QRP in the Driftless

Dam Tower on the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, north of LaFarge
  • What turned out to be a scouting trip

    The forecast was for temperatures above freezing, and I wanted to activate a new (to me) park this morning. Noodling over this in the living room over coffee, my wife reminded me of a spot she had visited last summer, kayaking with a neighbor: Mecan River State Wildlife and Fishery Area. I had noted at…

  • Resolutions for 2026

    It’s the season for that, after all. Here are a few, all radio related: That’s all for now. Thanks for visiting driftlessqrp!

  • Probably the last hike of 2025

    The last few days have been overcast but rising above freezing for a few hours, and today was the same. The Ice Cave at Wildcat Mountain State Park Still had plenty of ice anyway. The trail was a mixture of granular refrozen snow and softish melty ice; easy walking, not too slippery … and it…

  • Winter weather

    Thanks to K4SWL for this article, which really helped me make the selection ! Thank you for visiting driftlessqrp! More, soon!

  • Day 1: learning the KH1 menus

    It’s a very cold, but sunny day, following on a scant inch of snow overnight, so playing with the new radio has been an indoor thing today. The KH1 has a lot of menu functions that I am working through with the aid of the Owners Manual. I found the real-time clock, and set the…

  • Hello, KH1 !

    Every individual piece of the Edgewood package came separately packed, so a bit of assembly was needed; installing the battery and the log tray, mostly … putting the pen and whip into their clips finished the job. There it is. A complete radio station that will fit in my back pocket! I think I’ll want…

  • a Black Friday tale …

    Ever since the moment I saw it, I have wanted an Elecraft KH1, and I have held back for one reason or another, time after time, for two whole years! This video: “Wayne Burdick N6KR Elecraft Cofounder Talking About the New KH1 Transceiver at SOTA Luncheon” is what sold me originally; I just watched it…

  • 2025 Field Day results are out!

    December QST arrived about a week ago (I still pay extra for the print version) and after reading the Elecraft KH1 review (more about this later) I browsed the rest of the magazine and much to my surprise, there were the Field Day results! I scanned 1B – Battery – Single Op several times and…

  • And now for something completely different …

    Saving animals from the front lines in Ukraine Doing animal rescue in a war zone shows impressive commitment. These people are doing great work under difficult conditions and need support! Follow this link to learn more about what they are doing, and please consider donating! I did! Thanks for visiting driftlessqrp!

  • Testing the X6100 at Wildcat Mountain

    The radio seemed to work okay with the new firmware update; I asked particularly for reports on my signal and audio; “just fine” was the typical response. (lol, insofar as anyone can tell when they’re giving me a 33 signal report). Here’s one ominous note: the volume knob froze on me again. It doesn’t seem…

  • Replacing the batteries in the Xiegu X6100

    I am wrapping up this series of posts, so here is a set of links to the previous ones for your enjoyment and / or entertainment; or who knows, maybe you want to replace the batteries in your X6100 and prefer text and pictures to a YouTube video: Since the last post I have been…

  • Radio surgery, part 4

    … the end of the story, or is it? With that computer out of the way, now I have room to work! I decided against using connectors because of the limited space inside the case. Soldering was easy and quick with the usual .015 rosin core 63/37 solder, so the heat sink never even got…

A backwater of the Mississippi River in the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge on a gloomy, chilly day in early November, viewed from the Lower Diversion Dike Trail.

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