Pebble HF: An Ultra-Affordable QRP Radio Kit with Big Potential!
Yesterday, Mike and Becky of the Ham Radio Duo on YouTube introduced a new product they’ve been quietly developing...
Category: Videos
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...
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...
Ending Our POTA Rove on the Right Foot: South Mountain State Park with Scott VA3EKR
While Scott (VA3EKR) was visiting western North Carolina, we decided that Monday, November 17, 2025, would be devoted entirely...
Still Roving: Our Second POTA Activation at Table Rock Fish Hatchery
On Monday, November 17, 2025, Scott (VA3EKR) and I decided to do a small POTA rove in western North...
Starting a Multi-Park Day Right: Lake James State Park (US-2739) with VA3EKR
On Monday, November 17, 2025, my buddy Scott (VA3EKR) was still visiting us here in Western North Carolina. You...
SOTA with Friends and First Activation for Scott on Dogback Mountain!
On Friday, November 14, 2025, my friend Scott, VA3EKR (a.k.a. KK7TMS State side), was visiting western North Carolina during...
New Antenna, New Key, and New Friend: QRP POTA at William B. Umstead State Park
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, November 8, 2025, we had an afternoon planned with the family in the Raleigh...
Final Bug-Out Month Activation: Rain, Wind, and Five Watts of Morse Code Fun!
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, was a gusty, cold, rainy day. Not exactly the kind of weather that puts me...