Good Morning, Friends, If you haven’t read my previous posts, here’s the situation in a nutshell: we live in a rural mountain community in Swannanoa, NC, where the bridge connecting us to the outside world was swept away during the 1,000-year flood event caused by Tropical Storm Helene. We’ve also confirmed that a tornado swept … Continue reading Helene Aftermath Update: Egress, FEMA, Resource Organization, and the National Guard (Saturday October 5, 2024) →

Good Morning, Friends, Today, I’m taking most of the day to focus on organizing, administrative tasks (FEMA applications, insurance, etc.), and some much-needed cleanup around the house. After several days of intense labor, we all need some time to recuperate. Basically, we all smell like sweat and chainsaw exhaust. If you haven’t read my previous … Continue reading Helene Aftermath Update: Aid, Community Resilience, and Egress/Ingress (Thursday, October 3, 2024) →

Hello, Friends, On Saturday morning, I shared an update regarding the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene on our community here in western North Carolina. I’ve received an overwhelming outpouring of kindness, support, and well-wishes… in the best possible way. Thank you. In the two days since that update, I’ve had more time to survey the … Continue reading Helene Aftermath: Long Update, Monday September, 30 2024 →

Good Morning, Friends, As some of you may know, my area of western North Carolina (Swannanoa) was hit hard by record-setting flooding and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. We live in a rural, somewhat remote part of Buncombe County, and while we were prepared for power outages, downed trees, and general disruptions, … Continue reading Aftermath… →

On Monday, September 2, 2024, my good friend Vlado (N3CZ) and I spent Labor Day morning playing POTA. Our first activation was at Lake James State Park, using the new CFT1 QRP transceiver. It was a lot of fun–you can read the field report and watch the video by clicking here. For the second activation, … Continue reading QRP POTA: Pairing N3CZ’s Homebrew Transceiver with the TennTennas 49:1 EFHW! →

Many thanks to Jeff (VE7EFF) who shares the following guest post: 2.5 km Trek into Wrinkly Face Provincial Park, BC, CA-4307 by Jeff (VE7EFF) My goal this summer is to do more backpacked-in POTA activations. This is my 3rd POTA outing over the past week.  Being in Canada, I don’t have much time left this season to … Continue reading Trekking into POTA Heaven: Wrinkly Face Provincial Park Activation →

Many thanks to Bob (K4RLC) & Alanna (K4AAC) for the following field report: Cabot Trail Activations on Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia  – August 2024  By Bob K4RLC & Alanna K4AAC In August 2024, K4AAC, my YL Alanna and I took a trip to magical Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It was Alanna’s suggestion to … Continue reading Bob and Alanna’s POTA Adventures Along the Cabot Trail! →

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! →

Many thanks to Jeff (VE7EFF) who shares the following guest post: Off The Beaten Path – Campbell-Brown Ecological Reserve, CA-3925 by Jeff (VE7EFF) This is the 2nd backpacked-in POTA activation outing that my wife and I have done this summer.  I’m the 2nd person to have ever activated the Campbell-Brown Ecological Reserve (CA-3925).  Last year was the … Continue reading Jeff’s Backcountry POTA Adventure: Campbell-Brown Ecological Reserve Activation →

Our friend Alan (W2AEW) has just posted a video showing the process of building, adjusting, and aligning the CFT1 5-band CW portable transceiver. If you’ve been thinking about building a CFT1 kit, this video will help guide you [update: see note from Alan below]: Click here to view on YouTube. Thank you for making this … Continue reading Video: Alan (W2AEW) Builds the CFT1 5-Band CW Field Transceiver →

Many thanks to Rod (VA3MZD) for sharing the following guest post: Operating POTA from the interior of Quetico Provincial Park CA-0359 with a (tr)uSDX By Rod Murray (VA3MZD) In a previous guest post here on QRPer I gave a brief history of my introduction to Ham radio and specifically POTA and my experiences activating local … Continue reading Navigating Quetico: Rod’s POTA Adventure with the (tr)uSDX →

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 Christian (IX1CKN) who shares the following field report: How the Red Corners uSDR+ Performed on Its First Field Test by Christian (IX1CKN) 24 QSOs in 104 minutes at 5 watts—how would you rate that? The answer isn’t exactly scientific, as it depends on personal opinions, habits, and the unique propagation conditions during the activation. … Continue reading Christian takes his new “Red Corners” uSDR+ on a POTA shake-out activation →

Many thanks to Jeff (VE7EFF) who shares the following guest post: Hiking and Activating the Backcountry  – Two Activations on one Day Trip by Jeff (VE7EFF) Today’s field report, and three more to come, outlines the outdoor hiking/activation adventures of Jeff – VE7EFF and his wife, Alexis – VE7LXE in the backcountry of south-central British … Continue reading Jeff activates two POTA ATNOs in one day trip! →

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve received messages and comments from several readers asking about the X6200 and whether I would recommend it. For those planning to use it in CW mode, I suggest holding off for now. I discovered early in testing that there is a keyer timing issue, especially when operating in … Continue reading Xiegu X6200: Quick note about keyer timing →

I woke up around 6:45 on Saturday, August 24, 2024. That’s late for me, but I tend to sleep well when camping and it must have helped that the previous evening POTA activation by the campfire was pure bliss. There were some noises in the campground that woke me up during the night (probably other … Continue reading Morning on the Trail and On the Air: A Relaxing K2 QRP POTA Activation from the Campsite →

Many thanks to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the following guest post: Activating Grandeur Peak (W7U/NU-065) by Micah (N4MJL) Emboldened by my successful activation of W7U/SL-022 (7,500ft MSL) a week earlier, I decided to up my SOTA game and try to activate Grandeur Peak (W7U/NU-065). Grandeur Peak is located in the Wasatch Range (POTA Entity US-4398) just to … Continue reading Climbing Grandeur Peak: Micah’s SOTA Adventure in Utah’s Wasatch Range →

Many thanks to Scott (VA3EKR) who shares the following field report which was originally posted on his blog: August 4, 2024, HMCS Haida National Historic Site (CA-4870) by Scott (VA3EKR) I wanted to try out a new park, and so I visited the HMCS Haida National Historic Site (CA-4870). Band conditions were simply awful, so thankfully … Continue reading Scott Activates the HMCS Haida →