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...
Category: QRP
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...
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),...
A Pileup? What It Is And How To Work One
Welcome to the chaotic, thrilling world of the HF pileup. When a rare station or a Parks On The...
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...
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,...
Brain Health and Parks on the Air
Got my N3ZN Single-Lever Paddle out of storage, along with most of my POTA station. Despite being homeless and...
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 13, 2026,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...