13 Colonies Special Event

13 Colonies Special Event

One ham radio activity that I enjoy is chasing special events. Special events are when a station goes on the air to celebrate a historical or public event. You may find them on the air for a festival, commemorating some thing or some one, or even marking a moment in...
On the road to Hamvention 2025

On the road to Hamvention 2025

We put on a lot of miles getting to Hamvention and back. Over 1,500 to be exact. While that’s certainly not the longest distance anyone has traveled to the world’s largest ham radio gathering, it does offer plenty of road tripping opportunities. This...
500 Parks on the Air Activations!

500 Parks on the Air Activations!

In the little over five years that I have been active with the Parks on the Air program, I’ve just accomplished my 500th POTA activation (502 to be exact). There are many that have more activations under their belt. Program wide, I am in about 280th place of the...
The Amazing Magnetic Loop Antenna

The Amazing Magnetic Loop Antenna

Magnetic Loop antennas get a bit of a bad rap. Nay-sayers will frequently latch on their shortcomings: low power capability, tight bandwidth, dropping efficiency. Personally, I think they are just misunderstood. Magnetic Loops have a small footprint, excellent size to...
Why you need this budget SWR meter

Why you need this budget SWR meter

A couple of months ago I purchased the Surecom SW-28HF power and SWR meter. I needed a small and inexpensive meter to test the power output of my tiny (tr)USDX transceiver. I wasn’t expecting much, but this little thing totally exceeded my expectations. You can...