This past week, I’ve been revisiting my shack, paring down, and reorganizing. By that, I mean separating the wheat from the chaff and reevaluating my grab-and-go radios and accessories.
Before Hurricane Helene (a moment in time I seem to use to benchmark events now), I picked up a few IKEA shelf organizers and was quite pleased with how neatly they displayed my gear. Over time, though, the shelves became a bit cluttered, so it was time to give them some care and attention.
While sorting through gear, I stumbled upon a small ditty bag holding my trusty portable ATU: the Elecraft T1.
I held it in my hand and tried to recall the last time I’d actually used it in the field. Maybe during this activation in July 2023? If I’ve used it since then, I can’t remember when.
A Shift in How I Pack
That moment made me realize I’d gradually changed how I pack for field outings without even noticing.
In my early days of POTA—2019 and 2020—I relied heavily on the Elecraft T1 and antenna tuners in general. I loved the flexibility they provided when paired with a random wire antenna.
Even now, I often carry an ATU as a form of first aid for antenna malfunctions. While rare, these issues do happen. In the past five years, an ATU has saved me twice—once with a broken Trail-Friendly EFT antenna and once with a Tactical Delta Loop mishap.
For mission-critical activations, such as remote or rare POTA sites, or during multi-week family road trips, I always pack an ATU. It’s a safety net.
Lessons Learned Over Time
With countless activations under my belt, I’ve learned a few things about myself and my gear:
1. Better Antenna Deployment
I’ve become more skilled at setting up antennas. I now avoid snag-prone trees and branches and have additional supports when nature doesn’t cooperate.
2. Easier Activations Thanks to More Hunters
The POTA hunter community has grown exponentially since the early days. Back then, frequency agility was critical because working the same hunter across multiple bands was sometimes the only way to log ten contacts. It wasn’t unusual for hunters and activators to coordinate activation times and frequencies in advance to increase the chances of logging each other. Continue reading A Subtle Shift in My Field Gear: Rethinking the external ATU