In the past couple of years, and especially since the Pandemic, there’s been a remarkable explosion of interest among Hams for operating outdoors. With the advent of smaller, lighter and less power-hungry radios and antennas built for portable deployment, Hams everywhere are getting out of their shacks and into the parks to make contacts. On any given day, there are likely more radio enthusiasts doing sanctioned P.O.T.A activations — Parks on the Air — than sitting around the house dusting their stations. It’s great to see the hobby blossom like this.
I love operating outdoors, and this radio was born to it. Though old and heavy, it’s very much at home adventuring in the field—even when the field is so close to home.