In Pursuit of a Kilo
Yeah, I know. That title sounds bad. What I’m talking about is finally making one thousand contacts at French...
Category: Portable
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...
EI3LH: Sibling CW POTA Rivalry!
Many thanks to Ian (EI3LH), who shares the following post, originally posted on his blog: Two Elecraft Siblings Fight...
Crowded Day in the Park
I tend to avoid activating my local parks on weekends. In this area, parks can get pretty busy in...
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...
A Soggy Memorial Day Activation
The weather has really put a damper on this holiday weekend. Today was no exception. Nevertheless, I had 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...
Ridley Creek Eyeball QSO
I happened to be in the vicinity of Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) yesterday morning, so I stopped...
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...
Got It Made in the Shade
We’re in the middle of our first heatwave of the year here in southeastern Pennsylvania. This isn’t my favorite...
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...
Persistance is Futile (Sometimes)
Yesterday was the perfect day to be out operating in a park, so I headed over to Valley Forge...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Visitors, Geese, and a Busted Activation
This was supposed to be a post about how I made a bazillion POTA/WWFF contacts in an hour. Yeah,...
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...
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...
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...
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...