POTA BAG ROAST
The bags are packed. The evidence has been submitted. And tomorrow, Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT are putting the Brew Crew's POTA bags on trial.
Submissions are officially closed, and the brave operators who volunteered their gear for public scrutiny are featured below. Check out their setups, inspect the evidence, and decide for yourself: genius field preparation... or completely unnecessary?
MEET THE BAGS.
Eight operators. Eight completely different approaches to getting on the air. And approximately 347 opportunities for questionable gear decisions.
These are the actual POTA setups submitted by members of the Brew Crew. Some are minimalist. Some are prepared for everything. And at least one appears prepared to rebuild civilization after the activation.
KE9DSK
Mike
ACTIVATION STYLE
Full-service “bring everything” setup.
WHAT'S IN THE BAG?
FT-891, FT-150, radials, wire cutters, wire strippers, chargers and crimpers.
M1SDH
Steve
THE SETUP
Xiegu G90, EFHW from Radio-Stuff, 6-meter telescopic fishing-pole mast and a 6Ah LiFePO4 battery.
THE PHILOSOPHY
A compact 20-watt station capable of roughly three-plus hours in the field without requiring a tree for antenna support.
M9OCT
Samantha
THE SETUP
Home-built QMX paired with an ATU-10, kit-built 49:1 transformer from Radio-Stuff and an INIU power bank.
THE PHILOSOPHY
Small, lightweight and multi-mode. CW is the preference, but the QMX provides five-band capability with SSB and digital available when conditions demand it.
N2MAK
Mike
THE RADIO
Icom IC-705 protected by a SideKX cover and Peovi cage, custom battery, original backup battery and 5.5Ah DenCo battery for full 10-watt operation.
THE SUPPORT SYSTEM
DigiRig cables, iPhone logging and SDR Control, paper backup, Nifty manual, band plan, clip lights, multitool, repair supplies, RG316/RG174 coax and homebrew choke.
ANTENNAS & SUPPORT
Reliance 56:1 EFHW Bugout, linked 12/17-meter antenna, Signal Stick, POTA20 mast, Murder Spike, fishing-rod spike, stakes, cord and gear ties.
N3SMD
Rabbit
WHAT'S IN THE BAG?
Yaesu FT-891, 15Ah battery, ATU-100, 25 feet of coax, RigExpert analyzer, Reliance antenna, notebook, pen...
AND THEN THERE'S THIS...
THE BOX-O-ADAPTERS.
WI1ZRD
Joseph
THE MISSION
Maximum capability in a small portable package built around the Yaesu FT-818ND.
HF
Elecraft AX1 for 20/40 meters, Elecraft T1 tuner, counterpoise, Spark Plug EFHW configuration and throw bag.
EVERYTHING ELSE
6-meter whip, 2m/70cm whip, tablet for digital operation and — because apparently normal antennas became boring — two coat hangers cut for 2-meter SSB.
K8ARH
Andrew
THE STATION
Xiegu G90 with mic, data cables and manual, Bioenno battery, N6ARA Tiny Paddle, Palomar Engineer pen and QRP reference notebook.
ANTENNA DEPARTMENT
POTA Explorer 20 mast, ground spikes, arborist weight and line, Spooltenna Ultra, 25-foot RG316 feedline, ferrites and BNC-to-PL259 adapters.
W9TEK
Chris
WHERE DO WE EVEN START?
FX-4CR station, BattleBoard, dual-boot portable computer affectionately named the CrapaPOTAmus, paper logs, RigExpert Stick Pro, multiple feedlines, dummy load and adapters for virtually every coax connector.
ANTENNA DEPARTMENT
K6ARK 20W EFHW, KM4CFT 100W EFHW, Reliance Bugout 56:1, PackTenna 20m/40m linked EFHW, POTA20 mast, holder, guy line and stakes.
RADIO SUPPORT
RG316, Cobra Head, charger, Anker plug, multiple XT60/XT90 adapters, spare microphone, manual, two K6ARK microphones, Y-adapter, 4S 5,000mAh battery, headphones and N6ARA Tiny Paddle.
Keep it funny. Keep it useful.
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01
Submit your own bag and photos.
You must own the photos or have permission from the photographer and everyone clearly pictured.
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02
Send one to three clear images.
Include the bag itself and, when possible, a laid-out gear photo. JPG, PNG, or WEBP files only.
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03
Remove private information.
Hide addresses, phone numbers, license documents, vehicle plates, medical information, and anything else you do not want on a livestream.
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04
Keep the submission safe and legal.
No dangerous demonstrations, illegal equipment use, explicit content, or material that attacks another person or group.
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05
Roasting is voluntary.
By submitting, you allow Brew & Activate to show, discuss, crop, caption, and playfully roast the submission during the livestream, replay, podcast, website, and related promotional posts.
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06
Not every entry is guaranteed airtime.
Submissions may be selected, shortened, combined, or held for a future episode based on time and show flow.
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07
The operator is never the punchline.
The hosts roast the packing choices, tangled cables, tactical snack deployment, and questionable quantities of adapters—not a person’s ability, budget, body, identity, or license level.