Latest Amateur Radio News

N3HXZ: Trans-Atlantic SOTA S2S Event from W3 land

by Dale (N3HXZ) In the spring and autumn, there is a Trans-Atlantic SOTA summit-to-summit event. The autumn event was held on November 1-2, 2025. This event is open to all amateur radio operators and focuses on summit activating and chasing  ‘across the pond’. Making summit-to-summit contacts is emphasized, but all chasers are welcome. A few &#8230; <a href="https://qrper.com/2025/12/n3hxz-trans-atlantic-sota-s2s-event-from-w3-land/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">N3HXZ: Trans-Atlantic SOTA S2S Event from W3 land</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>

POTA Sites Deactivation in Virginia: Wildlife Management Areas and Fishing Lakes

Many thanks to a number of you who have reached out to share some unfortunate news about POTA sites in Virginia that have been removed from the POTA network. This news was posted by Sean Pyne (W4BKR) who is the mapping coordinator for Virginia for Parks On The Air. He shared the following on Facebook: &#8230; <a href="https://qrper.com/2025/12/pota-sites-deactivation-in-virginia-wildlife-management-areas-and-fishing-lakes/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">POTA Sites Deactivation in Virginia: Wildlife Management Areas and Fishing Lakes</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>

Rediscovering Simple Radio Joy with the XHDATA D-219

by Thomas (K4SWL) It’s been a long while since I’ve written a receiver review. Years ago, I cranked them out several times a year and genuinely loved the process&#8211;evaluating performance, quirks, economics, and overall user experience. Writing reviews is, to this day, one of my favorite things to do. But over the past four years, [&#8230;]

LHS Episode #603: The Weekender CXXXVI

It's time for The Weekender! This is our departure into the world of hedonism, random topic excursions, whimsy and (hopefully) knowledge. Thanks for listening and, if you happen to get …

Field Report and Notes From M1GEO’s First SOTA Activation in Japan

Please note that a version of the following post was originally published on the SOTA Reflector: My first JA activation &#8211; JA/KN-022 by George (M1GEO) A word of caution: this is more of a set of notes on what I did and how you may do similar, and less of an operating report, though there &#8230; <a href="https://qrper.com/2025/12/field-report-and-notes-from-m1geos-first-sota-activation-in-japan/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Field Report and Notes From M1GEO&#8217;s First SOTA Activation in Japan</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>

A New SOTA-Themed Book from GW4BML: Summit of Dreams

I recently received a note from Ben Lloyd (GW4BML), who let me know about his newly published book, Summit of Dreams. While I haven’t read it myself, I’m always happy to help share projects from within the field radio community. Here’s how Ben describes Summit of Dreams: Summit of Dreams is no ordinary tale of &#8230; <a href="https://qrper.com/2025/12/a-new-sota-themed-book-from-gw4bml-summit-of-dreams/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">A New SOTA-Themed Book from GW4BML: Summit of Dreams</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>

Giuseppe’s Clever Homebrew Ferrite Antenna for MW and SW Listening

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Giuseppe Morlè, who writes: Dear Thomas, I’m Giuseppe Morlè, IZ0GZW, from Formia in central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. This is one of my builds from a few years ago: the T Ferrite antenna. It’s a minimal antenna designed mainly for mediumwave, but it also performs well on shortwave. [&#8230;]

NDR’s “Gruß an Bord” Christmas Broadcast Returns for 2025

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David Iurescia for sharing the following news and holiday tradition from NDR Hörfunk. Each Christmas Eve, NDR airs its beloved “Gruß an Bord” (Greetings on Board) program&#8211;a broadcast of messages from families in Germany to loved ones serving at sea. It’s a tradition stretching back to 1953, connecting crews [&#8230;]

Petr’s DXing Blog Returns

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Petr (OK1RP), who shares the following update: Hi Tom, I’m pleased to let you know that I’ve successfully reconstructed the data from my old blog that was attacked, and I’ve been able to republish it. I will gradually be posting both restored content from the old site and new [&#8230;]

Ham College 131

Ham College episode 131 is now available for download. Technician Exam Questions Part 18 T5D – Ohm’s Law, Series and parallel circuits. Download YouTube

A Conversation About Amateur Radio and Hurricane Helene with Mark Hurst on Techtonic

I wrote the following for QRPer.com, and thought readers here on the SWLing Post might appreciate it too: I was recently invited onto Techtonic, the weekly technology program on WFMU, hosted by Mark Hurst. If you’ve never listened to Techtonic, I encourage you to check it out—it’s one of the most thoughtful shows out there [&#8230;]

A Conversation About Amateur Radio and Hurricane Helene with Mark Hurst on Techtonic

I was recently invited onto Techtonic, the weekly technology program on WFMU, hosted by Mark Hurst. If you’ve never listened to Techtonic, I encourage you to check it out—it’s one of the most thoughtful shows out there about how technology shapes our lives and communities. Techtonic homepage Episode featuring our conversation  Mark’s blog post about &#8230; <a href="https://qrper.com/2025/12/a-conversation-about-amateur-radio-and-hurricane-helene-with-mark-hurst-on-techtonic/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">A Conversation About Amateur Radio and Hurricane Helene with Mark Hurst on Techtonic</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of CGTN, NHK, and Radio Taiwan International (December 6, 2025)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report of recent CGTN, NHK, and Radio Taiwan International broadcasts. Carlos notes: China, Japan, Taiwan: War of Words on the Shortwave (CGTN, NHK, Radio Taiwan International) Click here to view on YouTube.

The ARRL Solar Update

<p>Solar activity was at low levels this past week with only C class<br />flares. Region 4294 remains the largest region on the disk but is<br />appearing to be simplifying magnetically. Region 4296, on the other<br />hand, gained a delta region in its intermediary region, though with<br />no corresponding increase in flare activity as of yet. New flux<br />emerged along the eastern side of Region 4298, resulting in several<br />C f...</p>

NM3A’s Ultralight (tr)uSDX SOTA Field Kit

Many thanks to Dan (NM3A) who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post. Dan writes: SOTA (tr)uSDX Field Go Kit by Dan (NM3A) Effective Field Go Kits vary from &#8230; <a href="https://qrper.com/2025/12/nm3as-ultralight-trusdx-sota-field-kit/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">NM3A’s Ultralight (tr)uSDX SOTA Field Kit</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>

Operators/Monitors Wanted for Meteor Scatter QSO Party December 12-13

TEMPLATE: Alan Roe’s B-25 Season Guide to Music on Shortwave (version 2.0)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who shares his B-25 (version 2.0) season guide to music on shortwave. Alan provides this amazing resource as a free PDF download. Click here to download Music on Shortwave B-25 v2.0 (PDF) Alan has also created at-a-glance, single-page PDF programme grids for BBC World Service, CGTN Radio, Radio [&#8230;]

Festive Callsigns PH25XMAS and PH26HNY Return to the HF Bands

&#160;Celebrating 5 Years of Holiday Spirit on the AirNow with an AI-Powered Award System! As the Christmas season approaches, radio amateurs across the world can once again look forward to hearing the cheerful special callsigns PH25XMAS and PH26HNY o...

Gratitude, Community, and Hope: A Heartfelt Thank You

Dear QRPer family, First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the outpouring of kindness following Hazel’s passing last week. Your comments, messages, stories, and virtual hugs brought such comfort to our family. Reading your words reminded me how this community extends far beyond radio—it’s a circle of genuine care. Thank you &#8230; <a href="https://qrper.com/2025/12/gratitude-community-and-hope-a-heartfelt-thank-you/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Gratitude, Community, and Hope: A Heartfelt Thank You</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of CGTN (December 3, 2025)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report of a recent CGTN broadcast. Carlos notes: CGTN+Kyodo News: China and Russia agree to cooperate in the fight against Japan. Click here to view on YouTube. Today&#8217;s Kyodo News Evening Edition, radiofax received in Porto Alegre.