by Matt (W6CSN) The Mountaintopper MTR-3B is a popular QRP portable HF transceiver that has a bit of “cult-ish” mystique about it. The radio seems to hit the sweet spot of size, weight, performance and capability desired by so many portable operators. While I have operated the MTR-4B, and quite like it, I have yet … Continue reading New Mountain Topper MTR-3B Details →

I’ve had a production unit of the Xiegu X6200 since June of this year and have made several field reports using it for both SSB and CW. You may have noticed, though, that I haven’t used it much in the field since June. The reason? I’m primarily a CW operator, and the original firmware had … Continue reading Xiegu X6200: Does version 1.0.1 firmware fix CW keyer timing? →

Labor Day weekend turned out to be full of labor here at QTH K4SWL. My wife and I had numerous projects to tackle, and my daughters had various activities scheduled as well. By Sunday, my wife looked at me and said, “You need a break. Why not spend tomorrow catching up on POTA?” That was … Continue reading CFT1 QRP: Labor Day Morning POTA with Vlado at Lake James State Park! →

Yesterday morning, around 12:00, I picked up a DHL parcel containing the Venus SW-6B. I was so eager to test it in the field that I dropped my lunch plans, took the SW-6B home, opened the box, and quickly attached Anderson Powerpole connectors to the supplied power cable. I didn’t have time to do anything … Continue reading The New Venus SW-6B QRP Transceiver: First POTA Activation and Field Test! →

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Julian Stargardt, who writes: Hi Thomas, I thought SWLingers would like to know that the Tecsun S-2200X will be on sale from 27 August at Anon Co for US$372.00 See: https://www.anon-co.com/product/tecsun-s2200x-radio That’s a lot of radio for a reasonable price. The Anon site has a good description of the […]

Many thanks to Gavin (GM0WDD) who notes that ML&S have posted a product page for the new Yaesu FTX-1F.  I was curious what new product announcements might come out of the Tokyo Ham Fair 2024–this is exciting news, indeed.  The following specs and details all come from Martin Lynch and Sons: The new FTX-1F will … Continue reading The Yaesu FTX-1F Portable HF Transceiver: Yaesu’s replacement for the venerable FT-818 and FT-817 →

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! →

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 SWLing Post contributor and supporter, Dan Robinson, who shares the following review: Tecsun Delivers The S-2200X – New Life For A 16-Year-Old Cabinet Design by Dan Robinson Note: Please see an addendum of updates at the end of this post. Some months ago, I learned from Anon-co that Tecsun planned to release an […]

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 →

Yesterday, I met up with Jonathan (KM4CFT) who happens to be in town visiting family over the holiday weekend. Before our POTA activation, he mentioned that he is now selling a 3D-printed paddle kit for $34.95 on eBay: https://ebay.us/GhLOYz (note: this is an eBay partnership link) Jonathan told me that he’s using the kit as … Continue reading New 3D-Printed Paddle Kit from KM4CFT →

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 →

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 →