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…
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…
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…
This morning, I got the email from the FCC — my General Class license upgrade has officially been processed. And yep, it happened on April Fools’ Day! But don’t worry, it’s not a prank — I passed my General Class…
When I first got licensed on February 27, 2025, I was issued the callsign KE2FFT. A few weeks later, I decided to change my ham radio callsign, and that’s when I found W2DIY. I had already set up a bunch…