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A Bird 43 wattmeter score at the swap, two new budget handhelds worth a look, and Rory's CW skills getting sharper through QSO parties and daily POTA hunting set the stage for a packed Episode 15.

FT2 mode is here and it is fast - we're talking 3.75-second transmit/receive cycles and roughly 240 QSOs per hour at peak. But speed costs you something: the weak-signal performance drops significantly compared to FT8, and your time sync has to be nearly perfect. We map out where FT2 makes sense and when you should stick with what works.

Then we head south - way south - to Bouvet Island. The 3Y0K DXpedition has the bands blazing and livestreams running via Starlink. But not every station should be in that pile. We talk strategy and sportsmanship: use PSK Reporter or GridTracker to confirm your signal is actually going that direction before calling, understand how Fox and Hound works, and know when your antenna and geography just are not going to win the slot.

The market news is hard to ignore: significant Yaesu MSRP increases across popular rigs including the FTDX10, FT-891, and FTDX101MP. We break down why tariffs, logistics, component costs, and yen-to-dollar swings are all pushing prices up - and whether waiting for Hamvention deals still makes sense.

Finally, HamClock lives on. After the passing of its creator Elwood, the community moved fast. Hamclock.com (W4BAE) restores the data feeds with redundancy and a simple host file edit. OpenHamClock offers a polished browser-based and self-hosted option. HamVision is an emerging alternative worth watching. And Geochron remains a solid turnkey choice for those who want it to just work.

We wrap with a genuine win from the ARRL: amateur operators are exempted from foreign adversary contact reporting requirements. When the community organizes, good things happen.

Don't miss a single episode! Follow Everyday Ham on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and more, and subscribe to our YouTube channel at @EverydayHam. Ideas or feedback? Email us at cq@everydayham.com.

Short show intro audio clip

Short outro audio clip

The Everyday Ham Podcast is hosted by James Mills (K8JKU), Jim Davis (N8JRD), and Rory Locke (W8KNX) – three friends who dive into the world of amateur radio with a casual, lighthearted twist.

Follow us at: Website: https://www.everydayham.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/

Send us a text

Do you really need that new radio? In Episode 14, James (K8JKU), Jim (N8JRD), and Rory (W8KNX) get honest about the pressure to upgrade ham radio gear and share what they’ve learned from their own buying mistakes.

We begin with a moment of remembrance for Elwood Downey, creator of HamClock, and share what his contributions meant to the community. Then we catch up around the shack — Jim’s new CW trainer, James’s hotel radio experiments from Germany, and Rory’s progress with Morse code through the Long Island CW Club.

The main topic digs into upgrade pressure. Jim confesses his $10K shack might not outperform his old $890 FT-DX10 and $99 end-fed combo. Rory makes the case that antennas matter more than radios. James shares his FTX-1F disappointment and why he went crawling back to his trusted FT-891. The unanimous takeaway: more antenna, less radio.

We also talk BuddiHEX plans, hamfest buying strategies heading into Hamcation and Hamvention season, and preview our upcoming trip to Orlando.

Don’t miss a single episode! Follow the Everyday Ham Podcast on your favorite podcast platform (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and more) and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

https://www.everydayham.com

Short show intro audio clip

Short outro audio clip

The Everyday Ham Podcast is hosted by James Mills (K8JKU), Jim Davis (N8JRD), and Rory Locke (W8KNX) – three friends who dive into the world of amateur radio with a casual, lighthearted twist.

Follow us at: Website: https://www.everydayham.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/

Send us a text

Five watts, a tiny coil antenna on a travel tripod, and a camera-bag station that reaches across states—CW isn't a relic, it's a practical advantage. In this episode, we invited Terry W8TMB to walk us through how he learned Morse code without drowning in drills, why CW pairs perfectly with POTA and QRP, and what actually works when your sending is solid but your copy lags behind.

We compare two popular learning paths: CW Academy and Long Island CW Club. CW Academy offers a free, semester-style program with fixed class times and steady accountability—great if you thrive with structure. Long Island CW Club takes a different approach with flexible, year-round carousels, multiple time slots each week, and an emphasis on getting on the air early. Their $30/year (or $90 lifetime) membership includes about 170 classes per week, a powerful browser-based practice tool, and thoughtful accessibility options for autistic, visually impaired, and hearing-impaired hams.

From there we dig into practical tactics: stop counting dits and dahs—train your ear to recognize full characters. Use Farnsworth spacing to create breathing room. Drill random call signs to break predictability. Send back what you copy immediately to lock it in. Ditch the decoders and cheat sheets; they slow your ear. Code-talk license plates on road trips, work short daily sessions, and aim your practice at real exchanges like POTA and simple contests.

Terry's field kit shows what's possible: a CFT-1 five-band QRP rig, a 3D-printed coil antenna from Ham Radio Duo, and a 16Wh battery that lasted two hours with 75% remaining. As bands shift with the solar cycle, CW keeps you in the game.

🔗 RESOURCES:

• CW Academy: https://cwops.org/cw-academy/
• Long Island CW Club: https://longislandcwclub.org/
• Morse Mania App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/morse-mania-learn-morse-code/id1511042196
• LCWO: https://lcwo.net/
• V-Band: https://hamradio.solutions/vband/

Don't miss an episode! Follow the Everyday Ham Podcast on your favorite podcast platform (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and more) and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

🎙️ Hosts: James K8JKU, Jim N8JRD, Rory W8KNX Guest: Terry W8TMB

Website: https://www.everydayham.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/

Short show intro audio clip

Short outro audio clip

The Everyday Ham Podcast is hosted by James Mills (K8JKU), Jim Davis (N8JRD), and Rory Locke (W8KNX) – three friends who dive into the world of amateur radio with a casual, lighthearted twist.

Follow us at: Website: https://www.everydayham.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/

Send us a text

What does 2026 have in store for ham radio? A year into the podcast, James (K8JKU), Jim (N8JRD), and Rory (W8KNX) turn up the dial with a forward look at the hobby's near future — grounded in real gear, real operating, and real community.

We start in the shack with winter POTA prep, a feather-light 33-foot mast, a fiber-fueled network overhaul, and a pair of pristine rotary phones begging for a ham project. Then we get into the predictions.

On the gear side, we share our predictions for what hardware might be on the horizon — what we'd love to see from the major manufacturers and where we think the industry is heading.

But hardware isn't the whole story. POTA and SOTA remain the heartbeat of growth because they lower the barrier to entry and make radio feel alive. We share why portable operating will keep rising even as solar conditions tighten.

At home, we're betting on a repeater revival — AllStar links, creative nets like SSTV nights, and "leave no call unanswered" as the culture shift that keeps VHF/UHF useful and welcoming. College clubs are buzzing again, and the formula scales: be kind, run practical events, and meet people where they are — on-air, at meetups, or on Discord.

AI comes up, minus the hype. Think helpful, not magical: audio-assisted logging, smarter noise control, and developer tooling that speeds up ham software. It's another tool, like a good tuner — valuable when it saves time and stays out of the way.

We wrap with personal goals — Extra class ambitions and a fresh pull toward CW — and a reminder that every license class is valid. The hobby thrives when we celebrate each step and keep the airwaves friendly.

Connect with us:
🌐 Website: https://www.everydayham.com
📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/
💬 Discord: Join our community at everydayham.com

What rig are you hoping to see next? How will you help revive your local repeater? Drop your predictions in our Discord or in the comments!

Don't miss a single episode! Follow the Everyday Ham Podcast on your favorite podcast platform (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and more) and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Short show intro audio clip

Short outro audio clip

The Everyday Ham Podcast is hosted by James Mills (K8JKU), Jim Davis (N8JRD), and Rory Locke (W8KNX) – three friends who dive into the world of amateur radio with a casual, lighthearted twist.

Follow us at: Website: https://www.everydayham.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/

Send us a text

A thousand subscribers may be a milestone, but the real win is what it represents: a growing community of hams trading ideas, trying new modes, and pushing for the right to put real antennas on real roofs. We open with momentum—POTA activations, contest firsts, and new video drops—then move straight into the issue shaping the future of the hobby: ARRL’s grassroots effort to pass the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act (HR 1094/S.459). If HOAs block antennas where most new homes are built, fewer operators will get on the air. We explain the stakes, the opposition from CAI, and the surprisingly easy way to send a letter that reaches your representatives in minutes.

We also get practical about life in the shack and on the road. Running 500 to 1,000 watts through contest weekend revealed where filters shine and where they need tuning, and winter prep is now or never—check matches, weatherproof connectors, and tighten your grounding. On the mobile side, an EV install in a Mach‑E delivered clean VHF/UHF performance with smart power routing and a 3D‑printed head mount, plus notes on AM noise under acceleration. If you’ve avoided EVs for RF reasons, this is a reality check rooted in measurements, not myths.

Gear watchers get plenty to chew on. The Icom IC‑7300 Mark II looks set to land around $1,499, squaring up against the Yaesu FTdx10 with modernized I/O and familiar ease of use. But the U.S. government shutdown is delaying FCC certifications across categories, which could push new radio launches past the holidays. Meanwhile, used IC‑7300 prices are compelling, making it a standout first HF rig. We wrap with FlexRadio’s SmartSDR 4.0—meaningful noise‑reduction improvements, a flexible subscription model, and a few early‑release quirks to monitor.

If you care about the bands staying lively and accessible, this conversation matters. Tune in, tell us if you’re backing the ARRL letter, weigh in on 7300 Mark II vs FTdx10, and share your winter station game plan. Subscribe, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and pass this along to a friend who’s antenna‑curious.

Short show intro audio clip

Short outro audio clip

The Everyday Ham Podcast is hosted by James Mills (K8JKU), Jim Davis (N8JRD), and Rory Locke (W8KNX) – three friends who dive into the world of amateur radio with a casual, lighthearted twist.

Follow us at: Website: https://www.everydayham.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/

Send us a text

A better logger doesn't just record contacts—it changes how you operate. We sit down with Sebastián KI2D, creator of Ham2K PoLo, to explore how mobile-first design, tiny UX details, and relentless iteration make portable operating smoother, faster, and less gear-heavy.

From his journey growing up in Venezuela to building startups in New York—and yes, proposing the Arepa and Olive emojis—Sebastián shares the mindset behind a tool that understands what activators actually do in the field.

Short show intro audio clip

Short outro audio clip

The Everyday Ham Podcast is hosted by James Mills (K8JKU), Jim Davis (N8JRD), and Rory Locke (W8KNX) – three friends who dive into the world of amateur radio with a casual, lighthearted twist.

Follow us at: Website: https://www.everydayham.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/

Send us a text

FlexRadio just announced SmartSDR Plus subscriptions starting at $199/year. Time for an impromptu Saturday morning coffee chat! Join James (K8JKU), Jim (N8JRD), and Rory (W8KNX) as we discuss what this means for ham radio and share our honest opinions.

Short show intro audio clip

Short outro audio clip

The Everyday Ham Podcast is hosted by James Mills (K8JKU), Jim Davis (N8JRD), and Rory Locke (W8KNX) – three friends who dive into the world of amateur radio with a casual, lighthearted twist.

Follow us at: Website: https://www.everydayham.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/

Send us a text

Ever wondered what happens when you combine hiking, mountaineering, and ham radio? That's exactly what Summits on the Air (SOTA) is all about! In this episode, we step away from our usual Parks on the Air discussions to explore the thrilling world of mountaintop radio operations with two accomplished SOTA enthusiasts.

Meet Matt W7MDN, a pilot from Spokane who combines trail running and snowshoeing with radio, and Tim N7KOM, a mountaineer and YouTube creator from Bend who's known for his ultralight setups. Both have achieved the prestigious Mountain Goat award, representing 1,000 activation points earned by operating from mountain summits.

We unpack the fundamental differences between POTA and SOTA – while parks often allow drive-up operations with 100-watt rigs, SOTA requires reaching designated activation zones near peaks with equipment disconnected from vehicles. The equipment philosophy shifts dramatically too, with most SOTA operators using 5-10 watt radios like the MTR3 or Elecraft KX2, paired with lightweight wire antennas that can be quickly deployed.

The conversation dives into the meticulous planning required for SOTA activations, from researching access permissions to preparing for safety contingencies. Matt and Tim share their favorite activation stories, including Matt's Mountain Goat qualification during a January snowshoe expedition and Tim's sunrise celebration atop Mount McLaughlin complete with ceremonial goat horns.

Whether you're an experienced operator looking for a new challenge or simply curious about combining outdoor adventure with radio, this episode provides a comprehensive introduction to SOTA. You'll learn about the points system, equipment recommendations, online resources, and the thriving community that makes this radio sport so rewarding.

Ready to climb a mountain with your radio? This might just be the inspiration you need to earn those summit points and breathtaking views!

Short show intro audio clip

Short outro audio clip

The Everyday Ham Podcast is hosted by James Mills (K8JKU), Jim Davis (N8JRD), and Rory Locke (W8KNX) – three friends who dive into the world of amateur radio with a casual, lighthearted twist.

Follow us at: Website: https://www.everydayham.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayhampodcast/