Many thanks to Dan (NM3A) who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post. Dan writes: LA Go Kit [(tr)uSDX] by Dan (NM3A) My son’s family lives on the opposite coast from Pennsylvania, and we usually fly to visit.

Many thanks to Mark (KB2PIZ) who shares the following field report: Breton Point State Park Activation (US-2870)  October 9, 2025 by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ) After our work trip out west, my wife and I decided to take a vacation and drive up to Newport, Rhode Island, to enjoy the beginning of the foliage season and the last nice weather before winter in Rhode Island.

by Thomas (K4SWL) The afternoon of Wednesday, September 17, 2025, was just calling out for a POTA activation. I didn’t have enough time in the day to travel further afield than my local Blue Ridge Parkway—my park-away-from-home these days—so I headed there with a field kit packed in the car. In mid-September, I was still dealing with some lower back pain.

Many thanks to Ron (PA3AKC) who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post.  QPR Labs QMX EDC Field Kit by Ron (PA3AKC) I'm an enthusiast of QRP transceivers, and although it wasn’t my original intention, I couldn’t resist the temptation to collect a few.

Good afternoon, friends! I just wanted to share a quick field report from this afternoon. I had several errands in town today—really, I was out and about all day long. On the way home, during that final stretch on the Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378), I glanced at my watch and thought: "Why not stop for a quick ten-minute activation?

Many thanks to Zach (K4ZSR), who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit, which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post.  K4ZSR’s Elecraft KX3 Field Kit by Zach (K4ZSR) I acquired a new-to-me KX3 in 2023, but really didn’t use it much until the fall of 2024.

Many thanks to my buddy George (KJ6VU) for spotting this: Bioenno is running a buy-one-get-one-free sale on their 12V 6Ah LiFePO4 battery packs. Here's the product link. To get the deal, add either two of the 6Ah batteries or the battery/charger combo to your cart, then apply the coupon code BOGO at checkout. The discount takes 50% off your subtotal.

Many thanks to Scott (VA3EKR) who shares the following guest post, which was originally posted on his blog: Shade's Mills Conservation Area (CA-5604) by Scott (VA3EKR) Chris, VA3CJW, suggested this POTA site, as it was new to both of us, and he is more familiar with that area. We left at 8:30, and it takes about an hour from the QTH to get to Cambridge, ON.

Many thanks to Zach (K4ZSR), who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit, which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post.  K4ZSR’s QRP Labs QDX Field Kit by Zach (K4ZSR) My work has me on the road a decent amount.

As promised, I’ve officially kicked off October as my “Bug-Out” month. Friday, I activated the Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378) using my TR-45L, AX3, and Vibroplex Deluxe bug. I’ll admit—I had a few butterflies in my stomach committing to this. In my mind, my fist isn’t ready for prime time on the air, but that’s exactly why I wanted to do it: to step outside my comfort zone, bite the bullet, and get on the air (with all of YouTube watching!).

by Thomas (K4SWL) Sometimes we pack our bags and set out on a voyage to an undiscovered POTA site—trying to keep anticipation and excitement at bay—and sometimes we squeeze in a POTA activation on the way home from the grocery store. Honestly? I like both of these scenarios. Because let’s face it—any excuse to get on the air is a good one!

Many thanks to Scott (VA3EKR) who shares the following guest post, which was originally posted on his blog: September 28, 2025 Limehouse Conservation Area (CA-5563) Just over two years ago I activated this park, but this activation differed in almost every respect. The activation in 2023 was much colder, with a distinct foggy damp cold. The weather today was glorious 23°C (73°F) and very sunny.

by Mark (KB2PIZ) I've been on another business trip to Seattle and had some free time to visit Saltwater State Park and complete an activation. I was here last year and only made one contact before I had to leave. This year, the plan was to stay until I completed the activation. To ensure success, I packed the trustworthy Chelegance MC-750 and the Chameleon end-fed sloper.

by James (KI5OEB)  Testing, testing, testing!!! On September 22, I went out for a few hours at Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center Historic Site (US-10951), my closest park… I open this by stating the objective of this activation was testing the Ham Radio Duo “Just OK Mini” antenna. I set up the IC-705 with a desire to do an hour of SSB.

On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, my wife, Hazel, and I were heading back from Greensboro, NC along Interstate 40 when I thought it fitting to make a short detour to Fort Dobbs State Historic Site for a quick POTA activation. Fortunately, both my wife and Hazel agreed. We all wanted to stretch our legs, and Fort Dobbs is a wonderful park to do just that.

By Steve (KV4AN) My XYL and her sister like to go yard sale-ing on Saturday morning (this is the practice of buying other people’s junk so you can throw it away for them), so I’ve had two beautiful Saturday mornings to do a pair of quick drive-up SOTA activations here in Northern Alabama.  The first Saturday, I went to Gunters Mountain, which is around an hour away near Swearengin, Alabama. 

One year ago today—September 27, 2024—Hurricane Helene moved up from the Gulf of Mexico, swept across the Southeast, and struck Western North Carolina. Its impact was massive—its destruction, unprecedented. by Thomas (K4SWL) The Storm Arrives We’d been following weather reports in advance, expecting heavy rain, localized flooding, and some winds. That’s not unusual here—we often see the remnants of hurricanes and tropical storms.

Many thanks to Scott (VA3EKR) who shares the following guest post which was originally posted on his blog: September 21, 2025, Beverly Swamp Conservation Area (CA-1312, VEFF-2551) by Scott (VA3EKR) I wanted to get the most of my Sunday, so I drove to Waterloo with my wife to visit my daughter. The next part of the plan was to then activate a POTA, and meet Chris, 

by Zach (K4ZSR) My first on-air CW QSO occurred on 16 July 2025. By 16 August, I had hunted 41 POTA activators using CW, completed one SOTA and twelve POTA activations using CW, and logged a total of 278 CW QSOs. While I will not be cutting my mic cords any time soon, I am finding myself reaching for a CW key before a mic.

Many thanks to Brian (K2BRZ), for sharing the following article about his portable field radio kit, which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. Note that his kit was initially featured on his blog. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post. (tr)uSDX Portable Field Kit by Brian (K2BRZ)

Many thanks to Paul (VP9KF) who notes that QRP Labs has just announced the Morserino Pocket. Here are the details from the QRP Labs product page: Morserino M32 Pocket The QRP Labs Morserino-32 Pocket is designed by Willi OE1WKL (with immense help by Hari OE6HKE and other contributors) and produced by QRP Labs under license. M32 Pocket is the third generation Morserino built on many years of experience with Morse trainers.

At QRPer.com, we love shining a light on small, mom-and-pop ham radio makers who are building high-quality accessories for the field and the shack. Brian (KF8ASE) is one of them. He hand-builds RFI chokes using genuine Fair-Rite ferrites and Messi & Paoloni coax, with models designed both for QRP portable ops and higher-power rigs. His QRP choke is lightweight, compact, and field-ready, while his POTA choke is rugged enough for home or portable stations.

by Thomas (K4SWL) My wife and I hatched a plan for Labor Day weekend: pack the car, head to the Raleigh, NC area, and spend the long weekend with our daughters, who were just a few weeks into their first year at university. I’m sure they were glad to see their loving parents—but let’s be honest—they were most excited to see Hazel.

Sometimes the best therapy Is building a kit. One of the great things about going to Four Days in May during Hamvention week is attending vendor and club nights at the Holiday Inn Fairborn. It’s incredibly rare that I go to this event and don’t walk away with one, two, or three kits. I’d say the same goes for most other attendees.

by Mark (KB2PIZ) Last weekend, I had a business meeting in Seattle and decided to take a scenic drive afterward. I planned to travel up Route 20 from Seattle, pass through Whidbey Island, stop at Deception Pass, and then continue north to Canada on Route 99, with an overnight stay in Whistler. Well, Deception Pass was more beautiful than my wife imagined, and she wanted to spend some extra time walking on the beach and enjoying the view.