Adventures in Radio

by Matthew Barker

I eagerly pulled out the 6m telescopic pole, and fumbled for the dipole antenna in my pack. Within ten minutes I had a 30m length of wire strung up across the hill top, and dove into my tent to grab the radio. I could hear the dits and dahs of a distant operator sending a message in Morse code, the callsign was from the USA. There followed a clear contact with a ham in California; next, I was called by someone in Argentina, and then then heard another summit-top station in Eastern Europe. I turned on my stove and began cooking dinner, while stretching out my legs to avoid cramp from the long walk. It had been a great journey so far, and I was looking forward to further adventures the next day.

This book describes a selection of expeditions by amateur radio operator Matthew Barker (M0MZB), with a focus on outdoor radio operations including the Summits on the Air (SOTA) award scheme. The book includes some background to outdoor radio operations, along with descriptions of equipment and methods. Most all, it describes some happy times in the outdoors.

The book is formatted as a series of separate reports of expeditions in the UK and USA, with lots of wild camping, radio and adventure mixed together. The reports are supplemented with a number of valuable insights into conducting amateur radio in the outdoors, choice of radio, power supplies, antennas, learning Morse code and outdoor equipment.

Kindle Edition

Published January 26, 2024

Reviews

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book with good maps and pictures

Nicely written adventures, with some good pictures. Maps are usefully included too. Great inspiration for outdoor radio. Lots of ideas.