WELCOME

Welcome to my amateur radio BLOG. Here at N1CLC.com (aka HamNinja.com), I hope to cover my exploration of ham radio, summits on the air (SOTA) and general RF geek stuff.  My other BLOGS focus on technology (cloudrant.com), photography (cameraninja.com/blog), and life (thethroboflife.com). QSL via QRZ, LOTW, cards.

* Reference Links Page    * SOTA Specific Links  
* My Equipment Loadout    * DMR Tips    * My Youtube Channel

I monitor 146.520 and DMR SOTA (973), track me on the trail HERE.  Donate HERE, Mastodon

Check out the latest videos by the Ham Ninja

<<<Latest SAFETY TIPS can be found HERE.>>>

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2026 MeshCore Config & Experience

NOTE: This will be updated as I learn more.

As of 9/25/2026, I’ve started playing with MeshCore in SoCal.  There is one heck of a repeater network and enthusiastic deployment here.  I’m in San Diego, and I should be able to reliably communicate with anyone in SoCal (from the Mexican boarder to the mountains NW of LA) that is on “the mesh” (assume I’m always taking about “MeshCore”).

Below is my configuration, testing, experience / issues today.  I’ll be updating this as I go along.

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My SOTA Expedition Loadout

My SOTA Loadout options: (UPDATED)

Updated: 8/31/2026

 

A lot of people ask me what I am using for SOTA (Summits On The Air), so I thought I would describe my setup here.  Take a look and comment on your SOTA setup.

What follows is a rewrite in-place to take into account how my skills, knowledge, and equipment have evolving from 2017 when this was first published.  When it comes to radio gear for SOTA,  there are a zillion combinations that I and others have used from hauling an IC-7300 to a summit by N3XUL, to the heavy FT-891 by myself, a K3, or a postage stamp sized radio by K6ARK.  When it comes to antennas, choices are endless, something that I will barely scratch the surface.  Oh, and don't forget the possible paddle choices for CW.

One aspect SOTA is that it presents is a number of challenges associated with man portability.  Many times, it requires hiking up a mountain, sometimes a long ways, so weight and size really matter.  This is why so many SOTA operators learn CW so early in their radio adventure, it allows them to have great success with smaller and lighter equipment.  Sure, there are drive-ups, and I can tell you, it's a blast running 100w from a summit.  Given all of this, it's a never ending quest to try different setups to achieve your goals.  What follows is a non-exhaustive list of what I mostly use for SOTA.

30Ah Battery Box FS

 I'm selling one of my battery boxes that I've used the least.

Margaret - A New SOTA Machine

I recently purchased a new vehicle, a SOTA vehicle, a 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness.  This is the first new car I've purchased after I started doing SOTA (Summits On The Air) hobby (hiking to summits with a radio). My previous 2017 Highlander AWD (let’s call her Brenda in retrospect) did a nice job at getting me to a trailhead or the top of a mountain but she was limited by her clearance and AWD system meant for a little less adventure.  Her personality was more soccer mom goes to the ski run with the kids than an adventure car.  Brenda didn’t have that vibe of “take me out and have fun off-road”. So the new vehicle is more capable. And she has a name and some mods, and she definately has the vibe of "lets go play).  Let’s go!

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A Look Back At 2025

 2025 Was a busy year for me

The stats from my Summits on The Air activities, although not record breaking, were edging closer to my personal best.

Year	Summits	Total Points	Hiked Miles	MTB Miles	Elevation Gain *	Uniques	First Activations
2017	13	17	42	4	10,375	9	1
2018	59	303	244	0	57,859	47	2
2019	62	367	207	0	50,273	21	2
2020	104	543	338	4	83,390	33	3
2021	85	537	294	32	74,394	23	3
2022	108	552	317	16	80,102	16	2
2023	161	792	489	25	119,586	34	0
2024	153	720	422	14	108,992	24	1
2025	161	747	431	0	108,053	20	1
Grand Total	906	4578	2784.25	95.03	693,024	227	15
* Elevation gained is only counted when hiking or MTB

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The Ham Ninja’s Top 10 Safety Tips

After surviving  880+ SOTA summit activations, I wanted to share what I’ve learned from my experience and from others about how to lower the risk of injury and death while doing this outdoor hobby.  In 2025, I published my “Top 10 safety Tips” in a weekly email series for SOTA (Summits On the AIR) operators. Later, I was asked to present my “Top 10 Safety Tips” to various Ham Clubs.  This article puts all if together in one place with a little more detail.  I hope you find some value here for you and your family.