Radio
N1RWJ
I operate amateur radio as N1RWJ. My radio interests are mostly technical and practical: portable HF, CW, POTA, station design, remote operation, antennas, logging, and field workflows.
Radio work
What belongs here
Field notes
POTA activations, portable station setup, operating constraints, and cleanup notes.
Station work
Remote operation, antennas, RF debugging, logging, and equipment choices.
Practice
CW practice, repeatable workflows, and the small adjustments that make operating smoother.
Reference
Radio glossary
Plain-language definitions for the radio terms that show up in field notes and project pages here.
Station
My shack
The current home station, portable HF kit, antennas, logging habits, and operating workflow notes behind the field reports.
Practice
Interactive CW tool
Field reports
Radio notes
- 2026-06-04 Sachuest Point
A breezy Pack Mule activation at US-0516 with the KX2, the KJ6ER Challenger, and 38 quick CW QSOs from the rocks at Sachuest Point.
- JL Curran State Park Pack Mule Activation
A local Pack Mule outing at US-6992 with the freshly reassembled KX2, a high 51-foot random wire, and 23 CW QSOs through heavy QSB.
- Installing USB-C Charging and Side Rails on My KX2
A first-pass walkthrough of adding USB-C charging and protective side rails to a new Elecraft KX2.
- CQ WPX CW as a Learning Weekend
Thirty-seven CW QSOs over the CQ WPX CW weekend, a lot of repeat requests and nerves, and a surprisingly effective way to pick up new DXCC entities.
- East Bay Three-Park POTA Rove
Three Rhode Island parks with the KX2: 43 CW QSOs, contest congestion at the first stop, a preventable SWR problem at the second, and a fast saltwater finish at sunset.
- Durfee Hill Wildlife Management Area POTA
First outing with the KX2 at US-7715: a hike up the hill to clear the valley, a first-throw throw-line success, and 19 CW QSOs across 40, 30, and 20 meters.
- Black Hut Wildlife Management Area with a 40m EFHW
A mile-plus hike into US-6984, a throw-line-supported 40-meter EFHW, and 25 CW QSOs after a slow middle stretch.
- Memorial Day Rhode Island POTA Rove
A Memorial Day POTA rove through Rhode Island: five stops, six park references, 64 CW contacts, and a few useful lessons.
- Portable HF logging workflow notes
Notes on logging workflow for portable HF operations, including what to capture in the field and how to clean up the log afterward.
POTA
2026 Activate All RI POTA
I am tracking the project to activate every POTA reference associated with Rhode Island by the end of 2026.