Good news for the Hobby… Fingers Crossed

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.

Show off your POTA Muscle on QRZ

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.

Make it stand out

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

Your Local Net

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.

Building the ultimate “no kit”

So this topic has been kicked around so much that I've tried to avoid it entirely.

Not because it's a taboo topic or the grand old debate about whether it is radio or not, but instead, it’s the “pink elephant” in the room. The Go-boxes I’ve seen make me think that the builder “threw the kitchen sink at it.” Trying to consider how to cram it into a pelican box—making it too complex and unwieldy in the field. I love a well-laid-out configuration, but do you need to pack four different antennas for the activation?

So, let us take a different slant, shall we?

Instead of setting out the goal to build an “ultimate go-box,” consider making for a purpose. Design modular “puzzle” components that are the “must haves” into small clear mesh bags. Build “home base” stations for charging and storage for your grab bags and use Lists.

Have laminated lists of what constitutes an HF activation, a VHF/Satellite outing, SOTA, or a drive-up POTA.

Then use a color-coded system to grab the necessary items quickly, throw them into a pack, and off you go.

Take this card system and test it out, see what is missing from each of these “trial runs” and revise and update.

I encourage you to give this a try and report back on your experience. As Ted Lasso always says “stay curious…”

Well Im doing this thing?

Edit: So, for those that are wondering what happened? Well, it’s been a busy life for us three! However, we are working feverishly to launch this, and I can say we are almost ready for the world to see. Sneak peek?  check it out here 

So for those who follow me on social media and this website! Thank you. I appreciate it.

But If you’ve been paying attention, you may have seen notifications and other “rumblings” about a new Podcast YT Channel titled “Live Free and Ham” popping up…

Before things officially launch, I wanted to let you in on a small secret squirrel project. I’ll post more about it later, but it will be great fun with a bunch of guys I call friends, and we’ll dive into topics surrounding Portable Operations, Ham Radio, and other cool stuff!

Stay tuned in 2023 for more details and where you can subscribe.