For many amateurs, the WARC bands—30 meters (10.100-10.150 MHz), 17 meters (18.068-18.168 MHz), and 12 meters (24.890-24.990 MHz)—are like that quiet fishing spot by the lake you hesitate to tell others about. They’re peaceful, they’re underrated, and they’re the perfect escape from the big, popular, congestion-prone bands. The WARC bands were established in 1979 at […]
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 Carolina with my family for a pre-Christmas winter vacation. We spent about a week based in Carolina Beach, and it was a truly wonderful trip. During that time, I managed to activate several parks, many of […]
15 New Products at DX Engineering for January 2026
While DX Engineering’s 25th anniversary year is over, don’t think that’ll stop your favorite amateur radio provider from going full throttle (a reference to our parent company, Summit Racing Equipment) by adding more new products available at DXEngineering.com. In fact, the first month of 2026 brings 15 fresh items to add to your amateur radio […]
WR7D: A Football Championship and Some POTA!
by Ken (WR7D) A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I had the chance to go to the FCS Championship Football game in Nashville, TN. The reason we made the trek was because our daughter is in the marching band for Montana State. We try to go to every event where the marching band […]
Ham Radio Contesting 101: Learn from Your Mistakes—Study Your Log Checking Reports
I mentioned previously the concept of writing a contest “post-mortem.” The idea is to write down what went well and what went poorly, and to do so soon after the contest is over. A good way to capture ideas during the heat of battle is to use the notepad feature built into many contest logging […]
FlexRadio’s Hayley, K5HMV, Discusses Innovations in SDR Ham Radio Technologies (Video)
Attention FlexRadio fans and anyone who wants an insider’s look into the present and future of SDR (software designed radio) for amateur operators: Take 20 minutes and watch this video for a technical dive into exciting ways FlexRadio is working to improve your on-air experience. Hayley, K5HMV, FlexRadio Director of Software Engineering and Extra class […]
Vintage QRP with the Heathkit HW-8
by Matt (W6CSN) The Heathkit HW-8 has a certain mystique among QRP enthusiasts. This four-band direct conversion(D-C) solid-state transceiver, offered from 1976 through 1983 was hailed as a big improvement over its predecessor, the HW-7. While still a D-C receiver, the HW-8 mixed the VFO with crystal oscillators to derive the LO. This results in […]
Video: W2AEW Shows How to Install a Mechanical Filter in the Yaesu FT-857D
Our friend Alan (W2AEW) has posted an excellent how-to video for those wishing to install a mechanical filter in the Yaesu FT-857D: Click here to view on YouTube.
How to Make Friends with Other Young Hams
Making friends as a young amateur radio operator can prove to be challenging, both in and out of the hobby. Having an amateur radio license isn’t exactly conducive to popularity in most middle and high schools, and sometimes within amateur radio it feels like you meet other young people only once in a blue moon. […]
KB2PIZ’s Serendipitous Activation of Jerome State Park (US-10516)
by Mark (KB2PIZ) Wow, the magic of Ham radio! As part of my work, I was driving from Tucson, Arizona, to Kanab, Utah. Route 179 passes right through Sedona, so my wife and I decided to take a 5-day mini vacation on the way to Kanab. During this trip, I previously activated Oracle State Park […]