By Teri KO4WFP I love living in the state of Georgia. The state contains diverse natural spaces – mountains and valleys in the north, rolling hills and forests in the middle, and a plain extending to the coast with wetlands, marshes, and forests. The Georgia State Parks on the Air event celebrates and draws attention […]
Ham Radio Tech: Linear Loading—Long Wire in a Short Space
For some amateur radio operators, putting up a full-length HF dipole is not always feasible. With today’s postage-stamp-sized lots, some hams can only dream of installing a dipole for 80 meters—or even 40 meters. The most common solution has been to add loading coils to reduce length. The Alpha Delta DX-DD, for instance, offers 40/80m […]
Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air Field Report: Part 2
As promised, here’s Part 2 of my extended HRWBOTA activation report from March 16, 2025! As I mentioned in Part 1 of this activation, I’d planned to operate for the full four-hour window of the March 16th Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air (HRWBOTA) event—a rare luxury for me. Most of my field activations typically […]
New Antenna: Elecraft announces the AX3 compact vertical antenna
Check out the following announcement posted to the QRP-L discussion group by Wayne (N6KR) at Elecraft: We’re pleased to announce the AX3 whip antenna. This highly integrated antenna covers six HF bands, handles up to 30 W, and has many features to facilitate quick-deployment POTA/SOTA and general QRP field operation: Coverage of 30/20/17/15/12/10 meters (+ […]
Celebrate 100 Years of the Organization that Helped Save Amateur Radio
In the early 1920s, it was discovered that the shortwave spectrum could be used to support worldwide propagation through ionospheric reflection. It was great for a plethora of applications like international broadcasting, emergency communications, and more. However, despite hams being some of the first to discover this phenomena, amateur radio was actually at risk of […]
Magnetic Declination Matters: Tips from W7UDT
Azimuth Maps & Magnetic Declination Corrections in the Field. by Randall Tom (W7UDT) According to the USGS website (which is wrong!), in the United States, the current magnetic declination can be found below. Here’s the USGS link: https://www.outdoors.org/resources/amc-outdoors/outdoor-resources/what-is-declination/ Did you know that magnetic north changes over time? And with that, magnetic declination changes over time! […]
Common Issues Youth Face in Amateur Radio
Overall, the amateur radio community is an incredibly welcoming and supportive environment. However, there are still a few struggles that plague many of the hobby’s young enthusiasts, particularly when they are first licensed. First and foremost, it can be hard to know what steps to take after getting licensed. When I first passed my Technician […]
Futureproofing the KX1: My Spare Parts List
If you’ve been a reader of QRPer.com or a subscriber to my YouTube channel, you’ve no doubt figured out that I’m a huge fan of the Elecraft KX1 transceiver. The KX1 was my first handheld CW field transceiver and, frankly, it still holds its own today as an effective and fun field radio. With up […]
South Carolina QRP Club’s 2025 QRPFEST on May 10, 2025
Many thanks to Bill (W4FSV) who shares the following announcement from the South Carolina QRP Club: South Carolina QRP Club 2025 QRPFEST This year’s theme: “Hams Just Want To Have Fun” Saturday, May 10th, 2025, 09:30 am until 02:30 pm, at the Heyward Park on Savvany Hunt Club Rd in Sandy Run Calhoun County. (Just […]
Ham Radio History: Code Warrior—the Telegraph Key that Made Waves
DX Engineering Customer/Technical Support Specialist Wayne Smith, K8FF, Recounts the Invention of This Beloved, Breakthrough Iambic Paddle The story of the Code Warrior telegraph key began in 1997 at the Dayton Hamvention®, one of the largest gatherings of amateur radio enthusiasts in the world. While chatting with a friend from California, I was presented with […]