Field Notes from N1JUR
Real-world ham radio tips, portable operating lessons, gear thoughts, and activation stories from the field to the shack.
What You’ll Find Here
This blog is where I go deeper than a YouTube description. You’ll find practical ham radio guides, activation lessons, gear breakdowns, and field notes from real operating experiences.
Some posts are beginner-friendly. Some get a little more technical. And some are just honest lessons from the field — because not every activation goes perfectly, and that’s usually where the good stuff happens.
Portable operating tips
POTA, SOTA, and location-based activation ideas
Gear and antenna experiments
Beginner-friendly ham radio guides
Field stories and lessons learned
Ham Radio when All else fails…
Ham Radio Saves the day! When all else fails Ham Radio is there. If you want to know more about how to get into this great hobby hit me up!
Rescued by Ham Radio
A powerful New Hampshire story showing exactly why ham radio still matters. When cell service was gone and help was needed, amateur radio helped get the message through.
Watch the WMUR Story →Chronicle wrote an excellent article and video on how a local ham in the New Hampshire area was rescued from a few other Ham Operators.
It just shows that this hobby has some top-shelf people who care about others to save lives.
Keep the Conversation Going
What’s one thing you stopped bringing to activations because you realized you never actually needed it? Drop into the Discord and tell the Brew Crew.
Join the N1JUR Discord
My Top 5 Ham Apps for iOS
What Ham Radio Apps are on your smartphone? I take a quick dive into what I use and the features that keep them on my home screen.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT PART 2 HERE FOR ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
I was planning a short talk for my local club on some of my favorite Ham Apps I use on IOS.
I also wanted to share them with my “Ham-ily,” knowing it might help spark a conversation.
If you have a favorite I didn’t touch on, feel free to share it.
Want More Portable Radio Content?
Practical portable operating, POTA discussions, gear reviews, Brew & Activate livestreams, and real-world ham radio content.
Here are my top 5 Ham Apps I use.
HamAlert -This is the portable version of the spotting dx cluster. If you ever want to be notified of callsigns that you need to complete a WAS or DXCC, then this is an app you want to have.
SolarHam - we all want to know the solar/band conditions well; this site is packed with detailed maps and up-to-the-hour stats on rf conditions.
EzyQTH - if you do pota or are always outside playing the radio, you’ll love this app. Many of my logging apps aren’t GPS or grid square aware but fear not; this app will take your GPS coordinates and tell you your Lat/Lon, grid square, and maidenhead without input.
Pota. App - this isn’t so much a universal app but is one you want to make part of your smartphone. I refer to it daily, whether hunting or activating, as it’s a great site to stay abreast of the latest activations.
Radar Scope - this isn’t so much a ham app, but it has been helpful for me to keep tabs on weather conditions and lightning. I hope to automate this someday, but until then, I need to disconnect my antennas when lightning is on the horizon manually.
Like What’s Happening Here?
N1JUR is built around helping more people get active in ham radio through videos, Field Notes, POTA content, live streams, gear reviews, and community.
If you already watch the channel and want to support more of the work behind it, memberships are one way to help keep the signal going.
Videos. Field Notes. Live Streams. Community.
Membership support helps keep the N1JUR ecosystem moving without turning every page into a pledge drive wearing a callsign hat.
Learn About the Community →Those are my five favorites. What ones do you use to take up coveted screen space? Let me know in the comments.
Keep the Conversation Going
What’s one thing you stopped bringing to activations because you realized you never actually needed it? Drop into the Discord and tell the Brew Crew.
Join the N1JUR Discord
Good news for the Hobby… Fingers Crossed
Hams need your help! Let’s loosen the restrictions of HOAs on Hams to restrict antenna placement and stations in their neighborhoods.
Recently Josh KI6NAZ of Ham Radio Crash Course fame posted a video about a bill going through the House of Representatives that will hopefully loosen the grip of HOAs on Amateur Radio Operators.
You can learn more about the bill here on ARRLs Website or watch the excellent summary done by Josh here.
Although I am hopeful that this gets traction and eventually gets to the Senate, I do want other Amateur Radio Operators to take note that if you live in an HOA like myself, it’s essential to help support the passing of this bill.
Get in touch with your Reps office and let them know that the Amateur Radio Community is being held hostage from being able to support their local associations and community in times of emergency because of the tight restrictions placed on them by not being able to erect antennas and assemble stations.
I know several Ham’s -like myself- who are restricted and can’t establish stations due to HOA laws.
So please take time to let your government officials know. Your fellow Hams and the hobby as a whole need your voice.
Keep the Conversation Going
What’s one thing you stopped bringing to activations because you realized you never actually needed it? Drop into the Discord and tell the Brew Crew.
Join the N1JUR Discord
Show off your POTA Muscle on QRZ
Ever wanted to show off your POTA stats on QRZ? Well, now you can!
I came across an excellent plugin created by WD4DAN that slurps all your POTA.APP information into the QRZ page in a summary format. So now you can easily update all your visitors on your latest hunting or activation experiences.
If you want to integrate this into your QRZ page, head to Dan’s Website to grab the code and put it on your QRZ page.
Also, I created a quick video tutorial for those who might need some extra help.
Also, be sure to give him some love and click he buy me a coffee link
Keep the Conversation Going
What’s one thing you stopped bringing to activations because you realized you never actually needed it? Drop into the Discord and tell the Brew Crew.
Join the N1JUR Discord
Your Local Net
Ever give your local Repeater net a try? Why not? Lets light up the airwaves
They are everywhere VHF, HF, Echolink, and DMR, to name just a few. Whether you prefer the Question and Answer, ARES/RACES Nets, Tech nights, or your average swap meets, there is something for everyone.
Hopefully, in your ham radio journey, you’ve gotten to participate in one. Let me encourage you to try it if you haven't.
“But I have mic fright!”
Is that the first thing that popped into your mind? Well, nothing is more exhilarating than tripping over your callsign, cracking your voice to get out, “This is N1JUR. And I have no traffic…” Trust me, after you get over the first step, it gets easier.
But this isn’t my reason for this blog post, and I wanted to share something fun and unique about nets that I think most people dismiss when you ask.
”What do/don’t you like about nets? “
Participating in your local repeater nets keeps the airwaves active and creates something for others to hear. Every time you press the PTT or the “transmit” on the Echolink app, you can pass on knowledge to those around you and give others the hobby of getting to know you.
Skip the argument over whether it’s “real radio,” as radio and RF aren’t anything without our voices, and the people behind those voices make this hobby so exciting.
Taking time to use our ears to hear and communicate with our voices is what Ham Radio is about to me.
So take some time this season to open up and share your stories with others on the next net. Try to make a new “physical connection” through Radio.
Keep the Conversation Going
What’s one thing you stopped bringing to activations because you realized you never actually needed it? Drop into the Discord and tell the Brew Crew.
Join the N1JUR Discord