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...
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...
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...
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...
Coffee-Fueled 40-Meter Pileup Insanity: POTA with the Penntek TR-25 and a 40M EFHW by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, February 16, 2026, my wife and I were in Raleigh, NC, and that morning...
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...
The Perfect Afternoon: Coffee, CW, and 0.1 Watts at William B. Umstead State Park by Thomas (K4SWL) On Friday, January 16, 2026, after a morning of running errands around Raleigh, my wife and...
Checking Off a Bucket-List Park: Pedestrian Mobile at the North Carolina State Capitol! by Thomas (K4SWL) On Thursday, January 15, 2026, I finally set aside time to activate a park that had...
Heavy 40 Meter Morning Pileups from a Quiet North Carolina State Forest by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday morning, January 14, I decided to squeeze in another Parks on the Air activation...
Pairing the KX2 & AX1 for a Quickie Activation at Falls Lake State Recreational Area by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, I was in Raleigh, North Carolina for the week, trying to...
Hidden Woodsmen M55 Haversack & FT-818 Field Kit Test: POTA at William B. Umstead State Park by Thomas (K4SWL) Earlier this month, my wife and I dropped our daughters off at their universities to start...
A Coastal Finale: Pedestrian Mobile POTA at Fort Fisher State Historic Site! by Thomas (K4SWL) You might recall that during my recent field reports, I was on the coast of North...
Two Wires, Five Watts, and a Cold Afternoon at Carolina Beach State Park by Thomas (K4SWL) On December 15, during our family’s weeklong vacation together at Carolina Beach, North Carolina, we set...
A Window of Fine Weather: Early Morning Pedestrian Mobile on the Beach at Fort Fisher SRA by Thomas (K4SWL) As I mentioned in recent field reports, my family and I took a weeklong, off-season vacation...
I was going to write a field report this morning… …but instead, I’ve decided to hit the field! I’m in Raleigh, NC today and had planned to spend the...
Vacation POTA: Pedestrian Portable at Carolina Beach State Park by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday morning, December 13, 2025, we had just begun a week-long vacation in Carolina Beach,...
A Coastal Break and Field Kit Reality Check at Carolina Beach State Park by Thomas (K4SWL) After my daughters finished their fall term at university, my wife and I picked them up...
Impromptu POTA: A Cold, Windy Activation on the Blue Ridge Parkway with the KH1 by Thomas (K4SWL) Yesterday–December 29, 2025–I had a few errands to run in town. The plan was simple: make...
Quickie Activation: Nine Minutes of Radio Therapy at the NC Transportation Museum by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, December 1, 2025, I managed to squeeze in a last-minute, impromptu–and very speedy–activation of...
What QRP Has Taught Me About Slowing Down by Thomas (K4SWL) It’s Christmas Eve as I write this, sipping my first cup of morning coffee, the house...
Gratitude, Community, and Hope: A Heartfelt Thank You Dear QRPer family, First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the outpouring of kindness following...
Giving Thanks… It’s Thanksgiving here in the US, and I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for this...
Pedestrian Mobile at Carl Sandburg: A Mini Field Report That Almost Wasn’t by Thomas (K4SWL) Two days ago, I received this message from my friend Eric (WD8RIF): Are you planning to...
Bug-Out Month: Peaceful Morning Activation And Coffee at Clemmons Educational State Forest by Thomas (K4SWL) After my last activation at Clemmons Educational State Forest, I was eager to get back there....