Category: Red Summit RF

Derek W7DLZ has earned the SOTA Mountain Goat award five times over and he’s closing in on a sixth. Since his first activation in September 2021, Derek has operated from hundreds of summits across six associations and twenty-two regions at a pace that’s hard to believe, and he shows no signs of slowing down.
In this episode we cover his preferred radio, antenna choices, and operating philosophy.
If you’re into SOTA, QRP field ops, or just want to hear what genuine passion for a hobby sounds like, this one’s for you.

https://www.qrz.com/db/W7DLZ

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.

**DISCORD INVITE**: https://discord.gg/WVE3vVveWU

#apdz #SOTA #POTA #PortableOps #HamRadio #QRP # CW #Workbench #Electronics #homebrewradio #DIYradio #testequipment #RFprojects #amateurradio #hamradiopodcast #scratchbuild #ManhattanStyle #BITX #SolderSmoke #HFtransceiver #QRPSSB #directconversion #analogradio #morsecode

Bonus Episode: Scratch Building a Frequency Counter? Rex W1REX Breaks Down His X-Checker Circuit

This one wasn’t planned as an episode — but it was too good not to share.
As part of our ongoing Beginner Project Series, we’re scratch building a frequency counter based on Rex Harper W1REX’s X-Checker kit from QRPme.com. Before we put iron to board, we sat down with Rex himself to walk through the circuit — and what came out of that conversation is exactly the kind of deep-dive explanation that doesn’t show up in any build guide.
If you’re following along with the Beginner Project Series and building this circuit from scratch, this video will give you a much clearer picture of what’s actually happening on that board — straight from the designer himself.
Rex Harper W1REX is the one-man operation behind QRPme.com, home of the Tuna Tin 2, the Rockmite, MePADs, and dozens of other beloved QRP kits. He’s been designing and kitting ham radio projects for decades and is a fixture in the QRP homebrew community.
Resources mentioned:

X-Checker kit: https://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=Q17

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.

#apdz #SOTA #POTA #PortableOps #HamRadio #QRP #Workbench #Electronics #homebrewradio #DIYradio #testequipment #RFprojects #amateurradio #hamradiopodcast #scratchbuild #ManhattanStyle #BITX #SolderSmoke #HFtransceiver #QRPSSB #directconversion #analogradio #FrequencyCounter

Part 3 of the Chuck Adams W1AW Direct Conversion Receiver build — and it’s receiving. I tuned the receiver using both a 14.0480 and a 14.0475 MHz crystal, and both worked well. With the radio on, I pulled in W1AW live out of Connecticut. The signal drifts in and out, but that’s band conditions — closer stations come in noticeably stronger. Three stages, three shorts, one working receiver.
Part 1 — Oscilloscope Failed Me, My Yaesu FTdx10 Didn’t:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EoIKxCHX3vc
Part 2 — Does This Audio Stage Work? W1AW Direct Conversion Receiver:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sk9R5fhybCM

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#hamradio #amateurradio #STEM #electronics #homebrew #shorts #qrp #directconversion #receiver #cw #morseCode #w1aw #colpittsoscillator #localoscillator #yeasu #ftdx10 #oscilloscope #troubleshooting #20meters #hf #crystalradio #buildathon #arrl

In Part 2 of my W1AW Direct Conversion Receiver build, I tackle the audio stage using the LM386 IC. Once the circuit was complete, I connected a speaker and touched an open pad at R7 — and the static jumped dramatically, confirming the audio stage is alive and amplifying. The Chuck Adams W1AW receiver is coming together one stage at a time.
Part 1 — Oscilloscope Failed Me, My Yaesu FTdx10 Didn’t: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3IZlar-XjJA

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#hamradio #amateurradio #STEM #electronics #homebrew #shorts #qrp #directconversion #receiver #cw #morseCode #w1aw #colpittsoscillator #localoscillator #yeasu #ftdx10 #oscilloscope #troubleshooting #20meters #hf #crystalradio #buildathon #arrl

In this video I build the Stockton Bi-Directional Wattmeter and SWR Indicator from the G-QRP Club Telford Buildathon 2023 kit, designed by David Stockton GM4ZNX and originally published in SPRAT 61 back in 1989. The Stockton bridge is a deceptively simple circuit using just a BN43-202 binocular ferrite core and a handful of components, built here using Manhattan style construction. A great little project for any QRP station!

If you enjoy the channel and want to support my efforts, membership means a lot
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#hamradio #sota #portableops #electronics #gear #shorts #amateurradio #STEM #qrp #pota #keyer #ssb #vhf #fm #soldersmoke #hamradioworkbench #hackaday #homebrew #electronics #wattmeter #swr #manhattanstyle #gqrp #stockton #buildathon

In this episode, I sit down with Rick N3FJZ — a prolific homebrew builder known in the SolderSmoke community for his meticulous construction, clean schematics, and commitment to all-discrete analog design. We trace his journey from his first scratch build projects to his current tranciever with a custom front panel digital display.

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.

Rick’s website: http://www.remmepark.com/circuit6040/
Show notes Listed on Rick’s Website: http://www.remmepark.com/circuit6040/Show_Notes/Show_Notes.html

#apdz #SOTA #POTA #PortableOps #HamRadio #QRP #Workbench #Electronics #homebrewradio #DIYradio #testequipment #RFprojects #amateurradio #hamradiopodcast #scratchbuild #ManhattanStyle #BITX #SolderSmoke #HFtransceiver #QRPSSB #directconversion #analogradio

Tried tuning the W1AW 20m Direct Conversion Receiver local oscillator with an oscilloscope and got strange readings — so I grabbed my Yaesu FTdx10 instead. Tuned to 14.047MHz, listened for the carrier, and adjusted trimmer C1 until I had a nice ~600Hz beat note. Sometimes your HF rig is better test equipment than your test equipment! Part of my W1AW Direct Conversion Receiver build series.

If you enjoy the channel and want to support my efforts, membership means a lot
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#hamradio #amateurradio #STEM #electronics #homebrew #shorts #qrp #directconversion #receiver #cw #morseCode #w1aw #colpittsoscillator #localoscillator #yeasu #ftdx10 #oscilloscope #troubleshooting #20meters #hf #crystalradio #buildathon #arrl

In this video I build the Stockton Bi-Directional Wattmeter and SWR Indicator from the G-QRP Club Telford Buildathon 2023 kit, designed by David Stockton GM4ZNX and originally published in SPRAT 61 back in 1989. The Stockton bridge is a deceptively simple circuit using just a BN43-202 binocular ferrite core and a handful of components, built here using Manhattan style construction. A great little project for any QRP station!

If you enjoy the channel and want to support my efforts, membership means a lot
👉 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHriEQX4EK2b0QS7EgSvjmg/join

#hamradio #sota #portableops #electronics #gear #shorts #amateurradio #STEM #qrp #pota #keyer #ssb #vhf #fm #soldersmoke #hamradioworkbench #hackaday #homebrew #electronics #wattmeter #swr #manhattanstyle #gqrp #stockton #buildathon

In this episode, Tobias KK7BCO and I continue our discussion on the Stockton Bidirectional Wattmeter and SWR Indicator project, covering our progress, build experiences, and what we’ve learned along the way. With Adam K6ARK unavailable this month, Mitch NK3H joins the roundtable and shares details from his RF power amplifier build, including design considerations, challenges, and lessons learned from the project.

If you enjoy QRP, portable operations, electronics, and building your own gear, this episode is for you. We also announce our next scratch-build project, so be sure to follow along as we continue building, experimenting, and learning together over the coming episodes.

This episode wraps up the Stockton Bidirectional Wattmeter / SWR Indicator build and kicks off the next project in our ongoing scratch-build series.

FREQUENCY COUNTER PROJECT
QRPme Kit: https://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=Q17
Parts Order Page: https://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=NJ71
BOM: https://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=NJ71
Schematic 1: https://qrpme.com/docs/X-CHECKer%20Counter%20Pg1.pdf
Schematic 2: https://qrpme.com/docs/X-CHECKer%20Counter%20Pg2.pdf

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.

Connect with us:
* Discord: https://discord.gg/WVE3vVveWU
* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/redsummitrf
* TikTok: @redsummitrf
* X (formerly Twitter): @NJ7V_

Support the channel:
* Buy us a Coke: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/RedSummitRF
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#apdz #SOTA #HamRadio #PortableOps #QRP #Workbench #Electronics #POTA #homebrewradio #DIYradio #RFamplifier #SWRmeter #wattmeter #testequipment #RFprojects #amateurradio #hamradiopodcast #scratchbuild

Hiking Christopher Mountain for ham radio ops – summits on the air – Morse code contacts from a summit.

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#hamradio #sota #portableops #electronics #gear #shorts #amateurradio #STEM #qrp #pota #keyer #cw #morsecode