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I’m excited to share a project I’ve been working on for the Summits on the Air community: SOTA Magic, a WordPress plugin designed specifically for SOTA activators. Whether you just finished a grueling hike or a quick local activation, SOTA Magic helps you tell the full story of your activation without having to put in all the…
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Beautiful day for a hike! A.J. W6CMY joined me for an activation at Vetter Mountain. This site is neat because a fire lookout is at the summit. This lookout burned down in 2009 in the Station Fire but was rebuilt. It’s a tough location for 2m / 70cm, Mt Wilson hides a clear view of…
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Blessed to have this summit right in my backyard… but man, the hike is a real grind. About a 2,000 Ft climb, with 1,800 over a short distance. I worked this entire activation on 2m, but mostly CW and SSB. I was in a time crunch to get back. I had my KH1 with me…
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I have a few what I call Prototype Ver 2 CW keys that I have built, and am sending out to gather feedback… but in reality, those are Ver 21 of my cad design. I’ll use this page to document future version changes that happen as I work on them.
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Steve – WG0AT – Received Prototype V2 12/6/2025 “”First Impressions: It’s Gem! Love it! (So far!)” “Been using a V2 beta paddle set last 3-weeks …Solid design! Tested in extreme cold temps no issues! Nice tight feel not mushy! No springs! Impressive! – Steve Here’s Steve’s paddle in an inverted installation. I’m re-thinking how the key…
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This post is work in progress. Inspired by DL6YYM’s concentric design of the TP-III, I sought out to design a miniature concentric key using the same idea. The design would have to be small to accommodate the KH1’s form factor along with fitting inside the KH1 carry case. The design above was created around using…
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Frankly, I owe myself an explanation to this simple question also. Why am I embarking on a design project WAY out of my league? I think a little background is probably valuable to understand first. I am very new to CW, only having started practicing in May 2025. My goal then was to cram every…
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AJ W6CMY and I met at 7 a.m. to head into the Angeles National Forest for an activation. Initially, I thought we might tackle Josephine Peak or attempt a two-for-one with Strawberry Peak and Mount Lawlor. However, we weren’t feeling motivated enough for either. Instead, Kratka Ridge, deeper into the forest, caught my attention. It’s…
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Went for a solo activation this morning after dropping my youngest daughter off at preschool. I had a tight window of time so I planned on packing a light kit for this one. Notes online said that the hike was steep. They were not kidding! I have never owned and trekking poles, but decided to…
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I made a cryptic post the other day, new rig in the house!! I opted to get the ‘Edgewood Package’ which included a case, internal ATU, and all the accessories. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am a huge proponent of built in auto tuners. Having less gear to lug out, hook…