Ham Radio All Portable Discussion Zone

Many of you will know our gest for this episode, Vince VE6LK.  He is a co-host on the Ham Radio Workbench podcast.  Vince is interested in a wide range of ham radio topics and loves to stretch himself by diving into some interesting technical topics.  But Vince is also grounded in the practical use of ham radio in the field, with his involvement in Emergency Communications. Vince is...

Bill Brown K4NYM lives in an HOA community, but he didn't let that stop him from getting enjoying ham radio.  He participates in Parks on the Air, and has found that not only can he get on the air, he can experiment, practice, and learn.  Bill's preferred mode is Morse code and he has some great pointers for those of you who are trying to learn CW.   Bill has a YouTube channel where...

Richard N1RBD's ham radio journey began when I joined a wilderness Search and Rescue (SAR) team which uses HTs for communications during call-outs. He does a lot of hiking and backpacking in the North Georgia Mountains and on the Appalachian Trail, so he felt his knowledge of the area could be helpful.   He activated a few SOTA summits with VHF, and was amazed at how far he could get from the...

We all approach our Parks on the Air activations a little different - and that is great!  We should customize the adventure to fit who we are.  But many of us would like to become a little more effective at it. Our award winning guest today, Brian Duddy N2BTD, is at the top of the SOTA game and will join us to offer his advice on how we might improve how we do POTA. Join us as we talk ab...

Paul VA6MPM is an experienced mountaineer and backcountry expert who enjoys Summits on the Air in the Canadian Rockies.  He has had some very interesting life experiences such as living in Kenya as a teen, which he describes as "life changing".  He enjoys activating some of the more difficult and remote summits in North America.  If you want to learn more about mountaineering and ba...

Portable Radio or Ham Radio Field Operation is a much broader game than just Parks on the Air or Summits on the Air.  Our guest this week, Michael Johnson WO9B loves to push himself to find different ways to enjoy portable radio.  He joins us for this episode as we have a small panel discussion on finding joy in portable radio without being a conformist.  There is a speed and style...

ARRL Field Day is a cherished event for many amateur radio operators.  It's an opportunity to gather with friends, test radio equipment, and experience contesting.  It's the annual ARRL Open house, and "it combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most pop...

Pat K7GUD is no stranger to the backcountry, but is relatively new to Ham Radio.  Pat has been Hiking, Backpacking, Climbing, Skiing, and participating in many other outdoor activities for nearly his whole life.  He writes on his QRZ page, "I've been a hiker and climber a lot longer than I've been a ham, so the "Summits" part was pretty natural. I already have all the gear I need for lig...

Kurt AD0WE is back again this year!  He joined us last year for the 2021 YouTubers Hamfest and had a bunch of great ideas to help people learn Morse code.  He has released some very useful tools for others to use, free of charge, and continues to update those resources regularly. Find out what's new since last year, and of course receive some excellent pointers to learn and improve your...

Learning Morse code and getting on the air using CW can be a little intimidating for beginners.  There are a lot of tools out there to help you learn the code, but once you are ready to have that first QSO, you have to take the leap into the deep end of the pool - the wide open airwaves.  Ham Radio Solutions offers a way to bridge that gap, and enables you to have you first QSOs in a fri...

We often overlook a very important part of ham radio – our wellness.  Heather KJ7YUG, Certified Master Health & Wellness Coach joins us for this episode to discuss how we can get more out of our hobby through improving our fitness, health, and overall wellness.  Heather is a highly motivated self-starter who really wants to see others succeed.  Through her profession and hobbies...

Larry K7HN hosts an "almost daily" YouTube livestream where his contagious, positive, uplifting personality attracts amateur radio operators from around the world.  He promotes the hobby by featuring hams at their best, and imparting his knowledge about the hobby.  On every show he explains solar weather in a way that is easy to understand.  We have invited him to the show to help u...

Pete Scola WA7JTM has been chasing DX on the allusive 6 meter "magic band" for close to 55 years.  He has earned numerous awards and is well known in serious 6 meter circles.   He doesn't view himself as an expert on 6 meters but you will be hard pressed to find anybody who knows more then he does on the subject. Pete joins us on this episode of the All Portable Discussion Zone to e...

Dave K3GX participates in Summits on the Air and Parks on the Air.  He is relatively new to these programs but has been in the amateur radio hobby since 1975.  He learned Morse code not long after becoming interested in ham radio and is a very good CW operator.  He has many other interests and abilities including his recent dive into 3D printing.  We’ll talk to Dave about how h...

When Bruce N9WKE started the DitDit podcast, he said his ultimate goal “was to always be encouraging and inspiring everyone with an interest in the code and CW, from beginners to folks with years of experience, to get on the air, there are a lot of things to do, and HAVE FUN!”  Before he started the DitDit podcast he was always talking to people, especially young people, about Morse code. &nb...

In this episode we talk about the benefits of joining a SOTA community, the different opportunities that exist, and how to organize a group if one doesn’t exist near you. Organizing and cultivating Summits on the Air groups is very important to the success of the larger SOTA community.  It is a way to build comradery with those who share a common interest, it provides a landing spot for hams...

Chris ZL4RA has completed some amazing SOTA activations.  He lives in New Zealand where you can find some of the most inhospitable mountains.  But Chris takes it all in stride and keeps it lighthearted.  His fun and positive disposition seen on his YouTube videos is contagious.  Join us for this interview with Chris, where we will explore some of his adventures in Summits on th...

All of us have a role to play in promoting a better Amateur Radio community.  Whether we promote, advocate for change, or inspire others to be their best self, each person in this hobby touches others in some way.  Eric 4Z1UG does this through reaching out to others in the hobby, inviting them to share their story, and making those stories available for all to hear on his podcast.  ...

Are you frustrated that you can’t seem to learn Morse code?  Have you given up trying to learn or improve your skills?  Howard Bernstein WB2UZE returns to the show tonight to finish our discussion about learning Morse Code.  There are all sorts of obstacles to finally learning CW.  Howard will identify some of the more common challenges people face in learning CW and offer some...

Have you heard of HEMA or WOTA?  What are the land access issues in the UK?  Chris M0RSF will answer our questions about what it’s like to operate portable ham radio in the UK.  He likes to operate outside the box a little and has some very interesting portable radio experiences.  Join us as we find out the challenges and unique opportunities of portable radio in Chris’s neck o...

Do you want to build a portable ham radio station to operate in the field?  Do you wonder how you might improve your current portable station?  George KJ6VU joins us tonight to talk about the pros and cons of each category of equipment for your portable ham radio station.  We’ll discuss antennas, masts, radios, and more.  George has a very interesting backstory, as a host to th...

Do you wish you were proficient in operating your ham radio using Morse Code?  Do you wish you could find a CW learning resource that fits your specific needs?  Howard Bernstein WB2UZE joins us tonight to talk about the wide variety of Morse Code learning resources made available by the Long Island CW Club.  We will be talking to him about their various classes, special interest gro...

Do you want to use Morse code when operating your ham radio but find it difficult to learn?  Joe Fischer AA8TA joins us tonight to talk about how to break through the struggles of learning Morse code.  He is the current CWops CW Academy Manager.  We will be talking to him about how the CW Academy works, how to best learn CW, and what tools you might use on your path to proficiency....

Steve WG0AT is a well-known Summits on the Air activator.  His excursions to the top of SOTA summits to operate mountaintop portable with his to goats, Peanut and Rooster is legendary.  But there is so much more to his story.  Steve has been operating from the top of mountaintops long before the existence of SOTA.  So what was that like?  What was the motivation? How have...

Ham radio QRP has evolved over the years.  It has expanded and diverged into new and interesting niches.  Yet the classic QRPer is still alive and well.  Our guest for this episode is Dick G0BPS who has been a part of the classic QRP culture for many years.  He is a past president of the QRP Armature Radio Club International (ARCI) and was elected in into the ARCI QRP Hall of F...