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@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
2025-09-01 02:40:24

Today's #HamRadio #POTA CW activation of US-3847 Occoneechee Mountain Natural State Conservation Area (four hunting park-to-park QSOs, six running calling CQ) along with tonight's SST together made a milestone for me: Now 75% of all my logged QSOs are Morse code.
I still marvel t…

Map of POTA activations; 7 5W QRP and 3 15W; all CW
Analytics of all my logged QSOs:
FM: 2%
DIGI: 2%
SSB: 20%
CW: 75%

Sorry that doesn't add up to 100%; rounding strikes again.
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
2025-09-28 23:03:42

Today's 5W QRP #HamRadio #POTA activation of US-4857 Jordan Lake Educational State Forest was fun radio therapy. Successful QSOs on 30 meters, 20 meters, and 17 meters. Ironically, I set up a 40m end-fed half-wave antenna, and then only one of the 10 QSOs was on a resonant ban…

Map of the continental US showing the paths for ten morse code conversations using only 5 watts.
Map of part of the northeast US showing 5 watt conversations when I was the one calling CQ (any station).
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
2025-08-24 20:08:06

This afternoon's 10–15W SSB #POTA #HamRadio activation. Three QSOs on 15m including Dominican Republic. Then when I needed just one more QSO to successfully activate US-4857 for my first time, I got Germany with a 33 signal report on 15W. ❤️ Most of the QSOs were on only 10W.

@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
2025-09-21 23:51:26

Today I went to Swift Creek Bluffs State Nature Preserve, just a few miles from my house, and stumped up to the ridge for some #POTA #HamRadio therapy. Tossed a 40m EFHW into the twigs and a 13' counterpoise wire over a branch of a nearby sapling, connected to my tiny QRP unun, and hoo…

Map centered on the continental US showing ham radio conversations with QA, AL, QC, WV, CA, CO, FL, LA, MT, KS, MN, NM, UT, and MI
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
2025-10-19 22:28:33

Today's SYP (Support Your Parks) #HamRadio #POTA #QRP CW adventure had limited time, so I wasn't sure I'd actually stay for 10 QSOs. But then I discovered that park

Lines showing conversations ("QSOs") over morse code ("CW") from Chapel Hill, NC to ten other ham radio operators; nine in the eastern US and one in Canada, on the 20 meter ham band, using only 5 watts of power.

The endpoints of the lines illustrate "skip" — there were multiple stations closer to me that I just couldn't hear and they couldn't hear me. The signal had to hit the ionosphere at a sufficiently oblique angle to be reflected or refracted back down to another ham's antenna, so all the…
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
2025-10-09 02:38:23

Drilling for #AmateurRadio #POTA, I cranked the Morse Walker noise up to "heavy" and was surprised when I heard only one caller when the counter said I had two. The other was literally lost in the noise.…

@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
2025-09-14 20:37:26

Today's 20m #HamRadio #POTA activation of US-3844 Jordan Lake State Recreational Area. The first 10 QSOs (conversations) were 2-operator on SSB with my wife doing her first-ever activation, then once she successfully activated and called it quits, I went on to hunt another 10 park-to-p…

Map of much of the United States and a tiny bit of Canada, showing QSOs (conversations) between me and 20 other stations.
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
2025-10-08 23:40:15

Today is my "hamiversary" — Today last year, the wheels at the FCC turned and I was awarded the #AmateurRadio call sign KZ4LY.
Today I celebrated by going to park US-2755 after work and doing some QRP CW #POTA.
I was in a hurry and missed disconnecting the 20m link on t…

@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
2025-10-04 23:37:20

Today's #HamRadio adventures... My oldest and I went to do #POTA together. He's a technician, and 10m was mostly dead where we were, except for a booming SSB QSO with California to a club doing the CA QSO party, so he didn't get his 10 today.
I started running CW QRP (5W) on on 1…