Amateur Radio Operator

Radio communications volunteer for the 2025 Atlanta Marathon

My Story in Radio

I really enjoy hiking, fishing, and the outdoors and have always been fascinated by CB radios and distant communications. I learned about an activity called Parks on the Air (POTA) where licensed radio operators were making contacts all over the world from US Parks. This was very intriguing to me and thought it would be an excellent blend of two great activities.

I learned more about amateur radio and many other things I could with the hobby and decided to get my Technician license (KQ4PIW) in March 2024. I found the Technician class to be slightly limiting, so in April I got my General license and my vanity callsign (N4AFK) which I really love.

Since then, I built several antennas and a paperclip CW paddle. I think the art and skill of morse code is incredible and I really enjoy the LICW classes and practice page which I hope you check out.

🍑 2025 Peachtree Road Race

Check out my latest event where I volunteered as a radio operator at Water 4 Left in front of the Temple downtown at the 2025 Peachtree Road Race.

The Ham Shack

I am really not sure what I'm doing with the shack but here's what I got so far. I built the black radio shelf so I could keep the power supply and both radios all together. I also have a small speaker connected to my HF transceiver which really helps get a little more noise out of the Xiegu G90.

My Ham Shack in Forsyth County, GA

Xiegu G90 w/ Fan Accessory

I am using a Xiegu G90 which I found to be the most affordable and just a fantastic little radio!! I love that I get a color screen with a waterfall and it's small enough that I can stuff it in my pack and do a POTA activation if I want.

End Fed Half Wave (EFHW) aNTENNA

My End Fed Half Wave antenna is pointing 320° NW in a "slopper" configuration with the feed point at the high end approximately 25' above the ground extending 66' down to a height of about 9'. This orientation has been very effective with Europe and the edge of Africa.

Builds & Projects

These are a few things I've been working on as I am challenged with how to improve my signal on the air and learn about this hobby. I also have a few interesting tools to share as well.

FIrst Antenna

This is a 2 meter antenna I made from a house wire donated from a neighbor. The wire is attached with zip ties through holes I drilled in an outlet faceplate to hold everything in place. It looks a little rough, but was a perfectly acceptable and working dipole. To get some height, I attached it to a 8' stick giving me a much better signal when I'm outside on the deck.

Paperclip CW Paddle

Inspired by this video, I decided to make one of these for myself using parts I had around the house. Works like a charm!! The "dits" are the left paddle and "dahs" on the right. The paperclip seems to have just enough flex and it's really easy to straighten out if it gets a little warped.

I hope to buy a really good paddle one day, but this along with my straight key seem to do the trick while I'm still learning CW.

Performer Antenna

This is a really simple antenna to build using a 17' stainless steel whip attached to a tripod with 2 elevated radials clipped at 90 degrees.

This antenna is perfectly resonant with a 1:1 SWR on 20/17/15/12/10/6 meters.

Learn about my first POTA activation using this antenna.

Solar REChargable battery Box

I was able to pull some Amazon gift card money together over Christmas and purchase the remaining parts I needed to build my battery box. It has a master switch to turn on an external voltmeter w/ USB charge ports and the power pole connecters on top. A separate independent switch powers a side light.

On the rear, I have a solar power port which connects into a solar power controller for recharging the battery. There are also 2 USB charge ports on the solar controller which is nice.

Check out the video for a demo where I also list the key parts in this project.

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