Tag: Ham Radio

Robert Scrivener

Backyard Portable in Maryland

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Ham Radio Station Report Location: Odenton, Maryland (operating from our daughter’s backyard) Operating Mode: FT8 & Phone Radio Equipment: Xiegu G90 Antenna: 20-meter dipole Transmitter Power: 10 watts RF My portable ham radio station in Odenton, Maryland, setup in our daughter’s backyard, is a remarkable example of how a minimal yet intelligently configured setup can yield impressive results. By employing the Xiegu G90 radio, 20-meter dipole antenna cut to resonance, and leveraging 10 watts of Read More …

Winter Field Day 2025

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Winter Field Day + POTA: Activation at Huckleberry Ridge Conservation Reserve (US-7659) This year’s Winter Field Day was one to remember! I decided to combine the excitement of Winter Field Day with a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation — something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. The chosen spot? Huckleberry Ridge Conservation Reserve, park number US-7659. Despite the cold, the setup went smoothly. I ran with an ICOM 7300 as my transceiver Read More …

Robert V. Scrivener III

January VHF Contest 2025

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Back on VHF After a Long Break: Winter Contesting and First 6m Contacts It’s been a while — a long while — since I’ve participated in a VHF contest. In fact, the last time I hit the bands for a VHF event was back in September VHF 2018. After such a long break, it felt great to jump back in and give it another go. This time around, I decided to step things up a Read More …

Robert Scrivener III

Medicine Bow National Forest – POTA

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A Quiet Work Week, POTA Activation, and Hidden Beauty in Wyoming This past week, we turned a quiet corner of Wyoming into our work-week hideaway. Tucked away from the world, this spot offered the kind of seclusion that’s hard to come by—we saw just one vehicle pass the entire week. It was exactly what we needed. While Gayla was busy giving her video presentation, I took the opportunity to set up my HF radio station Read More …

Robert Scrivener III

Activation of Starvation Lake – Duchesne, Utah

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After a long day behind the wheel, I was more than ready to shut things down and enjoy some peace. We landed at Juniper Point Campground, nestled in Fred Hayes at Starvation State Park, Utah. This spot offered a perfect combo of rugged beauty and radio potential. The evening started simple—steak on the Coleman Camp stove, and some eggs boiled for deviled eggs later in the weekend. Camp cooking doesn’t get much better. But the Read More …

Robert V. Scrivener III

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest POTA US-4499

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On our way south from Glacier National Park, we made a quick overnight stop at Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. I couldn’t pass up the chance to activate a new POTA park (US-4499), even if it was just a short visit. With limited time and daylight, I went with a simple but reliable setup: a 72-foot random wire tossed into a tree using my throw weight, fed through a 9:1 UNUN. My rig was running just 10 Read More …

Robert V. Scrivener III

HF Radio in Montana

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We pulled into Willow Creek Recreation Area after a long days drive on HWY 2 from Eastern Montana. It was fairly warm but a steady wind kept it quite pleasant. After settling into camp for the work week I decided that I wanted to experience a low noise floor and also do a little bit of antenna testing on just a few watts on a long wire antenna. I setup my 27′ fiberglass fishing mast Read More …

Robert V. Scrivener III

Activation of Glacier National Park US-0028

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We can not just go to Glacier National Park and not activate it. We stayed one night at Bowman Lake which is a very touristy place that is off the beaten path. This place did not have any cellular service or Starlink internet service. I did end up using the GPS dongle to synchronize my FT8 clock on the computer. The antenna of choice is the 26 gauge 44 foot long wire on the 27 Read More …

POTA K-10387

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W0EGT and I (N0RVS) embarked on an exciting adventure, taking our ham radio show on the road to the Joe Creighton Access Area (K-10387). We persevered to find the perfect spot to set up our small HF station and make some incredible contacts. POTA (parks on the air) is a fantastic way to enjoy nature while engaging in our favorite hobby of ham radio! W0EGT exceeded expectations by making over a dozen contacts using only Read More …

Brush Creek Conservation Area (K-8278)

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Did a little (POTA) Parks On The Air activation yesterday afternoon on the way back from Caplinger Mills. Had Clifford with us so why not get his first activation out of the way with many more in the future to come. Stopped at Brush Creek Conservation Area (K-8278) just west of Humansville, MO. This is a 160 acre with hunting and wildlife all around. There is one Small Parking lot on the northwest corner of Read More …