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...
Category: QRP
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...
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...
All Aboard the Struggle Bus
I carved some time out of the chaos that is my life lately for some much-needed “radio therapy”. I...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
TinyGawant in Tough Conditions: A Hard-Fought but Fun POTA Activation!
by Thomas (K4SWL) Yesterday afternoon (April 15, 2026), after wrapping up a few appointments in town, I decided to...
A Surprise in the Mail
It’s been crazy around here in WB3GCK-land lately, so I’ve had very little time for ham radio. However, a...
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...
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...
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,...