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...
Category: Videos
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...
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...
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...
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...
“Up Here, a Ham Radio Hiking Vignette from Colorado”
Many thanks to Dean (K2JB) for sharing the following video featuring our friend Steve (WG0AT) on our local SOTA...
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...
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...
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...
Radio Therapy in a Pollen Haze: Pairing the K2 and MC-750 at Umstead State Park (US-2755)
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, March 23, 2026, I made a short pilgrimage to William B. Umstead State Park...
Impromptu Activation: Fighting rough propagation with the KX2 AX3 combo!
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Sunday, March 22, 2026, I spent the day driving and enjoying time in Greensboro with...
A K1 Shakedown at William B. Umstead State Park & Meet-Up with WJ3FF
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, March 21, 2026, my wife and I were in Raleigh visiting our daughters. That...
A K1 Shakedown at William B. Umstead State Park & Meet-Up with KJ3FF
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, March 21, 2025, my wife and I were in Raleigh visiting our daughters. That...
Dusting Off the POTA20: QRP DX Despite Poor Propagation at Clemmons Educational State Forest
by Thomas (K4SWL) On Sunday, March 15, 2026, I was in the Raleigh area with my family, spending time...
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...
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...