by Steve (KV4AN) This article will not describe a thrilling outdoor adventure or contain beautiful pictures from a spectacular park or summit. It will provide you with a framework for documenting your station configuration so you can spend more time enjoying operating your station rather than troubleshooting a problem while sitting on a rock someplace. I developed this method after spending two weeks trying to figure out how to get a Yaesu FTdx3000 to work on digital modes.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, my wife and I dropped off our daughter at college after spending a long Labor Day weekend with her and her sister. On our way back to Raleigh, we decided to stop for lunch in the historic town of Hillsborough, North Carolina. In all the years I've traveled along the I-40 corridor through this part of North Carolina, I don't remember ever stopping to spend time in downtown Hillsborough, even though numerous people have told me what a beautiful town it is.

by Thomas (K4SWL) Several people have asked me lately what it's going to be like as we move out of Solar Cycle 25 and eventually into the quieter years between solar cycles. I understand the question and why so many ask. There're a lot of new amateur radio operators who came into the hobby during the pandemic. Many of them discovered amateur radio through things like Parks on the Air (POTA), Summits on the Air (SOTA), portable operating, and DXing.

by Mark (KB2PIZ) 0 for 3 activations: super fun, and amazing lessons learned in trying to activate North Lake State Fishing Lake, Dash Point Park, and Ecola State Park in the Pacific Northwest. At the end of the workday on 27 September, I had two or three hours of free time before dinner. North Lake State Fishing Lake (US-13446) was 20 minutes away from the job site, and I was ready for the activation with my Elecraft KH1 and a 20-meter Packtenna Antenna.

by Thomas (K4SWL) I get a surprising number of messages from readers asking which side rails I recommend to protect the Elecraft KX2. After receiving another message this morning, I thought it was time to write a dedicated post I could point people to in the future. There’s a wee nuance here, because my preferred combination has changed over time. Both of the side rail options I’ve used have served me well, but the front cover—and, more recently, my USB-C charging board—have influenced what I use today.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, September 7, 2026—Labor Day—I got up early and headed out to William B. Umstead State Park (US-2755). We had been in Raleigh for the weekend, and I knew the temperatures were expected to climb later in the day, so I wanted to get an activation in while it was still relatively cool. I was especially excited about this one because I was finally taking a radio into the field that I'd been eager to use ever since returning to the United States from the UK.

Many thanks to Jonathan (KM4CFT), who shares the following update: Hi all, KM4CFT Here! It's been a minute, and I have a few new things happening, and I thought I should share them with everyone! I have been working hard at the KM4CFT QTH to get everything ready, so I have a new product, an update to an existing product, and an upcoming product.

As always, there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things! by Vince (VE6LK) This is day three in a mini-series of me pursuing goals. With apologies, but the articles will post out of order because I'm not orderly like our dear K4SWL in my writing. Onwards with the story... It's the second-to-last day that…

by Steven Krumm (KV4AN) Tims Ford State Park (US-2980) is a Tennessee State Park between Lynchburg and Winchester in south-central Tennessee. The 3,546-acre park is located on Tims Ford Reservoir and is regarded as one of the top bass fishing and recreational lakes in the Southeast. The park offers boating, fishing, picnic areas, camping and cabins, hiking trails, birding, and golfing.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On the morning of Sunday, September 6, 2026, I was in Raleigh, and our family, of course, had a day planned on this Labor Day weekend. But I wanted to spend a little time on the radio, as well, and head out early so that it was a little cooler than it would be later in the day.

by Mark (KB2PIZ) Each September, I head to Auburn, Washington. This year I brought my Lab 599 TX500, an Elecraft T1 tuner, the Chameleon LEFS 40, and a Bienno 72Whr 12-volt battery. After the morning presentations, I had a couple of hours before the afternoon and evening events. Saltwater State Park was 15 minutes away, and I was ready for an activation.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, August 22, 2026, I found myself waking up in California, preparing to do something I'd been looking forward to for quite some time: a West Coast SOTA activation with friends. This one turned out to be one of the most memorable days I've ever spent on the air. How I Ended Up in California So, what took me out of North Carolina and put me in California?

by Josh (VE3YTX) As a new Ham, I’ve been exploring the different pockets of our hobby. Recently, I caught the CW bug and, after forcing myself to get past my key fright, I started doing POTA. Let's just say once I got on the air, I was hooked. I’ve been out about a dozen times this month, and I’ve been loving it.

As always, there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things! by Vince (VE6LK) This is day one in a mini-series of three days of chasing personal goals. The other two articles have already been released here on QRPer and were purposely written out of sequence. Links to each article in this series can be found below.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Thursday, September 3, 2026, I left my house pretty early for a one-and-a-half-hour drive to spend the day with my father. We had appointments to attend and also planned to enjoy the new Hickory Aviation Museum in Hickory, North Carolina. My dad and I are both aviation buffs, and his local museum received a major upgrade earlier this year—in May, they moved into a new, very large, beautiful facility where they can now house their collection indoors.

As always, there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things! by Vince (VE6LK) Yes. Even if said contact is only 2.5 km away? Yes, yes it does. But what about QRP? Yes, dear reader, all activity was performed at 5 watts or less. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. As Thomas would say, stick with me here to get to the point.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, August 15th, 2026, I had a full day ahead with family—most notably, moving a daughter into her Raleigh apartment—so I woke early to fit in a park activation before the chaos began! The previous morning, I'd planned to use my Xiegu X6200 but discovered the battery hadn't charged properly after a firmware update–not the radio's fault, but my own for not checking the PD power supply I was using.

by Thomas (K4SWL) I often talk to people who are getting into POTA and SOTA, and they'll sometimes tell me that I must never have trouble getting contacts because of my callsign. They assume that, with all of the people who have me in their HamAlerts, I'll always have plenty of stations calling me regardless of propagation or conditions. That's simply not true.

Many thanks to many of you who reached out to tell me that Doug Hendricks (KI6DS) passed away early yesterday morning. I knew Doug for nearly two decades, and he had an absolute passion for QRP and for making the world of amateur radio affordable and educational through kits. Over the years, I've purchased so many kits from Hendricks QRP Kits and other ventures he's been behind.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Friday, August 14th, 2026, I was in Raleigh, North Carolina with my family, preparing both of my daughters for the beginning of their fall term at university. We arrived a day early, knowing one daughter had to move into her apartment the following day, and then a few days later, we'd be moving the other into her dormitory.

by Ken (WR7D) I previously wrote an article about a trip to Hungary with my daughter, who was working on a Ph.D. at Montana State University. She graduated this past summer and got a Postdoc job in Henderson, NV. That meant we would be helping her move down there and, of course, that meant POTA opportunities. I was hoping to get activations in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.

by Thomas (K4SWL) Over the years of doing amateur radio in general—and field radio in particular—I've talked a lot about compromise. By that, I mean operating in ways that aren't textbook, that aren't the benchmark. And I've come to believe that compromise gets a bad rap. In fact, I'd argue that compromise is one of the most underrated skills in our hobby.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Sunday, July 12, 2026, I woke up knowing exactly the type of POTA activation I wanted to do that day. We were nearing the end of our time in the Berwick-upon-Tweed area and would soon be heading south to Surrey and then Cornwall before eventually returning to Edinburgh and flying home at the very end of July.

by Josh Stringer (VE3YTX) So, a few weeks ago I sent in an article to QRPer.com about my harrowing first few POTA activations in CW. One thing that I didn’t mention is that once I got home, I sent an email to each of the people I contacted, thanking them for their patience. That got me thinking. Being new to the hobby, I had heard about QSL cards before, but I’ve never sent, designed, or received one.

Every now and then, a few items cross my desk that are simply worth passing along. QRPer Notes is a short collection of those tidbits — interesting stories, tips, and links making waves in the world of radio! -Thomas (K4SWL) Lighthouse, beaches, and 63 parks: Activate All RI hits the airwaves this weekend Many thanks to Rob (N1RWJ), who notes that this weekend, September 11–13, 2026, Rhode Island ham radio operators are aiming for something ambitious: putting every one of the Ocean State's 61 POTA parks on the air during a single weekend event.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Saturday, July 18, 2026, my friend Nick (M5NCW), his sweet dog Pepper, and I jumped in the car and made our way from Guildford, Surrey, to a SOTA site I had been eager to visit: Leith Hill (G/SE-002). The reason I loved the idea of activating Leith Hill is that, when my wife and I lived in the UK, we lived only a few miles away as the crow flies.

by Chris (N8PEM) At Hamvention this year, I ran into Rich, KE4WLE, and got a close look at some of his 3D-printed work — including the Zippy paddles he'd brought along. The build quality was impressive, but the coolest part is how customizable they are. My own 3D printer can't lay in different colored text the way Rich's can, so I asked if he'd build me one: my call sign on top, and the KD8EEJ club name — “BANG!” — on the side.

Many thanks to Bharath M. Palavalli (VU3GLJ), who shares the following post, originally published on his website: Yet another accidental POTA by Bharath (VU3GLJ) Bananthimari Forest "ಬಾಣಂತಿ" (Bananthi) translates to a mother of a newborn, and "ಮಾರಿ" (Maari) refers to the local deity/goddess called "Maariamma". While this could refer to a practice of praying to the deity/spirit/goddess for a plentiful harvest and good weather, locals often speak about the shrine on the hills as a place for worship for those who wish to have children.

by Sam (WN5C) Like probably most of us, I’ve been seduced by the idea of the short base-loaded vertical and finding a workable compromise between ease of use (setup time/footprint/kit weight) and effectiveness. I often like to make short field activations, but I’ve been wondering: if an antenna is quick to deploy but your signal is harder to hear, did you really save any time?

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Friday, July 10, 2026, I woke up fairly early, had breakfast, and packed my Savotta backpack with my Elecraft KH1 and a few extras, keeping things deliberately lightweight. I'd been having some problems with a pinched nerve in my neck lately, and I didn't want to make it worse with a heavier-than-needed pack. I hopped in the car and drove toward the town of Duns to pick up my buddy Alan (MM0VPM).

by Josh Stringer (VE3YTX) I’m a relatively new ham (three years) and have been hammering away at learning CW. I can handle hunting POTA activators, but even then, if they venture off the basic exchange, I’m lost. One of the things I’ve noticed on YouTube and other resources is that even the self-described “CW beginners” are still very good. They seem to copy callsigns on the first try and rarely mess up a letter.

by Thomas (K4SWL) I'm fortunate that, most of the time, when I do Summits On The Air, Parks On The Air, or even Field Day operations, I can choose conditions that are favorable. Sunny days, decent weather, or—if the forecast looks dodgy—a picnic shelter under which to operate. But sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. While I was in the UK this summer, there were two occasions when I operated in the field: one in proper rain, and one with light rain.

Many thanks to Pete (K6TRK), who shares the following field report, originally published on his blog. by Pete (K6TRK) Our summer is already winding down. A new school year is about a week away and my morning routine will suddenly evolve. Today, we did a practice run. My son had high school freshman orientation at 8:30, but I don’t start work until 9:30.

by Chris (KI6CR) What a beautiful week for radio in the Alps! My family and I were taking one last summer trip before the kids headed back to school. We ended up basing ourselves in Interlaken for a week of exploring. I managed to sneak away for two SOTA activations along the way, and both turned into their own little adventures.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, my family visited one of our favorite places in Northumberland: Alnwick. If you've never heard of Alnwick, it's a beautiful town where one of my daughters spent much of May before our family UK trip, living in rooms within the castle walls and getting to know the area quite well. This marked our second visit to Alnwick, and what started as a spur-of-the-moment detour from our cottage in Scotland turned into a pleasant afternoon.

by Chris (KI6CR) What a beautiful week for radio in the Alps! My family and I were taking one last summer trip before the kids headed back to school. Ever since our planned summer 2020 trip to Switzerland was canceled due to the pandemic, my wife Debbie and I had been dying to reschedule. We ended up basing ourselves in Interlaken for a week of exploring, and since our daughters are 7 and 5, we mostly stuck to family-friendly activities.

by Nils (DF7CW) Greetings to the whole QRPer community — and especially to you, Thomas! My name is Nils, DF7CW, and this is the story of an arctic POTA expedition along the Kungsleden trail in northern Sweden: five activations, eight parks, one dramatic mast crisis, and more rain than I care to admit. I've always been a hiking addict, and it seemed only natural to combine that with my other addiction: CW and QRP.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Monday, July 6, 2026, I left our cottage that morning and drove to John Muir Country Park (GB-0822) near Dunbar, in eastern Scotland. I had prearranged with my friend Gavin (GM0WDD), to meet up with him and do an activation. Gavin had been such a great host in Scotland. He helped our family out right after we arrived at the airport, including dropping us off at the rental car place, and I kept in touch with him throughout our time in Scotland.

by Mark (KB2PIZ) After finishing a relaxing weekend in Newport, RI, my wife wanted to have lunch at Brenton Point State Park (US-2870) before we headed back to NYC. I had not planned on an activation attempt, but I could not say no!! I had no expectations of having a “successful” activation, but I was not going to waste the chance to try!

by Thomas (K4SWL) This past weekend, I had the amazing honor of being invited to the Los Angeles area to participate in a recording of Sofas on the Air, the podcast/vlogcast hosted by Ara (N6ARA) and Mark (KD7DTS). Ara is a dear friend, so from the moment he and Mark released their first Sofas on the Air episode, I subscribed.

by Scott (VA3EKR) As part of a work trip to Portland, Oregon, I also wanted to do a POTA with Jenna, K4JEH, and her fiancé, Gunner, KK7DEU. Jenna does a lot of advanced CW classes at LICW, and they are a total blast! She is a remarkable instructor and a very talented CW operator! Jenna and Gunner also have a YouTube channel for QRQ, …

by Tom (N2XTO) My POTA activities have been infrequent in recent months — because of work and family demands, and flagging enthusiasm for the well-visited local sites. But camping has provided the ideal opportunity for unhurried radio play, often fireside, with all the comforts of camp. So when my family vacationed in Cape Cod in August 2026, you can be sure I came radio-prepared.

Many thanks to Jonathan (KM4CFT) who shares the following announcement: Hi everyone, KM4CFT here! Two years ago, I brought the now well-known CFT1 into the world. It had been a passion project of mine meant to honor the legacy of my late grandfather, who inspired me to pursue electrical engineering. I thought this would be something that a few enthusiasts would like.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Thursday, July 2, 2026, my family and I set off on an overnight trip that we'd been looking forward to for quite some time. One of my daughters, in particular, wanted to see at least a little bit of the Highlands while we were in Scotland. We were based in the southeastern corner of Scotland, and absolutely loving the scenery and the vibe there, but we were always up for an overnight trip.

by Thomas (K4SWL) On Wednesday, July 1, 2026, I woke up pretty early to fit in an activation along the River Tweed estuary, an activation that I documented in my field report earlier this week. That afternoon, though, our family had other plans. Since we first moved into our cottage in Foulden, Scotland, almost everyone we met in the area, after learning that we like to hike, told us about one spot in particular: …

by Mark (KB2PIZ) On August 5, 2026, I had about 3 hours in the morning before I had to go to work. The weather was 75 degrees, sunny and a beautiful day. After the previous day's grind trying to make a successful activation, I wanted to get an early start. I quickly ate two pieces of the previous night's pizza, hit the road early, and was at Bellefontaine State Conservation Area (US-11329) before 9:00.

by Thomas (K4SWL) I woke up relatively early on the morning of Wednesday, July 1, 2026, with a mission on the mind. After surfacing, I made a coffee and sat down with Gaia GPS and Google Maps. I was eager to do an activation somewhere along the River Tweed estuary, close to the cottage near Foulden, Scotland, but finding a good place to do it wasn't easy.

by Conrad Trautmann (N2YCH) I have a QRP story for you about mesh transceivers using 1 watt or less in the 33-centimeter band. That’s a UHF frequency of 900 MHz, from 902 to 928 MHz. It’s the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band and is also able to be used by amateurs as a secondary service. The story begins with a technology called Meshtastic.

by Tim (W8TMI) When it comes to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I am what you might call a frequent flyer. Though my method of entry is usually the Mackinac Bridge (pronounced Mackinaw). This time our final destination was a bit further than Michigan’s borders; our endpoint was Knife River, Minnesota, with a stop on the way in Munising, Michigan. This was first and foremost a family trip.

by Thomas (K4SWL) This is a little different from my usual videos: I made a basic Elecraft KX2 setup and orientation video. It's a 22-minute, no-frills introduction to the KX2 covering some of the most basic things a new owner might want to know when getting started, including the user interface, basic functions, direct frequency entry and tuning, filters, the built-in ATU, noise blanker and noise reduction, microphone setup, CW setup, and voice/CW memories.