DitDit.fm

Cabin fever making you crazy... had enough of winter!? Spring is almost here, it's time to check your gear and head out into the fresh air. Find a comfy spot, throw a wire up in a tree and get on the air. Chris Bravo, W4ALF, talks about the joy of going portable. He'll discuss basic considerations, recommended antennas, when you should sign with a /P or /QRP and a few other things that will be handy to know when you're out in the field operating QRP CW.

For every successful SOTA activation, it takes a SOTA Activator who's willing to face the elements and haul gear to the top of a mountain and a radio op someplace else to complete the exchange. More often than not, the other radio op is a SOTA Chaser who completes the QSO and participates in a successful activation. And it turns out that being a SOTA Chaser is a super easy way for new and seasoned CW ops to have a lot of fun, participate in an exciting and interesting activity and develop their CW skills.

There probably is no other piece of HAM equipment more ubiquitous than the Vibroplex key. For more than a 100 years, hundreds of thousands of Vibroplex keys have been produced and used on ships at sea, by railroads across continents, militaries and countless amateur radio operators. The most well known Vibroplex key being an odd-looking contraption called a 'bug'!

If you're a CW op looking for something new to do, contesting maybe just what you are looking for. There are literally hundreds of contests each year. They are a great way to take your CW skills to the next level.

Cody Codianni, KC2LSD, holds an Amateur Extra license, is a FISTS North America Board Member and manager of the FISTS North America club call, KN0WCW. He has achieved DXCC on numerous bands, including the very challenging 160M DXCC in 2017. Not only has Cody chased DX and accumulated a large collection of awards, he has also been the DX operator, operating occasionally from South America. Cody is a very experienced CW operator with a unique perspective about operating in the continuous wave mode.

All of us have most certainly begun our CW adventure with the basic QSO. But after you have mastered the QSO, you're ready for another challenge. If you're a little competitive, like developing your operating skills, and just want to see if you've 'got game', a QRP Fox Hunt is just the event you are looking for! Oh... and it's also a total blast!!

Many amateur radio operators share a common experience. They become interested in the hobby, get licensed then, for any number of good reasons, take a break from their radio activities. Sometime later (sometimes years later), amateur radio catches their interest again and they jump back in. More often than not, when people come back to amateur radio they do amazing things... and Richard Carpenter, AA4OO, is a great example of someone doing amazing things!

Joe Galicic, N3HEE, is a highly regarded and sought after CW Ops Academy advisor and instructor who has helped students succeed far beyond their goals and become highly proficient with the code. He has been a licensed amateur radio operator for over forty years, builds a telegraph key from time-to-time and is just an overall nice guy.

Episode #7 - "The Bedtime Story Net" & Statue of Liberty

Episode #6 - Bedsprings and QSOs

Episode #5 - CW Immersion

Episode #4 - Nothing But Net!

Episode #3 - Sweat Through It!

Episode #2 - CW From The Mountain Tops

Episode #1 - DitDit... What's This All About?