This episode follows a weekend of hands-on radio tinkering, travel, and improvisation that captures the messy, thrilling reality of DIY amateur radio. From the sunny chaos of Florida to a backyard experiment zone, we tag along as the crew tests unconventional feedlines, tackles a 50-to-75-ohm conversion puzzle, and pushes through gear debates with both humor and stubborn curiosity. Hear how nine different feedline break points performed in real-life conditions, the challenges of coordinating RV wiring, and the surprising performance of a galvanized pipe antenna in a makeshift setup. We dive into the tactile joy of field tuning with manual vs. auto tuners, the drama of coax, radials, and connectors, and the thrill of a successful 59- reporting reception off an improvised vertical.

Beyond the gear, the episode offers a window into the social side of ham radio: planning for DZ (aerial drop zone) training, debating upgrades from 170 to 190, and weighing when it’s worth recouping investment from gear swaps. Interwoven are candid moments of life on the road, balancing projects with real-world responsibilities, and the camaraderie that keeps the hobby vibrant even when “the link” gets pushed aside by busy days and last-minute errands.

If you love late-night tinkering, field-testing with everyday materials, and the quirky, collaborative energy of a radio crew turning chaos into signal, this episode is for you. Practical, sometimes messy, always curious, it celebrates the experimental spirit at the heart of amateur radio.

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Ten meters roared, the waterfall glowed, and somewhere in the chaos, a “maritime emergency” calling spot was buried under contesters. We stepped straight into CQ Worldwide and asked a hard question: who really owns a frequency when the world shows up? From band etiquette to practical emergency options, we unpack the culture and the realities that matter when the dial is full and you still need to make smart choices.

We also get our hands dirty with a portable radio. A Rybakov vertical goes from “set up wrong” to “set up right,” and the difference is dramatic: transformer near ground, wire up the mast, radials laid out, and 10 meters becomes a runway. We share our favorite tactics for activating a park during a major contest, including working the WARC bands, hunting first, and a fun twist—dialing power down as we approach a park kilo to finish at one watt. Along the way, we wade into AI in the context of contesting. Yes, it’s crisp and efficient. But does polished audio and instant logging sap the soul from operating, or raise the bar for everyone else?

There’s road life too. One of us heads to Florida in an RV for a months-long stint at a skydiving dropzone, mixing ground crew, canopy drills, and HF from the field. We talk practical mobile ops: strapping gear before travel, choosing electric-only sites, using facility showers, lashing masts to bumpers, routing radials out of walkways, and when to leave the RV hitched. Harvest Hosts vs parks, the joy of a local shuttle ride, and why portable antennas still win under pressure. And we zoom out with perspective: POTA’s core community is small compared to worldwide ham numbers, but its impact is huge—thousands of operators learning pileup discipline, propagation timing, and clean audio by simply getting outside and calling CQ.If you’re here for the rants, you’ll get them. If you’re here for the tips, you’ll leave with a handful you can use this weekend. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s POTA-curious, and leave a review telling us where you stand on contest crowding and “sacred” calling spots. Your take might shape the next show.

The tide doesn’t care about your logbook—and that’s exactly why we chased it. We loaded radios, batteries, and a vertical dipole into kayaks, paddled two miles on a rising tide, and landed on a slippery sliver of grass called Eagle Island. The result? A sustained, three-hour pileup on 10 meters that reached across Europe, South America, and 20 U.S. states, with park-to-park contacts stacking like driftwood.

Our guest, Keith (AC1RH), is a relentless Parks on the Air activator with nearly six figures of QSOs and a knack for turning tough parks into routine wins. He walks us through the exact route from Cashman Park, explaining why timing the tides is crucial, and how a simple tarp and sandbags kept a 600-watt station running as the river crept around our boots. We break down his go-to radios (FT-991A and FT-891), the five-band vertical dipole that shines on saltwater, battery choices that balance duty cycle and carry weight, and the logging workflow that keeps pace with chaos. If you’ve ever wondered how saltwater really boosts verticals, you’ll hear it in the reports.

We also dig into etiquette and efficiency: how to manage a wall of callers, reward patient QRP operators, and push past contest-style bulldozers without losing your cool. You’ll hear how familiar hunter voices cut through the noise, how call stacking and smart spotting with Ham2K or Hammers helps, and why amplification only solves half the problem—quiet receive and clean locations are the real force multipliers. Along the way, Keith shares genuinely useful intel on rare-park strategy, why Eagle Island stays rare, and the practical safety habits that matter when your exit depends on the tide.

Underneath the stats sits something deeper. Field radio can be therapy. The planning, the paddle, the rhythm of calling and logging—done well, it lowers the noise in your head while you raise your signal on the band. Whether you’re eyeing a Rhode Island sweep, a 48-state road plan, or just a better lunch-hour activation, this story gives you the map, the kit, and the mindset to make it work.

If you enjoyed this one, tap follow, share it with a POTA friend, and leave us a quick review—then tell us your rarest activation or hardest landing. We might feature it on the next show.

The best radio goals aren’t just wish lists—they’re roadmaps with real checkpoints, community support, and a bit of swagger. We kick off by tightening the feedback loop: Discord for day-to-day chatter, a new AllStar hub (580871) for live linking, monthly livestreams, and voicemails you’ll actually hear on the show. That community energy pays off fast. A tongue-in-cheek “news desk” breaks real news: Kim KC1VYM passed her Extra, sparking a broader conversation about study habits, HamStudy as a secret weapon, and why revisiting Technician fundamentals still sharpens seasoned ops.

From there we get tactical. If you’ve ever dreamed of turning one contact into five logs, our DC mapping breakdown shows you exactly where multi-park overlaps live and how to work them without getting crushed by RFI. We share hard-won POTA lessons—coastal paths that make 10 and 20 meters sing, where Alaska and Hawaii hide, and how to split logs across state lines when parks straddle borders. If a kilo is in your sights, you’ll pick up practical strategies we’re using on our own rail trail push and a plan to stream the final contacts.

Gear and power bring the build mindset. We walk through a tidy mobile station that blends an MPPT power gate, a 50 Ah battery, a low-profile solar panel, and a clean AllStar-plus-hotspot setup. APRS gets a smarter role with a dedicated TNC and tablet for messaging and Winlink, freeing the mobile rig for voice and linking. On the radio front, we size up Elecraft portability versus classic Yaesu workhorses for activators, then outline a simple challenge that levels up anyone’s skill: one QRP activation per month in 2025 to master bands, timing, and antennas under constraint.

We round it out with the passions that keep the spark alive. Parachute mobile plans return with a tandem promise, and the running gag—bullets, bonsai, and beer—turns into a real point: your creativity off the air shapes your confidence on it. If you’re ready to finish the year with momentum, pick a target—kilo a local park, map a DC nine‑fur, or build your first solar-backed mobile—and let us know how it goes.

Join the community on Discord, link up on AllStar 580871, and leave us a voicemail at 978-233-1142. If you enjoyed this one, tap subscribe, share with a radio friend, and drop a review to help

Radios bring us together; NearFest reminds us why. We packed a three-day ham festival into 24 hours—livestreams, campsite breakfasts, last-minute builds—and still found time to argue about antennas, fix MeshTastic nodes, and quiz Todd on Extra-class theory. It’s chaotic in the best way: flip-flops dividing by sixteen, Schottky vs zener symbols, and the old reliable “Eli the Iceman” to lock in AC phase memory. New hams got outfitted, veterans scored wild deals, and someone used a fox-hunt rig to find their car keys. That’s NearFest.We dig into what actually matters in the field. End-fed vs BuddyPole vs coil; why a carbon-fiber mast can sabotage a vertical; how to run honest A/B tests without wasting a Saturday; and why a “doer” can be faster than a “tester” when the sun is dropping. MeshTastic gets real-world love too: clean configs, quiet event channels, and plans to bring MQTT online for those outside RF reach. On-air etiquette earns a moment—146.52 is perfect for a hail, not a monologue—so we talk CQ, QSY, and being a good neighbor on simplex.

The conversation wanders, like a good campfire should: Huntsville’s magic at Monte Sano, Belton’s vibe, scooters and one-wheels for event mobility, and skydiving stories that turn into a listener-powered idea—numbered “Grouch” jump plushies, signed with altitude and DZ, to fund more jumps and better stories. We close with the next steps: a community-built POTA field guide with practical checklists, band plans, and setup shortcuts to help more operators get on the air with less friction.

If you enjoy smart radio talk with a little grit and a lot of heart, hit subscribe, tap the bell, and share this episode with a friend who loves a good gear debate. Leave us a review or a voicemail at 978-233-1142—what’s your best hamfest deal and your go-to portable antenna?

The best radio days start a little chaotic: rain on the windshield, a wire tossed higher than your plan, and a stranger asking, “What are you doing?” That moment led us into a POTA run where 10 and 15 meters opened like a faucet—France, Belgium, Spain, Germany—flowing in with the kind of clarity that makes you forget your battery just died mid-CQ. We break down why fall propagation favors 10/12/15/17, what to watch for when the D-layer calms down, and how “angry Sun” forecasts can still set you up for unforgettable runs.

We also put our study hats on. Todd faces three Extra-level questions—FST4’s full feature set, why CMOS sips power compared to Schottky TTL, and the hard boundary for spread spectrum above 222 MHz—and we unpack the why, not just the right letter. If you’re chasing your upgrade, you’ll leave with sticky memory hooks and real-world context you can use at the bench and in the field.

Then we talk logistics that actually matter: the pain and payoff of livestreaming a POTA activation from a phone; what to pack so your mount, power, and logging don’t collapse at the wrong time; and how to work smarter on 15 meters when everyone forgets it’s there. We've shared our new AllStar hub (node 580871) so you can drop in from your mobile hotspot on the commute, along with a simple Meshtastic channel you can join via QR code in our Discord for hamfest coordination. No complexity for complexity’s sake—just reliable comms that help people find each other, ask questions, and get on the air.

Near-Fest sits at the center of this story. We’re going for the faces and the conversations: quick tips at the booth, park-to-park strategy swaps, and a Thursday/Friday hang where nets, coffee, and laughter run late. Some of us are selling off totes of unused gear, not because radio got smaller, but because life got clearer. Lighter packs make room for more QSOs, more activations, and more time helping the next operator get their first contact.

Come listen, learn a trick or two, and tell us what band you’re working with today. Join the AllStar hub, grab the Meshtastic QR code from Discord, and check out our livestreams. If this resonated, tap follow, share with a friend who needs a push to activate, and leave a review so other hams can find us. 73 and see you on 21.420.

Dive into the world of All-Star Link with our special guest, Freddie Mack (KD5FMU), better known as the Ham Radio Crusader. In this comprehensive conversation, Freddie shares his journey from law enforcement to becoming one of the most trusted voices in the All-Star Link community, offering invaluable insights for both newcomers and experienced operators.

Freddie unpacks the essentials of All-Star Link - a powerful technology that bridges traditional analog ham radio with internet connectivity while preserving the audio quality operators love. From choosing the right hardware (whether turnkey solutions like ClearNode or DIY options from HotspotRadios.com and Kits for Hams) to navigating software setup, this episode covers it all with practical, actionable advice.

We explore the significant improvements in All-Star Link version 3 (ASL3), including enhanced security features, user-friendly interfaces like Allmon3 and Supermon, and powerful add-ons such as Skywarn Plus for weather alerts. Freddie demystifies network etiquette, explaining how to properly connect to nodes and avoid common pitfalls that might earn you unwanted attention from network administrators.

What makes this episode particularly valuable is Freddie's emphasis on real-world applications - whether you're building a mobile node for your vehicle, creating a full-duplex repeater for events, or setting up a headless node on cloud services. His practical tips on troubleshooting, backup strategies, and customization options provide a roadmap for success regardless of your technical background.

Connect with Freddie on his YouTube channel (Ham Radio Crusader), visit hamradiolife.org, or explore his GitHub repository (github.com/kd5fmu) for scripts and tools that simplify the All-Star experience. Whether you're looking to extend your radio's reach beyond repeater limits or build a global communication platform, this episode equips you with the knowledge to make it happen.

The world of mesh networking collides with ham radio as we welcome Dave KB5UTY, affectionately known as "The Mesh Dealer," to share his journey from casual GMRS user to becoming Seed Studios' ham radio ambassador for Meshtastic technology.

Dave pulls back the curtain on a fascinating communication ecosystem that bridges traditional amateur radio with modern digital networking. As someone who "doesn't do anything half-assed," he explains how his dive into ham radio quickly expanded into a passion for innovative off-grid communication solutions. His story resonates with anyone who's felt the limitations of conventional communication methods and yearned for something more resilient.

At the heart of our conversation is Meshtastic technology – a mesh networking protocol that allows small, portable devices to create their own communication networks independent of cellular infrastructure. Dave demonstrates several devices, including the waterproof T1000E and solar-powered nodes, explaining how they've created networks spanning over 70 miles through multiple relay points. The practical applications for emergency preparedness, remote adventures, and everyday communication become immediately apparent.

What makes this episode particularly valuable is the accessibility of the technology Dave describes. Unlike some ham radio equipment that requires a significant investment, many Meshtastic devices are available for under $100, making them attainable for most enthusiasts. The integration with smartphones provides easy messaging and location sharing, while dedicated models offer standalone functionality that does not require cellular connections.

Whether you're a seasoned ham operator looking to expand your digital capabilities, an emergency preparedness enthusiast seeking resilient communication options, or simply curious about the evolution of networking technology, Dave's insights provide a fascinating glimpse into how mesh networking is reshaping our approach to staying connected when conventional infrastructure fails.

Grab your favorite beverage, listen in, and discover how these small devices are creating big possibilities for ham radio operators and beyond.

We want to share a segment where each of the three hosts picks their favorite episode from our back catalog. We'll be taking some time off for Labor Day, the 24-hour POTA weekend, and the second weekend in September. During this break, we will re-air episodes that all three of us enjoyed recording. We’ll be back soon with more exciting content!

We want to share a segment where each of the three hosts picks their favorite episode from our back catalog. We'll be taking some time off for Labor Day, the 24-hour POTA weekend, and the second weekend in September. During this break, we will re-air episodes that all three of us enjoyed recording. We’ll be back soon with more exciting content!