News

Ongoing updates — gear changes, project notes, anything worth logging as it happens. Most recent first. Video entries pulled directly from the AE4JC YouTube channel ; post entries pulled directly from X .

• 2026-07-18

• 2026-07-18

• 2026-07-14 — Received as a gift : a Tektronix 2215A 60 MHz dual-trace oscilloscope, from fellow ham KW4OV. Powered on and showing a live trace right out of the box — the first real piece of equipment for a future test bench.
• 2026-07-14 — Replying to the AE4JC.com progress update and its logo (the cross/antenna graphic referencing 1 Corinthians 1:18, also on the Faith page), fellow ham BlazingPaddles (K4NYMRadio) replied with just: “He who has ears to hear…” — a phrase Jesus used throughout the Gospels (Matthew 13:9, Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8) after teaching in parables. Maps onto radio almost exactly: the signal’s on the air whether or not anyone’s listening — it takes a receiver, tuned in, actually paying attention, to receive it.
• 2026 July — AE4JC.com built and launched.
• 2026-07-09 — Worked Brazil on 6m FT8 during a band opening.
• 2026-07-08 — Worked Japan on 6m FT8 during a band opening.
• 2026-07-07 — N5VJX (South Alabama POTA Posse) pulled off a 13 Colonies clean sweep , plus all three bonus stations. Community achievement, shared from the Posse.
• 2026-07-06 — Mobile Hamradio Stuff .
• 2026-06-20 — Satellite QSO via AO-73 , worked N2FYA_John through the AO-73 linear transponder while activating Blakeley State Park (US-11292) for POTA.
• 2026-06-20 — South Alabama POTA Posse group activation at Blakeley State Park (US-11292), the same outing as the AO-73 satellite QSO above — multiple Posse members on-site together.
• 2026-06-19 — YOTA Camp 2026 ISS Contact • Local RX in EM60 + Full Pass Livestream . See Milestones — this one’s a real highlight, not just a routine update.
• 2026-06-14 — Thread on OZ9AAR’s 23cm EME station : Carsten Grøn’s homebrew setup producing audible SSB voice echoes off the moon — rare and impressive — with his builds and weak-signal work documented at moonbounce.dk.
• 2026-06-10 — Six Meter SSB Net and Band Opening From The Driveway .
• 2026-06-03 — 6m SSB POTA activation from US-3711 (Weeks Bay), including a QSO with KQ4TPD and at least four park-to-park contacts received; the band stayed open afterward.
• 2026-05-16 — Lunch-break POTA hunt from the work parking lot : worked K5DB and N5ZE, activating US-7178 in Arkansas (EM26WD, 565.8 mi), on 20m SSB.
• 2026-05-10 — Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Ham Radio Station Layout — working meteor scatter with MSK-144 through a small antenna in the HOA.
• 2026-04-27 — Complimented WI0JK’s driveway EME station : “Driveway EME de WI0JK. I like it! Great job!” — ongoing interest in others’ portable EME setups.
• 2026-04-25 — RX & TX APRS MSGS with a Yaesu FT-5D .
• 2026-04-13 — Studying up on WSPR for an upcoming project: the network has grown from 300 stations to thousands over 18 years, now logging roughly 6 million spots a day.
• 2026-04-05 — N4MZ Amateur Radio Club POTA and RaDAR Rally Event , South Alabama.
• 2026-03-25 — Modified Par Electronics Six Meter Moxon .
• 2026-03-13 — Considered upgrading a Yaesu G5500 rotator for better accuracy — specifically weighing options for more precise EME moon tracking.
• 2026-03-10 — The basics of setting up your FT-891 for split operations .
• 2026-03-07 — The story behind the N1CC award , named for a QCWA member, shared with the Parks on the Air (POTA) group.
• 2026-03-05 — Lunchtime worldwide APRS w/ Baofeng UV-5R/Mobilinkd/APRSdroid and local VHF/UHF w/ Yaesu FTM-300D .
• 2026-02-27 — Fixed it with a hammer — antenna switch relay #1 was stuck, tapped it, now it works.
• 2026-02-08 — Group POTA operations at the Alabama Battleship (US-11376) with N5VJX, KQ4TPD, K4WXX, and WA4USA — a morning session together.
• 2026-01-14 — Interview with Jamie Millington, M7JMU (UK) : a friendship that started with a beach-to-beach POTA contact — working from a vehicle in Fort Morgan while Jamie operated from a UK beach. Still in touch on X and Signal, watching for the right conditions to reach each other again.
• 2025-12-31 — Syncing FT-891, Quantum SDR, and Cloudlog through CloudlogCAT .
• 2025-12-30 — Added a PEP Kit from Matthews Watts Electronics to a Bird 43 Thruline Wattmeter.
• 2025-12-29 — Testing a QuantumSDR/FT-891/SDRSwitch/LNA/SG-500 combo with Klaus, DL3YEE, in Germany.
• 2025-12-27 — N2EME RXin/RXout SDR Switch, LNA, 3dB splitter, antenna, power supply, and transceiver connections .
• 2025-12-23 — First QSOs with an SGC Powercube 500W amplifier , discussed with W6LVP.
• 2025-12-06 — Several local N4MZ ham radio operators transmitting from the Alabama Battleship, remembering what happened on December 7, 1941.
• 2025-10-11 — EME “moonbounce” Day 2: signal lines popping on 70cm, but still no decodes — still searching for the right settings combo. W3IPA gave a G5500 rotator tip, so the 23cm Yagi got added to the satellite tracking setup, ending the manual antenna wrestling.
• 2025-08-28 — Workflow tip : a selection toggle in Ham2K PoLo Logger reformats ADI export filenames automatically for POTA submission, ending the manual renaming of every export.
• 2025-07-27 — Received a 13 Colonies Contest mug — a fun keepsake from the event.
• 2025-07-08 — Chasing K2G for the 13 Colonies event led to deeper use of HamClock, VOACAP, PSKReporter, propagation tools, spotting networks, and antenna performance — K2G was in the skip zone on 17m FT8, so the switch to 40m SSB is what closed it out. A fun learning experience.
• 2025-07-06 — Set up in the yard to chase a 13 Colonies station on digital but ended up calling CQ on 40m FT8 and making contacts instead.
• 2025-07-06 — Logged K2C during the 13 Colonies Special Event — down to K2G and the bonus stations for a clean sweep.
• 2025-07-05 — 8 down, 5 to go on the 13 Colonies Special Event, enjoying the holiday — with more AMSAT passes (JO-97) planned to chase the rest.
• 2025-07-04 — Planning to work more 13 Colonies Special Event stations via AMSAT (a JO-97 pass in the works), while the neighbors set off fireworks.
• 2025-07-02 — Worked the first two 13 Colonies stations via RS-44 AMSAT: K2E (Delaware) and K2L (South Carolina), during the 13 Colonies Special Event. Committed to chasing the rest after the early success.
• 2025-06-25 — A small shack upgrade : added a dedicated monitor for Winlink Wednesday sessions. A year into the weekly habit, still finding small ways to make it easier.
• 2025-06-12 — An evening in the shack , inspired by @VE5REV: catching up on Winlink messages — Microsoft Surface, VARA FM, ICOM IC-705, Comet GP-9. Same weekly gear pairing, still going strong.
• 2025-04-30 — Two weeks in a row is a trend : a lunchtime Winlink Wednesday check-in — ICOM IC-705 at 5 watts, Microsoft Surface Go 2, a mag-mount Signalstick antenna, VARA FM through the WB4EMA gateway. The weekly practice that’s carried on ever since.
• 2024-09-25 — Dual-radio EMCOMM check-in : Winlink over HF (FT-857D, Digirig, TN07 My Go2 antenna) running alongside a VHF net (CS800D PLUS, Comet GP-9) — practicing both message-passing and voice-net roles in the same session.
• 2024-08-25 — First D-STAR/DMR EMCOMM check-in : the home power went out mid-net, turning a routine check-in into an unplanned real test of the emergency power setup. Sometimes the best drill is the one you didn’t plan.
• 2024-06-29 — Reflected on 2024 Field Day with the N4MZ crew — asked others what they learned and shared personal takeaways from the weekend.
• 2024-06-15 — Squeezed out 13 QSOs on 20m SSB during a POTA activation — HF bands were strange with heavy QSB (S5 to S1); heard Australia but got no answers on bands that looked “good.” Still fun.
• 2024-06-10 — Tested a new 100Ah mobile power supply during a POTA activation: ran 50 watts SSB for about 30 minutes, reaching coast to coast on 20m plus a bonus DX QSO with Spain. The battery used only 3.5Ah.
• 2024-04-25 — Lunchtime mobile POTA activation at US-6358: worked KI5DVX (EM13KR, 631 mi) on 20m SSB, 59 with some QSB.
• 2024-04-19 — Barely squeaked out 12 contacts at a favorite POTA park on HF — bands were tough with loud static, but still an enjoyable activation.
• 2024-03-29 — Group POTA activation at Fort Morgan (US-0025): logged KJ6ER as a park-to-park contact from California on 20m SSB, while W6DFM operated CW alongside. A good time at the beach.
• 2024-03-25 — Referenced using the Arrow antenna and IC-9700 to make contact through FUNcube-1 (AO-73) during a prior Winter Field Day — local news was on site.
• 2024-01-29 — Winter Field Day gear notes : quiet, long-lasting generators, connectors organized in a tackle box, a Buddipole among seven-plus antennas in play. A great learning activity.
• 2024-01-28 — FOX10 local news visited and covered the Baldwin County Amateur Radio Club’s Winter Field Day activities. Watch the segment .
• 2022-06-01 — Granted a GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) license, callsign WRTB583 — a separate FCC service from amateur radio, for family/short-range use.

This section is meant to grow with small, frequent entries — new gear, mods, band openings, anything worth a line. Send updates over as they happen.