My poor ten month old daughter is home under the weather today. It’s nothing too serious but I knew her teachers would send her home and a day with the baby is still a good day even if she’s feeling a bit puny. While she was napping after lunch, I managed to work eleven POTA […]
A portable SWR meter can save us from the extra weight and bulk of an antenna analyzer and the heartbreak of blown finals.
Ottawa State Fishing Lake, or as it is known to everyone around here, Lake Bennington, is a nice green wooded spot among miles and miles of wheat, sorghum, corn, and cattle. From time to time, I like to drive out here just for the woods that remind me of home. And there’s free primitive camping, […]
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 […]
Well, I haven’t been on the air at all in the past six months. My family moved from Arkansas to Kansas back in May. Between moving, house renovations, and my wife and I starting new jobs, there hasn’t been much time for hobbies. When things started to calm down a bit, I looked into getting […]
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 […]
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 […]
Dardanelle has always been the most happening place in Yell County. If you’ve read or seen True Grit, you’ll know a little about this particular locale. In days past, Dardanelle Rock was about as far up the river that steamboat traffic could travel. The rock outcropping gives some indication why; just below the water’s surface […]
It’s becoming a new pastime of mine to break up long trips by getting out of the car and finding a park to activate along the way. A quick search revealed that Ripgut Prairie Natural Area wasn’t too far off the beaten path of I-49. At the end of some two miles of gravel, you’ll […]
Two weekends ago, my wife and I went up to Kansas to visit her family and see our new niece. Since she is only days old, it doesn’t take much to tire her out. While my wife was spending time with her sisters and sleeping niece, I took the opportunity to go activate a park. […]
Amateur Radio Station WB0ISG 