Wednesday, December 18, 2024, was a full but wonderful day. My wife, daughters, Hazel the dog, and I spent it exploring Beaufort, Morehead City, and Atlantic Beach, North Carolina—coastal towns all within a ten-minute drive of one another.

We started the morning at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. While my wife and one of my daughters enjoyed some shopping later, I managed a quick activation at Fort Macon State Park. (You can read that report and watch the activation video here.)

Afterward, we returned to our Airbnb vacation home around 2:00 p.m. for a late lunch. My daughters, still busy despite the holidays, were working on scholarship essays. With their fall term completed online due to Hurricane Helene’s damage in Asheville, they were determined to tackle deadlines before the new year.

While they worked, I felt the pull of POTA (Parks on the Air). However, I wasn’t in the mood for another car ride—especially not a 25-minute drive to the next site. Instead, I decided on a low-key radio session in the backyard, followed by some quiet time with a Sherlock Holmes mystery.

Before dinner, we planned to stroll through Beaufort’s historic district and waterfront. The constant low fog that day had transformed the scenery into something almost magical—perfect for an evening walk. (I’ve included some photos below for those interested!)

Portable POTA Hunting

I’d already discovered during the previous day’s hunting session that the Airbnb’s backyard had an impressively low noise floor for an urban area.

I suspect it was because many vacation homes in the neighborhood—including the one next door, which was vacant and on the market—were unoccupied during the off-season. Whatever the reason, it was a pleasant surprise for this QRPer.

KH1 Makes it Easy

My Elecraft KH1 has become my go-to radio for backyard sessions. Not only is it incredibly quick to deploy, but it’s also designed for handheld operation. No need to set up an antenna or find a place to sit—I can simply walk around, optimizing received signal strength and avoiding potential noise sources.

For this session, I grabbed the KH1, its whip antenna, and a 13-foot counterpoise. At the last minute, I also decided to bring my camera to record the experience. Though less action-packed than an activation, I thought it might still be worth sharing.

I kept things simple, using only the KH1’s internal speaker. While it’s not the best performer, I appreciate that Elecraft managed to include it—it’s a feature I wish my vintage KX1 had!

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

On The Air

POTA hunting is a completely different experience from activating—and I love it.

As an activator, you’re in the spotlight, managing pileups and logging contacts as fast as possible. As a hunter with a handheld 5-watt radio and a 4-foot whip antenna, the challenge is flipped: you have to make yourself heard amidst louder stations, all with the goal of practicing good operating etiquette.

It’s slower-paced and far more demanding, but it’s incredibly rewarding. During this session, I managed six contacts with activators across the country. Instead of jotting them down, I took quick mobile screenshots of the POTA.app website to log the stations I worked.

Stations hunted and logged:

Video

Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire portable POTA hunting session.  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.

The Perfect Break

This little backyard POTA session was exactly what I needed. It satisfied my QRP itch without the hassle of extra driving, and I even had time to enjoy some Holmes before our evening walk.

The KH1 performed beautifully, and I was thrilled by the surprisingly low noise levels. It’s a good reminder that assumptions about a site’s RF environment are just that—assumptions. Sometimes, you have to take the plunge and listen.

As I write this field report, I’m reminded of when the KH1 was first released and I shared the details online. Someone emailed me, claiming the KH1 might work for a SOTA activator but would be useless for hunting, chasing, or casual contacts.

This is a classic case of “don’t knock it before you try it.” Not only was I able to effectively log several POTA activators among competing signals, but one of those contacts—AB9CA—was at Picacho State Park in Arizona, some 2,000 miles/3,219 km away as the crow flies. Not bad for a little QRP setup!

Photos: A Dreamlike Stroll

Later that evening, we explored Beaufort’s historic district and waterfront. The foggy streets and glowing lights gave the town a storybook-like charm. Below are a few photos from our stroll—enjoy!

Thank you

Thank you for joining me during this portable POTA hunting session!

I hope you enjoyed the field report and 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.

The Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free, but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me!
Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)

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