Check out this fun, simple, and useful hands-on project, plus see more new products available at DX Engineering—an antenna sketchbook from Salty Walt and an easy-to-use end-fed half-wave portable antenna from Spooltenna Parks. DX Engineering Low Power Portable Dipole and Winder Kits supply the parts for a fun DIY build of a lightweight resonant HF […]
Month: July 2025
Tackling the Magruder Corridor in North-Central Idaho
by Ken (WR7D) I’m a member of the All-Idaho Contest Club (AI7ID) in Southwest Idaho. Occasionally, we plan other ham-related activities. In June, we started discussing a potential trip through the Magruder Corridor in North-Central Idaho for some POTA and SOTA action. The Magruder Corridor is a rough, single-lane road between Grangeville, ID, and Darby, […]
Youth Ham Radio Insights—Contacting an Astronaut, Operating from an Island, Making Friends—A Week of YOTA Camp in Halifax
Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of articles about the excitement and learning young operators can experience at Youth On The Air (YOTA) Camps. Discover much more about these wonderful opportunities for fun and friendship—and how a youngster in your life can take part— at YOTA’s official website. It has been approximately […]
Amateur Radio History: Remembering Maximilian Kolbe, SP3RN, the Unofficial Patron Saint of Ham Radio
A look at the life of one priest’s push to keep his religion on the cutting edge of technology using amateur radio and his ultimate sacrifice during World War II. *** At first glance, the intersection of religion and something like amateur radio might not be immediately apparent. Look hard enough, though, and you’ll find […]
A Beautiful Morning at Cap Tourmente (CA-0012) with the Mighty CFT1
We woke up to beautiful weather on the morning of Wednesday, June 25, 2025—POTA was in the air! Cap Tourmente, my local POTA park, opened its gates at 8:30, and I planned to arrive shortly thereafter to fit in a casual activation before my wife, daughters, and I made our way to Québec City later […]
Gray Line: The Twilight Zone of Radio Propagation
Imagine for a moment that you’re sitting in your ham shack, coffee in one hand and microphone in the other. It’s either just before sunrise or just after sunset, and suddenly—boom!—you’re talking to someone halfway around the world who sounds like he’s right next to you. No sunspots, no fancy beam antenna, no EME wizardry. […]
KI5OEB: Sharing My Continued Journey with the IC-705
by James (KI5OEB) I am sharing my continued journey with a new radio, the IC-705. Today was an early work day—05:30 show time—but that was all behind me. At 00:00 UTC on 21 June 2025, I had finished supper and was sitting on the couch, not tired. My wife said, “You’re fidgeting.” I told her, […]
KV4AN: POTA Glamping in Middle Tennessee
By Steven Krumm (KV4AN) “Glamping,” noun, describes a style of camping with amenities and resort-style services not usually associated with traditional camping. We recently went on a family “glamping” trip to Pickwick Landing State Park (US-2967) in middle Tennessee. Pickwick Landing State Park is located at Pickwick Dam along the Tennessee River in Hardin County, […]
Mountain Topper MTR3B-V4 Firmware Update Adds Helpful New Features
Many thanks to Steve (KV4AN) who writes: LNR Precision has released an important firmware update to the MTR3B-V4 Mountain Topper. The attached article describes it. [Click here to download PDF.] I thought the readers of QRPer.com would like to know about it, as they are out doing SOTA and POTA activations and not hanging out […]
Ham Radio 101: Dummy Loads—Smart Idea
Several options available at DX Engineering, including the new DXE 1,500W 1-54 MHz Dry Dummy Load You may have heard the term “dummy load” before. While the name might give you an idea of what it does, dummy loads are a misnomer—they are real loads that absorb RF energy and dissipate it as heat. An […]