Amateur radio encompasses a wide variety of unique pursuits. While many operators focus on standard HF propagation, satellite communications, or moonbounce, Randy, KQ6RS, pursues a distinct niche: building amateur radio buoys. These buoys transmit their grid squares and geographic coordinates using the Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) digital mode on the HF bands. He constructed […]
K5KHK: Earning My Brass Knuckles
by Karl (K5KHK) Have you heard of the Brass Knuckle Gang (or BKG for short)? In a nutshell: Make 2m CW contacts – and get others involved. Plain and simple. I’ve often said – only half joking – that POTA is the program that gave ham radio a new lease on life, or, to put […]
Ham Radio Holiday Gift Guide 2026 Part 2–POTA Presents: Transceivers, Batteries, Books & More
There are legions of ham radio operators who feel Parks on the Air® (POTA) has been a true gift to the amateur radio community. If you’d like to introduce a fellow ham to the magic of activating parks, the holidays are a perfect time to extend to them the gift of POTA. We promise, they’ll […]
The Hidden Woodsmen 2026 Holiday Sale: Deals on Some of My Favorite Pouches and Packs
by Thomas (K4SWL) Our friends at The Hidden Woodsmen are having a sale on many of their pouches. They’re all made in the USA and are very high-quality. The sale prices are an incredible value. Click here to check out the sale. I’m a big fan of several of these pouches and packs. The Possible […]
KI5OEB: My First Walk-In Parks on the Air Activation
by James (KI5OEB) I am about to describe my first walk-in park activation. I was at Roaring River State Park (US-1780) all week, but there was a park inside it: Roaring River Cove Hardwoods State Conservation Area (US-13161). Accessing this location required a hike. Decisions, decisions, decisions on what to bring up the hill to […]
1,000 Feet Above the Wheat Fields: K7TQ’s SOTA Activation of Steptoe Butte (W7W/WE-023)
by Randy (K7TQ) On October 30, 2026, I decided it was time for another SOTA activation. I had already activated Kamiak Butte, W7W/WE-022, the week before and posted a report here on QRPer.com. In that activation, I had handheld my KH1 with only the four-foot whip and 13-foot counterpoise as its antenna. That use was […]
Ham Radio Youth Insights—How to Prep for Your First Multi-Op Contest
With the 2026 CQ World Wide DX Contest SSB completed and the CQ WW DX Contest CW coming up soon (Nov. 28-29), I thought it might be helpful to discuss ways of preparing for a multi-op contest effort if you’ve never been part of one. I first participated in a multi-op contest in February 2024 […]
Tales from the Shack by Bob Locher, W9KNI: Pulling Coax Cables & Control Cables Through a Plastic Pipe
Legendary DXer and popular amateur radio author Bob Locher, W9KNI, took a break from his “Tales from a Serial Sniper” series on OnAllBands to write about the travails and triumphs of routing wires and cables. Valuable lessons for both new and experienced operators abound here. Enjoy! *** Wireless radio? The only hams for whom it […]
N2YCH: Ragged Mountain – A Dual SOTA/POTA Activation on the Metacomet Ridge
by Conrad Trautmann (N2YCH) October 26, 2026 Ragged Mountain, a peak in the Metacomet Ridge in Central Connecticut is SOTA W1/HH-003 of the Summits on the Air Hanging Hills region. Frank (W1FCS) and I decided to tackle the hike to the summit and activate it. This is the third of four summits in the Hanging […]
Video: Alan Adds and Amplified Speaker to the CFT1
Many thanks to Alan (W2AEW), who performed the half-upgrade kit on his CFT1, along with audio amplification: Click here to view on YouTube.