Radio

Right now I’m all about amateur radio, and more specifically about CW (Morse code), with the callsign W6JSV. I operate HF these days. CW on HF is a completely different world from our day-to-day. It’s not only a different mechanism of communication (dits and dahs), but it’s also a different language. “And” becomes “ES”, “great chat” becomes “UFB QSO”, “noise” becomes “QRM”, and more. The community is also phenomenal. I’m a part of LICW (#8474), SKCC (#30291), and I’m in KI7QCF’s Discord, CWO. The last one has been the single greatest boon to my CW and radio journeys. It’s an incredible group of folks that love exploring new things and just kinda getting stuff done. Here’s Forrest KI7QCF’s YouTube.

I usually get on the air through Parks on the Air (POTA). POTA is a program that maintains a list of parks and trails, and then people go to those parks with a radio setup to call CQ (“Hey, here I am! Come talk to me!”). Then, people from around the world listen for that call and answer. It’s a short conversation, but it’s addicting. You can track who’s on the air with pota.app.

Activation at US-0189 Don Edwards

Here’s a picture of the contacts I made sometime in October of 2025:

Amateur radio POTA activation

I recently picked up the “bug” bug.

My coffin bug named "Morticia"

It’s really hard to take bugs out in the field. They’re heavy, and very easy to get out of tune. This is a common problem, and so WB9CYY and WO6W made a hardware emulator. This thing truly is a marvel. It behaves exactly like a bug. You attach a paddle to it, and it feels like a bug. It even cuts dits! Very humbling.

WB9CYY's and WO6W's bug emulator

Equipment-wise, I adore Elecraft gear. They’re close by (Watsonville, a ~1-1.5h drive from me). I have a KX2, a KH1, and a K3. I use the KX2 the most.

I’ve recently gotten my CWOps number (3850). I’m super proud of this and thankful to my sponsors (KI7QCF, K5OHY, KI5GTR, and AC4NK).