After a failed attempt earlier in the week, I was able to get my radio rig out to Glendalough State park for a quick data activation on 20m! read more →

I passed my general, and got an Icom IC-7300 on the same day... It's time to play radio! read more →

With some new radio gear inbound, I am going to layout what I plan to do with it. Ham radio is a wild world with a plethora of avenues to explore! read more →

Today was a huge step in several different directions. I got APRS contacts using APRSDroid, I programmed my Yaesu FTM-510 using Linux, I set up a Direwolf APRS connection through my laptop, and I ordered a piece of the puzzle for my BWCA HF goals. read more →

I think I can align my paddling hobby with my newfound radio hobby... activating the Superior National Forest in the POTA program using an HF amateur radio! read more →

Using a cheap Baofeng GT-5R and a Signal Stick antenna, I made my first contact as an amateur radio operator. Using the local repeater, I was able to bounce over and make contact with K0TML. He gave me some great troubleshooting tips and some encoura ... read more →

As of today, I've passed my ARRL technician exam. This means that once I receive a callsign from the FCC early next week, I'll be able to transmit on the amateur "ham" bands using a radio! While I'm excited to make radio contact with folks ... read more →

While it's tough to draw many parallels between self-hosting and baseball, hear me out on this one. If you finally make contact with the baseball but you're not a good runner... You won't look nearly as foolish sliding headfirst into first base - if ... read more →

First off, I'll point out that I'm not a professional IT Systems Administrator or anything that comes even relatively close. There are several layers to the problem I'm trying to solve with this site, and each one presented foreign challenges to me. ... read more →