Hey — I'm Joe. Callsign W4GGJ.
I'm a General Class amateur radio operator based in Tampa Bay, Florida, and the creator of Tava One. This site is where I document everything I'm doing in the hobby — POTA activations, FT8 digital operations, gear builds, and the honest lessons that come from actually getting outside with a radio instead of just reading about it.
The person behind all of this
None of this happens without my wife. We've been together for over 20 years and will celebrate 21 years of marriage in July 2026. She has supported every project, every radio purchase, every early morning activation, and every late night writing session — including the book — without complaint. That's a level of patience that deserves its own award.
The story of how we met is one worth telling properly someday. What I can say is that the first time I laid eyes on her — she walked into a country nightclub — I knew. I never believed in love at first sight before that moment. I do now. The stars must have aligned perfectly that night and I've never taken that for granted.
How I got into ham radio
I got my Technician license in December 2024. For the first couple of months I operated exclusively on 10 meters — the only HF band available to Technicians for digital modes. In December 2025 I made my first FT8 contact: N5CH, 1,121 miles away on 10 meters. A few minutes later I worked DN9STW in Germany. 4,883 miles on my second ever digital contact.
That was it. I was hooked.
In February 2026 I upgraded to General class and the rest of the HF bands opened up. Since then I've worked over 160 countries between phone and digital modes, earned ARRL Worked All States awards in both Mixed and Digital, and activated parks across Florida for Parks on the Air.
What I operate
At home I run a Yaesu FT-450 into a G5RV at 36 feet, fed with ladder line through a choke balun to an ATU-100. My logging chain runs through DXLab Suite and auto-uploads to LoTW, QRZ, eQSL, ClubLog, and WRL after every contact.
In the field I run the Xiegu X6200 at 5 watts, a Raspberry Pi 4 running DigiPi for digital modes, an Android tablet for control and spotting, an 18.3ft telescoping vertical with 8 radials, and a DIY 32Ah LiFePO4 battery box built into a surplus ammo can. The whole kit fits in a backpack and sets up in about 15 minutes.
Parks on the Air
POTA is where most of my field energy goes. I've activated parks across the Tampa Bay area and beyond — Sawgrass Lake Park, Alafia River State Park, Skyway Fishing Pier, DeSoto National Memorial, Werner-Boyce Salt Springs, and more. Every activation gets a full report on this site with honest notes on what worked, what didn't, and whether I'd go back.
My best activation to date was DeSoto National Memorial — 59 QSOs on 20m FT8, well past the 44-contact Jackpot threshold, with a multi-hour TikTok Live alongside co-host Brandon KQ4PMD.
The book
I wrote the book I wish I'd had when I started. FT8 for the First Time: A Simple Guide to Digital Modes and POTA for Licensed Hams is available now on Amazon in Kindle and paperback. It covers everything from WSJT-X configuration to running your first POTA activation — screenshot by screenshot, no assumptions, no skipped steps.
Get it on Amazon →
Club memberships
I'm a member of SPARC — the St. Petersburg Amateur Radio Club — and the Gulf Coast Contest Club (GCCC). Grid square EL87PT.
Find me on the air
If you hear W4GGJ calling CQ POTA from a Florida park, come say hi. I'm usually on 20 meters FT8 between 0900 and noon local time.
Find me on TikTok at @grumpagrinch, on Linktree at linktr.ee/grumpagrinch, and on QRZ at the usual place.
73 de W4GGJ
Joe Leone — Tampa Bay, Florida — Grid EL87PT
