N1JUR Amateur Radio

09/06/2026

Stop overthinking how to get people into ham radio. Just give them a radio, let them talk, build something, and make mistakes. Watching kids ask how to earn their call sign shows you've succeeded. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/RlbSCMmCgwc

09/05/2026

From a state park in New Hampshire, kids experienced the thrill of making real contacts across borders using amateur radio. No simulations, just genuine connection achieved through the power of radio.

🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/RlbSCMmCgwc

09/05/2026

Campers now have the resources to study and earn their own Amateur Radio licenses. They learned, talked, and even hunted foxes together. For a program aiming to spark lasting interest in radio, seeing those radios go home with students is incredibly valuable.

09/04/2026

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?

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� 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

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� 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

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� 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

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� WEAR SOMETHING WEIRD

N1JUR, POTA, and ham radio shirts, mugs, stickers, and more:

https://makerfweird.com

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� LINKS FROM THIS VIDEO

Cross Island Maine K1C Activation
https://www.qrz.com/db/K1C

META TAGS:

POTA,Parks on the Air,POTA activation,ham radio portable,QRP POTA,POTA myths,ham radio beginners, portable ham radio,ham radio field operations, , , , , , Radio Antennas, , , , ,

09/03/2026

WE HIT 6,000 SUBSCRIBERS!

Six thousand people have decided that watching me play radio, drink coffee, experiment with gear, activate parks, and occasionally make questionable ham-radio decisions is worth subscribing to.

So we're throwing a party.

Join me LIVE for the N1JUR 6K Subscriber Celebration — an evening of ham radio, Brew Crew shenanigans, special guests, and GIVEAWAYS from some great companies in the amateur-radio community.

And this isn't going to be a livestream where the Brew Crew just sits in the chat.

Brew Crew members are being invited ON THE SHOW!

We'll have members hanging out with us live, talking radio, celebrating 6K, and helping make this less of a livestream and more of a giant N1JUR community hangout.

🎁 GIVEAWAYS FROM

Radioddity — Radios, accessories and amateur-radio gear
Shop Radioddity through N1JUR

Spooltenna — Portable antenna systems built around an incredibly compact deployment system
Check out Spooltenna

Mad Dog Coils — Portable antenna coils and components for getting on the air from just about anywhere
Check out Mad Dog Coils

Reliance Antennas — Portable antennas and field-ready antenna systems
Check out Reliance Antennas

A huge thank you to these companies for helping us celebrate this milestone and putting gear into the hands of the ham-radio community.

☕ BREW CREW — COME HANG OUT WITH US!

If you're a qualifying N1JUR Brew Crew member, check the Members tab for information about joining us ON CAMERA during the livestream.

We're opening the virtual studio doors and letting members become part of the show.

THIS STREAM IS REALLY ABOUT YOU

6,000 isn't just a number.

It's thousands of comments, QSOs, livestream conversations, activations, arguments about antennas, recommendations, experiments, bad ideas that somehow worked, and friendships that started because of amateur radio.

Whether you've been here since the beginning or subscribed yesterday:

Thank you.

Grab your coffee.
Grab your radio.
Get into the chat.

And let's celebrate 6,000 strong.

📡 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

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⚠️ DISCLOSURE

Some links may be affiliate links. Purchases made through these links may help support the channel at no additional cost to you. Products provided for review, sponsorships, or other material relationships will be disclosed when applicable.

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📻 ABOUT N1JUR

N1JUR creates practical, community-focused amateur radio content covering POTA, portable operating, antennas, equipment reviews, education, special events, and the people who make the hobby worth participating in.

08/31/2026

https://www.n1jur.com/blog/the-ic-7110-made-me-ask-why-do-we-really-prefer-one-radio-brand-over-another

The new Icom IC-7110 has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C, D-STAR and plenty of modern features. But is that really why we prefer one radio brand over another? Maybe it comes down to something much simpler: how a radio sounds.

08/30/2026

https://www.n1jur.com/blog/i-volunteered-to-give-kids-ham-radio-they-gave-me-back-something-bigger

I went into Ham Camp hoping to introduce kids to amateur radio. I came out of it more excited about the hobby myself. Sometimes giving back is the best way to remember why we got into ham radio in the first place.

08/24/2026

https://www.n1jur.com/blog/ham-radio-is-becoming-an-outdoor-hobby-and-thats-a-good-thing

Think about what amateur radio looks like today. Radios on picnic tables. Antennas hanging from trees. Backpacks on mountains. People standing in fields pointing Yagis at satellites. POTA, SOTA, satellites, Tiles on the Air, and portable operating are changing where we play radio. And I think

08/17/2026

https://www.n1jur.com/blog/stop-chasing-swr-what-actually-makes-an-antenna-work

We need to talk about SWR. Again. After spending three Brew & Activate episodes going down the antenna rabbit hole, I keep coming back to the same problem. Hams are obsessed with getting an antenna to 1:1. But a dummy load has great SWR too. So what actually makes an antenna work? Effi

08/10/2026

https://www.n1jur.com/blog/are-cheap-chinese-radios-good-for-ham-radio

Almost every ham has one. A Baofeng, Quansheng, Tidradio, Radioddity, or some other small handheld that cost less than the accessories attached to it. We make fun of the menus. We complain about the programming cables. We question the stock antennas. And yet, these radios have probably helped i