Homebrew Transceivers Designed for the Trail — Paul VK3HN
Paul VK3HN has been building homebrew radio gear since the late 1970s and activating SOTA summits in the Australian bush since around 2015 — and he’ll tell you the two pursuits feed off each other perfectly. His Summit Prowler series of homebrew superhet transceivers were designed specifically for backpacking and activating, with every design decision driven by the constraints of the trail.
In this episode Paul walks through his journey from a scratch built 2 meter FM receiver as a teenager to a series of increasingly refined portable CW and SSB transceivers, shares how his 20 year career as a software engineer made the jump to Arduino and Si5351 easier than most, and talks about choosing to stay a builder rather than become a full time YouTuber.
Join us as we explore how you can get involved in portable radio, QRP, and more in this episode of the All Portable Discussion Zone (AP/DZ). Every aspect of portable operations is covered in this biweekly podcast, from news and gear to achievements, the workbench, contests, awards, and beyond.
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Blackout Comms: Off-Grid Texting & Tracking That Just Works
Tonight I welcome Matthew from @blackoutcomms onto the livestream to demonstrate his system to setup a private, encrypted mesh cluster.
Find more on his website here – https://www.chatters.io/
Practical, decentralized communications — no towers, no carriers, no permission needed. This channel covers ham radio, Meshtastic and mesh networks, GMRS, and off-grid gear for staying connected anywhere.
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The field report after our yearly backpacking trip with @K6ARK ! Yes, there was a bear, it wasn’t a big deal.
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Learn how to survive a bear encounter while camping and find the best gear for your next trip. Get essential outdoor advice.
This video details a real-life bear encounter during a camping trip and provides practical lessons for anyone heading into the wilderness. Whether you are planning a family hiking trip or solo adventure, knowing how to stay safe in bear country is crucial. We also cover how to properly prepare your campsite and what to look for when choosing reliable equipment for your journey.
Beyond safety, we provide a hands-on water filter review to help you choose the right purification system for your needs. Reliable camping gear is the difference between a comfortable night in a sleeping bag and a miserable experience. By following these tips, you can ensure your outdoor excursions remain safe, prepared, and enjoyable for everyone involved.
Subscribe for weekly outdoor survival and camping gear reviews to stay prepared for the wild. Share your own camping safety tips in the comments below.
6 Days Of Non-Stop Ham Action! - FDIA & Huntsville Hamfest
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Four Days in August 2026 is getting real! In FDIA Update #6, I’m sharing the latest event news, showing off the official FDIA shirt, reviewing the updated schedule, and covering what you need to know before we gather on Monte Sano for four days of ham radio, portable operating, learning, sharing, and hams helping hams. FDIA 2026 runs August 17–23, so get your plans locked in, grab your shirt, and prepare for a week built around radio, community, and actually getting on the air.
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I packed a DX Commander Expedition and an entire high-power portable HF station into two large Peli cases and took it to Telford Amateur Radio Club for an evening in the field.
The station comprised my Kenwood TS-590SG, Tokyo Hy-Power HL-700B amplifier, lithium batteries, laptop, iPad second monitor and a DX Commander Expedition with 32 x 7-ft / 2m radials mounted in a water-filled patio umbrella base.
Once the club members had helped (watched!) me assemble everything, we were on the air within 20-minutes. What began as a demonstration quickly became a proper pile-up, with contacts across 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m – and we were even spotted on 6m.
Despite quite a high local noise level, around 100 stations went into the log during approximately 90 minutes of operating. Great signals, lovely evening light and tremendous fun.
Many thanks to everyone at Telford Amateur Radio Club for the welcome, help, coffee and excellent buffet – and thanks to everyone who called me, including the following who made it into the video:
G3HRO, PD9PWR, G4IRN, PA3MIR, F4LQP, M0JSX, OH2GBA, HB9HWS, PD1AR, PD3RL, LA6AY, M7HCV, SP2NW, G1IBS – and many more!
Apologies if I have copied any callsign incorrectly from the recording!
My nozzle got stuck in my Bambu Lab P2S and I couldn’t remove it. Rather than force it, it’s actually pretty simple!
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