Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio

Parks on the Air Skills: Contest with K1RX (Episode 7 of 7)

Mark Pride K1RX is a seasoned contester who sees Parks on the Air and contesting as two sides of the same coin, sharing skills, instincts, and a natural path between them. In this final episode of the contesting fundamentals series, Mark makes the case that many POTA operators are already doing contesting in all but name. They manage pileups, operate under real-world constraints, and make fast decisions with limited resources. The difference is not skill, but setting. POTA tends to be more casual and time-limited, while contesting stretches those same abilities across longer durations and more structured competition. The shift often comes when operators take those same skills into a different environment. At a home station or in a multi-operator setup, limitations fall away and performance scales rapidly. What once meant working a few dozen stations from a noisy park can turn into handling hundreds or thousands of contacts. Mark points to this as the fastest way to grow, especially when learning alongside experienced contesters with stronger stations and better antennas. Still, the pull of the field remains strong. Mark shares a story of a rare-county activation where preparation made all the difference. Arriving early, setting up more capable antennas, managing generator noise, and even running a modest 500 watt amplifier transformed a park operation into a serious contest effort. It was not about beating big stations, but about maximizing what the environment allowed and having fun doing it. Looking ahead, there is room for evolution. With tens of thousands of active POTA operators and rapid growth worldwide, Mark suggests contest sponsors could explore new categories that reflect portable and lower power realities. Until then, operators crossing over should expect tough competition, but also recognize they are bringing fully developed skills with them. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. DX Engineering continues to support operators across every style of operating, from park activations to high performance contest stations. Their commitment helps hams refine their setups, improve their signals, and get more out of every contact.

W1DED on Leadership and POTA’s Future: Interview by N8JRD

Kevin Thomas W1DED is one of the newest board members guiding Parks on the Air through its next chapter — but his connection to ham radio stretches back nearly 50 years. Licensed as a teenager in 1977, Kevin grew up around Heathkit gear built by his father, WA1YOA, before life, career, and raising three children pulled him away from the hobby for decades. Yet even after his license lapsed, he carried the radios, logbooks, and QSL cards with him through every move, convinced he would someday return. That return finally came in 2022. After earning his Extra Class license, Kevin discovered Parks on the Air and immediately connected with the simplicity and accessibility of portable operating. Living on a small island community in Maine without room for towers, POTA offered exactly what he was looking for: grab a radio, head to a park, and get on the air. What began as casual activations soon expanded into contesting, DXpedition-style operations in the Caribbean, interviews with some of amateur radio’s top operators on Q5, and eventually a seat on the POTA board itself. After spending weeks interviewing fellow board members, Kevin realized interviewing himself would be awkward at best — so he invited Jim Davis N8JRD from the Everyday Ham podcast to turn the tables. The result is a more personal and reflective conversation about leadership, growth, and the philosophy behind one of amateur radio’s fastest-growing programs. One of the strongest themes throughout the discussion is Kevin’s belief that the board’s best work should largely go unnoticed by the average activator or hunter. Parks on the Air succeeds, he argues, because it feels simple, welcoming, and dependable. The board’s responsibility is not to radically change that experience, but to quietly strengthen the infrastructure underneath it: modernizing systems, improving volunteer support, scaling databases and log processing, tightening governance, and preparing the organization for millions more QSOs and tens of thousands of additional parks worldwide. Kevin also discusses the remarkable volunteer culture behind POTA and the challenge of sustaining a fully volunteer-run organization experiencing explosive international growth. From upgraded mapping and improved awards systems to what many are informally calling “POTA 3.0,” much of the work happening behind the scenes is intentionally invisible — the kind of operational stability users only notice when it’s missing. And woven through all of it is a familiar truth for many radio operators: ham radio never entirely leaves you. Even after a 40-year absence, Kevin says he always kept his Kenwood TS-830 nearby, waiting for the right moment to get back on the air. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Special thanks to DX Engineering for continuing to support amateur radio operators around the world. Whether it’s Parks on the Air activators setting up in the field, contesters chasing multipliers through the night, or DXers reaching across oceans, DX Engineering helps keep the equipment, knowledge, and enthusiasm flowing throughout the hobby.

Has Ham Radio Lost Its Soul? VK9DX Has Thoughts

Nick Hacko VK9DX is one of ham radio’s most colorful voices, an elite contester, watchmaker, refugee-turned-builder, and unapologetically opinionated character who somehow manages to be equal parts philosopher and entertainer. Broadcasting from Norfolk Island, a tiny speck in the South Pacific with a population of just 2,000, Nick joins me for a conversation that ranges from Cold War-era Yugoslavia to CQ WW strategy, remote island station building, and why contesting still matters in an increasingly automated world. Nick traces his ham radio roots back to the golden age of Yugoslav contesting, where domestic 80-meter battles were treated with the intensity of world championships. After fleeing the Balkan conflict in the early 1990s, he chose Australia over Canada for one simple reason: ham radio. Decades later, during the COVID lockdowns, he bought property on Norfolk Island sight unseen and moved there with little more than an IC-7300 and a wire antenna. What followed was a one-man effort to build a serious contest station under extreme logistical constraints, shipping delays, antenna height limits, and near-total self-sufficiency. But what makes Nick fascinating isn’t just the contest results. It’s the way he talks about radio. Contest weekends aren’t “all-you-can-eat buffets,” he says. They’re birthday parties with friends. He pushes back on hyper-optimized contesting culture, argues for more recognition of station builders, and makes the case that amateur radio’s future depends on keeping the hobby human, welcoming, and fun for operators at every level. One moment he’s discussing phased vertical arrays and propagation windows across the Pacific; the next he’s joking about hiding from his wife during SSB contests or revealing his CB radio alter ego. This was one of the most enjoyable and unexpectedly thoughtful conversations I’ve had about contesting culture, island life, and the personalities that make ham radio so compelling. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Special thanks to DX Engineering for supporting operators everywhere, from serious contesters and DXpeditioners to everyday hams chasing signals from parks, islands, and backyard shacks around the world. Their continued support helps keep the spirit of experimentation and adventure in amateur radio alive.

The Story Behind POTA with Mike Case W8MSC

Mike Case W8MSC is one of the key figures behind Parks on the Air, helping transform a one-year, ARRL-sponsored park activation event into a lasting global program. Mike’s path into ham radio started later than most. Licensed in 2014 after a chance encounter reignited his technical curiosity, he brought a background in IT and a love for the outdoors. Field Day was the spark, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted more than a once-a-year experience. That search led him to National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) in 2016, and when that program sunset, Mike did not step away. Alongside Jason Johnston W3AAX, Thom Martin W8TAM, and others, he helped shape what came next. From a small Michigan-based effort to a national, and now international, platform, he was there building the backend, refining the rules, and testing ideas in real time. What began as a scrappy operation running on a server in a basement, built with a “maybe we’ll get 1,000 users” mindset, quickly took off. Mike and the team had to evolve fast, moving from a simple LAMP stack to a cloud-based microservices architecture. Along the way came unexpected challenges, from broken log formats to scaling pains and the complexity of global expansion. There is also a human side to it, with activators sharing tips, a small Facebook group turning into a worldwide community, and a program that has become a gateway into the hobby for thousands. Now POTA is entering its next chapter. With the formation of a formal board, Mike is focused on transferring institutional knowledge and helping set a durable foundation for the future. A new IT system is on the horizon, with faster awards processing and a shift to global ISO standards to better support international growth. This conversation is part of a larger series featuring all seven board members, with two interviews already live on YouTube, offering a closer look at the people guiding POTA forward. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. Special thanks to DX Engineering for supporting operators across every corner of the hobby, from Parks on the Air activators to contesters and DXers pushing their stations to the limit. Their continued backing helps keep the spirit of operating alive worldwide.

From Carrier Decks to Contest Runs: K2GO’s Second Act

Tom Morton K2GO is a Navy fighter pilot turned airline captain turned global aviation mentor—and through it all, a relentless ham radio operator who always found time to get on the air and meet new friends. In Part II, Tom’s story widens from cockpit to command. He rises from top-of-class Navy aviator to instructor, then to carrier-qualified pilot and Landing Signal Officer, racking up nearly 200 carrier landings. His post-military career reads like a passport stamped across the globe: 707 captain in Cold War Berlin, widebody captain for American Airlines, and later a 777 and 787 instructor shaping the next generation of pilots from Dubai to Singapore to Seoul. Even in his 80s, he’s still flying jumpseat audits worldwide, quietly evaluating airline safety and standards. But the throughline isn’t aviation—it’s radio. From aeronautical mobile QSOs over the Pacific to remote contesting from Virginia while living in Uruguay or Panama, Tom has ridden every technological wave the hobby has produced. He’s an early believer in remote operation—not as a shortcut, but as a democratizer—giving small-station operators access to big iron and helping keep contesting alive. He’s equally passionate about CW Ops and youth involvement, seeing both as the lifeblood of the next generation. His philosophy is simple: start small, listen more than you call, and respect timing—the difference between frustration and flow. Join the conversation and subscribe to Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio. DX Engineering continues to power the passion behind operators like Tom—supporting everyone from contesters to DXers with the gear and know-how that keeps signals moving around the world.