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Brew and Activate

Brew & Activate - N1JUR

Welcome to Brew & Activate, the podcast where we dive into the fascinating world of Parks on the Air (POTA) every Friday morning! Join us for lively discussions that cover everything you need to know—from gear and antennas to optimal setups. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, we’ll explore every aspect of outdoor ham radio operations, including those topics that might initially seem less exciting. Grab your favorite beverage and tune in for a great conversation!

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27 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 41 min
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S1 · E59
Friday · 2 hr 1 min
POTA Contacts You're Missing (And How to Work Them)
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! What if the biggest improvement to your POTA setup doesn't involve buying anything? Eric (N1JUR) and Shannon (KC1OHT) examine the operating habits that can cause activators and hunters to miss contacts. From calling CQ and managing pileups to weak-signal listening, incomplete callsigns, and knowing when to change bands, this episode focuses on practical skills you can try immediately. Along the way, they share field experiences, question familiar operating habits, and challenge the Brew Crew to experiment during Support Your Parks Weekend. Because sometimes the missing piece isn't another antenna. It's the operator behind the microphone. Brew & Activate — real conversations, practical POTA lessons, and just enough sarcasm to keep things interesting. https://www.n1jur.com ************************************************************* [OPTIONAL PRIMARY VIDEO LINK] ➡️ [PRODUCT, EVENT, GIVEAWAY, ARTICLE, OR PRIMARY LINK] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📻 WHAT WE’RE COVERING [Write 2–3 short paragraphs specific to this video.] [Explain the topic, problem, question, product, activation, or event.] [Explain what viewers will learn, see tested, or understand by the end.] [Include the main ham radio keywords naturally, along with relevant equipment, operating modes, guests, or locations.] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🛠️ BUILD ON THIS Take the next step with this related guide, article, video, project, or resource: [RESOURCE TITLE] [One short sentence explaining why it is worth clicking.] ➡️ [FEATURED RESOURCE LINK] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com
S1 · E58
October 10 · 1 hr 10 min
Why Does Nobody Activate This POTA Park
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Why do some POTA parks get activated CONSTANTLY... while another reference 20 miles away barely gets touched? This week on Brew & Activate, we're investigating THE POTA PARK NOBODY WANTS. What makes us choose one park over another? Easy parking? Bathrooms? Cell service? A picnic table? Good antenna space? A short drive? Knowing somebody else has already activated it? And what happens when a park has NONE of those things? We're looking at why certain POTA references become favorites, why others get forgotten, and whether we've gotten so good at optimizing our activations that we're missing some of the adventure. We'll play WOULD YOU ACTIVATE IT? We'll attempt some questionable POTA real estate evaluations. And then we're giving the Brew Crew a new challenge: THE FORGOTTEN PARK CHALLENGE. Find the POTA reference near you that gets almost no love... and go find out WHY. LIVE Friday at 10 AM Eastern with Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT. QUESTION FOR THE BREW CREW: What makes you SKIP a POTA park? #POTA #ParksOnTheAir #HamRadio #AmateurRadio #PortableRadio ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com
S1 · E57
October 5 · 1 hr 45 min
We Found the Weirdest Ham Radio Gear at NEAR-Fest
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! What’s the WEIRDEST piece of ham radio gear hiding at NEAR-Fest? This week Brew & Activate is doing something a little different. Eric – N1JUR is back at Mission Control with the Brew Crew while Shannon – KC1OHT is LIVE on the ground at NEAR-Fest with one mission: FIND THE WEIRDEST HAM RADIO GEAR SHE CAN. We’re not looking for the newest radio. We’re not looking for the most expensive radio. And we’re definitely not looking for another perfectly normal black box. We want the homemade contraptions, mystery boxes, strange antennas, vintage equipment, questionable modifications, and those pieces of gear that make you stop and ask: “WHAT IS THAT?!” As Shannon explores NEAR-Fest, Eric and the Brew Crew will be calling the shots from Mission Control. Every contender goes on the WEIRD-O-METER: NORMAL QUESTIONABLE MAD SCIENTIST MAKE RF WEIRD Along the way, we’ll meet the hams behind this stuff and ask the important questions: What is it? What does it do? Does it still work? Why did somebody build it? And most importantly… WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE IT? Then the Brew Crew gets the final vote. 🏆 What deserves the title of NEAR-Fest’s WEIRDEST HAM RADIO GEAR? And remember — weird doesn’t mean useless. Some of amateur radio’s best ideas started because somebody looked at a problem and said: “I bet I can build something for that.” Join Eric, Shannon and the Brew Crew LIVE for OPERATION: MAKE RF WEIRD. ☕ Join the conversation in the Brew Crew Discord 📻 Subscribe for more POTA, portable radio, gear, experiments and questionable RF decisions 👕 Make RF Weird and support N1JUR through the merch store ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com
S1 · E56
September 18 · 2 hr 1 min
What Actually Qualifies as a POTA Park
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! You pull up the POTA map. There's a state park. There's a wildlife refuge. There's a historic site. There's a giant public county park... Wait. Why doesn't THAT one count? This week on Brew & Activate, Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT are asking a question that sounds ridiculously simple: WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES A PARK A POTA PARK? Parks on the Air needs rules for deciding which locations become references—and once you start looking at the edge cases, things get complicated fast. National parks. State parks. County parks. City parks. Trails. Historic sites. Protected areas. Parks inside other parks. Locations that are technically public but almost impossible to reach. Which should count? We're looking at POTA's current park qualification guidelines, why the program limits certain types of references, what happens when an existing reference no longer qualifies, and the recent debate involving French ZNIEFF references. Then we're putting the Brew Crew in charge. Welcome to POTA COURT. We'll give you the location. YOU decide: PARK... or NOT A PARK? And eventually we're going to attempt something even more dangerous: Let the Brew Crew write its own POTA eligibility rule. That should go well. This isn't about attacking POTA, its volunteers, or any particular group of operators. It's about understanding a surprisingly difficult problem: How do you create one manageable park-activation program for amateur radio operators around the world? Join us LIVE Friday at 10 AM Eastern for Brew & Activate. QUESTION: What should make a location eligible for POTA? ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com
S1 · E55
September 14 · 1 hr 24 min
The K1C Expedition Chasing a POTA ATNO by Boat
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! What does it take to activate a POTA park that nobody has ever activated before? This week on Brew & Activate, we're going behind the scenes of the K1C Cross Island Expedition. On September 5, four amateur radio operators headed by boat to Cross Island, Maine, to put Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge — POTA US-0338 — on the air as an ATNO. And we're getting the story directly from the operators who made it happen. Joining us: James — NV1U Adam — AA1N Max — N4ML Josh — AF5ID We're talking about how the expedition came together, getting people and radio equipment onto the island, station planning, antennas, power, operating multiple modes, pileups, problems, surprises and the moment they finally put an unactivated park on the air. More importantly, we're going to find out what the rest of us can learn from an activation where "I forgot an adapter" is considerably harder to solve than walking back to the truck. If you've ever wondered what separates a normal POTA activation from a real expedition, this is the episode. BREW & ACTIVATE Friday | 10:00 AM Eastern Grab the coffee. Bring your questions. Because apparently driving to the parking lot wasn't difficult enough. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com
S1 · E54
September 4 · 1 hr 53 min
POTA vs SOTA vs Tiles — The OTA Wars
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! POTA isn't the only game in town. Parks on the Air has exploded across amateur radio—but POTA is just one way hams are turning portable operating into a challenge. This week on Brew & Activate, Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT are entering THE OTA WARS. We're putting four different portable-radio programs on the board: POTA — Parks on the Air SOTA — Summits on the Air TILES — Tiles on the Air PARC — Protected Area Radio Community But this isn't about trashing one program or declaring that everybody should abandon POTA for the newest shiny thing. We're asking a much more interesting question: WHICH GAME FITS THE WAY YOU LIKE TO OPERATE? We'll look at what each program is trying to accomplish, what it rewards, how you participate, how activations differ, spotting and logging, scoring, awards, physical challenges, exploration and the communities developing around them. Then we're putting them through the Brew & Activate test. Which program fits the casual portable operator? Which one rewards adventure? Which one makes exploration part of the game? Which one would you recommend to a brand-new portable operator? And can you STACK multiple programs during the same activation? Because maybe the OTA Wars aren't actually a war. Maybe we've just been playing one game when there's an entire arcade sitting next door. Different games. Same radio. Join Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT LIVE on Brew & Activate. FRIDAY 10:00 AM EASTERN Come prepared to answer: WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO GET OUT OF PORTABLE RADIO? And which OTA are YOU choosing? ************************************************************* 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔗 LINKS FROM THIS VIDEO Cross Island Maine K1C Activation https://www.qrz.com/db/K1C
S1 · E53
August 28 · 2 hr 40 min
We Asked to See Your POTA Bags… BIG Mistake
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! What does your POTA bag say about you? We asked the Brew Crew to open up their POTA bags and show us what they REALLY carry for Parks on the Air activations. Six brave operators answered the call. That may have been a mistake. This week on Brew & Activate, Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT are putting six real POTA bags under the microscope. Radios, antennas, batteries, coax, adapters, backup gear and a few items that are going to require some serious explaining. Welcome to the POTA BAG ROAST. But this isn't just about making fun of somebody carrying 37 adapters and enough battery capacity to survive the apocalypse. For every bag, we're asking: • Does the gear match the activation? • What's genuinely useful? • What's unnecessary? • What's missing? • What would WE change? • And most importantly… WHY ARE YOU CARRYING THAT?! Because there isn't one perfect POTA setup. A hiking activator shouldn't necessarily carry the same station as someone operating from a picnic table. QRP, 100-watt SSB, CW, quick activations, all-day operations and remote parks all create different requirements. Join us LIVE and bring your own POTA bag confessions. Tell us the weirdest thing you carry, the piece of gear that has saved an activation, and the item you finally stopped dragging into the field. ☕ BREW & ACTIVATE Brew & Activate is a weekly live show about Parks on the Air, portable ham radio, gear, operating skills, experiments, questionable decisions and becoming better operators. Hosted by: Eric — N1JUR Shannon — KC1OHT Grab a drink, join the Brew Crew and come hang out with us. 73! #POTA #ParksOnTheAir #HamRadio #AmateurRadio #PortableHamRadio #POTAGear ************************************************************* 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com
S1 · E52
August 22 · 1 hr 3 min
Can You Activate POTA With NO Internet?
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Can you successfully activate a Parks on the Air park with NO Internet? Modern POTA is loaded with incredibly useful tools: park maps, GPS navigation, spotting, propagation data, callsign lookup, logging apps, P2P information and instant log uploads. But what happens when the cell signal disappears? This week on Brew & Activate, Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT are putting the modern POTA workflow under the microscope. What actually requires the Internet? What can work completely offline? Do you need to self-spot? Can another hunter spot you? Could you still get your 10 contacts if the POTA spotting page disappeared completely? And just how dependent have we become on our phones during portable operations? We're also introducing the Brew Crew Airplane Mode Activation Challenge: One park. One activation. Airplane mode stays ON. Let's find out what breaks. Join us LIVE Friday and tell us: Could YOU successfully activate a POTA park without Internet access? ************************************************************* 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com
S1 · E51
August 15 · 1 hr 47 min
Are You Actually Getting Better at POTA
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Are You Actually Getting Better at POTA? You’ve logged more parks. Made more contacts. Bought better gear. Earned some awards. But are you actually becoming a better POTA operator? This week on Brew & Activate, Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT are looking beyond activation counts and asking what operator improvement really looks like. We're talking about the POTA skills nobody keeps track of: troubleshooting, propagation, pileup management, antenna decisions, adaptability, operating efficiency, mentoring and knowing what to do when the activation absolutely refuses to follow the plan. We'll build the POTA Skill Tree, put ourselves through the POTA Combine, talk about the difference between DOING POTA and PRACTICING POTA, and challenge the Brew Crew to deliberately improve one skill over their next ten activations. The big question: What can you do today that you couldn't do on your first POTA activation? Join us LIVE Friday at 10 AM Eastern and bring your answers. Brew & Activate Hosted by Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT Join the conversation, hang out with the Brew Crew, and check out the links below for the Discord community, memberships, Patreon and more. #POTA #ParksOnTheAir #HamRadio #AmateurRadio #PortableHamRadio ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔗 LINKS FROM THIS VIDEO Brew and Activate Live Stream - Are you getting better at POTA? ➡️ https://youtube.com/live/JVJa8kDgXwE?feature=share
S1 · E50
August 13 · 1 hr 31 min
Your POTA Wallet Is Lying to You The Hidden Cost of Portable Radio
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Is POTA an expensive hobby... or do we accidentally make it one? This week on Brew & Activate, we're talking about the hidden economics of Parks on the Air. Not budgets. Not financial advice. Just the buying decisions almost every activator makes along the way. We've all been there... Buying another antenna because it might perform better. Adding another battery "just in case." Convincing ourselves that the next radio will finally be the perfect one. But what if the biggest expense in POTA isn't the equipment... It's buying things before we've learned whether we actually need them. We'll discuss return on investment, diminishing returns, upgrade traps, and why many experienced activators eventually end up carrying less gear—not more. Whether you're building your first POTA station or your tenth, this conversation might save you money... and help you enjoy the hobby even more. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
S1 · E49
July 31 · 1 hr 27 min
Has POTA Outgrown Itself?
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Has POTA outgrown the platform it was built on? Parks on the Air has become one of the most successful operating programs in amateur radio—but with that success comes a bigger question: can a volunteer-driven organization keep up with the demands of a rapidly growing global community? This week on Brew & Activate, Eric N1JUR and Shannon KC1OHT take a constructive look at POTA’s growth, the website, the mobile experience, feature development, volunteer limitations, and whether the program is beginning to face the same growing pains that affect much larger amateur radio organizations. Then we turn the conversation over to the Brew Crew. If you were given one development sprint, what would you improve first? Better search? A native mobile app? Smarter maps? Personal park notes? Improved dashboards? Offline tools? Or something completely different? This is not a complaint session and it is not a developer pile-on. It is an honest, forward-looking conversation about what POTA has become, what should never change, and what a future POTA 2.0 could look like. Join us live, bring your ideas, and help us build the community wishlist. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📡 KEEP UP WITH N1JUR Practical ham radio videos, operating guides, equipment reviews, community projects, and Field Notes from around the hobby. 🌐 Explore N1JUR https://n1jur.com 📬 Join the free Field Notes Newsletter https://n1jur.com/newsletter ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 GET MORE INVOLVED ⭐ Become a YouTube Channel Member https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBBAnDZb9q0hDFNEIUuOVDQ/join 🛠️ Follow exclusive builds, projects, and mentoring on Patreon https://patreon.com/cw/n1jur ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎒 GEAR, PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS See the radios, antennas, batteries, accessories, and production equipment I use: https://n1jur.com/gear Find available partner discounts and special offers: https://n1jur.com/discounts ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 👕 WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://makerfweird.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
S1 · E48
July 27 · 2 hr 4 min
Your POTA Bag Is Lying to You | The Gear You Carry… But Never Use
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! How much gear is really necessary for a successful POTA activation? If you've been activating for any length of time, chances are your "portable" radio bag has slowly become... less portable. Every new antenna solved a problem. Every adapter seemed like a good idea. Every backup battery was "just in case." Before long, you're hauling equipment that's been riding along for months—or even years—without ever leaving the bag. This week on Brew & Activate, we're taking an honest look at the gear we all carry but rarely use. We'll explore why we overpack, the difference between being prepared and packing out of fear, and how experienced activators naturally evolve toward simpler, more efficient stations. Along the way, we'll share real-world examples from the POTA community, discuss the items that truly earn their place in your kit, and challenge you to rethink what belongs in your go bag before your next activation. Whether you're building your first POTA kit or refining one that's seen hundreds of parks, this episode will help you carry less, operate smarter, and focus more on enjoying the activation than managing your gear. ************************************************************* Affiliate Links: I receive no compensation for these and want to pass on the savings to all my followers. Mad Dog Coils: Receive an additional clamp when ordering any Mad Dog Coil - Use N1JUR in the order/shipping notes https://maddogcoils.com.au/ Reliance Antennas: 10% off with Free Shipping. All orders of any Reliance Antenna or product use N1JUR at Checkout. https://www.relianceantennas.com/ Seeed Studios: Discount Codes on all Meshtastic Devices on my website n1jur.com SpoolTenna: https://spooltenna.com SHOW LINKS: Discord Brew and Activate - https://discord.gg/EcuySeKkVv Brew & Activate Podcast - https://rss.com/podcasts/brew-and-activate/ Brew and Activate Merch - https://livefreeandham.com/shop POTA Bucket List - https://n1jur.com/pota-bucket-list
S1 · E47
July 18 · 1 hr 35 min
Confessions of a POTA Addict
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! It starts innocently enough... "I'm just going to try this Parks on the Air thing once." Then suddenly you're researching antennas at midnight, convincing yourself you need one more battery, planning vacations around park numbers, and explaining to your family why the truck is permanently stocked with radios, coax, and enough gear for a weekend expedition. Sound familiar? This week on Brew & Activate, Eric (N1JUR) and Shannon (KC1OHT) take a hilarious trip through the life cycle of a POTA operator—from the nervous first activation to full-blown gear acquisition syndrome, award chasing, burnout, and finally becoming the Elmer who helps the next generation get on the air. Along the way we'll share real stories, plenty of laughs, practical tips, and probably expose a few habits we've all developed along the way. ☕ Join the Brew Crew on Discord: https://discord.gg/zwg9mWyHmY 🎁 Member Perks & Discounts: https://n1jur.com/discounts 📬 Join the Newsletter: https://n1jur.com/newsletter Whether you've activated one park or one thousand, chances are you'll recognize yourself somewhere in this story. #HamRadio #POTA #ParksOnTheAir #PortableRadio #AmateurRadio #HamRadioCommunity #BrewAndActivate #N1JUR #POTAActivation #OutdoorRadio Affiliate Links: I receive no compensation for these and want to pass on the savings to all my followers. Mad Dog Coils: Receive an additional clamp when ordering any Mad Dog Coil - Use N1JUR in the order/shipping notes https://maddogcoils.com.au/ Reliance Antennas: 10% off with Free Shipping. All orders of any Reliance Antenna or product use N1JUR at Checkout. https://www.relianceantennas.com/ Seeed Studios: Discount Codes on all Meshtastic Devices on my website n1jur.com SpoolTenna: https://spooltenna.com SHOW LINKS: Discord Brew and Activate - https://discord.gg/EcuySeKkVv Brew & Activate Podcast - https://rss.com/podcasts/brew-and-activate/ Brew and Activate Merch - https://livefreeandham.com/shop POTA Bucket List - https://n1jur.com/pota-bucket-list
S1 · E46
July 10 · 1 hr 28 min
The Great Coax Mystery Does Coax Length Really Matter
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! One of the biggest myths in amateur radio has nothing to do with antennas... it's the coax connecting your radio to them. Does coax really have to be 18 feet long? Can changing the length of your feedline lower your SWR? What exactly is velocity factor, and why does everyone seem to have a different answer? This week on Brew & Activate, we're diving into another ham radio rabbit hole to separate physics from folklore. We'll explain velocity factor in plain English, explore why coax behaves the way it does, and connect the dots between transmission lines, SWR, resonance, impedance, and real-world station performance. Whether you're building a portable POTA station, setting up your first HF antenna, or just trying to understand why your analyzer says one thing and your radio says another, this episode will help you make sense of what your coax is really doing—and what it isn't. ************************************************************* Affiliate Links: I receive no compensation for these and want to pass on the savings to all my followers. Mad Dog Coils: Receive an additional clamp when ordering any Mad Dog Coil - Use N1JUR in the order/shipping notes https://maddogcoils.com.au/ Reliance Antennas: 10% off with Free Shipping. All orders of any Reliance Antenna or product use N1JUR at Checkout. https://www.relianceantennas.com/ Seeed Studios: Discount Codes on all Meshtastic Devices on my website n1jur.com SpoolTenna: https://spooltenna.com SHOW LINKS: Discord Brew and Activate - https://discord.gg/EcuySeKkVv Brew & Activate Podcast - https://rss.com/podcasts/brew-and-activate/ Brew and Activate Merch - https://livefreeandham.com/shop POTA Bucket List - https://n1jur.com/pota-bucket-list Guests/Hosts: Shannon's Channel (KC1OHT) https://www.youtube.com/@shannonkc1oht Help Support the Channel: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/N1JUR Buy Me a Beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n1jur N1JUR & KC1OHT Shop: https://www.livefreeandham.com/shop Follow me on: Website: https://n1jur.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n1jur Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092365884527
S1 · E45
July 9 · 1 hr 2 min
I Packed a Radio Instead of Extra Clothes
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Who needs another pair of socks when you can bring another antenna? This week, Brew & Activate is coming to you from my Airbnb for a special Vacation Edition! There won't be the usual 90-minute show or deep technical dive. Instead, we're slowing things down, grabbing a cup of coffee, and seeing what happens when portable ham radio becomes part of the adventure. We'll be setting up a travel-friendly station, activating a new Tiles location, making contacts live, and chatting about why some of the best operating isn't from the shack—it's from wherever life happens to take you. Whether you're operating from a campsite, a cabin, a hotel, an Airbnb, or just your backyard, this stream is a reminder that amateur radio doesn't have to stay home when you leave town. So pour yourself a fresh cup, kick back, and pretend you're on vacation with the Brew Crew for the next 40 minutes. ☕ Live portable radio operation 📻 Tiles activation from the Airbnb 🌎 Travel-friendly ham radio setup 💬 Plenty of conversation, coffee, and RF If you've ever packed a radio before packing your suitcase... this one's for you.
S1 · E44
July 9 · 1 hr 47 min
Your SWR Is Fine... So Why Can't You Make Contacts
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! We spent the last two episodes learning what SWR and resonance actually mean. Now it's time to answer the biggest question of all: How do you know if an antenna is actually performing? In this final installment of our three-part antenna deep dive, we're moving beyond analyzer readings and getting into what really matters on the air. We'll explore why two antennas with identical SWR readings can perform completely differently, how antenna height affects your signal, why efficiency matters, and what changes as Solar Cycle 25 begins its downward swing. We'll also tackle one of the biggest misconceptions in amateur radio: the idea that a low SWR automatically means a good antenna. ************************************************************* Affiliate Links: I receive no compensation for these and want to pass on the savings to all my followers. Mad Dog Coils: Receive an additional clamp when ordering any Mad Dog Coil - Use N1JUR in the order/shipping notes https://maddogcoils.com.au/ Reliance Antennas: 10% off with Free Shipping. All orders of any Reliance Antenna or product use N1JUR at Checkout. https://www.relianceantennas.com/ Seeed Studios: Discount Codes on all Meshtastic Devices on my website n1jur.com SpoolTenna: https://spooltenna.com SHOW LINKS: Discord Brew and Activate - https://discord.gg/EcuySeKkVv Brew & Activate Podcast - https://rss.com/podcasts/brew-and-activate/ Brew and Activate Merch - https://livefreeandham.com/shop POTA Bucket List - https://n1jur.com/pota-bucket-list Guests/Hosts: Shannon's Channel (KC1OHT) https://www.youtube.com/@shannonkc1oht Help Support the Channel: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/N1JUR Buy Me a Beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n1jur N1JUR & KC1OHT Shop: https://www.livefreeandham.com/shop Follow me on: Website: https://n1jur.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n1jur Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092365884527
S1 · E43
June 23 · 2 hr 8 min
Most Hams Get Resonance Wrong—Do You?
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Most amateur radio operators learn that a low SWR means a good antenna and a high SWR means a bad one. But what if that isn't the whole story? In this episode of Brew & Activate, we're tackling one of the biggest myths in amateur radio: the idea that resonance and SWR are the same thing. We'll break down what resonance actually means, why reactance (X) is often more important than SWR when tuning an antenna, and how an antenna can be perfectly resonant while still showing a 2:1 SWR. We'll also explore resistance (R), impedance matching, feedpoint impedance, and how to read antenna analyzer measurements in a way that helps you make better decisions in the field. Whether you're deploying antennas for Parks on the Air (POTA), chasing DX, experimenting with end-fed wires, or simply trying to understand what your analyzer is telling you, this discussion will change the way you look at antenna tuning. In This Episode What resonance really means Why X = 0 matters The difference between resonance and matching Why low SWR does not always mean a good antenna How to interpret R and X on your analyzer Real-world examples from portable operations Common SWR myths many hams still believe Join the Conversation Do you agree that SWR is one of the most misunderstood measurements in amateur radio? Have you ever chased a perfect SWR only to discover it didn't improve your signal? Drop your thoughts in the comments and continue the discussion with the Brew Crew. ************************************************************* Affiliate Links: I receive no compensation for these and want to pass on the savings to all my followers. Mad Dog Coils: Receive an additional clamp when ordering any Mad Dog Coil - Use N1JUR in the order/shipping notes https://maddogcoils.com.au/ Reliance Antennas: 10% off with Free Shipping. All orders of any Reliance Antenna or product use N1JUR at Checkout. https://www.relianceantennas.com/ Seeed Studios: Discount Codes on all Meshtastic Devices on my website n1jur.com SpoolTenna: https://spooltenna.com SHOW LINKS: Discord Brew and Activate - https://discord.gg/EcuySeKkVv Brew & Activate Podcast - https://rss.com/podcasts/brew-and-activate/ Brew and Activate Merch - https://livefreeandham.com/shop POTA Bucket List - https://n1jur.com/pota-bucket-list Guests/Hosts: Shannon's Channel (KC1OHT) https://www.youtube.com/@shannonkc1oht Help Support the Channel: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/N1JUR Buy Me a Beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n1jur N1JUR & KC1OHT Shop: https://www.livefreeandham.com/shop
S1 · E42
June 12 · 1 hr 27 min
VHF Contesting from the Field ARRL June VHF Contest Prep with N2MAK
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! This Friday on Brew & Activate, Mike N2MAK joins me to talk about the upcoming ARRL June VHF Contest — what it is, how he is preparing for it, what operators should expect, and why VHF contesting might be way more connected to portable operating than people realize. We’re going to dig into the crossover between portable radio, VHF/UHF operating, contest strategy, field setups, antennas, location, timing, and making contacts when you’re not running a monster station on a mountain with a beam the size of a small bridge. If you’ve ever done POTA, SOTA, rover-style operating, simplex work, 2 meters, 6 meters, or you’ve looked at a VHF contest and thought, “Is this something I could actually try?” — this is the episode to hang out for. Mike will be sharing how he gets ready, what bands and gear he thinks about, what newer operators should understand before jumping in, and how portable operators can use contests like this to sharpen their skills. So grab your coffee, charge the batteries, check the coax you definitely meant to check last week, and come hang out with us live. ************************************************************* Affiliate Links: I receive no compensation for these and want to pass on the savings to all my followers. Mad Dog Coils: Receive an additional clamp when ordering any Mad Dog Coil - Use N1JUR in the order/shipping notes https://maddogcoils.com.au/ Reliance Antennas: 10% off with Free Shipping. All orders of any Reliance Antenna or product use N1JUR at Checkout. https://www.relianceantennas.com/ Seeed Studios: Discount Codes on all Meshtastic Devices on my website n1jur.com SpoolTenna: https://spooltenna.com SHOW LINKS: Discord Brew and Activate - https://discord.gg/EcuySeKkVv Brew & Activate Podcast - https://rss.com/podcasts/brew-and-activate/ Brew and Activate Merch - https://livefreeandham.com/shop POTA Bucket List - https://n1jur.com/pota-bucket-list Guests/Hosts: Shannon's Channel (KC1OHT) https://www.youtube.com/@shannonkc1oht Help Support the Channel: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/N1JUR Buy Me a Beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n1jur N1JUR & KC1OHT Shop: https://www.livefreeandham.com/shop Follow me on: Website: https://n1jur.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n1jur Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092365884527
S1 · E41
June 8 · 1 hr 44 min
Getting Nerdy About Antennas SWR, Resonance & Reactance (Part 1 of 3)
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Most ham radio operators know they should pay attention to SWR. Far fewer understand what SWR is actually trying to tell them. In Part 1 of our new 3-part antenna series, we're getting nerdy and diving deep into one of the most misunderstood topics in amateur radio. We'll break down Standing Wave Ratio (SWR), what causes it to change, what the numbers really mean, and why low SWR doesn't automatically mean you have a great antenna. We'll also explore common myths, practical POTA examples, field deployment challenges, feedline behavior, reflected power, and how changing conditions in the field can impact your readings. Whether you're running an end-fed, dipole, vertical, or loaded coil antenna, or something in between, understanding SWR is the first step toward understanding what your antenna system is actually doing. This is Part 1 of a special 3-part Brew & Activate series: ☕ Part 1: SWR – The Most Misunderstood Number in Ham Radio ☕ Part 2: Resonance – Where Your Antenna Wants to Live ☕ Part 3: Reactance, Efficiency & Why Solar Cycle 25 Changes Everything Affiliate Links: I receive no compensation for these and want to pass on the savings to all my followers. Mad Dog Coils: Receive an additional clamp when ordering any Mad Dog Coil - Use N1JUR in the order/shipping notes https://maddogcoils.com.au/ Reliance Antennas: 10% off with Free Shipping. All orders of any Reliance Antenna or product use N1JUR at Checkout. https://www.relianceantennas.com/ Seeed Studios: Discount Codes on all Meshtastic Devices on my website n1jur.com SpoolTenna: https://spooltenna.com SHOW LINKS: Discord Brew and Activate - https://discord.gg/EcuySeKkVv Brew & Activate Podcast - https://rss.com/podcasts/brew-and-activate/ Brew and Activate Merch - https://livefreeandham.com/shop POTA Bucket List - https://n1jur.com/pota-bucket-list Guests/Hosts: Shannon's Channel (KC1OHT) https://www.youtube.com/@shannonkc1oht Help Support the Channel: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/N1JUR Buy Me a Beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n1jur N1JUR & KC1OHT Shop: https://www.livefreeandham.com/shop Follow me on: Website: https://n1jur.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n1jur Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092365884527
S1 · E40
June 3 · 2 hr 5 min
Stop Overthinking Antennas: Portable HF Tips with Matt from Reliance Antennas
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Antennas might be the most important part of your portable ham radio setup — and also the thing most of us overthink, misunderstand, rebuild, argue about, and occasionally blame when the bands are just being rude. This week on Brew & Activate, I’m joined by Matt from Reliance Antennas to talk about everything antennas. We’ll dig into portable antenna setups, POTA operating, end fed antennas, random wires, transformers, tuners, coax, chokes, antenna testing, field reliability, and what really matters when you’re trying to get on the air from a park. We’ll also talk about the Reliance Antennas brand, how Matt designs and builds antennas for real-world use, and what operators should think about when choosing or building their own antenna system. Whether you’re brand new to HF, getting into Parks on the Air, or you’ve been throwing wires into trees for years, this one should be packed with practical takeaways. Bring your antenna questions. Bring your hot takes. Bring your emotionally complicated SWR stories. ************************************************************* Affiliate Links: I receive no compensation for these and want to pass on the savings to all my followers. Mad Dog Coils: Receive an additional clamp when ordering any Mad Dog Coil - Use N1JUR in the order/shipping notes https://maddogcoils.com.au/ Reliance Antennas: 10% off with Free Shipping. All orders of any Reliance Antenna or product use N1JUR at Checkout. https://www.relianceantennas.com/ Seeed Studios: Discount Codes on all Meshtastic Devices on my website n1jur.com SpoolTenna: https://spooltenna.com SHOW LINKS: Discord Brew and Activate - https://discord.gg/EcuySeKkVv Brew & Activate Podcast - https://rss.com/podcasts/brew-and-activate/ Brew and Activate Merch - https://livefreeandham.com/shop POTA Bucket List - https://n1jur.com/pota-bucket-list Guests/Hosts: Shannon's Channel (KC1OHT) https://www.youtube.com/@shannonkc1oht Help Support the Channel: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/N1JUR Buy Me a Beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/n1jur N1JUR & KC1OHT Shop: https://www.livefreeandham.com/shop Follow me on: Website: https://n1jur.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n1jur Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092365884527

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