Out To The Woods The Parks On The Air Support Your Parks weekends are always a great excuse to get out and operate at a park. I really feel that events like this force the issue with enough enjoyers of the hobby and really are valuable items on the calendar. I mean, if once a…
My Contest I’m not a contester. In fact, I only do two contests each year and they have something in common. I do the Freeze Your Acorns Off QRP Contest in February and the Ohio State Parks On The Air Contest in September. Both are sponsored by my local club, PCARS. FYAO is fun because…
Endless Variation It’s pretty clear that POTA is my thing when it comes to this hobby and that my real goal is to get outside and play radio whenever I’m able. Usually, this is a solo run to the park or maybe with my wife if we’re out cycling. Aside from a couple of ourtings…
A New State (Commonwealth) I was first licensed as KC3JXQ and the 3 gives it away. I lived in Pennsylvania, but that was before I got into POTA and started getting out and activating. It didn’t become a thing for me until 2020 when my family and I moved to Ohio. So it was that…
Intro For the past few years, our family has gone to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a week of camping and relaxing in some of the most beautiful places along Lake Superior. I’m a Great Lakes kind of guy and my wife caught the fever when we moved to NE Ohio. Our travels have…
A Nice Ride This week both the terrestrial and solar weather were in agreement that I could bike out to Cuyahoga Valley National Park – US-0020 for an activation. I’ve been keeping my cycling closer to home due to rain and whatnot, but with sunny skies and an ionosphere that wasn’t really unhappy with us,…
Yes, I’m Still A Ham It’s been quiet around the blog, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been out and playing radio. With the weather turning into real spring and temperatures that are above the 40dF mark, I’ve been spending a lot more time outside on the bike and a lot less time in…
QRP Fun with PCARS Every year, the Portage County Amateur Radio Service – aka PCARS – hosts a QRP contest at Fred Fuller Park in Kent, Ohio. This tradition goes back many years and it’s always a good time. Modes come and go and the rules shift a little, but mostly it’s an attempt to…
The First Activation of 2025: Solitude It was absolutely silent and completely deserted at West Branch SP – K-1999 on 19-Jan. It was Sunday morning at about 10:00 local time and the temperature was sitting at about 20dF. There was a steady 6mph wind and it was a safe bet that no one would be…
Circumstances It’s mid-November and that happens to coincide with my birthday. In my semi-retired state, I have most days to myself after the kids are off to school. Sure, I have chores to do and things to address, but there’s always a little time for radio. On my birthday? On a day with no snow,…