Ham Radio Is More Interesting Once You Start Doing Things
Field Notes is where I document what I learn along the way—portable operating, antennas, gear, projects, activations and the ideas that need a little more room than a video description.
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The newest article from N1JUR Field Notes.
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Field Notes is only part of the story. Dig deeper into getting on the air, taking radio outside, or figuring out which gear actually earns a place in the setup.
Getting Started
A practical path from wondering where to begin to actually getting on the air.
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Activations
POTA, SOTA, Tiles and the lessons that come from actually operating away from the shack.
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Gear
The radios, antennas and setups I use, test and keep bringing back into the field.
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Dig Into the Field Notes
Browse the complete collection of articles, projects, experiments, lessons and occasional RF rabbit holes.
Ham Alert: The Tool Every POTA Hunter Should Probably Be Using
Ham Alert is one of those tools that sounds simple until you realize how powerful it actually is. If you hunt POTA, chase DX, follow friends, or just want to stop refreshing spotting pages like a raccoon with a caffeine problem, this guide and playlist will help you get started.
The Beard Challenge Has Begun… Blame Shannon
The Beard Challenge has officially begun… and yes, Shannon KC1OHT is absolutely to blame. During the latest Brew & Activate livestream, a simple joke turned into a full-blown community challenge: if we raise $500 in Super Chats, I’ll grow a beard. It’s ridiculous, it’s community-driven, and somehow it is now officially a thing. Check out the stream that started it all, join us for the next Brew & Activate, and help push the chaos toward the goal.
Why Most Portable Setups Fail Before You Even Key Up
The operator who gets on the air quickly almost always ends up having more fun than the operator building a NASA ground station in the parking lot.
Overpacking Kills Motivation
This is the part people don’t talk about enough.
Heavy setups slowly make you not want to activate.
The 20-Minute POTA Activation — Efficient or Lazy?
Can you really have a successful Parks on the Air activation in just 20 minutes? Here’s why short portable ham radio activations might matter more than you think.
The 20-Minute End-Fed Half-Wave: A Garage-Built Antenna That Punches Above Its Weight
The first antenna I bought for POTA cost me $75 and worked fine. The second antenna I built in my garage for about $18 in parts and worked better. I'm not saying that to sound clever — it's just how it went, and it's a pretty common story. The end-fed half-wave antenna is one of the most forgiving, portable, and genuinely effective antennas you can put up in a park. And if you build your own, you'll know exactly what's in it, which pays off every time something needs troubleshooting.
Your First POTA Activation: A Lazy-Sunday Starter Kit That Just Works
You've had your license for a few months. Maybe you've done some repeater work, chatted on a local net, maybe made a couple HF contacts from your living room. And then somebody mentions Parks on the Air and suddenly you're down a rabbit hole at midnight reading activation reports and thinking — okay, I need to do this. The problem is nobody hands you a checklist that says exactly what to bring and exactly what to do. So let me be that person. Here's the honest, no-fluff starter kit for your very first POTA activation.
Can you activate POTA without Internet or cell service? Here's what still works, what doesn't, and how to prepare for an offline activation.