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
5 Ham Podcasts you need to listen to
If you love to listen to podcasts then you don’t want to miss my top 5 podcasts that I listen to in my playlists.
If you’re like me, you search high and low to find good Ham Radio and Portable Operations content. When in the sea of YouTube Channels, the shows that export a podcast can sometimes make you feel like an outsider, as their shows cater to a live audience, so when you listen, it’s like you missed the “inside” joke from the last night’s party.
Don’t get me wrong, those shows have a special place in my playlists, but it’s usually on long drives where I need some “background music” or want a quick laugh.
The point of this post is that I’m always on the “hunt” for a good podcast on everything related to ham radio. When I was thinking about what I was going to blog about this week, I thought there must be other folks that could benefit from my playlist.
So without any more delay, here are my top 5 Ham Podcasts in my playlist.
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One of my favorite podcasts so far. I am not an electronics nerd but after listening to this show it always inspires me to want to open my wallet.
I am always inspired when I listen to Eric Guth 4Z1UG as host. His guests are always interesting, even when our backgrounds are twenty years apart. This show is a great story telling format and I am never disappointed with his guests.
The HRCC Podcast is a great well, polished show. Although it can sometimes be long - which doesn’t bother me, listening to the husband and wife team talk about ham radio, family, and general life is always a win in my book. Check them out.
Make it stand out
I am an avid Portable Ops and POTA Guy. Nj7V Charlie of Red Summit RF Channel does a great job of always keeping his bi-weekly content fresh and interesting. This is a great “grass roots” podcast you should have in your playlist
The Ham Radio Clubhouse is the “Red herring” to the other four pods I recommend. I akin it to my youth when all my uncles would gather outside in the gazebo on a hot summer night, light up a cigar, drink beers, and make fun of each other—sharing about the good ole days. The plus is that you’ll also sometimes get ham radio content too!
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.
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