Many thanks to Anthony (M7TAW) who shares the following guest post:

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A first timer’s POTA activation at the Devil’s Punch Bowl!

Anthony (M7TAW)

Introduction

Let me start with the confession that I am an amateur radio operator born out of the Covid lockdown. With the switch to remote examinations by the RSGB in 2020, and a lot of free time on my hands, I thought why not get myself on the air! However, it wasn’t until this year, and a nice birthday gift from the fiancée, that I finally managed to reach into the HF bands with a (tr)uSDX.

This 5W QRP multiband and multi(ish) mode transceiver was going to be my first serious foray into what I deemed “proper radio”. So, I endeavoured to try and learn and maximise every bit of usage I could out of it. Like many newcomers to radio, I started with getting an EFHW strung out my window and got onto digital modes with FT8 on 20m just to confirm that I could in fact be heard. I also managed to SSB over to Italy at one point, though the in-built microphone gave me a 337 RST. At this point though, I was buzzing to be heard!

That’s USB covered, but what is this CW mode I can select?

As a graduate in history, there’s something about “old timey” technology and methods that intrigue me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a technophile at heart (you kind of have to be a data scientist), but there’s something about post-industrial mechanical and electrical advancements that amazes me still!

Of course, morse code was going to be next on the list of things to explore then it seemed!

I ordered a cheap but decent key from our favourite Chinese marketplace, and started cramming LCWO, Morse Mania, and Morsle as much as I could, and getting that muscle memory rhythm with practicing sending the alphabet and my name. Luckily, the (tr)uSDX has a practice mode and a decent decoder in-built so I can just power the radio from a USB connection and practice away!

Naturally, the YouTube algorithm decided that if you’re learning about CW, you might also be interested in this POTA thing. A few K4SWL videos, a dash of K2EJT, and a splash of newcomer-encouraging KI7QCF, I was hooked. I could combine what I’d started learning, with equipment in the field, and also a slight competitive (I’m eyeing that top spot) and award-based activity.

I started obsessively watching POTA spots on Gridtracker to make sure I could hunt FT8 contacts, and also kept my eye on the spots for any CW contacts that I thought I’d be able to hear. Finally I did it; about 25 days after I seriously started learning CW, and with a bit of a crutch with the morse decoder on the radio, I finally made a POTA hunter CW QSO – DC5LY (pota.app) thank you very much.

As fun as hunting is, I had to follow the YouTubers I’d been watching and actually get out there for an activation. However, actually getting out there – shudders – in public and getting my antenna up seemed a daunting task. Add in the fact that I was determined to not rely on digital only to get an activation, but also CW.

I started to plan…

Firstly, I looked for sites that had decent parking, but were also probably big enough that I could tuck away uninterrupted (something to take the nerves away). Luckily for me, about 20 minutes up the road is a large stunning National Trust area known as The Devil’s Punch Bowl – the legend has it that the Devil scooped up a handful of earth and hurled it at Thor, God of Thunder, the depression that remained is the Devil’s Punch Bowl. Also, unluckily for me, I had to take a day off work to visit the dentist, so why not mitigate that by trying out my first activation!

Wealden Heaths SPA – Devil’s Punch Bowl Site of Significant Scientific Interest (GB-0243)

Gear

When planning for this little adventure, I thought to myself that I’d likely panic if I had to combine putting up a mast for an EFHW or trying to throw a wire in the tree for the first time. Coupled with the fact that the (tr)uSDX doesn’t come with an ATU, I thought why not invest in a quick and easy vertical. After a bit of research, and another visit to our favourite Chinese marketplace, I opted for a JPC-12 vertical antenna along with an investment in a NanoVNA.

The (tr)uSDX comes with an inbuilt SWR meter but I wasn’t sure how reliable it was, and I’d have a hard time tuning with it. I grabbed some 18650 batteries and the stage was set! Helpfully, the JPC-12 antenna comes with a nice little carry case with supplementary space, and the compact size of the (tr)uSDX means I could just throw everything in there.

Full gear list and links below:

• (tr)uSDX – DL2MAN.de – home of the (tr)uSDX
• JPC-12/PAC-12 7MHz-50MHz 100W Multi Band HF Antenna – AliExpress
• Tumd Morse Key – AliExpress
• 18650 Batteries x 3 (Comes in a set with flashlight and charger) – Amazon.co.uk
• Battery Case – Amazon.co.uk
• NanoVNA – AliExpress

Setting up

I was up bright and early on a Friday morning, and headed over to the park slightly nervous, but also excited!

As a nervy POTA first timer, my original plan was to maybe just activate from the car park and hide my antenna behind my car. However, when I got there, it became very clear that there was nowhere to hide, and frankly there weren’t many great spots to plant a vertical in the ground.

I’d have to suck it up, and venture deeper into the park! After grabbing my backpack, and trotting down a marked route, I chose to go left onto a track that bikes weren’t allowed in the hope that it’d be quieter. Albeit the path was quite dense with overgrown bushes and plants. I was beginning to think I’d not have a clearing to even sit in, let alone mount the antenna.

However, a couple of minutes later I chanced up a bench and table that was nestled slightly into the trees with a bit of a clearing! It was like the POTA gods had answered my calls for a perfect location. I quickly plonked my backpack on the table, claimed the spot, and started unpacking the gear. You can see below how efficient I’d been in packing, and I was surprised myself how I could get this antenna and all the equipment I’d need neatly into my bag.

A few minutes later, the vertical was up, and I’d got it tuned to 40m like I’d practiced at home. Helpfully, the loading coil has marked points which correspond to the bands, and all I had to do was slightly adjust the length of the whip whilst keeping an eye on the NanoVNA. I got it down to 1:1.18 around the CW bands for 40m in Europe (7000-7040MHz) – couldn’t be happier!

On The Air

Part 1 – A job half done

Now came the exciting part! Finally getting on the air portable for the first time and POTA for the first time! I thought I’d settle my nerves by starting with the familiar FT8. I booted up FT8CN, and plugged the (tr)uSDX into the phone. A few firmware updates ago, the (tr)uSDX got audio over USB, and being able to plug it directly into the phone with a single cable and receive and send FT8 seems like magic to me.

I navigated to pota.app and finally had the excuse to click the “Add Spot” button. Then I hopped back over to FT8CN and hit CQ! I got my notebook ready and waited. At this point I realised,  “Damn, I’ve got 20 minutes until I need to leave for the dentist.”  Could I activate in that time?

I confirmed via PSK that I was getting out there, and then after a couple of minutes the first call came in, ON6SAT in Belgium–phew, I’d managed one at least! I furiously scribbled the details and after getting RR73 I gave it a tick. 1 down 9 to go!

After a few more minutes I got MM0RKN, PH9OY, and LB1RJ after a few shaky attempts – I was determined to play it right and only confirm after the 73s were received. Scotland, the Netherlands, and Norway in the bag.

Alas I hadn’t given myself enough time to get the full 10, and I hadn’t even tried CW yet, and I had to leave for my appointment! All those snappy half an hour activations I’d seen online had given me a false confidence, and I was a little gutted I hadn’t bagged it on this visit. As I started to pack up, I felt dejected thinking that an activation was a one visit thing and I’d blown it. After a quick check in the POTA discord, I happily realised that the rules are as long as it’s within the same day you can leave the park and come back.

It’s then that I resolved to come back to the park after my appointment and finish the job. Thankfully, this thought helped me get through the horror of the dentist’s drill.

Part 2 – Back with vengeance!

After a pleasant visit to the dentist, I’d started making my way back to the park. I’d hurriedly parked up and prayed that the bench I had before was still free! I jumped out of the car and quickly marched to the spot, and thankfully nobody had claimed it. A quick setup (seriously this JPC-12 goes up and tunes fast), and I was back and ready. I started back where I finished previously and booted up FT8CN.

This time they came in faster – it was slightly later in the afternoon and clearly more people were listening in!  I started with a signal report from G0JOH but we didn’t finish the QSO. Then DK5UR, followed by a UEFA Euros Football event callsign DL2024EM that unfortunately didn’t complete, DL7DJ next, an attempted but didn’t finish PA3FHI, bagged a complete MD0RTZ (finally got the Isle of Man), not quite made it with DL3SRH, made it with DL9PN. This was it, I was at 9 confirmed at this point. Could I get the tenth? After a few hits and misses ON1WFF came through and gave me number 10! I’d finally done it, my first POTA activation! I was about to unplug the phone when LA3PNA came in and attempted but unfortunately we couldn’t reach 73s.

Time for CW.

This was the bit I’d been most excited for, but most nervous about: plugging in the key and calling CQ POTA for the first time.

I grabbed my headphones, and tuned the radio down to 7060 kHz – completely oblivious to the fact that I was outside the band plan. I’d been looking at US POTA spots for so long I just thought I was in the right place. I called CQ and got my HamAlert app showing I was on the air, but obviously nobody was calling back. I checked in with the OARC (Online Amateur Radio Club) discord to see if anyone could hear me, and they quickly pointed out my mistake. I scrambled down the bands and started calling CQ again. I thought I heard someone come in fast, then realised it was someone spilling over from a nearby frequency, down and down I go. I finally dialed it into 7011 kHz and called CQ again.

At this point, it was half an hour from my last FT8 contact, and although RBN and the POTA spots were telling me I was getting out, I thought nobody was listening! That was, until I heard a strong signal coming through and responding to me!

I’d only been learning CW for about 3-4 weeks, so I was shocked that despite this I was actually making out the callsign! This was due in part to the other operator being helpfully slow for me on my 15 wpm original call. The QSO thought process went a little something like this from my end.

“EI ?? was that a 4? I think it was another I. What’s that last one? Oh god. I’ll send E I ? Please come back to me. Ok cool, it’s definitely EI, oh wait that’s a 6, definitely another I…what’s the last one…one more time for me – EI6I? Ohhh it’s an F. Ok so EI6IF, let me send that back with a question mark to check. They’ve given me an RR back, I did it! Oh snap, what do I send back now…ummm TU TU 5NN uhhh TU again…umm BK that’s it. Okay there’s my signal report, what was that last bit, better check the decoder – oh GL good luck, that’s nice, they can obviously tell I’m new at this. There’s 73 BK, umm ok do I send BK back to start? Let’s try it, then 5NN 5NN TU TU 73 EE. There’s an EE back, oh god I did it!”

That was my first shaky POTA CW QSO. Thankfully I had a patient operator on the other end, so thank you very much Denis EI6IF (pota.app).

A few minutes later I had another station coming in, which I thought was DD3, and I called “DD?” and didn’t hear anything back…I called “D??” and thankfully they came back and slowed it right down “D…L…3…” was that another D? Oh no wait that’s an L, that’s definitely a J. Wow, I got one that with only 2 repeats. DL3LJ (pota.app) thank you very much! I even caught the 53N signal report, and gave them 5NN back (I don’t think I’m good at differentiating between different RSTs unless it’s 5NN or unreadable).

Then that was that, the cat needed feeding, and I’d managed it. I’d conquered my goal of a POTA activation, and not only that I’d done it with some CW in the mix.

I rushed home and plugged the log into the Ham2K logger app, and popped out an ADIF to upload onto the pota.app website. I could not be more excited to see the activation pop up on there, proof I’d done it. I’d reached a milestone!

The POTA bug has definitely sunk its teeth into me.

73s

Anthony (M7TAW)