Ham Radio All Portable Discussion Zone

Mike G3TSO has been licensed since 1964 and building since well before that. His philosophy is simple: find a design that does most of what you want, take it, modify it, and make it your own. It's how he went from crystal sets and valve receivers built from a library book called Fun With Radio, to miniature transceivers the size of a pencil box — and it's an approach he's been refining for over 60 years.In this episode Mike w...

Peter HB9EBE has been building his own antenna matching units since getting back into ham radio about 10 years ago, and his approach is about as minimal as it gets. His go-to field tuner is a homebrew L-match built around a single toroid and polyvaricon, small enough to fit in a dental floss case and simple enough to build in 30 minutes. Combined with a QMX in a custom carbon fiber enclosure and a random wire on a 3D-printed spool,...

Gary W0MNA and Martha W0ERI have been licensed for over 50 years each and are still building, activating, and teaching others to do the same. Based in Leavenworth, Kansas, they are regulars at Four Days in May and Ozark Con, where they mentor the Friday evening build session and beta test new kit designs for the Four State QRP Group.In this episode we talk about how they each got into ham radio, their decades of kit building and ho...

Paul VK3HN has been building homebrew radio gear since the late 1970s and activating SOTA summits in the Australian bush since around 2015 — and he'll tell you the two pursuits feed off each other perfectly. His Summit Prowler series of homebrew superhet transceivers were designed specifically for backpacking and activating, with every design decision driven by the constraints of the trail.In this episode Paul walks through h...

In this Homebrew Workbench Roundtable, Adam K6ARK, Tobias KK7BCO, and I dig into QRP antenna tuners and workbench projects. We cover L-match and T-match concepts, Adam's K6ARK QRP Antenna Matching Unit, and the G0FUW HB-ATU based on the classic Heathkit HFT-9 circuit. Tobias built two scratch versions plus a kit. I just got my parts together.On the antenna side, Tobias is working on a trapped vertical for 15, 17, and 20 meters, I a...

In this roundtable episode, Dan KC7MSU, Brian W7JET, and I debrief on Field Day, touch on the 13 Colonies special event, and I share highlights from a three day SOTA excursion with my wife W7NRS just before Field Day.Superstition Amateur Radio Club: https://superstitionarc.org/Morsle CW Practice: https://morsle.fun/Join us as we explore how you can get involved in portable radio, QRP, and more in this episode of the All Portable Di...

Saurabh Bhasin N6RUN has climbed the highest peak on every continent, finished five Ironmans, runs mountain ultras, and is active in SOTA.In this episode we talk about how mountaineering and ham radio collided for Saurabh, his Everest summit on May 14, 2025, and his six month attempt to get a Nepalese amateur radio license that never panned out. If you are into SOTA, endurance sports, or both at the highest level, this one is for y...

In this Homebrew Workbench Roundtable, Tobias KK7BCO and I are joined by Mitch NK3H, filling in for Adam K6ARK, to talk through what is on our benches right now.We cover frequency counter builds and wiring lessons learned, a direct conversion receiver that's now pulling in W1AW, Mitch's SuperHET power amplifier improvements, and a look at using local AI agents for ham radio related tasks. We close out by announcing our next group b...

Stuart M0SGV started soldering at age 8 in the 1950s, building crystal sets with a copper tip heated over a gas cooker. Nearly 70 years later he is still at the bench, building tube transmitters from 1949 magazine circuits, Hans Summers QMX and QDX rigs, a Michigan Mighty Mite, and a high voltage power supply built from scratch to power all of it.In this episode Stuart walks us through a dozen homebrew projects, shares his philosop...

Barb WB2CBA is a civil engineer by trade and an open source QRP designer by passion. Every circuit he's created has gone straight to GitHub with no paywalls and no kits he controls exclusively, and builders around the world have taken notice. In this episode Barb walks us through his major designs from the uSDX collaboration to the Pebble HF, talks about his experience at Four Days in May, and shares what it feels like to see stran...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

In this episode, we take a roundtable approach as each host brings a topic to the discussion. Brian shares insights from the Rookie Roundup and what makes it a great entry point into contesting. Dan talks about coordinating an ARISS contact, working with educators and local hams to connect students with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. I wrap things up with a look at a VHF/UHF book I’ve been reading and wh...

In this episode, we sit down with Don Taylor, KM4UDX, to talk through his approach to homebrew radio and hands-on experimentation. From uBITX modifications to scratch-built projects and antenna work, Don shares what he’s building, what’s working, and what he’s learned along the way. We also discuss his role as president of the Vienna Wireless Society and how the club supports operators through activities, mentorsh...

In this episode, we gather around the workbench with special guest Mitch NK3H to talk through his latest homebrew radio build—a scratch-built receiver capable of both CW and SSB. We dig into the design approach, construction techniques, challenges along the way, and what it takes to successfully build a more complex radio from the ground up.Join us as we explore how you can get involved in portable radio, QRP, and more in thi...

In this episode, we gather around the workbench to look back on our latest homebrew scratch-build project: George Dobbs’ signal generator. Join us as we discuss the design process, parts selection, challenges, lessons learned, and what it took to bring this ham radio project to life from the ground up.If you enjoy QRP, portable operations, electronics, and building your own gear, this episode is for you. We also announce our ...

In this interview, I sit down with Peter Parker to talk about making radio simple, practical, and accessible for anyone.Peter is well known in the amateur radio community for his clear, no-nonsense approach to building and operating simple radios. We discuss how beginners can get started, why you don’t need expensive equipment, and the value of hands-on experimentation.Join us as we explore how you can get involved in portabl...

Neville Marr, ZL2BNE, is a New Zealand amateur radio operator known for turning homebrew radio into something approachable and practical. He’s designed and shared projects like a 40-meter SDR receiver kit and regularly operates using self-built SDR transceivers, including the T41 platform. Along the way, he’s supported wider ham radio initiatives such as Reverse Beacon Network stations, and today he helps inspire others...