On Wednesday, January 5, 2025, I planned a trip to Hickory to pick up my father and take him to lunch. With our family’s hectic schedule, I hadn’t been able to spend any meaningful time with him in weeks, so I was looking forward to catching up.

Of course, as is tradition, I also planned a POTA activation en route.

That morning, before leaving the house, I debated which park to activate: South Mountains State Park, Tuttle Educational State Forest, or Lake James State Park?

It had been a long time since I’d activated South Mountains, so I considered heading there. However, after checking their website, I was surprised to find the entire park still closed due to damage from Hurricane Helene. I hadn’t realized the storm had impacted the foothills that severely—though with miles of trails, it made sense that they were still working to clear blowdowns.

Next, I checked Tuttle, only to discover it was still closed as well. Wow…

I knew the Catawba River access at Lake James was open because I had activated it a few weeks prior. Sure enough, their site confirmed that the Paddy’s Creek area—the park’s largest section—remained closed. Wow.

Clearly, I had underestimated the damage these parks sustained after Helene.

So, I set my course for Lake James, hoping that, by spring, the other parks would reopen. No doubt, park staff were working hard to make that happen.

Another mission

I had a specific radio in mind for this activation: my TEN-TEC Argonaut V.

I bought this radio used almost four years ago and have been very pleased with it. I’ve always been a big fan of Ten-Tec, and to me, the Argo V embodies the super-simple design I loved from their late 1990s/early 2000s radios. It features a big LED display, a prominent encoder, and a proper fold-out bail underneath—a solid legacy field radio.

What I love most about the Argo V (and Ten-Tec radios in general) is its superb audio, low-noise receiver, and silky-smooth QSK.

The Argo V wasn’t built to be a power miser—the audio amplifier is beefy and a bit current-hungry (I believe it draws around 500mA in receive, and more with audio output). But the tradeoff? Outstanding audio quality. It’s the perfect radio for Field Day or long operating sessions when you want to avoid listener fatigue. It’s also a fantastic shack radio.

That said, because of its bulk—and my tendency to grab smaller radios for field use—the Argo V has primarily lived in my shack.

Last year, I acquired a Ten-Tec Argonaut VI, the last Argonaut model Ten-Tec produced—one I helped beta test back in the day.

When I bought the Argo VI, I told myself I might let go of the Argo V at some point. I’ve been debating this ever since.

Lately, I’ve been actively downsizing my shack. I need to sell, trade, or give away radios I’m not using. I don’t like harboring “shelf queens”—I want my radios to get regular airtime. But since bringing the Argo VI into the shack, the Argo V hasn’t seen much action.

My friend Vlado (N3CZ) and I plan to sell gear at the Charlotte Hamfest in a couple of weeks. I figured this POTA activation might help me decide whether to sell or keep the Argo V.

So, with my Argonaut V and my Tufteln linked 40M EFHW packed, I made my way to Lake James!

Lake James State Park (US-2739)

That morning, Lake James was incredibly quiet. There were very few visitors—even though this was the only section of the park open.

Then again, it was early on a Wednesday morning, not exactly prime time!

I chose a picnic table near the parking lot since I was carrying the Argonaut V and gear in a storage box rather than a backpack.

I quickly deployed my End-Fed Half-Wave (EFHW) antenna and set up the Argonaut V.

Testing the TouchPaddles

Next, I hooked up my new-to-me TouchPaddles, a generous gift from a kind subscriber/supporter.

These keyers were originally sold as kits and have been discontinued for at least a decade. Though a bit bulky, it’s a fantastic CW accessory!

It uses capacitive touch paddles instead of mechanical parts. The added bulk and weight keep it stable while keying.

The unit also has built-in CW message memory. I haven’t programmed it yet (if you have experience with this model, let me know how!), but I plan to experiment with it soon.

The paddle has two output modes:

• Standard paddle output (for radios with built-in keyers, like the Argo V).
• External keying mode (for radios without built-in keyers or those with poor internal keying).

I used the standard paddle output since the Argo V’s internal keyer works brilliantly.

With everything hooked up, it was time to hit the air!

Gear

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Radio

• TEN-TEC Argonaut V

Antenna system

• TufteIn Linked 40 meter EFHW
• High Visibility Jacket ABR240-UF with PL-259s and 5 Ferrites (Use Coupon Code ABR10QRPER for 10% Discount!)
• SO-239 to BNC Adapter

Key and cable

• TouchPaddles Model P1 (discontinued)
• Key cable: Cable Matters 2-Pack Gold-Plated Retractable Aux Cable – 2.5 Feet
  

Logging

• Rite In The Rain Top Spiral Notebook
• Permanent Marker (not ideal, but what I had)

Camera

• Camera: DJI OSMO 4 action camera with Joby Telepod Sport Tripod
• DJI Wireless Microphones

On The Air

Since I was using a 40-meter EFHW, I had access to 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters without needing an ATU.

I started calling CQ POTA on 40 meters.

Within a few minutes, I logged three contacts, but then the band went quiet.

I switched to 20 meters, and as soon as the RBN re-spotted me, hunters started calling. Turns out, 20 meters was in much better shape than 40!

In 30 minutes, I logged 19 more hunters. I also took a ten minute break to test 10 meters, but it wasn’t as lively.

Overall, a superb activation!

QSO Map

Here’s what this five-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map. Click on the map image to enlarge.

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 YouTube monetization turned off, 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.

So what did I decide?

I had hoped this activation would help me decide whether to sell the Argo V.

Instead, it only made the decision harder.

Before this activation, I was pretty convinced I’d sell it. But after getting it on the air, I was reminded why I love this radio.

The QSK is phenomenal. Few radios—aside from other Ten-Tecs and Elecraft models—offer such silky-smooth, full break-in keying.

And honestly? I love the aesthetics of this radio.

I may still take it to Charlotte in a couple of weeks and decide then. As I mentioned in a recent Audio Dispatch for my Patreon supporters,

I struggle with selling radios—especially when there’s sentimental value involved.

While the Argo VI outperforms the Argo V in almost every way, I prefer the look of the Argo V.

Decisions, decisions… I’ll let you know what I decide!

Oh, and the TouchPaddles were a joy to use, but I need to train myself not to rest my fingers on the paddles when I’m not keying! Unlike mechanical keys, any touch activates it!

I think I may use this key during the HRWBOTA event coming up in a couple of weeks. It’ll be the perfect key for several hours of on-the-air time.

Thank you!

Thank you for joining me during this 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.

As I mentioned before, 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 and have a brilliant week ahead!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)

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