@qrper.bsky.social
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RARSfest Road Trip + A Spontaneous POTA Activation with Vlado by Thomas (K4SWL) The first weekend of April 2026 was the RARSfest in Raleigh. Even though I had just gotten back from a trip to Raleigh, my dear friend Vlado (N3CZ) and I had long planned to attend this hamfest. I was especially eager…
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RARSfest Road Trip + A Spontaneous POTA Activation with Vlado
by Thomas (K4SWL) The first weekend of April 2026 was the RARSfest in Raleigh. Even though I had just gotten back from a trip to Raleigh, my dear friend Vlado (N3CZ) and I had long planned to attend this hamfest. I was especially eager to go because I had never been to the Raleigh Hamfest, but so many people have told me it’s one of the very best in the region.
https://qrper.com/2026/05/rarsfest-road-trip-a-spontaneous-pota-activation-with-vlado/
about 17 hours ago
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N1RWJ: My First CW POTA Activation (Don’t Wait to Try It!) by Rob (N1RWJ) There’s a point in learning CW where you know enough to get on the air—but not enough to feel comfortable doing it. I found myself there about two months in. I knew all the main characters, but only with a generous amount of…
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N1RWJ: My First CW POTA Activation (Don’t Wait to Try It!)
by Rob (N1RWJ) There’s a point in learning CW where you know enough to get on the air—but not enough to feel comfortable doing it. I found myself there about two months in. I knew all the main characters, but only with a generous amount of Farnsworth spacing (or reaaaaallllly slow WPM). Real-world CW still felt very difficult. Fast. Messy.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/n1rwj-my-first-cw-pota-activation-dont-wait-to-try-it/
2 days ago
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One Watt of POTA Tomfoolery at Clemmons Educational State Forest! by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, my wife and I were still in Raleigh, North Carolina, enjoying one of our last days that week in the state capital. That morning, I woke up knowing exactly what I wanted to do first:…
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One Watt of POTA Tomfoolery at Clemmons Educational State Forest!
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, my wife and I were still in Raleigh, North Carolina, enjoying one of our last days that week in the state capital. That morning, I woke up knowing exactly what I wanted to do first: head out and activate a park! Since I’ve activated William B. Umstead State Park (US-2755) quite a bit lately, I decided instead to make my way to…
https://qrper.com/2026/04/one-watt-of-pota-tomfoolery-at-clemmons-educational-state-forest/
4 days ago
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NM3A: Schaefer Head – A Perfect SOTA Outing by Dan (NM3A) April 22nd, 2026: The weather was perfect! Sunny, 65°F, a light breeze, low humidity, K index 1, and SSN 72. I decided to head up to Schaefer Head (W3/SV-003). I’ve been eyeing this for a while, but bad weather of one sort or another kept…
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NM3A: Schaefer Head – A Perfect SOTA Outing
by Dan (NM3A) April 22nd, 2026: The weather was perfect! Sunny, 65°F, a light breeze, low humidity, K index 1, and SSN 72. I decided to head up to Schaefer Head (W3/SV-003). I’ve been eyeing this for a while, but bad weather of one sort or another kept me from doing it. During the Trans-Atlantic Summit-to-Summit event on April 18, I passed on it due to the K index being up near 7, and it’s about an hour and a half drive east of me.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/nm3a-schaefer-head-a-perfect-sota-outing/
5 days ago
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eBook: Guerrilla Portable by Vladimir Kovacheski (Z35M) If you've followed QRPer, watched my videos, and especially listened to my Patreon Audio Dispatches for any length of time, you know how often my dear friend Vlado (N3CZ) comes up around here. Well, through Vlado, I've had the pleasure of…
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eBook: Guerrilla Portable by Vladimir Kovacheski (Z35M)
If you've followed QRPer, watched my videos, and especially listened to my Patreon Audio Dispatches for any length of time, you know how often my dear friend Vlado (N3CZ) comes up around here. Well, through Vlado, I've had the pleasure of getting to know another remarkable operator: Vladimir Kovacheski (Z35M), based in North Macedonia. And yes—I realize having two friends named Vlado in the same circle is a recipe for confusion, so let me be clear up front: …
https://qrper.com/2026/04/ebook-guerrilla-portable-by-vladimir-kovacheski-z35m/
6 days ago
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One-Bag Travel with a Field Radio: My Practical Guide for Flying Light Many thanks to Brian, K2BRZ, who recently reached out via email with a few questions about doing one-bag travel with a field radio. This is a deep rabbit hole for me because it combines two things I absolutely love geeking out…
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One-Bag Travel with a Field Radio: My Practical Guide for Flying Light
Many thanks to Brian, K2BRZ, who recently reached out via email with a few questions about doing one-bag travel with a field radio. This is a deep rabbit hole for me because it combines two things I absolutely love geeking out over: packing and radio. I’ve been traveling with radios on flights since around the year 2000, about three years after I was first licensed.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/one-bag-travel-with-a-field-radio-my-practical-guide-for-flying-light/
8 days ago
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Super Portable & Super Fun: Pairing the KX2 and AX1 at Duke Homestead State Historic Site by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, my wife and I were in Durham, North Carolina, visiting a few places for the day. Earlier that morning, I had already activated Bennett Place State Historic Site…
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Super Portable & Super Fun: Pairing the KX2 and AX1 at Duke Homestead State Historic Site
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, my wife and I were in Durham, North Carolina, visiting a few places for the day. Earlier that morning, I had already activated Bennett Place State Historic Site using my Xiegu G106 and my Just OK Mini antenna—a really fun activation. That afternoon, we had just enough time to squeeze in one more short activation before meeting our daughter for dinner in Raleigh.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/super-portable-super-fun-pairing-the-kx2-and-ax1-at-duke-homestead-state-historic-site/
10 days ago
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EI3LH: CW for Pop Pickers! Many thanks to Ian (EI3LH), who shares the following post, originally posted on his blog: The (not really) mysterious world of Morse Code training vinyl records. Re-re-wind my selecta! by Ian (EI3LH) Before t’Internet, 1’s and 0’s and all the other digital gubbins we’re…
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EI3LH: CW for Pop Pickers!
Many thanks to Ian (EI3LH), who shares the following post, originally posted on his blog: The (not really) mysterious world of Morse Code training vinyl records. Re-re-wind my selecta! by Ian (EI3LH) Before t’Internet, 1’s and 0’s and all the other digital gubbins we’re so used to consuming our media via these days, there was the humble vinyl record. Yes okay there was 8 track, reel to reel, Tefifon, wax cylinders and shoes.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/ei3lh-cw-for-pop-pickers/
11 days ago
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Why are my POTA & SOTA activations often so short? I received the following question from a reader recently, and I thought it deserved a proper reply here—especially since I get some version of this question a few times every year. Thomas, you mentioned it in one of your videos but I can’t find…
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Why are my POTA & SOTA activations often so short?
I received the following question from a reader recently, and I thought it deserved a proper reply here—especially since I get some version of this question a few times every year. Thomas, you mentioned it in one of your videos but I can’t find the answer. Why are you always in such a hurry to get finished? The joy of working POTA, I would think, is enjoying making the contacts—not rushing to get 10 and go home.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/why-are-my-pota-sota-activations-often-so-short/
12 days ago
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KK6IK: Norwegian Coastal POTA In Trondheim By Scott Nacey (LA/KK6IK) April 14, 2026 How often do you get to do a POTA Activation from a 17th-century Norwegian fort? Marybeth and I arrived in Trondheim, Norway after enjoying a three day cruise on the ship Kong Herald, a Hurtegruten line mail ship.…
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KK6IK: Norwegian Coastal POTA In Trondheim
By Scott Nacey (LA/KK6IK) April 14, 2026 How often do you get to do a POTA Activation from a 17th-century Norwegian fort? Marybeth and I arrived in Trondheim, Norway after enjoying a three day cruise on the ship Kong Herald, a Hurtegruten line mail ship. We cruised down the gorgeous Norwegian coast, north to south, visiting small towns and taking in the spectacular scenery along the way.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/kk6ik-norwegian-coastal-pota-in-trondheim/
13 days ago
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“Up Here, a Ham Radio Hiking Vignette from Colorado” Many thanks to Dean (K2JB) for sharing the following video featuring our friend Steve (WG0AT) on our local SOTA discussion group. I love everything about this video and its message. Steve is a true force of nature! Click here to view on YouTube.
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“Up Here, a Ham Radio Hiking Vignette from Colorado”
Many thanks to Dean (K2JB) for sharing the following video featuring our friend Steve (WG0AT) on our local SOTA discussion group. I love everything about this video and its message. Steve is a true force of nature! Click here to view on YouTube.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/up-here-a-ham-radio-hiking-vignette-from-colorado/
13 days ago
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Low-Impact QRP: Pairing the G106 and Just OK Mini at Bennett Place State Historic Site by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, my wife and I drove into Durham, North Carolina with a few ideas in mind for the day. Our first stop was a very large thrift/charity store. While I don’t mind…
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Low-Impact QRP: Pairing the G106 and Just OK Mini at Bennett Place State Historic Site
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, my wife and I drove into Durham, North Carolina with a few ideas in mind for the day. Our first stop was a very large thrift/charity store. While I don’t mind browsing for a bit, I tend to reach my limit fairly quickly—so I did what any reasonable radio operator would do: I checked the…
https://qrper.com/2026/04/low-impact-qrp-pairing-the-g106-and-just-ok-mini-at-bennett-place-state-historic-site/
15 days ago
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4 Hours, 7 Contacts: When POTA Doesn’t Go as Planned (Kochi Castle, Japan) by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) My wife had a 5-hour meeting in Kochi, Japan. I was fully supportive! I had 5 hours to explore Kochi Castle Park, do some shopping, spend some money freely, and enjoy the vibe that Kochi has…
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4 Hours, 7 Contacts: When POTA Doesn’t Go as Planned (Kochi Castle, Japan)
by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) My wife had a 5-hour meeting in Kochi, Japan. I was fully supportive! I had 5 hours to explore Kochi Castle Park, do some shopping, spend some money freely, and enjoy the vibe that Kochi has including Kochi Castle. A little historical information about Kochi Castle: The site of Kochi Castle used to be occupied by a fort with a watchtower and mud ramparts, called Otakasaka Castle.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/4-hours-7-contacts-when-pota-doesnt-go-as-planned-kochi-castle-japan/
15 days ago
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A stubborn activation at the Folk Art Center: Challenging conditions, a compromise setup, and a surprising finish by Thomas (K4SWL) Yesterday afternoon (April 16, 2026), after wrapping up a few appointments in town, I decided to make a quick stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378) at the Folk…
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A stubborn activation at the Folk Art Center: Challenging conditions, a compromise setup, and a surprising finish
by Thomas (K4SWL) Yesterday afternoon (April 16, 2026), after wrapping up a few appointments in town, I decided to make a quick stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378) at the Folk Art Center for a casual POTA activation. There were two motivations behind this outing. First, my buddy Eric (WD4RIF) was activating a park in Tennessee and struggling to reach the required 10 contacts needed to validate his activation.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/a-stubborn-activation-at-the-folk-art-center-challenging-conditions-a-compromise-setup-and-a-surprising-finish/
16 days ago
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JW/KK6IK: A QRP Mini DXPedition to the High Arctic Svalbard, Norway (78°12′ N 15°37′ E) By Scott Nacey, (JW/KK6IK) I just returned from an unforgettable mini DXpedition to Svalbard — the northernmost inhabited town on Spitsbergen — where I operated from what may well be the world’s northernmost…
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JW/KK6IK: A QRP Mini DXPedition to the High Arctic Svalbard, Norway (78°12′ N 15°37′ E)
By Scott Nacey, (JW/KK6IK) I just returned from an unforgettable mini DXpedition to Svalbard — the northernmost inhabited town on Spitsbergen — where I operated from what may well be the world’s northernmost ham shack. Operating from one of the rarest locations on the airwaves was an adventure from start to finish. In this article I’ll share the travel story, why I chose the gear I did, and the on-air results and lessons learned for other operators planning extreme-latitude operations.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/jw-kk6ik-a-qrp-mini-dxpedition-to-the-high-arctic-svalbard-norway-7812%e2%80%b2-n-1537%e2%80%b2-e/
18 days ago
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My First Pebble HF Activation: One Watt, iPhone-Powered POTA! by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, my daughter Geneva (K4TLI) and I made our way to Zebulon Vance Birthplace (US-6856) for a Parks on the Air activation. It had been a while since I’d visited this site, and it turned out to…
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My First Pebble HF Activation: One Watt, iPhone-Powered POTA!
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, my daughter Geneva (K4TLI) and I made our way to Zebulon Vance Birthplace (US-6856) for a Parks on the Air activation. It had been a while since I’d visited this site, and it turned out to be a cold day. Earlier that week, we had temperatures that felt more like summer, but then a front moved through and dropped everything back down to freezing.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/my-first-pebble-hf-activation-one-watt-iphone-powered-pota/
20 days ago
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Artwork from my amazing daughter, Geneva (K4TLI):
21 days ago
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Introducing the QRPup Cup: A Small Way to Celebrate “Ham’s Best Friend” (and Support a Student!) Many of you will remember our sweet Hazel. Losing her last year to cancer was incredibly difficult (and still is)—not just for our family, but, as I was deeply touched to discover, for many of you in…
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Introducing the QRPup Cup: A Small Way to Celebrate “Ham’s Best Friend” (and Support a Student!)
Many of you will remember our sweet Hazel. Losing her last year to cancer was incredibly difficult (and still is)—not just for our family, but, as I was deeply touched to discover, for many of you in this community as well. Hazel had a way of connecting with people, even through photos and field reports. She was a very special companion.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/introducing-the-qrpup-cup-a-small-way-to-celebrate-hams-best-friend-and-support-a-student/
22 days ago
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A Spring Sunday in Japan: Cemeteries, Cherry Blossoms, and POTA by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) April 5, 2026, started out as a normal Sunday morning. Do a load of laundry, vacuum, and make the rounds to the cemeteries to pay respects to my wife’s ancestors. This tradition is a large part of Japanese…
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A Spring Sunday in Japan: Cemeteries, Cherry Blossoms, and POTA
by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) April 5, 2026, started out as a normal Sunday morning. Do a load of laundry, vacuum, and make the rounds to the cemeteries to pay respects to my wife’s ancestors. This tradition is a large part of Japanese culture: visiting the cemetery, giving flowers, and chatting/praying to all the ancestors in the grave (ohaka). Since we are not here in Japan for more than 7 months, we make the cemetery rounds once a week while we are here.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/a-spring-sunday-in-japan-cemeteries-cherry-blossoms-and-pota/
22 days ago
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Just Two QSOs Short: A Fun Activation at Ritsurin Park (JP-2051) by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) My wife had a dentist appointment at 4:00 PM. That gave us all afternoon to go to the park and see the cherry blossoms. Ritsurin Park is our go-to park in the city of Takamatsu and one of the prettiest gardens…
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Just Two QSOs Short: A Fun Activation at Ritsurin Park (JP-2051)
by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) My wife had a dentist appointment at 4:00 PM. That gave us all afternoon to go to the park and see the cherry blossoms. Ritsurin Park is our go-to park in the city of Takamatsu and one of the prettiest gardens in all of Japan. Particularly right now, as the cherry blossoms are in season. My wife wanted to walk around, and that gave me about an hour to play radio.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/just-two-qsos-short-a-fun-activation-at-ritsurin-park-jp-2051/
23 days ago
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Texas Go Kit Challenge and KI5OEB’s Tactical EMP Trashcan! by James (KI5OEB) I was invited to attend the Texas Go Kit Challenge this year by one of the organizers of the event. I was in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex for a different reason completely, but that afforded me the chance to attend the…
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Texas Go Kit Challenge and KI5OEB’s Tactical EMP Trashcan!
by James (KI5OEB) I was invited to attend the Texas Go Kit Challenge this year by one of the organizers of the event. I was in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex for a different reason completely, but that afforded me the chance to attend the event at Doubletree Park in Highland Village. The Go Kit Challenge was started so the organizers could gather amateurs who had a common like for portable operations.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/texas-go-kit-challenge-and-ki5oebs-tactical-emp-trashcan/
23 days ago
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Radio Therapy in a Pollen Haze: Pairing the K2 and MC-750 at Umstead State Park (US-2755) by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, March 23, 2026, I made a short pilgrimage to William B. Umstead State Park (US-2755) for a roughly one-hour activation. That morning, my wife was deep into spreadsheets working on…
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Radio Therapy in a Pollen Haze: Pairing the K2 and MC-750 at Umstead State Park (US-2755)
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, March 23, 2026, I made a short pilgrimage to William B. Umstead State Park (US-2755) for a roughly one-hour activation. That morning, my wife was deep into spreadsheets working on some financial tasks. I’ll admit—I was glazing over. So I asked if I could sneak away for a bit of radio therapy. She readily agreed.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/radio-therapy-in-a-pollen-haze-pairing-the-k2-and-mc-750-at-umstead-state-park-us-2755/
25 days ago
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Putting Europe on the Air: A KX2, an Eurail Pass, and Ten First-Ever POTA Activations By Richard (KE4WLE) March 2026 I didn't originally plan this as a POTA trip. I was accepted to speak at a cybersecurity conference in Brussels, and somewhere between accepting the invitation and booking the…
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Putting Europe on the Air: A KX2, an Eurail Pass, and Ten First-Ever POTAÂ Activations
By Richard (KE4WLE) March 2026 I didn't originally plan this as a POTA trip. I was accepted to speak at a cybersecurity conference in Brussels, and somewhere between accepting the invitation and booking the flights, I started looking at the POTA map of Europe. Specifically, I started looking at all the green dots — those parks with zero activations. And here were a lot of them.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/putting-europe-on-the-air-a-kx2-an-eurail-pass-and-ten-first-ever-pota-activations/
27 days ago
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Impromptu Activation: Fighting rough propagation with the KX2 AX3 combo! by Thomas (K4SWL) On Sunday, March 22, 2026, I spent the day driving and enjoying time in Greensboro with my wife and daughter. After dropping off our daughter at college, my wife and I made our way back toward the Raleigh…
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Impromptu Activation: Fighting rough propagation with the KX2 AX3Â combo!
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Sunday, March 22, 2026, I spent the day driving and enjoying time in Greensboro with my wife and daughter. After dropping off our daughter at college, my wife and I made our way back toward the Raleigh area, where we were staying for a few days. On the drive back, I called my daughter in Raleigh to arrange a time to pick her up for dinner.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/impromptu-activation-fighting-rough-propagation-with-the-kx2-ax3-combo/
29 days ago
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Cherry Blossoms and POTA at Kimbuchi Forest Park (JP-1649) by Mark (Mark KBKZ/JJ5GVY) The first week in April is truly a magical time in Japan. The weather is warm, it is too early for humidity and mosquitoes, and plum and cherry trees are blooming. My wife had lunch with a friend, and I rode my…
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Cherry Blossoms and POTA at Kimbuchi Forest Park (JP-1649)
by Mark (Mark KBKZ/JJ5GVY) The first week in April is truly a magical time in Japan. The weather is warm, it is too early for humidity and mosquitoes, and plum and cherry trees are blooming. My wife had lunch with a friend, and I rode my bike to the hardware store to get some stuff for the garden. When she came home, we drove to Kimbuchi Forest Park to have a picnic under the cherry trees.
https://qrper.com/2026/04/cherry-blossoms-and-pota-at-kimbuchi-forest-park-jp-1649/
30 days ago
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The N6ARA RetroRig! (And POTAÂ Platinum!) It's April 1, 2026, and my friend Ara (N6ARA) has once again outdone himself. Click here to watch on YouTube. While you're at it, check out the new POTA Platinum! Wow! Pay to turn your back yard into a POTA entity? Take my money!
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The N6ARA RetroRig! (And POTAÂ Platinum!)
It's April 1, 2026, and my friend Ara (N6ARA) has once again outdone himself. Click here to watch on YouTube. While you're at it, check out the new POTA Platinum! Wow! Pay to turn your back yard into a POTA entity? Take my money!
https://qrper.com/2026/04/the-n6ara-retrorig-and-pota-platinum/
about 1 month ago
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A K1 Shakedown at William B. Umstead State Park & Meet-Up with KJ3FF by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, March 21, 2025, my wife and I were in Raleigh visiting our daughters. That morning, both of them had projects to finish for their classes, so I took the opportunity—of course!—to head out for a…
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A K1 Shakedown at William B. Umstead State Park & Meet-Up with KJ3FF
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, March 21, 2025, my wife and I were in Raleigh visiting our daughters. That morning, both of them had projects to finish for their classes, so I took the opportunity—of course!—to head out for a quick park activation. When I woke up, I assumed we’d all be heading out together early to explore Raleigh, so I hadn’t planned a POTA activation at all.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/a-k1-shakedown-at-william-b-umstead-state-park-meet-up-with-kj3ff/
about 1 month ago
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Spring, Planning, and Looking Ahead to FDIM and Hamvention Spring has definitely sprung here in North Carolina. While temperatures have been all over the map—swinging between summertime warmth and winter chill over the past couple of weeks—it’s been beautiful overall. I’m trying to take every…
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Spring, Planning, and Looking Ahead to FDIM and Hamvention
Spring has definitely sprung here in North Carolina. While temperatures have been all over the map—swinging between summertime warmth and winter chill over the past couple of weeks—it’s been beautiful overall. I’m trying to take every opportunity I can to get outside, play radio, and enjoy the great outdoors, despite a fairly hectic schedule. This morning, I found myself thinking through everything coming up over the next few months—and there’s quite a lot on the calendar.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/spring-planning-and-looking-ahead-to-fdim-and-hamvention/
about 1 month ago
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Dusting Off the POTA20: QRP DX Despite Poor Propagation at Clemmons Educational State Forest by Thomas (K4SWL) On Sunday, March 15, 2026, I was in the Raleigh area with my family, spending time with my daughters during their spring break. That afternoon, my wife and daughters had plans together,…
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Dusting Off the POTA20: QRP DX Despite Poor Propagation at Clemmons Educational State Forest
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Sunday, March 15, 2026, I was in the Raleigh area with my family, spending time with my daughters during their spring break. That afternoon, my wife and daughters had plans together, so I decided to nip out and fit in a quick park activation. I chose Clemmons Educational State Forest (US-4853) since I hadn’t activated from there in a while.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/dusting-off-the-pota20-qrp-dx-despite-poor-propagation-at-clemmons-educational-state-forest/
about 1 month ago
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SOTA on the Hill Where the Buffalo Roam by Vince (VE6LK) As always, there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things! ? The last few months have been super busy around the house, and I've had few opportunities to get out and play radio. Needless to say, I…
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SOTA on the Hill Where the Buffalo Roam
by Vince (VE6LK) As always, there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things! ? The last few months have been super busy around the house, and I've had few opportunities to get out and play radio. Needless to say, I was twitching and started a plan to get out. The twitching feeling was exacerbated by Mother Nature playing with the outdoor temperature -normal for this time of year- where one day it's snowing and for the next three days the temperatures hit 20C.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/sota-on-the-hill-where-the-buffalo-roam/
about 1 month ago
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USB-C for the Elecraft KX2: A Simple Upgrade That Changes Everything by Vince (VE6LK) Warning: This post contains no RF but, if you are a KX2 owner, may involve your wallet. You've been warned 🙂 As one does, when surfing the internet, one clicks on links. Recently I clicked on a link (from…
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USB-C for the Elecraft KX2: A Simple Upgrade That Changes Everything
by Vince (VE6LK) Warning: This post contains no RF but, if you are a KX2 owner, may involve your wallet. You've been warned 🙂 As one does, when surfing the internet, one clicks on links. Recently I clicked on a link (from Lynovation's website) and ended up on G7UFO's most fine web shop. And that's when I learned about the KXUSBC2 charging board for the Elecraft KX2.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/usb-c-for-the-elecraft-kx2-a-simple-upgrade-that-changes-everything/
about 1 month ago
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Pebble HF: An Ultra-Affordable QRP Radio Kit with Big Potential! Yesterday, Mike and Becky of the Ham Radio Duo on YouTube introduced a new product they’ve been quietly developing behind the scenes for quite some time: the Pebble HF. In short, it’s an incredibly affordable radio kit—one that…
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Pebble HF: An Ultra-Affordable QRP Radio Kit with Big Potential!
Yesterday, Mike and Becky of the Ham Radio Duo on YouTube introduced a new product they’ve been quietly developing behind the scenes for quite some time: the Pebble HF. In short, it’s an incredibly affordable radio kit—one that almost anyone can build and, importantly, almost anyone can afford. A Community-Driven Project The Pebble HF was born out of passion from…
https://qrper.com/2026/03/pebble-hf-an-ultra-affordable-qrp-radio-kit-with-big-potential/
about 1 month ago
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Testing New KM4CFT KX1 Paddles and a Compact Stash Pack Kit at Umstead by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, March 14, 2026, our family planned to spend the afternoon in Durham, North Carolina—walking downtown, exploring a few shops, and grabbing dinner. I was especially looking forward to it. Between…
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Testing New KM4CFT KX1 Paddles and a Compact Stash Pack Kit at Umstead
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, March 14, 2026, our family planned to spend the afternoon in Durham, North Carolina—walking downtown, exploring a few shops, and grabbing dinner. I was especially looking forward to it. Between 2004-2008, I used to travel to Durham frequently for work with a nonprofit based downtown, and I hadn’t really been back in quite some time. By all accounts, a lot has changed.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/testing-new-km4cft-kx1-paddles-and-a-compact-stash-pack-kit-at-umstead/
about 1 month ago
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KI5OEB: My Third Outing with the Xiegu G90 by James (KI5OEB) This is the account of the third time out using the Xiegu G90 to hunt and activate a park. I went to Drummond Flats Wildlife Management Area (US-7687) again mainly because it is close to home and it is compatible with my testing new…
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KI5OEB: My Third Outing with the Xiegu G90
by James (KI5OEB) This is the account of the third time out using the Xiegu G90 to hunt and activate a park. I went to Drummond Flats Wildlife Management Area (US-7687) again mainly because it is close to home and it is compatible with my testing new things. This, after the previous outings, was a very deliberate activation with goals that were attainable as opposed to impromptu POTA, which I usually do.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/ki5oeb-my-third-outing-with-the-xiegu-g90/
about 1 month ago
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Mark Activates Kimbuchi Forest Prefectural Park by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) One of the things that we have to do every time we come back to Japan is to open our house, do a deep clean, and clean up the yard. Hours later, with two sick trees removed, we finished! My reward for all this work was my wife…
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Mark Activates Kimbuchi Forest Prefectural Park
by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) One of the things that we have to do every time we come back to Japan is to open our house, do a deep clean, and clean up the yard. Hours later, with two sick trees removed, we finished! My reward for all this work was my wife sitting there quietly while I activated a park! I had already activated the park near us, so I decided to drive a little further to Kimbuchi Forest Prefectural Park (JP-1649).
https://qrper.com/2026/03/mark-activates-kimbuchi-forest-prefectural-park/
about 1 month ago
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QRP DX?! Testing the “Just OK Mini” Antenna with Just One Watt by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday, February 25, 2025, I had a busy day ahead of me. Most of the morning was spent cleaning out the shed next to our house. I packed up what was probably four months’ worth of recycling along with a fair…
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QRP DX?! Testing the “Just OK Mini” Antenna with Just One Watt
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday, February 25, 2025, I had a busy day ahead of me. Most of the morning was spent cleaning out the shed next to our house. I packed up what was probably four months’ worth of recycling along with a fair amount of trash that needed to be hauled to our county transfer station. You see, although we could pay for regular garbage pickup, we live in the middle of nowhere and have a very active population of black bears.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/qrp-dx-testing-the-just-ok-mini-antenna-with-just-one-watt/
about 2 months ago
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POTA and SOTA: Why I still log to paper by Thomas (K4SWL) Many thanks to Marc (KE2MT), who reached out on my YouTube channel with a question about logging. Marc noted that he used to log contacts on paper when he first started learning CW because writing down callsigns helped him copy them…
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POTA and SOTA: Why I still log to paper
by Thomas (K4SWL) Many thanks to Marc (KE2MT), who reached out on my YouTube channel with a question about logging. Marc noted that he used to log contacts on paper when he first started learning CW because writing down callsigns helped him copy them accurately. But over time, he shifted to logging on his phone using the Polo Ham 2k app.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/pota-and-sota-why-i-still-log-to-paper/
about 2 months ago
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KV4AN’s Comprehensive QMX Field Kit Many thanks to Steve (KV4AN), who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit, which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post. Steve writes: KV4AN’s QMX…
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KV4AN’s Comprehensive QMX Field Kit
Many thanks to Steve (KV4AN), who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit, which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post. Steve writes: KV4AN’s QMX Field Kit by Steve (KV4AN) It has been a l-o-n-g wait, but I finally received my new QMX transceiver. Â
https://qrper.com/2026/03/kv4ans-comprehensive-qmx-field-kit/
about 2 months ago
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A Short but Memorable POTA Activation at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown State Historic Site by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, I drove from Raleigh to the Greensboro area of North Carolina to drop off my daughter at college. On the way back toward Raleigh, I decided to take Highway…
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A Short but Memorable POTA Activation at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown State Historic Site
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, I drove from Raleigh to the Greensboro area of North Carolina to drop off my daughter at college. On the way back toward Raleigh, I decided to take Highway 70. The week before, I had discovered a site I’d heard about many times—but hadn’t realized was actually a Parks on the Air entity: the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum and State Historic Site (US-6836) in Sedalia.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/a-short-but-memorable-pota-activation-at-the-charlotte-hawkins-brown-state-historic-site/
about 2 months ago
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An Unexpected Journey: Working the World with Chewing Gum and Duct Tape by Sam (WN5C) For the longest time, I equated low-power radio (QRP) with working portably: the lone operator sitting on a hilltop or in a forest with a small transceiver and a bit of wire. I’ve always relished the strange…
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An Unexpected Journey: Working the World with Chewing Gum and Duct Tape
by Sam (WN5C) For the longest time, I equated low-power radio (QRP) with working portably: the lone operator sitting on a hilltop or in a forest with a small transceiver and a bit of wire. I’ve always relished the strange incongruence of physical solitude while being immersed within the infinitely complex web of electromagnetic energy that binds the universe together.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/an-unexpected-journey-working-the-world-with-chewing-gum-and-duct-tape/
about 2 months ago
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KV4AN: Winter POTA at Tishomingo State Park By Steven Krumm (KV4AN) Tishomingo State Park (US-2552) is a Mississippi State Park in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in northeast Mississippi near the small towns of Tishomingo, Iuka, and Booneville.  The park offers picnic areas, camping…
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KV4AN: Winter POTA at Tishomingo State Park
By Steven Krumm (KV4AN) Tishomingo State Park (US-2552) is a Mississippi State Park in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in northeast Mississippi near the small towns of Tishomingo, Iuka, and Booneville.  The park offers picnic areas, camping and cabins, disc golf course, compass course, hiking trails, playgrounds, multi-use field, volleyball court, swimming pool, rock climbing, and fishing. The park is known for scenic massive boulders and rock formations and also the famous Swinging Bridge.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/kv4an-winter-pota-at-tishomingo-state-park/
about 2 months ago
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Packing My EDC Haversack: A Quick KH1/AX3 POTA Activation at William B. Umstead State Park by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, I left the condo around midday with my daughters and dropped them off at NC State University, where they planned to spend the latter part of the morning…
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Packing My EDC Haversack: A Quick KH1/AX3 POTA Activation at William B. Umstead State Park
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, I left the condo around midday with my daughters and dropped them off at NC State University, where they planned to spend the latter part of the morning together and grab lunch. Being who I am, I immediately saw an opportunity to fit in a little radio time. After running a couple of errands, I made my way to nearby William B.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/packing-my-edc-haversack-a-quick-kh1-ax3-pota-activation-at-william-b-umstead-state-park/
about 2 months ago
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The Hidden Woodsmen Stash Pack Sale: An Amazing Deal on a Handmade Waist Pack If you’ve been curious about The Hidden Woodsmen gear, now might be the perfect time to try one of their packs. Their Hidden Woodsmen Stash Pack is currently on sale for $20 US (roughly $35 with shipping), which is an…
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The Hidden Woodsmen Stash Pack Sale: An Amazing Deal on a Handmade Waist Pack
If you’ve been curious about The Hidden Woodsmen gear, now might be the perfect time to try one of their packs. Their Hidden Woodsmen Stash Pack is currently on sale for $20 US (roughly $35 with shipping), which is an incredible price--a steal--for a handmade, USA-made item of this quality. From what I understand, they’re simply selling down existing inventory, so the sale likely lasts only while supplies last.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/the-hidden-woodsmen-stash-pack-sale-an-amazing-deal-on-a-handmade-waist-pack/
about 2 months ago
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Elecraft K1 LCD Backlight Kits Available From Dave W8FGU! by Bob (WO6W) Hi folks, I've just retrofit a backlight for my Elecraft K1 serial 355 LCD display. While the LCD backlight retrofit kit is long out of stock from Elecraft, Dave (W8FGU) was able to provide a kit using a K2 backlight cut down…
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Elecraft K1 LCD Backlight Kits Available From Dave W8FGU!
by Bob (WO6W) Hi folks, I've just retrofit a backlight for my Elecraft K1 serial 355 LCD display. While the LCD backlight retrofit kit is long out of stock from Elecraft, Dave (W8FGU) was able to provide a kit using a K2 backlight cut down to K1 size. Dave was also able to source the K1 transflective LCD and remaining parts needed.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/elecraft-k1-lcd-backlight-kits-available-from-dave-w8fgu/
about 2 months ago
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W8TMI: POTA and SOTA Adventures in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by Tim Johnson (W8TMI) It doesn’t take much to convince me to cross the Mackinac Bridge from Michigan's Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula. In this case, my wife had a work conference in beautiful Marquette, which is nestled on the…
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W8TMI: POTA and SOTA Adventures in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
by Tim Johnson (W8TMI) It doesn’t take much to convince me to cross the Mackinac Bridge from Michigan's Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula. In this case, my wife had a work conference in beautiful Marquette, which is nestled on the southern coast of Lake Superior. The area is known for iron mining and still serves as a port for iron ore shipping on the Great Lakes.
https://qrper.com/2026/03/w8tmi-pota-and-sota-adventures-in-michigans-upper-peninsula/
about 2 months ago
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It’s Time for a Field Kit Inspection! by Thomas (K4SWL) For many of us here in North America, it’s been a pretty brutal winter--bitter cold temperatures, snow, ice, and all the things that tend to keep us from hitting the field as often as we’d like. I know quite a few operators who simply put…
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It’s Time for a Field Kit Inspection!
by Thomas (K4SWL) For many of us here in North America, it’s been a pretty brutal winter--bitter cold temperatures, snow, ice, and all the things that tend to keep us from hitting the field as often as we’d like. I know quite a few operators who simply put their radios back in their field kits for the season and shift their focus indoors--building kits, homebrewing, and enjoying the sweet smell of solder smoke.
https://qrper.com/2026/02/its-time-for-a-field-kit-inspection/
2 months ago
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W8TMI: SOTA & POTA in the Bay Area with the Travel-Friendly Elecraft KH1 by Tim (W8TMI) I have been meaning to get to this write up for some time. Around Christmas 2024, my wife declared we would visit our friends in Hayward, CA, sometime in spring 2025. Our friends indicated that we should come…
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W8TMI: SOTA & POTA in the Bay Area with the Travel-Friendly Elecraft KH1
by Tim (W8TMI) I have been meaning to get to this write up for some time. Around Christmas 2024, my wife declared we would visit our friends in Hayward, CA, sometime in spring 2025. Our friends indicated that we should come in April to hopefully avoid the rainy season. This got my gears turning. I wanted to find a SOTA/POTA combo, but I was also inspired by Micah (N4MJL), who activated Presidio and provided the…
https://qrper.com/2026/02/w8tmi-sota-pota-in-the-bay-area-with-the-travel-friendly-elecraft-kh1/
2 months ago
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A New Year’s Day Comedy of Errors POTA Activation on the Blue Ridge Parkway by Thomas (K4SWL) Let’s do a little time travel back to New Year’s Day. I’m a bit behind in posting this field report because of an audio issue, but in a way that feels fitting. This activation turned into what I can only…
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A New Year’s Day Comedy of Errors POTA Activation on the Blue Ridge Parkway
by Thomas (K4SWL) Let’s do a little time travel back to New Year’s Day. I’m a bit behind in posting this field report because of an audio issue, but in a way that feels fitting. This activation turned into what I can only describe as a full-blown comedy of errors--and I’m actually glad it did. From time to time, people will comment that my activations seem to go smoothly and ask whether I ever have problems in the field.
https://qrper.com/2026/02/a-new-years-day-comedy-of-errors-pota-activation-on-the-blue-ridge-parkway/
2 months ago
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N7CQR: Winter POTA Roving the Washington Coast and Puget Sound Many thanks to Dan (N7CQR) who shares the following field report: Washington POTA Rove by Dan (N7CQR) After Thanksgiving this last year (2025), I found myself with a chunk of free time for a little over a week. My wife was traveling,…
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N7CQR: Winter POTA Roving the Washington Coast and Puget Sound
Many thanks to Dan (N7CQR) who shares the following field report: Washington POTA Rove by Dan (N7CQR) After Thanksgiving this last year (2025), I found myself with a chunk of free time for a little over a week. My wife was traveling, and I didn’t have any gigs in the immediate future—I’m a semi-retired professional jazz bassist, and for many years I was always booked solid through the holidays, including NYE.
https://qrper.com/2026/02/n7cqr-winter-pota-roving-the-washington-coast-and-puget-sound/
2 months ago
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BG2FX is Designing a Compact 50 Watt HF Field Radio Our friend John (AE5X) recently noted on his excellent blog that Yu (BG2FX) is developing a new HF radio based in part on the FX4CR. The new radio will have a slimmer profile and deliver up to 50 watts of SSB power output. This radio is still in…
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BG2FX is Designing a Compact 50 Watt HF Field Radio
Our friend John (AE5X) recently noted on his excellent blog that Yu (BG2FX) is developing a new HF radio based in part on the FX4CR. The new radio will have a slimmer profile and deliver up to 50 watts of SSB power output. This radio is still in the design phase, but if it sounds interesting to you, I strongly encourage you to subscribe to John's blog…
https://qrper.com/2026/02/bg2fx-is-designing-a-compact-50-watt-hf-field-radio/
2 months ago
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