Last Sunday, my family set out on a trip across North Carolina, from the mountains to the coast. Our destination was Beaufort, a charming coastal town I hadn’t visited in 17 years. This quick pre-Christmas getaway was a surprise for my daughters—and for Hazel, our dog, who loves adventure just as much as we do.

Planning for the Trip

Since our Subaru Forester was destroyed during Hurricane Helene, we’ve been relying on our Volvo C40 Recharge. While it’s a fantastic car, its limited cargo space made packing for this trip a challenge. I initially planned to squeeze in luggage, food, and radio gear for the five of us (including Hazel).

However, the logistics got tricky. Everyone packed light, but it would have been a tight fit, especially since we’d need to bring Hazel’s portable (folding) kennel. To complicate things further, we would have to stop for at least one full charge each way during the 13-hour round trip, adding 30–50 minutes to each leg of the journey.

When I learned the level 2 charger near our rental house in Beaufort might be out of service, I decided to rent a minivan instead. Thanks to our insurance provider, AMICA, the process was easy and straightforward. The added space made the trip much more comfortable.

Even with the roomier minivan, I stuck to my original plan for radio gear, bringing only my Elecraft KX2 and KH1, both neatly packed in my EDC backpack.

Arriving in Beaufort

We arrived in Beaufort on Sunday afternoon. Our AirBnB rental was perfectly situated within walking distance of the historic downtown. The home was cozy, and the location couldn’t have been better for exploring the area.

On Monday, we spent the day wandering through Beaufort, soaking in the town’s charm and history. Then, on Tuesday, December 17, we headed to Harker’s Island for a short ferry ride to Cape Lookout National Seashore and its iconic lighthouse.

The Ferry Ride

Hazel turned out to be a huge fan of ferry rides—she couldn’t get enough of speeding across the water in a small boat (and the attention of the eight others on the boat with us)!

Since it was the off-season, the island was nearly deserted, with maybe a dozen other visitors in total.

The weather was ideal: light winds, and temperatures that made it feel like pure bliss.

A Saltwater Ground-Plane Activation

You might recall from a previous post that I’d been looking forward to trying something new: a POTA activation with my antenna’s counterpoise wire dangling directly in the ocean.

[Many thanks to my daughter Neva (K4TLI) for some of these photos!]

Although I’ve activated several POTA sites near saltwater—Myrtle Beach State Park, Huntington Beach State Park, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore (on the Pamlico Sound and at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse) to name a few—this was my first time actually standing in the water with my counterpoise submerged.

Cape Lookout, with its stunning lighthouse and pristine beaches, provided the perfect setting for this experiment.

The Activation

While my wife, daughters, and Hazel explored the beaches near the lighthouse, I headed to the calm waters of Lookout Bight with my Elecraft KH1. Since we arrived at the island around 10:30 AM and needed to catch the return ferry by 1:30 PM, I limited my activation to under an hour to maximize family time.

Standing at the water’s edge, I let the KH1’s counterpoise wire dangle into the saltwater while operating pedestrian mobile. Did it make a dramatic difference in signal propagation? I can’t say for certain, other than the results were amazing!

Gear

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Radio and Antenna System

• Elecraft KH1 Edgewood Package
  • Included 4′ whip antenna and 13′ detachable counterpoise
  • Zebra Mini Mechanical Pencil (preferred over the included Zebra pen)
  • Pelican Micro M40 mine is the modified version from Tufteln
  • Panasonic ErgoFit Wired Earbuds

Camera and Audio Gear

• DJI OSMO 4 action camera with Joby Telepod Sport Tripod
• Sony ICD-FX312 Digital Recorder ($20 thrift store find)

On The Air

I had scheduled this activation before leaving that morning, assuming I wouldn’t have mobile coverage on the island. Surprisingly, we had excellent signals there.

My plan was straightforward: start on 17 meters, move to 15 meters, and finish on 20 meters. Since I didn’t bring my AXE 40M coil or the longer counterpoise, I planned to skip 30 and 40 meters. With limited time, I doubted I could fit those bands into the activation anyway.

I began calling CQ POTA on 17 meters. It was clear when the RBN spotted me, as a pileup quickly formed. In just 28 minutes, I logged 34 hunters—a rate that’s about as fast as I’ve ever logged CW contacts during a POTA activation! To maximize the number of hunters I could work, I kept the exchanges a bit shorter than usual.

Next, I switched to 15 meters. While there was slightly less activity, I still managed to log 10 contacts in just 11 minutes.

As I was wrapping up, I noticed my daughter and Hazel walking toward me. Although there were still hunters calling, I called QRT with apologies. The primary goal of our trip was family time, and I was eager to join them for more exploring!

QSO Map

Here’s what this five-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map:

Activation Video

Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation.  As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have monetization turned off on YouTube, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.

Note that Patreon supporters can watch and even download this video 100% ad-free through Vimeo on my Patreon page:

Click here to view on YouTube.

An unforgettable activation!

There’s something magical about operating on a saltwater beach. The rhythm of the waves, the vast open sky, and the thought of your signal skipping across the globe—it all feels surreal.

Looking at the QSO Map and the distances my 5 watts into a four foot whip carried me is nothing short of magic.

Had I attempted this activation on the other side of the island with waves crashing, I don’t think I could have kept the counterpoise in the water. On the Lookout Bight side of the island, though, the waters were calm and all I had to do was re-position myself every 15 minutes as the tide went out.

Next time we visit Cape Lookout, I want to rent a off-grid cabin and stay for a few days. It would be an ideal location for something like the NC QSO Party or just a mini IOTA (Islands On The Air) DXpedition.

Bonus Photos

There were so very few people on the island that this kind woman who ran the gift shop gave Hazel a lot of attention…and doggy treats!

Our little ferry returning.

On the way back, out boat stopped by Shackleford island when we spotted wild horses on the coast. My daughter snapped these shots.

Thank you!

Thank you for joining me during this amazing little activation!

I hope you enjoyed the field report and my activation video as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me!

Here’s wishing you and yours the very best of the Holidays!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)