Get this… I drove up to Leland to meet fam after work once (on Friday) and picked up a hitchhiker teacher around Benton Harbor. Drove him to Cadillac, went on to Leland. Saw him again Sunday going south and… haha. That was the only hitcher I ever picked up. We were pen pals for years.

Thank you and good question. We use a phone App called Ham2K Portable Logger (PoLo) that links directly to QRZ.com which is the new-school call book 🤣 You just have to put in the call sign and their name and location come up on the app. Our video around how to POTA has more information that might help you have a better idea of how it's all tied together. But basically everything is available on the phone if you have the correct call sign and of course cell coverage 😊 Here is a link to that video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZmXdaR_hbWthM0 And the PoLo logging app we use: polo.ham2k.com/ Hope that helps! 73, Becky es Mike

​@@HamRadioDuoThanks that's useful to know, I look forward to watching your other videos with interest...

Hey Forrest, as usual, that was a tough one! Most of the time we hear crickets on your frequency and thus the surprise ... hey we can hear him!! Thanks for the great ear to pull us out of thin air .... literally 🤣 73, Becky es Mike

That's actually a really good question. We checked once before and on a straight key I usually send around 15 - 17wpm. So great job getting it if you're currently listening at 5wpm.😊 73, Becky es Mike

That would definitely be a challenge and fun to just go with whatever happens! 73, Becky es Mike

Hey Mike! Michigan is a great place and there are so many beautiful lakes and forests. Hope to go back there soon! 73, Becky es Mike

@@HamRadioDuo you missed the peak colors Becky - its on the downhill side with the trees changing colors de K8MH

Thanks! There were some really tough ones in there. The more we are on the air it seems like we are able to pick out a tone and stick with it better. Mike is super good and tuning in with the radio which also helps a ton! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you Mike, we are very fortunate to have some great hiking and camping places not to far from home. And yes, we love the PoLo app and use it all the time. 73, Becky es Mike

Thanks for watching! It was fun to make and hope it helps get people on the air! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you so much for the kind words! We really enjoy hunting back to back and being able to just pass the key for the next exchange! Hopefully one day we will take our CW experiences to other countries! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you, it was fun to do something a little different! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you John! It's still pretty warm here but I'm sure a lot colder where your are. Hope to catch you on the air as well! 73, Becky es Mike

I usually hunt a little bit first when I activate, then pick a frequency and start calling.

Yes. I hunt from home and when portable not in a POTA park. I try to camp at state parks and visit my local parks to activate them when I can.

Thanks Phil! We usually can't hear Shantel because they are close to us and that was our first contact with Junie. Hope to get you in the logs soon! One of these days we will have to activate earlier in the day :-) 73, Becky es Mike

That makes sense instead of just giving it a toss and hoping for the best. Sometimes it takes a lot longer than it probably should ... HAHA! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you! We actually record our videos and then edit them before uploading. It's pretty time consuming but we can tweak sound issues if needed. 73, Becky es Mike

@HamRadioDuo I like too live stream my activations too give my subscribers the uncut real deal I want them too realize just because I'm a seasoned cw op and I still also make mistakes and it's ok to make mistakes it's the only way to learn is from them I also tell my students the same thing as well

We had a fun time just being hunters! And super fun being only 5watts!! Thanks STU! 73, Becky es Mike

Awww thank you so much! We are very fortunate to share the hobby and have a great time together. 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you and glad to hear you're getting your CW reps in!! I was nervous but happy with the outcome for sure! We have a pre-built QMX on the way so not sure what I might try next 😊 73, Becky es Mike

Thanks for the tip! We are familiar with the throw weights, but have just never tried one. 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you, I really do prefer the straight key! The build was challenging, but straight forward from the instructions. We love both of our QCX-minis! 73, Becky es Mike

That would be amazing! We definitely would love to contact Alaska sometime! 73, Becky es Mike

@@HamRadioDuo Every night at 20:00 AK time is the Bush net. It is in LSB because we are in region 2. We do get CW check-ins from "The Lower 48" from time to time. You might want to try that as well!

We will have to give it a listen ... thanks!

Actually, I am left-handed and send left-handed on both the straight key and the paddles but we don't flip the paddle control at all. Mike and I hunt back to back a lot and I just decided to learn that way from the beginning to make it easier. 73, Becky es Mike

@@HamRadioDuo Wonderful. I had Mary NE1F on the key for a while on my second POTA activation with the old 3W out1930-'s gear. We had perfect weather again and spotted correctly this time, but still only 6Qs on 40m CW on Thursday.

Amazing contacts you are making! Great job on that old rig! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you! Was a fun project and I look forward to whatever might be next! 73, Becky es Mike

Wow, thanks for the compliment. I think just going for it and getting on the air a lot really helps. I can relax and let the sounds come out! 73, Becky es Mike

Thanks for coming along on our adventures. We love sharing this fun hobby together and are having a great time sharing it and hoping to get others out there too! Appreciate the encouragement from you and everyone else in this great ham community! 73, Becky es Mike

TU as well! Glad you enjoyed it! 73, Becky es Mike

Thanks for the feedback! They are fun and I just need to get more ideas for what to send :-) 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you and you're absolutely right about the reward and sense of accomplishment when that first contact came through! I'll have to start looking into what's next 😊 73, Becky es Mike

Hey Lidi, not as of yet. So far we love just being QRP! Great to catch you on the air yesterday but sorry I couldn't hear you very well. 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you! 73 Becky N4BKY es Mike N4FFF

Thank you, and that's no joke! I counted and counted and counted and still wasn't sure I knew what I was supposed to count. 🤣 73, Becky es Mike

Hi Becky and Mike, your 40 meter QCX-mini is a great addition to your 20 meter one. I use my cell phone to take a zoomed in picture of my toroid which makes counting the turns easy. 73, Don wd8dsb

Whoa!! That is a great idea ... then it doesn't move around when you're trying to count 🤣 I will definitely be doing that next time! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you Jim! The more I get on the air the more relaxed I am and that really helps with the sending. My goal is to always send something the other operator can understand or it's just a one-way conversation 🤣 Hope to catch you P2P sometime! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank. you. We have a QMX pre-built on the way also. Mike built a QCX-mini in the past and had no interest in building another. This is all new for me and very fun so far! 73 Becky N4BKY es Mike N4FFF

You have designed a fine radio Hans. Becky did amazing work. 73 Phil G0BVD

Thank you so much Hans, and thank you for doing such great work for us CW enthusiasts! I'm debating just what to do next 🤔 73, Becky es Mike

Yay!!! Glad you're taking on the challenge. It was a tight squeeze because sooo much goes in that little box, but still fun! We love our 20m version as well! Good luck, you got this! 73, Becky es Mike

Nice! Kit or pre-built? 73 Becky N4BKY es Mike N4FFF

@@HamRadioDuo Kit. Starting on it tonight. May have it built for the weekend. We'll see. 73!

Good luck!

That is a great tip! Mike's close up vision isn't very good anymore and that is a great way to work around it! 73 Becky N4BKY es Mike N4FFF

We love our 20m one, which was pre-built. That is our main portable radio, but until now, we had to bring out one of the bigger onces to do 40m which meant we really weren't often on 40m portable. 20m seems to be a great sweet spot for easier to deploy antennas also. 73 Becky N4BKY es Mike N4FFF

Thank you and congrats on the QMX! We ordered the pre-built QMX before I decided to take on a project. Thankfully I think it has shipped already! Glad to have you in the logs. We were headed down to FL to drop off a college kid for that hunt. 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you! Do you have any new videos coming soon? 73 Becky N4BKY es Mike N4FFF

Thank you so much for the compliment! Mike has been super encouraging and helped me just go for it and get on the air. And I love this thought .... You don't get good to get on the air, you get on the air to get good. 73, Becky es Mike

Wow that must have been an amazing experience at 12! And full circle to tackle another project 60 years later. Just he experience of trying was fun for me! Hope to hear you as well! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you! 73 Becky N4BKY es Mike N4FFF

Thanks Dave and that's a main reason we decided to do this video. I wanted to try and at the same time hopefully shows others that are hesitant that it's possible with a little patience and attention to detail. You can do it! 73, Becky es Mike

Thank you! It was definitely a fun build and good idea for a winter project! Good luck! 73, Becky es Mike