on our latest SOTA (Summits on the Air) activation adventure. Our destination was High Willhays, the … Continue reading QRP SOTA: Lee pairs the KH1 and MPAS 2.0 to activate High Willhayes (G/DC-001) →

When our family needs a change of scenery without a long drive, Mount Mitchell State Park is our go-to destination. I’ve mentioned before that it’s my “happy place” here in North Carolina. Mount Mitchell is only about 6 miles from our home as the crow flies, but it takes about 50 minutes to drive there, … Continue reading Tabletop QRP POTA: A Father’s Day Getaway to Mount Mitchell State Park →

Many thanks to Sam (WN5C) who shares the following guest post: Notes from a homebrew POTA adventure Sam (WN5C) I recently wrote about the homebrew transceiver I built to operate on a month-long trip through the American Southwest. Upon arriving back in Oklahoma here’s the final outcome: 27 days, 40 parks, and 669 QSOs. I … Continue reading WN5C: Notes from a homebrew POTA adventure →

I am pleased to announce that my friend and QRPer contributor, Wlad (US7IGN), has released his latest book: War Diaries: Stalemate. You might recall Wlad’s first book, War Diaries: A Radio Amateur in Kyiv, which we’ve mentioned here and on the SWLing Post. Wlad has seen firsthand what it’s like to live and work in … Continue reading War Diaries: Stalemate by Volodymyr Gurtovy (US7IGN) →

Many thanks to Scott (VO1DR) who shares the following guest post: Coffee, Cobblestones and Contacts – Portable in Portugal by Scott Schillereff, (VO1DR), St. John’s, NL, Canada On a recent trip throughout Portugal (May 29 – June 12), I operated /P QRP CW at five locations, with varying success.  Here are some details and pictures … Continue reading VO1DR Portable in Portugal: Coffee, Cobblestones and Contacts! →

Many thanks to Shane who writes with the following question: I really need some advice. I know you have produced many videos on the Icom IC-705, and I am wondering if there is a way to directly enter frequencies on this rig, without using the touchscreen. Being totally blind, I really need to know this … Continue reading Eternal Keypad for the IC-705? Shane is visually-impaired and seeking advice. →

On Thursday, June 6, 2024, I had two missions: To help fellow volunteers at the Asheville Radio Museum assemble shelving. To fit in a POTA activation over lunch. I started out the day pretty early at the QTH sorting out a few chores, then I made my way to the museum around 9:30. The Asheville … Continue reading On a POTA Mission with the RGO One! →

Many thanks to Lee (M0VKR) who shares the following field report and video: Activating Lewesdon Hill with the Elecraft KH1 by Lee (M0VKR) After taking a day off from work my wife Joanne and I pondered about what we could do. “Shall we go over to Dorset to that hill you have spoken about and … Continue reading M0VKR’s Lewesdon Hill SOTA activation with the Elecraft KH1 →

On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, I needed to make a morning trip to Hickory, NC, to take care of some family business and visit my father. I started my day early because I also wanted to be back in the Asheville area by noon. Some quick calculations over morning coffee and I decided I had … Continue reading Xiegu X6200 SSB Field Test: A Morning POTA Activation at Lake James →

Many thanks to Steve (MW0SAW) who shares the following guest post: Getting a KH1 into Wales and activating a couple of SOTA summits by Steve (MW0SAW) I suspect like many QRP enthusiasts, when the brochure of the KH1 surfaced on the Elecraft FTP site, and the YouTube videos appeared, I worked myself into a frenzy … Continue reading From Customs to Summits: Steve’s KH1 journey into Wales and onto summits! →

Many thanks to Dale (BA4TB), who reached out this morning to announce that he’s working on a new product, the Venus SW-6B. Dale gave me permission to share the following photo: This will be a six band radio with a built-in rechargeable battery and small speaker. The front panel reveals some other features: Dedicated CW … Continue reading There’s a Venus SW-6B on the horizon! →

Many thanks to Joe (N0LSD) who shares the following guest post: Independence River Wilderness – Adirondacks, NY by Joe (N0LSD) A recent family engagement offered me the perfect opportunity to travel to a part of my state I rarely get the chance to visit. This trip would be a single over-nighter, but allow for the … Continue reading Joe’s Adirondack Adventure: POTA activations in the Independence River Wilderness →

On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, I took my production run Xiegu X6200 (on loan from Radioddity) to the Blue Ridge Parkway for its first POTA activation. The activation was a success, with good band conditions on 40 and 30 meters. You can read that field report by clicking here. Later that day, I had a … Continue reading Xiegu X6200: Second POTA activation with rough propagation, but CW saves the day! →

Many thanks to Drew (W8MHV) who shares the following guest post: QRP in Thailand by Drew (W8MHV) I travel to Southeast Asia each year and usually have a few weeks in Thailand, but this year we planned on a longer stay. My XYL (N8MHV) has family in Thailand and we own a condo in downtown … Continue reading QRP in Thailand: Drew’s Journey to Get Licensed and On the Air →

Many thanks to Sam (WN5C) for sharing the following guest post: Homebrew in the Field by Sam (WN5C) What a week it’s been! I have the opportunity to spend a month traveling through and camping in the American Southwest (specifically, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado) doing archaeological work. And of course, that means the prospect … Continue reading Sam’s Thunderbird Mk 1 Takes Flight: A Homebrew Radio Field Report from the American Southwest →

If you’re following the new Xiegu X6200 closely, you might recall that I took a prototype version of the radio out two weeks ago for a POTA activation. Propagation was so challenging–as in, a complete radio blackout in North America due to an X-Class flare–it took about 90 minutes of calling CQ POTA to snag … Continue reading The New Xiegu X6200: First POTA activation in CW with a production unit! →

You might recall that my friends Eric (WD8RIF), Miles (KD8KNC), Brian (K3ES), Kyle (AA0Z), Charlie (NJ7V), and Joshua (N5FY) all played hooky on the final day of the 2024 Hamvention (Sunday, May 19) and instead activated a couple of POTA sites. I wrote a short field report about our first activation at Pater State Wildlife … Continue reading From Hamvention to History: A POTA Excursion with friends through Indiana’s Past →