It’s official — I’ve entered the world of contesting! This weekend marks my very first time participating in a ham radio contest since I got licensed, and I went all in with the 2025 ARRL International Digital Contest. Operating as…
There are some contacts you never forget—and this is one of them. Today, I made contact with 4U1UN on 6 meters FT8, a rare and iconic DXCC entity operating from the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The signal…
Today, I activated not one, but two Parks on the Air locations here on Long Island: Belmont Lake State Park (US-2013) and Bethpage State Park (US-2014). I ran 20 watts from my Xiegu G90 into a vertical from Wolf River…
There’s something surreal about waking up at 5 a.m., tuning your radio, and hearing a station from the other side of the world calling CQ. That’s exactly how my morning started—and just a few minutes later, I had my longest…
Last night, I finally got on HF for the first time — and I couldn’t have asked for a better debut. I set up my Wolf River Coils antenna for 20 meters, tuned into FT8, and ended the night with…
One of the best parts of ham radio is getting out of the shack and taking your station into the great outdoors. This summer, I’m challenging myself to do just that — and I’m calling it POTAble Adventures. POTAble Adventures…
Another step forward in the ham radio world — I just received my official ARRL Volunteer Examiner (VE) credentials in the mail! If you’re new to the hobby, a Volunteer Examiner is someone certified to help administer ham radio license…
After a five-day study sprint, I’m officially an Amateur Extra! 🎉 I couldn’t wait for the next local test session — so I scheduled an online exam with WM7X, took the test, and passed! When I first got into ham…
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to celebrate International Marconi Day by operating as W2GSB, the official event station for the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club. It was my first time ever operating at a club station — and also…
Ever since I upgraded to General, I knew I wanted to get on HF—but I didn’t want to drop a fortune right away. That’s when I came across the Xiegu G90. It’s compact, full-featured, and one of the most affordable…