N7JTT: Two Days, Two Antennas, One Remarkable Community by John (N7JTT) San Juan Islands BLM National Monument (US-12461) The past two days offered a reminder of why portable radio continues to captivate me. The equipment was simple, the power output modest, and the operating locations only a few…

First UK POTA Activation: Cheswick Sands Nature Reserve (GB-5716) by Thomas (K4SWL / M5SWL) On Thursday, June 18, 2026, my family and I made the short trip to Cheswick Sands Nature Reserve (GB-5716), just south of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. As I've mentioned in previous posts, we've…

VA3MZD: The Bruce Trail and Parks on the Air Many thanks to Rod (VA3MZD), who shares the following article he originally submitted to the Bruce Trail Club's newsletter earlier this year. Rod wrote this piece to introduce Bruce Trail hikers to Parks On The Air and amateur radio. by Rod Murray…

A Tour and Review of My Savotta Niukka 20L Radio Backpack This summer, my family and I are spending several weeks in the United Kingdom, and naturally, I'm fitting in as much portable radio as humanly possible as MM5SWL, M5SWL, and hopefully, MW5SWL. In a previous post, I mentioned that I decided…

Share Your Field Reports with the QRPer Community! by Thomas (K4SWL) One of the things I love most about QRPer is that it isn't just a collection of my own field reports—it's a community resource built by field operators from around the world. Over the years, contributors have shared hundreds of…

A Formula 1 Field Test: Pairing the Mountain Topper MTR-4B and Markus’ Legendary TP-III Paddle! by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, June 8, 2026, I headed to the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378) with a simple objective: put a recently acquired Mountaintopper MTR-4B through its paces…

Testing the New Tufteln Reel Antenna! by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, I headed out late in the morning for a quick Parks on the Air (POTA) activation with one primary goal in mind: testing a new antenna that Joshua (N5FY) had recently sent me. Joshua designed this antenna as a new…

A Quick Update from the UK by Thomas (K4SWL/MM5SWL) I've received several emails asking how things are going here in the UK, so I thought I'd post a quick update here on QRPer.com. I shared an audio dispatch with my Patreon supporters shortly after arriving, but I thought it would be nice to catch…

Pop-Up Thunderstorm Forces a Mid-Activation Change of Plans! by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday,  May 27, 2026, I made my way to the Zebulon Vance Historic Birthplace (US-6856) for an afternoon POTA activation after spending part of the day running errands in town. My primary goal for this activation…

EI3LH: An Irish Island IOTA Adventure! Many thanks to Ian (EI3LH), who shares the following post, originally posted on his blog: Boats, birding, classic cars, fountain pens and a double POTA ATNO activation. by Ian (EI3LH) They say that amateur radio takes you to places you’d have likely never…

Summer in the UK: Please Put These Callsigns in Your HamAlert! by Thomas (K4SWL) I will be spending much of the summer in the United Kingdom, and I plan to be quite active with portable radio. If all goes according to plan, you'll hear me using the following callsigns: England: M5SWL Scotland:…

HRWB Post-Hamvention: Borrowed Gear, Good Friends, and a Brilliant Activation by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, May 18, 2026, I was still in Dayton, Ohio following Hamvention. I was there with my friends Eric (WD8RIF) and Len (W8VQ), and we had plans for the day. The Ham Radio Workbench crew has a…

W7LDT: A Wyoming POTA Six-Fer! by Larry (W7LDT) Background I have been a ham for over 26 years. Nothing has boosted my ham radio activities like Parks on the Air (POTA). I live in Arizona. If you want to do Summits on the Air (SOTA), be prepared to scale mountainsides covered in loose shale and…

Help Ian (EI3LH) Activate Two Rare Irish POTA Islands VHF/UHF on Sunday by Thomas (K4SWL) QRPer contributor Ian (EI3LH) will be attempting an ambitious island activation this Sunday (June 14, 2026), operating from two Irish POTA entities—IE-0266 and IE-0267—both currently POTA ATNOs (All-Time New…

Three Bikes & Three Hams: Playing Hooky from Hamvention! by Thomas (K4SWL) On May 17, 2026, Eric (WD8RIF), Len (W8VQ), and I decided to play hooky from Hamvention and head out for a park activation instead. You see, Hamvention—amazing as it is—is exhausting. This year, in particular, seemed busier…

EI3LH: Sweets For My Sweet, POTA for My Honey! Many thanks to Ian (EI3LH), who shares the following post, originally posted on his blog: Pouring Some Sugar On GB-3235, London, England. by Ian (EI3LH) I’ve visited London on business a handful of times in recent years. Each time I have visited I…

From NPOTA to POTA: En Route to Dayton and Making New Friends from Down Under by Thomas (K4SWL) Picking up where I left off after the last field report, on Wednesday, May 12, 2026, Eric (WD8RIF) and I completed our activation at Tar Hollow State Park that morning, then enjoyed a nice lunch and…

Tippecanoe and POTA Too (or, A Tale Of Two Activations) by Paul (WD9GCO) Hi.  I’m new around here. My name is Paul, and I’m a POTAholic. This all started in 2023. I thought POTA sounded fun, but I'd never done anything like that. And I didn't have any HF gear that was really portable. I’ve been a…

Ten Years Later! A Three-Fer at Tar Hollow with Eric (WD8RIF) by Thomas (K4SWL) On the morning of Wednesday, May 13, 2026, I was in Athens, Ohio, at the QTH of my good friend, Eric (WD8RIF). As we do every year, we get together and travel to Four Days in May and the Dayton Hamvention. We typically…

Don’t Worry… You’re Doing Fine by Thomas (K4SWL) As you might imagine, I'm at the receiving end of a lot of emails and messages from readers. Sometimes people have questions. Sometimes they're sharing field reports, telling me about an activation, or simply checking in to say hello. One thing I've…

Lake Alma State Park by Brompton: A Hamvention Week Warm-Up POTA Activation With Friends by Thomas (K4SWL) Tuesday, May 12, 2026, was a long but wonderful day—and the perfect prelude to a week filled with amateur radio activity. Hamvention week is always equal parts crazy and fun. Typically, I’m…

EI3LH: Sibling CW POTA Rivalry! Many thanks to Ian (EI3LH), who shares the following post, originally posted on his blog: Two Elecraft Siblings Fight Each Other To The Death For My Last Rolo. by Ian (EI3LH) It’s been a funny old week here in Ireland, WX-wise. On Monday it’s howling a gale with the…

BOGO Sale on the Bioenno 12V 3Ah LiFePO4 Battery Pack Many thanks to Bob (WB4SON), who notes that Bioenno has a BOGO (buy one, get one free) sale on my favorite battery size: their 3Ah, 12V pack. Bob notes: "A pair costs about $56 shipped. Add $15 if you need a charger." That's a great deal if…

Morning POTA: Just Enough Radio Before a Road Trip! by Thomas (K4SWL) On the morning of Tuesday, May 5, 2026, I had my bags packed and ready to leave Raleigh. My wife, daughter, and I were heading back to the mountains for a couple of days before returning to Raleigh, and we had a full day ahead…

Robbed by UTC Day at Kozai Nishichiku Kowan Ryokuchi (JP-2046) by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) I was robbed! But I will tell you about that in a bit! Tuesday, May 19, 2026, my wife had to take the test to renew her driver's license. Here in Japan, people over 75 must take a rigorous test that includes a…

Morning POTA: Taking the Argonaut VI Out for Fresh Air by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, May 1, 2026, my wife and I had plans to spend part of the day in Carrboro, North Carolina. A friend had told us about an art store there, roughly 50 minutes from the condo where we stay in Raleigh, and we decided…

WD8RIF’s 2026 FDIM and Hamvention Photos Every year, Eric (WD8RIF) and I make the drive to Dayton Hamvention together and, as you’ll see in a few upcoming field reports, we always try to fit in a few radio activations along the way. This year, I spent much of my time helping out at the Ham Radio…

Looking Back at FDIM and Hamvention 2026 by Thomas (K4SWL) It just so happens that two of the biggest and most meaningful gatherings in our amateur radio community fall on the same week, one after another: the QRPARCI Four Days In May Conference and the Dayton Hamvention. This year, FDIM happened…

Appalachian Trail Magic and a Trailside POTA Activation! by Thomas (K4SWL) In March, our friend Emily set out on an incredible six-month adventure: thru-hiking the entire Appalachian Trail from start to finish—a journey of roughly 2,200 miles stretching from Georgia to Maine.The Appalachian Trail…

A Jury-Rigged Antenna Saves the Activation at Kinrin Park (JP-1653) by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) The weather is getting more summer-like here in Takamatsu. That means hot and humid and rain on the days it is not hot and humid. The rainy season is in June, and it is not much fun, with sweat, rain, and…

Does half and half equal a whole? As always, there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things! by Vince (VE6LK) It's my last POTA activation before flying back to Alberta, in fact, it's the morning of. As usual, I'm up before everyone else, so I snuck out…

Elecraft Introduces the New AX4 Portable Antenna & BL3 Balun Elecraft has just introduced two new products that will likely attract the attention of many POTA activators and portable operators: the AX4 portable vertical antenna and its companion BL3 balun. At first glance, the AX4 looks like a…

A snowbrush is essential POTA gear As always, there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things! by Vince (VE6LK) Over the years, I've learned to carry less when doing portable operations. It was only three and one-half years ago that Malen VE6VID said to…

Back to Ritsurin Park for a Successful Activation! by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) I reported on my fun non-activation of a non-POTA park the other day. My success rate at Ritsurin Park (JP-2051) was “failures” on 2 of the last 3 attempts, so I wanted another chance. Well, on the morning of May 7, 2026,…

Heading to Dayton Hamvention and Four Days in May! Good morning, QRPers! As you're reading this post, Tuesday morning, I’m already on the road heading to Dayton Hamvention and Four Days in May for a full week of radio fun, friends, field activations, and probably (definitely) not enough sleep!…

Roadside POTA Twofer: Testing DB4REB’s KH1 Angled Pressure Paddles! by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, I visited my buddy Vlado in South Asheville and, on the way home, decided to take a shortcut via the Blue Ridge Parkway. Since I was already on the Parkway, I thought: why not stop for…

QRP in the Spirit of POTA at Marugame Castle by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) Golden week in Japan is a 5 or so-day stretch of holidays to give the hard-working Japanese workers some well-deserved time off. That is great for them, but many stores and restaurants close, so there is not a lot to do! Sounds…

Testing DB4REB’s Clever KH1 Accessories on the Blue Ridge Parkway by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, April 6, 2026, my wife was meeting some friends at a café in Black Mountain, North Carolina, so I drove her into town, dropped her off, grabbed an oat milk latte in my thermal mug, and made my way up to…

When eight equals ten As always there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things! by Vince (VE6LK) It's early May, and I'm back in Ontario for more family business and life events with a smattering of local travel and visiting friends and family along the…

VHF/UHF Lift and a First CW SOTA: EI3LH’s Marconi Day Milestones Many thanks to Ian (EI3LH), who shares the following post, originally posted on his blog: Marconi Day:  A Day of Thirsts (and Firsts) by Ian (EI3LH) For the totally Troposheric Taste? Here comes the EI3LH man. I’m not ashamed to…

Paul Modifies the Chameleon CHA PRV 2.0 for Backpack Portability by Paul Patsis (W7CPP) There are certain situations where a vertical antenna makes a lot of sense for portable operations, such as POTA.  There are some parks where a ground spike or wire antenna in a tree will not work, either…

POTA with Friends: Zach’s First CW Activation, New Gear, and Tough Bands! by Thomas (K4SWL) On Friday, April 10, 2026, my friends Zach (AI4ZD) and his daughter Maggie (KR4FTN) were in the Asheville area for the day and reached out to see if I could meet up for a POTA activation. As luck would have…

K3ES: Activating the Allegheny National Wild & Scenic River: by Brian (K3ES) If I had Looked, I would not have Tried! I was puttering around the house on a Thursday afternoon when I realized that I had no particular obligations.  Often, that motivates me to get myself out to activate a park for…

Johnston Mill State Nature Preserve (US-3859) – A Pedestrian Mobile Slog with a Surprise Finish! by Thomas (K4SWL) Yesterday—Friday, May 1, 2026—my wife and I had a full day in the Raleigh–Durham area of North Carolina. That morning, I kicked things off with a leisurely 40-minute activation at…

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…

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…

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:…

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…

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…

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…