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Equipment Operate Outside POTA SOTA

A Basic Portable Radio Station for SOTA and POTA Part Two: Batteries

In Part One, I wrote about the interaction between portability and capability with a focus on the radio transceiver itself. This time around, I would like to discuss how to pair a battery to your chosen radio. Again, portability and capability are paramount. Batteries are among the heaviest and bulkiest elements of any portable radio […]

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Gear Operate Outside POTA SOTA

A Basic Portable Radio Station for SOTA and POTA Part One: Portability and Capability

All amateur radio stations have the same five basic elements: a transceiver, an antenna, a power supply, a transmitting interface like a key or microphone, and a reception interface like headphones or a speaker. And of course, cables which connect all the aforementioned elements to the radio. There you have it! A complete amateur radio […]

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Bikepacking Operate Outside SOTA

Bikepacking to Callahan Knob, W5A/PT-009

A long overdue post. This activation took place on 11 April 2021. Spring is in full swing in Arkansas. The mountains are clothed in their green and gold. Best yet, the nights are still cold. I hadn’t been camping since September and this particular weekend in April was going to be one of the few […]

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Backpacking Operate Outside SOTA

Bushwhack up Potato Hill Mountain: W5A/PT-005

The allure of an unactivated 8 pointer is hard to resist for long. Luckily, I had a four-day weekend during the Thanksgiving holiday so I set my sights on a long dreamed of summit. Potato Hill Mountain is a one-hour drive from my house and I arrived at the end of the forest service road […]

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SOTA

First SOTA 10 pointer: Poteau Mountain W5A/PT-001

After building up my new antenna, the QRPGuys Portable Multi Band End Fed Half Wave Antenna, I was hankering for an excuse to go try it out. After some plans fell through, I decided that today was the day for this antenna’s maiden voyage. Poteau Mountain is only an hour from my house and required […]

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Operate Outside SOTA

Mt. Nebo, W5A/MA-004

When you have a doctor’s appointment that will take all day, you might as well pack the radio in order to take advantage of a summit that’s on the way home. As it turns out, this particular summit was the first SOTA activation that I have ever done. It shows. Let’s just say that activating […]