This episode contains my first conversation in a new series called POTA Hunters, where I sit down with the voices I hear in nearly every activation to get to know the people behind those familiar call signs.

Today, we meet AL7KC Mike Sambuco.

When I first got into Parks on the Air (POTA), I quickly noticed the awards page, especially the one for hunting all U.S. states. Because I was doing frequent activations and hunting park-to-park contacts, those boxes began filling in pretty fast. But one of the hardest to get, right up there with Hawaii, was Alaska.

Then one day, I heard Mike Sambuco (AL7KC) activating a park in Alaska. I can still remember how excited I was when I realized he could hear me and the QSO was confirmed.

Ever since that first contact, Mike has hunted me down in countless activations. I’ll never forget the time he followed me across five different bands during one outing. Even today, I’m always listening for his call sign to break through the pileup , though the band conditions between Kentucky and Alaska don’t always make it easy. Still, every time I hear “AL7KC” come through, it’s a thrill.

Mike’s profile on the POTA site speaks volumes:

In this conversation, you’ll hear how Mike first got interested in radio back in the early 1970s, starting with simple walkie-talkies on CB Channel 14. From there, his curiosity grew into a lifelong passion that has taken him from Ohio to Korea, and eventually to Alaska, where he’s been operating since 1988 under his current call sign, AL7KC.

Mike’s story is full of history, humility, and heart, the kind of story that reminds us why we all fell in love with radio in the first place.

My Ambitious POTA Goal: Activate 25 Parks in Two Days (THIS WEEKEND!)

Since earning my General License in September 2024, I’ve completely fallen in love with Parks On The Air (POTA).

One of the goals I set for myself early on was to activate every park in my home state of Kentucky, which has 183 recognized eligible POTA parks.

To track my progress, I exported the full Kentucky park database and created a custom Google My Maps visualization that updates as I go. You can view the live version of my map here:

👉 https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1VYmkWvF20huEIWebIo5fn7g8pJleOJQ&usp=sharing

Red pins = Parks I’ve already activated

Blue pins = Parks I still have left to activate

Yellow pins = The parks I’m planning to activate this weekend

Purple pins = Two bonus parks just across the border in West Virginia

Over the past year, I’ve already activated 33 of Kentucky’s 183 parks. This hobby has taken me to so many beautiful and historic places that I may never have visited otherwise. It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my amateur radio journey so far.

This weekend, Saturday, October 25th, and Sunday, October 26th, I’m attempting something ambitious:

Activate 26 parks in two days.

To accomplish this, I’ve mapped the entire route, calculated travel times between each location, and planned for roughly 20 minutes per successful activation before moving on to the next park.

👉 CLICK HERE TO SEE MY SPREADSHEET

I’ll be operating with my Yaesu FT-891 at 100 watts, paired with my ATAS-120a mobile HF antenna mounted on the car. My plan is to log at least 15 QSOs per park before packing up and heading to the next one.

If you’d like to follow along or help make this happen, add my call sign KQ4UUR to your HamAlert so you’ll know when I’m spotted in a new park. Quick contacts will help me reach all 25 parks before the weekend is over.

Now for the part I’m most excited about…

Up to this point, my POTA travels have been a solo adventure. But this time, my wife Stephanie and our dog Leo are joining me! We’ll be “road tripping” through scenic parts of Kentucky right as the autumn colors start to show and staying overnight in West Virginia on Saturday.

Stephanie has always been incredibly supportive of my amateur radio hobby, even though she’s never been personally interested in operating. But the idea of a fall road trip together (with Leo, of course) turned this challenge into what will be a fun and memorable shared adventure.

And who knows, you might even hear Stephanie on the air! I told her that if I get stuck making contacts, a female voice calling CQ would almost certainly help. Since I’ll be right there with her at the radio, she can legally operate as a third-party operator using my call sign KQ4UUR. So if you hear her calling “CQ Parks On The Air,” be sure to say hello!

If you notice us spotted in a park and then gone ten minutes later, just know it means we hit our 15 QSOs and had to move on quickly to stay on schedule.

I’d love your help in making this marathon activation weekend a success. Please share this with anyone who might enjoy following along or making contact with us.

See you on the air!

Cliff (KQ4UUR)

In this short episode, I’m bringing you behind the scenes and sharing two ideas that have been on my mind for Cliff’s Notes on Amateur Radio. I’m genuinely looking for your feedback to decide which of these ideas (maybe both!) I should move forward with.

The first idea is something I’m calling “POTA Hunters.”

As you probably know, I’ve been incredibly active with Parks on the Air (POTA). Over time, I’ve noticed that I regularly hear from the same voices, fellow operators who “hunt” me nearly every time I activate a park. Some of them have contacted me dozens of times. For instance, I’ve had 94 contacts with Jack Prindle (AB4WS) and 68 with Tom Francis (NV4H). I can recognize many of these voices instantly, and I’d love to learn more about the people behind the call signs.

So here’s the concept: I’d invite these frequent POTA hunters, folks who have worked me 20 times or more, to join me for short, conversational interviews. We’d talk about their amateur radio journey, how they got into the hobby, what they enjoy most about POTA, and maybe even their favorite activation stories or mishaps along the way.

If you’re an activator, you’ve probably worked some of these same people too, so I think this could be a really fun way for all of us to get to know the voices we hear so often on the air.

The second idea is an educational one: revisiting the Technician and General license material that I studied when I first got licensed.

When I first earned my licenses, I scored 100% on both exams. At the time, I memorized the answer to every question in the entire question pool for both the Technician and General exams. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean I understood every concept at the time. It’s been over a year since then, and I’ve been wondering: how much of that knowledge has really stuck?

I thought it might be interesting to go back through the entire question pool, section by section, right here on the podcast. I’d read each question aloud, share what I think the answer is, and then talk through whether that information has actually been useful or relevant in real-world operating. Basically, I’d be learning , or re-learning, out loud with you. Only this time, there’s no anxiety about making sure that I get the answer right on an upcoming test.

Both of these ideas could add something special to this show, but I don’t want to move forward without hearing from you first.

Would you be more interested in the “POTA Hunters” interviews, the “Re-Taking the Test” series, or both?

Send me your thoughts!

👉 Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

Your feedback will directly shape the direction of this podcast.

Until next time, 73!

This episode was inspired by a QSO with Ron Rowe, W2ELS. If you’d like to hear another episode of this podcast, there’s only one way to make it happen: hunt me down in the park, mention the show, and request a new one!

In this session, I share highlights from my recent Parks on the Air adventures and a few lessons learned along the way:

With all that in place, my Portable Go Bag is finally complete and tested! It now includes:

In this episode, I sit down with no script, just a heart full of gratitude for this hobby that has become such a meaningful part of my life. It’s been about six weeks since the last episode, and a lot has happened since then. Here’s what I cover:

The QSO That Sparked This Episode

A parks-on-the-air activation at my favorite spot, Decker Wildlife Management Area, led to a surprise moment: someone on the other end of the mic told me they listen to this podcast and love it. That simple comment was enough to inspire me to hit record today.

Call Signs, Vanity Temptations, and Community Feedback

I reflect on my call sign, KQ4UUR, and the encouragement I’ve received to keep it, even as I admit the temptation for a shorter call sign if (or when) I get my Extra license. I share why this one has grown on me and the history behind almost changing it.

Local Repeaters and the People Who Make Them Special

I talk about the 146.790 and 145.370 repeaters in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati, the voices I hear there, and the friendships forming through countless conversations. I also share why I avoid certain ham-radio lingo like “rag chew” and “ham” itself, and why “amateur radio operator” resonates more with me.

Hamfests, GMRS, and Clearing the Air

I share a meaningful conversation with the president of the Southwest Ohio GMRS Association at the Cincinnati Hamfest, clearing up some early misunderstandings from my first days in radio and reflecting on how GMRS actually led me to amateur radio in the first place.

Club Leadership Invitations and Boundaries

I was recently invited to be on the ballot for Vice President of the Northern Kentucky Amateur Radio Club. I explain why I declined. Not out of disinterest, but because of how I structure my days, my early mornings, and my commitment to staying in alignment with my personal priorities.

Late-Night Activations and Parks on the Air Goals

Despite my early bedtime, I found myself doing several activations that stretched well past my preferred bedtime. I talk about the challenge, the fun of chasing QSO counts, and how close I’m getting to taken over a second section of of the leaderboard for my favorite park.

Starlink Mini and the Perfect POTA Setup

I share how my Starlink Mini, with its new $5/month standby plan, has become essential gear for parks without cell service, making navigation and logging possible even in remote areas.

Spurious Emissions and Radio Experiments

I discuss a fascinating club presentation on spurious emissions, what I learned about unlocking radios, and why I’m now more cautious before transmitting on non-certified bands.

Antennas, Gear, and Favorite Setups

From my ATAS struggles to the JPC-12 vertical antenna that keeps impressing me, I give an update on what’s working, what’s not, and what gear I prefer usingly lately.

By the end of this episode, you’ll hear a mix of stories, lessons learned, and the small moments that keep me coming back to the mic.

In this episode, I share the reason I've been "radio silent" since December as it relates to this podcast.

I launched this podcast on August 24th, publishing 12 podcast episodes within 17 weeks, but then stopped publishing until now, almost 7 months later. I've received many emails from folks asking about the absence of new episodes. So I decided to record this episode to explain the hiatus since December and to share a comprehensive list of my amateur radio adventures over the past seven months.

In this episode, I cover:

If you want to hear from me more frequently and don't want to wait until the next episode of this podcast, check out my main podcast called The Cliff Ravenscraft Show in your favorite podcast directory.

You can see a list of all my podcasts that are in “active production” at https://www.cliffravenscraft.com/podcast

In this episode of Cliff’s Notes on Amateur Radio, I sit down with Jim Newcomb, the founder of Lido Radio Products, to explore his incredible journey through the world of Amateur Radio and entrepreneurship. From his unexpected start at Icom America to creating one of the most trusted names in mobile radio mounting solutions, Jim shares behind-the-scenes insights, fascinating stories, and valuable lessons learned along the way.

We’ll delve into:

Whether you're just starting in Amateur Radio, returning to the hobby after years away, or a seasoned operator curious about the intersection of radio technology and entrepreneurial spirit, this episode offers inspiration and insight.

In this episode, I continue sharing my initial amateur radio gear purchases after selling my 1974 Classic Volkswagen Beetle, which provided me with a $9,000 budget for the hobby.

Radio Purchases

Antenna Related Purchases

Power Related Purchases

The HamAlert app is a fantastic tool to ensure you never miss when I’m activating a park. Available on both iOS and Android, HamAlert lets you set a trigger to receive push notifications whenever my call sign, KQ4UUR, is spotted.

With a simple setup, you’ll get instant alerts showing the park I’m activating and the frequency where I was most recently spotted. Whether you’re chasing parks or just want to tune in to my activations, HamAlert keeps you in the loop, real-time, so you can easily make contact.

Download either the ANDROID APP or the IOS APP

In this episode, I share my Amateur Radio journey over the past three and a half weeks since my first Parks On The Air activation in episode 9. I share why I've been "radio silent" when it comes to new podcast episodes for this show during this same period of time. I quickly mentioned TCRS Episode 731 and TrainWithCliff.com.

I've become quite obsessed with Parks On The Air, operating HF portably, and have even set a goal to activate every park in the POTA database for the state of Kentucky. In just three and a half weeks, I've completed 42 POTA activations across 15 different parks and made a total of 1,762 QSOs. You can Follow My POTA Stats By Clicking Here.

In this episode, I walk you through the gear I've purchased for my portable HF operations. Here's a list of equipment mentioned in the episode, with affiliate links included.

Power Related Purchases

Antenna Related Purchases

Misc Purchases

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast! In episode 11, I'll share how selling my 1974 Volkswagen Beetle provided me with a $9,000 budget for radio gear, and I'll walk you through all the exciting purchases I've made with some of those funds.

I'm deeply grateful for the incredible gift Mark Volstad (AI4BJ) gave me today. Mark reached out midweek, offering to assist with my first official POTA Park Activation using his own gear. This episode captures the excitement of this milestone in my amateur radio journey.

This episode is lengthy and includes all 102 QSOs made during my first POTA Park activation.

For a deeper understanding of Parks On The Air, I recommend watching this informative video.