If you read QRPer regularly—or listen to the Ham Radio Workbench podcast—you probably know I’m a bit of a pack geek. Okay… that’s a gross understatement. I’m more of a quality-pack evangelist. For many operators, a pack or field bag is just a way to transport gear—an afterthought. But for me? It’s one of the […]
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New Product Spotlight: Alpha Antenna HexTenna™ Deluxe Multiband Rigid Dipole and Vertical Antenna
Just one of many Alpha Antenna options now available at DX Engineering Ask an experienced amateur radio operator the value of a proven antenna and expect to hear wise advice from folks who know that no matter what transceiver you’re using, efficient and effective operating is heavily dependent on what you’ve invested in your Yagis, […]
QRP POTA: A Pre-Dayton Activation at Lake Alma State Park with WD8RIF!
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, my good friend Eric (WD8RIF) and I started our drive from Athens to Dayton, Ohio. We left Eric’s QTH early that morning—not because it’s a long drive (it’s only about 2.5 hours)—but because we wanted to activate at least two new-to-me parks en route and still arrive early enough to […]
Mike’s 2025 Hamvention Photo Gallery
This year’s Hamvention was truly incredible. While I haven’t seen the official attendance figures, I can only assume it was highly attended based on my observations. Once again, my friend Mike (VE3MKX) captured a plethora of photos at Hamvention—both in the flea market and the indoor exhibit areas—and has generously shared them with us here. […]
A Strong Case for the (tr)uSDX: Jamie’s Perspective
Readers, there’s a bit of a backstory to this guest post by my friend Jamie (AA4K). During the W4SOTA campout in October 2023, Jamie showed me his favorite field radio: the (tr)uSDX. I’ve used the (tr)uSDX for a couple of activations, but I’ll be honest—I haven’t exactly shown it a lot of love. I’ve even […]
New MTR-3B V4 Manual Now Available on LNR Precision Website
If you own the popular MTR-3B V4 transceiver, you’ll be pleased to hear that a new and greatly improved manual is now available on the LNR Precision website. If you’ve recently picked up an MTR-3B V4—or if you’ve had one for a while and want clearer documentation—I highly recommend grabbing this updated guide. Click here […]
Parting Waves: My Last Activation with the Venus SW-3B
On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, I made a little time in my afternoon schedule to take my Venus SW-3B on a final POTA activation. I might have mentioned in previous posts (and certainly on the Ham Radio Workbench) that starting in April, I’ve been trying to downsize the shack a bit. This is a process […]
Youth Ham Radio Insights: What It’s Like Being Part of a Contesting Team at the K3LR Superstation
In March 2025, I had the opportunity to join the K3LR team for the CQ WPX SSB Contest. It was truly a phenomenal experience. While I primarily operated on 80 meters, I had a few runs on 10, 15, 20 and 40 meters as well when the main operators for those bands took a break […]
DX Engineering Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary: Building a Family of Brands Part 2—Butternut Antenna
In our yearlong celebration of DX Engineering’s 25 years of service to the amateur radio community, OnAllBands has been highlighting significant moments in DXE’s journey to becoming a leading provider of everything for amateur radio since becoming part of Summit Racing Equipment in 2000. Along that journey, DX Engineering has acquired popular amateur radio brands […]
Build a Linked End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna with Bluetooth-Remote Band Switching!
A Remote Control Antenna Link by Dave (KO4YLZ) Like so many other SOTA activators, I’m constantly tweaking my gear to optimize it for all the variables we encounter in the mountains. One of my main antennas is, of course, an EFHW. Paired with my KX2, I generally get sub-1.6:1 SWR on 40, 20, 15, and […]