Sofas on the Air

Thomas K4SWL: The QRPer | Sofas on the Air Ep. 15

In Episode 15 of Sofas on the Air, hosts Ara (N6ARA) and Mark (KD7DTS) fly in their very first Patreon-funded guest: QRP Amateur Radio Club International Hall of Famer, Q

LIVE from the W6TRW Field Day: Ham Radio Speed Dating | Sofas Ep. 14

Guests Josh KI6NAZ, Adam K6ARK, Doug WA6RLR and Becky W6BKY talk satellites, antennas, safety and more! This episode was recorded live and streamed via satellite from the

Brian NR7Y: Bringing 2m CW to the Quansheng | Sofas on the Air Ep. 13

Brian NR7Y is our very first DX guest. He flew into Los Angeles today just for this episode, and we’re tremendously excited to welcome him to this Sofa. There’s a funny s

Tim N7KOM: Welcome to the Brass Knuckle Gang! | Sofas on the Air Ep. 12

It's another Tidalwave Tim session on the Sofa! In this episode, Ara shares his adventures at 4 Days in May and Dayton Hamvention, Mark debriefs on livestreaming during a

David N6AN: from Teen with Tubes to 2024 SOTA Challenge Winner | Sofas on the Air Ep. 11

In this episode we welcome David N6AN! David was #1 in the USA for the 2024 10m SOTA challenge, and #5 in the world - all done while QRP. He's a consummate contester and

The TinyGawant lives! (plus a SOTA DXpedition and Winter Field Day) | Sofas on the Air Ep. 10

If you’re a regular listener, you may have noticed we’ve been - dare I say - a bit radio silent. Well, today we’re back - and Ara and I are going to catch up on all the s

Josh KI6NAZ: Crash Course in SOTA, YouTube and Testing Antennas | Sofas Ep. 9

Friend of the 'pod Josh KI6NAZ, from the little-known  @HamRadioCrashCourse  drops by the sofa to get nerdy... and share how he entered the SOTA-verse! This episode cov

Justin K5EM - Building Community through Radiosport | Sofas on the Air Ep. 8

Ara's friend Justin K5EM drops by the sofa to share his pro tips on how friendly radio events (including SOTA!) can build community both locally, and around the world.

N7KOM - What is a 'Pseudotachylyte', and how to play SOTA Royale | Sofas on the Air Ep. 7

Tim N7KOM returns to the Sofa to share his Oregon campout experience, drop some cool geology knowledge, and take a speed-round of Patreon questions! Patreon: Want to he

Patreon Questions, NT6E’s Activation Day & Ara's Antenode | Sofas on the Air Ep. 6

Mark & Ara catch up on the Sofa, answer a few questions, and get some Ormoo prints on their laptops. Patreon: Want to help us fly SOTA icons out for in-person interviews

Custom Batteries, SOTA Campouts, and Mark's Car-tastrophe

Umesh KK6TXI visits the Sofa to share his expertise in custom batteries for portable ham radio, including QRO SOTA and a mountaintop Field Day! We catch up (finally) with

Secrets of Microwave SOTA, and an Antenna Test Quest | Sofas on the Air Ep. 4

Devin W6DVN visits the Sofa to share his expertise in ultralight microwave SOTA activations... including how to build the gear! Mark nerds out a bit over a Quansheng CW m

Field Day, Radio Telescopes, and Learning CW

Mark and Ara share their Field Day experiences, along with an epic trip to the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) and hot takes on Di's new Morse Code learning video.

Tim N7KOM: From College Rock Show Host to Climbing Mountains with Radio

In this wide-ranging chat with Oregon SOTA guest, Tim N7KOM covers his unusual introduction to radio, the Oregon campout, preparedness for 'radio first aid', activation s

Ara's SOTA Goat Day

In this first-ever episode of Sofas on the Air, Mark and Ara sit down to discuss Ara's SOTA Goat day (250 QSOs on a livestream!) and Mark's ARRL Field Day plans.