Discussion

If you’re curious about the new Yaesu FTX-1 field radio and how it compares to the Icom IC-705, Scott (KK4Z) has been doing a deep-dive series over on his blog. So far, he’s taken a look at form factor, connectivity, and power requirements, but he will add more. You can check out all of Scott’s … Read more

Many thanks to Steve (KV4AN), who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit, which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page.  If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post. KV4AN’s MTR3B-V4 Field Kit by Steve (KV4AN) The convergence of Solar Cycle 25, lots … Read more

If you own the Xiegu X6200, there’s a new add-on that might interest you: the Xiegu WR12 Wideband Receiver Module. For $69.99, it adds continuous receive coverage from 54 MHz to 1 GHz, giving you access to HF, VHF, and UHF signals—including ham bands, shortwave broadcasts, and potentially aviation and marine comms. It’s designed specifically … Read more

If you’ve been following my field reports for any length of time, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of activating in wooded, remote, and sometimes… bug-infested places. But one thing I never take lightly is protecting myself—and my family (including Hazel!)—from ticks, mosquitoes, and other biting bugs that can really ruin an outing or worse. … Read more

This field report picks up where we left off after my last post earlier this week at Lake Alma State Park (May 14, 2025). Eric and I planned to hit two parks en route to Dayton, Ohio. Lake Alma was a successful park number one. The next park we planned to activate—another new-to-me park—was Great … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

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. … Read more

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 … Read more