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POTA Activation Report: Pinecliff Gardens

Written on Friday 28 Mar 2025

Small, busy town parks aren’t my favourite POTA spots, but GB-4194 Pinecliff Gardens is the last of them that I’d never activated in my town—its time had come to get checked off the list. I’ve actually been here for POTA before, as it’s almost exactly the location I picked for...

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POTA Activation Report: Kingston Great Common

Written on Sunday 23 Mar 2025

With 30 minutes to kill en route to Burley, I decided to hit up GB-0079 Kingston Great Common for some radio nerdery. Although I’ve activated the New Forest National Park before, I’d never been to this bit, so it was another park to tick off the list. Hopefully I’ll return...

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52 Week Ham Radio Challenge Roundup: Weeks 9-12

Written on Saturday 22 Mar 2025

If you’ve read the first post in this series or are playing along yourself, you’ll be aware of the 52 Week Ham Radio Challenge. If not, hit up that link for the details! This post covers the challenges from weeks 9-12, which were: Try to work an FM repeater on...

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Christchurch POTA Rove: Eight Parks in Eight Hours, on Foot!

Written on Friday 14 Mar 2025

As the priory bells tolled twelve noon, I was propped up on a fence, wringing the brackish water from my socks. My boots and trousers were plastered in stinking mud, I was down a shoelace, and I was contemplating how this activation had gone so badly wrong. This was supposed...

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POTA Activation Report: Holt Heath

Written on Sunday 9 Mar 2025

Another sunny afternoon on another heath, as Spring comes slowly to life all around me. If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know what to expect from GB-0157/GFF-0101 Holt Heath: heather, gorse, birch trees, sandy paths, and marshes. But now there are flowers, and the first bees, and birdsong that never...

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Hotel Room HF Adventures

Written on Thursday 6 Mar 2025

My portable radio kit that I typically use for POTA and similar is now even more portable, but while there’s now plenty of space in the bag for other kit I might need, it’s definitely a kit that I use to go out and play radio. If radio isn’t the...

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POTA Activation Report: Luscombe Valley

Written on Sunday 2 Mar 2025

“There’s no such thing as a bad day in the Great Blue Sky Shack,” they say, but despite the bright sunshine and the beginnings of Spring all around me, this one started to make me doubt. One of Luscombe Valley’s watercourses With most of Poole’s POTA entities already activated, today...

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POTA Activation Report: Boscombe & Southborne Overcliff

Written on Saturday 22 Feb 2025

I’m continuing to work my way through the Local Nature Reserves recently added to Parks on the Air. It was a fine sunny afternoon, and therefore what better than a trip to Bournemouth East Cliff, otherwise known as GB-4053 Boscombe & Southbourne Overcliff Nature Reserve. I can’t believe I get...

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52 Week Ham Radio Challenge Roundup: Weeks 5-8

Written on Saturday 22 Feb 2025

If you’ve read last month’s post or are playing along yourself, you’ll be aware of the 52 Week Ham Radio Challenge. If not, hit up that link for the details! This post covers the challenges from weeks 5-8, which were: Update your profile on QRZ.com, HamQTH.com, etc. Take part in...

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POTA Activation Report: Iford Meadows

Written on Sunday 16 Feb 2025

A dry Sunday morning offered a chance to clear off another of the local nature reserves that were recently added to Parks on the Air. GB-4054 Iford Meadows Nature Reserve is much prettier in Spring, but like most local nature reserves and commons, Winter sees it looking dreary and muddy....

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