Your Ham Radio Adventure Starts Here
Practical ham radio from the field, the shack, and the truck. Learn POTA,portable gear, antennas, and on-air lessons without pretending everything goes perfectly.
Is 146.52 Dead—or Are We Just Not Calling?
Tonight I’m joining Mike, N2MAK, on Ham Radio 2.0 to talk about the Five Two Simplex Challenge and what it really takes to bring activity back to 146.520 MHz.
We’ll dig into why saying “just monitoring” usually isn’t enough, why simplex activity requires repetition, and how making a little more noise might be exactly what two meters needs.
Set a reminder, join the live chat, and tell us what you’re hearing on 52 in your area.
W1BB Returned to the Air
On June 20, 2026, the historic W1BB callsign returned to the air from the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation as part of International Museums Weekend.
Shannon Gibney, KC1OHT, and Eric Pfeifer, N1JUR, were joined by Adam, AA1N, and Michelle, KC1UML, to operate the special event station and honor the legacy of Stew Perry, W1BB — “Mr. 160.”
Together, the team made contacts, shared amateur radio with museum visitors and the local community, heard some incredible stories, and helped bring the history of W1BB back to life.
Explore the story behind the event, learn more about the history of W1BB, and watch the full livestream replay from this memorable day.
Relive the day as W1BB returned to the air, hear the contacts we made, and see how amateur radio helped bring the museum’s history to life.
Pick Your First Signal Path
Whether you’re brand new, trying POTA for the first time, or looking for gear that actually belongs in the bag, this is the fastest way into the N1JUR site.
Getting Started in Ham Radio
Learn the basics without getting buried under acronyms, gear lists, and unsolicited coax opinions.
POTA Activations
Field radio setups, activation lessons, antennas, batteries, logging, and real-world park operating.
Gear Reviews
Field-tested ham radio gear reviewed through the lens of actual use, not spec-sheet fantasy.
Fresh From the N1JUR Channel
The latest ham radio video from N1JUR — POTA, gear, portable operating, live streams, antenna experiments, and whatever RF rabbit hole happened this week.
Ham Radio Content Built Around Actually Getting on the Air
This site is organized around the parts of ham radio people actually come here for: portable operating, gear, live discussion, videos, and community.
Activations
Portable radio setups, park operating, batteries, antennas, logging, and real field lessons.
Gear Reviews
Radios, antennas, power, accessories, and what actually earns a spot in the go-kit.
Brew & Activate
Live ham radio conversations, POTA stories, gear talk, community Q&A, and RF chaos.
Newsletter
Videos, updates, field notes, gear talk, POTA lessons, and community happenings.
Field Notes, Builds, and Ham Radio Rabbit Holes
Fresh ham radio articles pulled automatically from the Field Notes blog — including portable operating lessons, antenna builds, POTA tips, gear thoughts, and real-world notes from the shack, truck, and field.
Ham Radio Without Pretending Everything Went Perfectly
N1JUR is built around practical, real-world ham radio. The kind where bands are weird, batteries get low, antennas do unexpected things, and the one adapter you need is somehow sitting safely at home.
Around here, the goal is not to look perfect. The goal is to help more people get on the air, understand their gear, try portable radio, and enjoy the hobby without feeling like they need permission from the gatekeepers.
Don’t Just Watch From the Bushes
Watch the videos, join the livestreams, jump into Discord, and connect with other hams who are building kits, activating parks, chasing contacts, and making RF happen.
Join the Discord
POTA talk, gear help, activation stories, livestream chat, builds, and a healthy amount of RF weirdness.
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Start Simple. Get on the Air. Learn by Doing.
Whether you’re studying for your first license, planning your first POTA activation, building a portable kit, or trying to figure out which gear actually matters, N1JUR is here to help you move from watching ham radio to doing ham radio.
Pick a path, ask questions, and get on the air. The hobby gets a lot more fun once RF actually leaves the antenna.
