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Pushing Through QRM: Low-Profile, Low-Impact POTA with the Elecraft AX3 and New Clamp Mount

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I’ve mentioned my good buddy Mike (KE8PTX) in previous posts—he’s designed some very cool 3D-printed accessories for portable operators.

Just a day before our family left on our multi-week trip to Québec, Mike sent me two brand-new mounts he designed for the Elecraft AX3 antenna: a strap mount (which I used in this activation) and a clamp mount, similar to the one he previously created for the AX1 (used here).

The included AX3 tripod legs make for a stable antenna base in calmer conditions–of course the legs can be pinned down to provide extra stability if needed.

While the AX3 has built-in tripod legs that work quite well, having a mount that can handle gusty conditions is a big plus when you’re operating outdoors.

On Monday, June 23, 2025, I decided to take Mike’s new AX3 clamp mount to the field at my favorite local park.

Reserve Nationale de Faune du Cap‑Tourmente (CA-0012)

According to historical records, explorer Samuel de Champlain first used the name “Cap Tourmente” in 1608 to describe how the Saint Lawrence River’s currents and winds caused the waters to churn or surge at that location—hence, the “Cape of turbulence.”

It’s rare that I visit Cap Tourmente and don’t encounter gusty winds, so I figured this would be the perfect spot to test Mike’s new clamp mount.

I arrived shortly after noon and scoped out the area near the park’s interpretive center, searching for a picnic table to set up my station. There were plenty of options, but I was looking for something a little off the beaten path—away from foot traffic and, ideally, not too close to the interpretive center (to avoid QRM).

Entrance to the interpretive center.

I found a table that checked most of the boxes: it was off-path, a good distance from the center, and near a utility shed used by park staff.

That said, I immediately noticed overhead power lines in the area. After scouting around more, it became clear that all of the picnic tables were located near power lines, so I simply hoped they wouldn’t generate too much RF noise.

To be clear: there were no safety concerns—the AX3 is only about four feet tall, and the power lines were well above that. I also wasn’t setting up directly underneath them. Still, it’s worth stating: power lines are a serious concern in the field, well beyond potential QRM. It’s critical to always look up, assess the area, and plan accordingly. Here’s a recent reminder of why that’s so important.

Setting Up

Deploying the AX3 (like the AX2 or AX1) is super quick and easy—which is one of the reasons I love these antennas so much. Less setup time means more time on the air.

The clamp mount simply screws into the bottom of the AX3. I connected the antenna to my Elecraft KX2 and plugged in my UMPP-1 key, mounted on a jeweler’s block. A tidy, portable, low-impact station!

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I powered on the KX2 and scanned the 20-meter band. I didn’t hear any strong stations at first—a bad sign, possibly pointing to poor propagation.

I also noticed a noise floor around S4–S5, likely due to QRM from the interpretive center.

When QRM pushes the noise floor up a few S-units, it can mask weaker signals that would otherwise be workable.

Still, the only way to find out was to start calling CQ POTA! Continue reading Pushing Through QRM: Low-Profile, Low-Impact POTA with the Elecraft AX3 and New Clamp Mount →

Morse Code, News, Skills

Practice Copying Callsigns on the Go with DB4REB’s Free CW Quiz App

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I recently received a message from Ralf (DB4REB / CN2REB) who’s been learning CW and activating parks with CW since mid-2024. He created a simple and clever tool to improve one of the trickier parts of CW activation: recognizing callsigns on the first pass.

Here’s what Ralf shared:

“Since 2025 I try practicing on a daily base which seems to pay off so that I was able to activate some Parks in the meantime in CW only.

But my weak point still is recognizing callsigns on a first try. So I figured it would be beneficial to have an app or something to practice this over earphones during long drives or hiking trips. That’s why I wrote CallsignTrainer.

It’s a simple web app—completely free and open source on GitHub. I use it daily myself, as do some members of my local DARC chapter. I just want to give something back to the community that encouraged me to stick with CW and not give up.

It’s basically a quiz: random (but realistic) callsigns are generated and quizzed several times (adjustable), then a computer voice reads the callsign. The app automatically moves on to the next one without any interaction until you hit stop.

The goal is to hone recognition by ear—no pen and paper required.”

You can try it here: CallsignTrainer.de

And explore the settings here: Help / Support Page

Ralf, thank you so much for sharing your story and for creating a free, community resource that will no doubt help many others on their CW journey. Very well done!

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Pedestrian Mobile, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA, Travel

N4MJL: A Hungry Mother in the Grayson Highlands

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by Micah (N4MJL)

This spring I took delivery of my new teardrop-style trailer.

Some of my earliest memories as a child are from the camping trips my parents took me and my siblings on. My wife and I love the outdoors, and we want to pass on that love of the outdoors to our daughter. Every morning when we wake up, one of the first questions my five-year-old daughter asks me is, “Daddy, what adventures are we going on today?”

We decided to take our new trailer to Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia for its first shakedown trip. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for that area was calling for a high percentage of rain for the entire weekend of our trip. So instead, we decided to camp further south of the weather system, at Hungry Mother State Park in Virginia. The weather forecast for that area was projected to be beautiful all weekend. Hungry Mother State Park is located just north of I-81, about 45 minutes from Grayson Highlands State Park.

Grayson Highlands State Park is one of my favorite places in VA. Unfortunately, many of the campgrounds in the Grayson Highlands/Mt. Rogers area have been closed since the storms that swept through the area in October of 2024. Most of them are projected to reopen in the spring of 2026.

We camped at Camp Burson on the south end of Hungry Mother State Park. My daughter was overjoyed to see many kids her age also camping there. They quickly formed the unofficial Hungry Mother Bicycle Gang.

In addition to being a POTA park (US-1303), Hungry Mother State Park also contains a SOTA summit: Molly’s Knob W4V/WV-046, which is located just inside the eastern border of Hungry Mother State Park. I attempted to do an evening POTA activation next to my trailer. Unfortunately, my trailer is an RFI hot spot. I have an S5 noise floor next to my trailer. In fact, when my radio transmits CW, it causes the trailer’s LED awning lights to flash in sync with the CW—even when they are not plugged into a power source. I have not yet started the process of reducing the RFI.

The second day camping at Hungry Mother State Park was going to be a full day. As soon as breakfast was cleaned up, my wife dropped me off at the beginning of the trail heading up to Molly’s Knob. It was going to be a four-ish mile round-trip hike up and back with an ascent of 1,263 ft up to the activation zone. My wife and daughter were going to hang out at a playground and wait for me to get back from the SOTA activation.

After my SOTA activation, the plan was to drive to Grayson Highlands to do some more hiking and hopefully see some wild ponies. Since my evening POTA activation the night before didn’t work out, I had scheduled myself on both the POTA and SOTA pages for this morning’s joint activation.

It was a beautiful hike to the top of Molly’s Knob. In the activation zone, there are two wood benches set up courtesy of a local Eagle Scout project. I was in a hurry to get this activation completed, so I just used the whip antenna on my Elecraft KH1 for the entire activation.

I was very pleased with the results. I logged 18 QSOs in 46 minutes, from 7 different states on three different bands. I even got a little DX action from F4WBN in France on the 17M and 15M bands. Not bad for 5W from a whip antenna! Since I had cell reception on the summit, I quickly submitted my logs and scheduled another POTA activation for later that day in Grayson Highlands State Park. I also texted my wife to pick me up at the trailhead in 30 minutes. I quickly packed up and jogged the two miles down to meet my wife. Another adventure awaits!

Massie Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park is definitely one of my favorite places in Virginia. I always feel like I am on top of the world when I am hiking here. Usually, you will get plenty of chances to see lots of wild ponies in this area. Today was no exception, and we were not disappointed!

After a couple of hours hiking, it was time for a rest and snack break. My wife agreed I could try to complete a POTA activation. My wife and daughter were having fun taking selfies with the wild ponies—something about the ponies having cute hair or something like that!

I set up my radio on a rock outcropping where I could observe my wife and daughter’s shenanigans in the field below. When I think of Virginia, these are the iconic views that come to my mind.



As soon as I started calling CQ, I started getting contacts. I logged 6 contacts in 20 minutes. I was getting pretty confident that I was going to be able to successfully activate. Suddenly, everything stopped and the band went silent. I kept on calling CQ for another 20 minutes before giving up. We needed to start hiking back to the car. Plus, we had another 45-minute drive to the campground. This activation would have to be incomplete, but I definitely will be back to try again!

The shakedown camping trip with my new trailer was very successful. We hiked mountains, saw wild ponies, made good memories, and I got to play radio! Win-win.

Thanks for hunting.
72,
N4MJL

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel, Videos

Short on Time, Yet Loads of Fun: Gusty QRP POTA at Cap Tourmente!

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On Sunday, June 22, we spent the day in Québec City enjoying a local farmer’s market, visiting a café, catching up with friends, and taking a long walk in the woods. Somehow, we managed to return to our condo in St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Québec, by 3:30 in the afternoon.

My wife and daughters decided to spend some quality time reading and doing art—and frankly, I was tempted to do the same. A friend had recently prompted me to dive into the world of Three Pines, so I was working on Louise Penny’s first book, Still Life [yes, QRPer affiliate link].

But then I looked outside, checked the time, and realized I just might have enough daylight to squeeze in a quick POTA activation! My only viable site nearby was Cap Tourmente, just a short 15-minute drive from the condo.

However, Cap Tourmente closes at 5:00 PM, and with propagation having been so poor lately, I knew I had to make haste.

Cap Tourmente Réserve Nationale de Faune (CA-0012)

In my last activation video at Cap Tourmente, I mentioned that park entry would be free under the Canada Strong Pass program. Unfortunately, I was mistaken—national wildlife refuges are not included in that program; it’s geared more toward national parks and historic sites.

No worries—I was still happy to pay the entry fee as I typically drop a donation at parks I frequent anyway.

By the time I reached the park entrance, it was about 3:45 PM. That left me just over an hour to deploy gear, hop on the air, and complete an activation.

It was a blustery Sunday afternoon. Looking out over the St. Lawrence River, I saw nothing but white caps. The upside to all that wind? Fewer mosquitoes!

I pulled into the same large parking area where I’d activated the previous day. I backed up to a tree line, which offered some wind protection and a natural spot to deploy my antenna.

For this activation, I wanted some frequency agility, so I opted to deploy my Tufteln end-fed random wire (EFRW) with a 31’ radiator and 17’ counterpoise.

I backed my car toward the sun so that the open hatch would provide some welcome shade. I then set up my Moonlander table and Helinox Chair Zero for a comfy operating position.

With everything deployed, it was time to get on the air!

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I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters, hoping I could log at least ten stations in the ~40 minutes I had left before packing up. Continue reading Short on Time, Yet Loads of Fun: Gusty QRP POTA at Cap Tourmente! →

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

K3ES: A Hot and Humid Walk with a No-Frills Activation

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by Brian (K3ES)

Sometimes life gets in the way of putting Parks on the Air (POTA). But sometimes, you just need to find a way to fit it in. In northwest Pennsylvania, spring and early summer have been damp, with April showers seeming to extend through May, June, and into July. The middle week of July seemed ready to bring more of the same, so when expected sunshine on Tuesday aligned with a break from other responsibilities, Molly the POTA dog and I took the opportunity to fit in a combined walk and activation.

Earlier in the day my Code Buddy, Al – KC4M, and I had cut short our periodic QSO as the 40m band took a dive. Molly and I would activate anyway. As we prepared to leave, the temperature was rising quickly through the upper 70s on its way toward 90F, and the humidity was high. Molly and I would activate anyway.

The Plan

It takes almost 100 miles of hiking on the North Country Trail to cross Allegheny National Forest. For this activation, Molly and I covered one mile in each direction, and our section of trail was located very close to where it enters the park from the west.

I held two things in mind as I considered my activation options. First, Molly likes her walks. Unless it is raining, we take a daily half-mile walk to, and around, our pond. That suits her well, but she does like longer walks. Recently we had done far too many parking lot activations, so that we had a quick out in case of rain. I, too, needed a some exercise, so this activation needed to include a longer walk. Second, I have set a goal to collect 1000 CW activator contacts from the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) to finish a POTA Kilo Award from US-4239. Since nearly all of my activations are done with QRP CW, getting 1000 contacts takes quite a while. To date, I had completed 27 activations of the NCT, taking me to 833 contacts. In pursuit of my goal, I wanted to increase my tally by again activating the NCT. So, the plan had to include a decent walk to a location where I could activate the NCT.

The NCT crosses through the northwest corner of Pennsylvania, and there are many good locations for activating that are also close to our home. This time I picked a spot in Allegheny National Forest (ANF, US-0619) with parking and access to a sedate stretch of the NCT. So, we would try for a modest walk along the trail, stopping for a 2-fer activation, before returning again to the truck.

Onward!

A 20 minute drive (well, 35 minutes if you count the detour for unexpected roadwork) took us to our starting point. I parked my truck in an ANF parking lot located about ¼ mile from the NCT. As I suited up (In deference to today’s sun and previous days’ rain, I pulled on a brimmed hat and my muck boots, while Molly went barefoot with a basic leash), collected our gear (more on that later), and prepared for our walk, I realized that I had not picked up my DEET insect repellent on the way out the door. I would just have to hope that my treated clothing (more on that later) would keep the mosquitoes at bay, so we left the parking lot by following a gated forest road that would join up with the NCT.

The forest road gave us the opportunity to ease into the afternoon’s walking experience. As we passed along its well-drained gravel surface, trees provided shade, but most foliage was kept back by the roadbed, and the mosquitoes and gnats were a bit tentative.

Once we turned off onto the narrow track of the NCT, vegetation closed in, the humidity spiked upward, and the flying insects came looking for an easy meal. Fortunately, despite my lack of DEET repellent, we were not defenseless. Molly wears a collar that keeps fleas and ticks at bay, and it also seems to discourage mosquitoes. I dressed in clothing from Insect Shield: their long-sleeved fishing shirt, cargo pants, and socks had been pre-treated with a long-lasting permethrin formula (advertised to be effective for 70 washings). I also wore a brimmed hat that I had sprayed with permethrin. Permethrin seemed to discourage mosquitoes and gnats from biting, but they still had an annoying tendency to fly around near my face.

I wore these articles of permethrin-treated clothing, which helped to keep mosquitoes and gnats (and hopefully ticks) at bay during the walk and activation. The shirt, pants, and socks came from Insect Shield. I treated my brimmed hat with permethrin spray.
My KX2 kit is entirely contained in the canvas satchel. One of my water bottles and my padded seat were attached to anchor points on the outside. Overall I appreciated the light load for walking on a hot and humid day.
Molly clearly does not appreciate my gear, she just wants to get walking…

The temperature and humidity made for a steamy walk. I was glad I had prepared by bringing the light-weight kit built around my Elecraft KX2. It allowed me to bring along plenty of water to keep both me and Molly hydrated (her collapsible travel bowl fit nicely in the side pocket of my cargo pants) for the walk and the activation. After about a mile of walking, I found a reasonable spot to set up my shack. This was to be a rustic affair, because I brought a seat cushion rather than a full chair. I found a flat rock, just to the side of the trail, that was a comfortable height for a seat. There were also several overhanging trees, with promising branches to support my wire antenna.

The Activation

Molly shows off her POTA form. She enjoyed her nap on the damp ground on this hot afternoon.

I attached Molly’s leash to a nearby sapling, and got busy with the setting up. Molly generally watches me for a bit, then takes a nap while I activate. This day was no exception. She particularly seemed to enjoy the damp ground as a refuge from the heat. Fortunately for both of us, she did not find it necessary to roll around and get muddy while enjoying the coolness. As a POTA dog, Molly is quite patient, but she is not shy about letting me know when it looks like we might stay beyond her dinner time. Continue reading K3ES: A Hot and Humid Walk with a No-Frills Activation →

Funny, News

From Bigfoot to RadCom: A Mailbag Surprise

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As many of you know, our family has been traveling quite a bit this summer.

A few weeks ago, I received a couple of surprise items in the mail that each gave me a good chuckle—for entirely different reasons.

Big Badge, Bigfoot

The first item was especially unique. One of our community members here, Ken (NQ9T—formerly AH9C), let me know in advance he was sending a parcel with a personalized gift inside.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I opened the package, I was amazed.

Ken had crafted a wooden sign in the form of a large name tag featuring my name, callsign, and a National Park Service badge:

If you look closely at the NPS logo, you’ll spot the Easter egg that made me laugh out loud:

Thank you so much, Ken! I absolutely love it!

RadCom

I also received the June issue of RadCom. I’ve been an RSGB member for many years, and once or twice a year I’ll contribute a feature or review. I’m always chuffed and honored to see my work in RadCom.

My KH1 review is featured in the June 2025 issue—and one of my photos even made the cover!

But when I saw the cover, I immediately noticed something that made me laugh.

Every time I do a proper pedestrian mobile activation with my KH1—logging contacts on the built-in logging tray—my handwriting is…well… barely legible. And that’s on a good day. When I’m using a tiny pencil on a tiny pad while walking? Forget it!

And now that chicken scratch is front and center for all RadCom subscribers to see. 😆

Oh well—hopefully it didn’t spoil the cover art too much!

Next time, I’ll try to pay a little more attention to my penmanship before submitting something to a print magazine!

P.S. That feature image at the top of the post? Yep—that’s exactly how I hold my pencil when operating the KH1 pedestrian mobile. Not a pretty sight!

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, POTA, QRP, Travel, Videos

Portable Radio Perseverance at Réserve nationale de faune du Cap-Tourmente

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I woke up on the morning of June 19, 2025, expecting to see rain when I opened the door to our balcony at the condo in St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Québec.

Instead, it was a bit overcast, but quite dry. I checked my weather app and saw that the forecast had pushed the rain—which I expected to begin around 6:00—to 9:00.

The forecast then showed rain throughout the rest of the day and the next. Being the POTA fellow I am, I wanted to squeeze in an activation before nearly two days of wet weather properly moved in.

Fortunately, one of my favorite POTA spots local to our condo is Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area (Réserve nationale de faune)—a site I’ve activated during our past stays in the area.

I double-checked my field radio backpack, grabbed a bite of breakfast, then hit the road!

Bumps in the road

Photo from August 2022

My plan that morning was to activate CA-0012 from a spot outside of their main grounds in a marshy area with a wildlife viewing blind.

Photo from August 2022

I activated this very spot back in 2022 and loved it—[click here to read that report]—it was peaceful and easy to deploy a wire antenna there. It’s also a couple of minutes closer than the main reserve and I wouldn’t have to pay an admission fee to use it.

In truth, though, my main motivation was knowing that I would be under a heavy canopy of trees, so if it rained, I might get a bit of cover for a while.

I was fully aware, though, that the price I would pay for activating there was going to be mosquitoes. This site is surrounded by marsh areas, and that morning the air was still, warm, and humid. The perfect recipe for mosquitoes.

En route to the site, it dawned on me that I’d left the microSD card for my camera in my laptop back at the condo. As my buddy Vince (VE6LK) says, “Potty mouth made an appearance”—indeed, quite spontaneously!

I knew if I took the time to turn back and fetch the card from the condo, it would likely start raining by the time I set up my station. Then I remembered that I packed my old OSMO camera in my pack as a spare—of course! I could use the spare camera’s SD card. That problem was solved.

I parked my car in the little parking area across from the wildlife viewing area, grabbed my pack, and walked across the road.

The first thing I noticed was that the area under the trees had not been mowed. There was a path to walk, but all around it was tall grass flanked by trees. Did I mention that mosquitoes love tall grass?

I walked into the site and passed a wildlife photographer. He was the only person on-site, and I figured he also knew rain was incoming. I found a spot where I could deploy my antenna with ease and mostly stay off of the path.

Then I made the mistake of looking down at my legs.

Despite the fact I had Permethrin-treated trousers and had even applied a bit of DEET repellent, there was a swarm—likely 50+ mosquitoes—around my legs. There was no way in the world I could cope with that many mosquitoes sitting so close to the ground during my activation.

Time to “pivot,” as folks like to say these days.

I wasn’t going to give up, so I headed to the main park area and paid my entry fee at the gate.

Réserve nationale de faune du Cap-Tourmente (CA-0012)

Since I didn’t want to hunt for a location, I picked one I knew well—again, one I had previously activated [click here to read that report].

The site is basically a large, open parking area close to the front gate and the “petite ferme” portion of the site.

The mosquitoes weren’t bad at all in this open area, so I backed the car up to some trees I could use to support my antenna.

Turns out, I discovered later on, that this particular part of the site is also a twofer with The Trans Canada Trail National Scenic Trail (CA-5082), since the entry to the parkway is actually a part of the trail system.

I was in a bit of a hurry to beat the rain and actually almost forgot to start my video rolling. I made one throw line attempt and wasn’t pleased with the branch I snagged. It was only when I started my second attempt that I realized I’d forgotten to start the camera!

I decided to deploy my MW0SAW homebrew end-fed half-wave, knowing/hoping that either 20 or 40 meters should carry me through the activation.

I set up my Helinox chair and the KX2 on my Tufteln/N0RNM kneeboard.

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I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters—with my Canadian callsign, VY2SW—and was rewarded with seven hunters logged in about nine minutes. Continue reading Portable Radio Perseverance at Réserve nationale de faune du Cap-Tourmente →

Field Reports, News, Pedestrian Mobile, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

Mindful POTA: N4MJL Activates the Oklahoma City National Memorial

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by Micah (N4MJL)

March 18th, 2025, I successfully activated the Oklahoma City National Memorial (US-8115). I typically get a few activation photos and post them to the POTA Facebook group, so that hunters get the chance to see the other side of the hobby. I have always enjoyed seeing other activators’ radio setups in the parks that I just hunted. So I was very surprised when I received some very negative comments/private messages from several different individuals about my activating this park. Growing up in southeast Missouri, I am very aware of the seriousness of this memorial to many people!

I often overnight in Oklahoma City for work trips. I have walked through this park without activating it on many occasions. On my last trip through OKC, I was up early out walking, and as per my habit, I had my Elecraft KH1 in my backpack. It was an early morning weekday, and it was still chilly out.

On one of my previous trips through OKC, I had already researched the park website to see if there was anything forbidding the use of radios in the park. The park’s website states that it is open 24 hours, and it did not list any rules different from any other national park/memorial. As you can see from my photos, I was the only “civilian” in the park during my activation. I was the 11th successful activator of this park.

Since the park website rules listed nothing that would forbid use of radios in the park, I decided to check out the park.

As a responsible operator, I understand the importance of using common sense and showing courtesy to those around me. I also recognize the importance as an activator to leave a good relationship with park authorities so that I do not ruin it for the activators that will come after me.

I was the only person in this park for the entire 59 minutes that I was on the air, except for three people who I will talk about in a moment.

Let me be clear: if there had been other visitors in this park, I would have been sensitive to the situation and probably not activated.

Even though I had researched the rules for activating this park, I still activate under the premise that it is better to ask forgiveness than permission. What that means is, if rules don’t specifically say I can’t, then I am not going to be going around asking for permission. I will, however, still use common sense and NOT be sticking stakes in the ground or trying to throw wires up in the trees.

I chose the pedestrian mobile configuration for my KH-1 because other than a short counterpoise wire and my notebook, all radio gear was held in my hands.

As always, I use earbuds so that I am not making any noise with my setup.

As the contacts started trickling in, I noticed a park ranger walk out to the reflection pool in front of me. He would glance over at me, then he would stare up at the sky. He would turn, look over at me again, then stare up at the sky a while longer. The park ranger was one of the three individuals I saw in the park during my activation.

After a few minutes, I noticed that the ranger had left, but I began to feel like someone was standing behind me just out of my field of view. Sure enough, it was the same ranger now standing behind me. I thought about saying something, but I was busy as the contacts slowly kept coming. Eventually, the park ranger broke the silence coming into my field of view saying, “Good morning sir, do you have any questions for me about the park?” I replied with a polite, “No thank you sir, I appreciate it!” He replied, “Okay, by the way, what are you doing?” I explained the basics of POTA/ham radio/Morse code, and also added that “If I was doing anything wrong, I would be glad to leave immediately.” The park ranger quickly said, “No, you’re fine. Looks like fun. Have a great morning.” After the park ranger left, I did not see him again.

A few minutes later… the second person came into my field of view. This person was a uniformed armed security guard. He was wearing a gray uniform shirt and black tactical-style pants, along with the usual duty belt load-out. I believe he came over from the federal courthouse just across the street. His approach was a lot more direct. “Hey bud, you’re not flying a drone here, right?” I assured him that I wasn’t and explained POTA to him. He was actually genuinely very interested in ham radio.

During this conversation, N7MEB was calling me. I was still a little flustered by the armed officer showing up. I had to ask Beth at least five repeats before I got her call sign correct. The security guard was impressed that I was currently working an operator in Utah with my tiny radio. I politely apologized to him that I was actively getting called at that moment and was busy. He responded with a friendly, “Good luck and have fun.”

Fourteen of my contacts were on the 20M band, but after a few minutes of no responses I moved to 17M. As soon as my first caller began transmitting on the 17M band, an Oklahoma City Police officer suddenly walked up to me and said, “Good! You’re not flying a drone! Have a good day!” He was gone as suddenly as he appeared. I never even had a chance to say anything. Haha

I am guessing that someone at the federal courthouse across the street was watching me on their security cameras, and they were the ones all concerned about me flying a drone.

There are signs posted on both sides of the park entrances forbidding the use of drones over this memorial. I genuinely believe if I had asked permission to do an activation, that I would have been flatly refused. The very sound of asking to set up a “radio station” inside a small memorial park sounds ridiculous, even to me.

Each authority figure who approached me was completely fine with what I was doing as long as I was not flying a drone. Now that I have been vetted by a federal park ranger, federal armed security guard, and city police, hopefully, after seeing my low-profile rig in action, the idea of a ham setting up a radio station in their park will no longer sound as crazy to them.

One good impression at a time with local authorities builds the goodwill for the next op. Let’s be respectful and get out there and activate. We don’t need big antennas/1000Qs in the log, and POTA banners blowing in the breeze for a successful activation.

72 thanks for hunting
~ N4MJL

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VE2ZDX Shares Two Tools for CW Practice and ADIF to YouTube Chapters

3 Comments

Many thanks to André (VE2ZDX) who just shared two excellent tutorials for his free online ham radio tools:

For the Learn Morse Code tool:

Click here to view on YouTube.

For the ADIF to YouTube Tool:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Thanks for sharing this, André!

Readers: You can explore all of André’s free online tools on his website here: https://ve2zdx.com/toolkit/

Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

Scott’s Lake Erie POTA Mini-Vacation

10 Comments

Many thanks to Scott (VA3EKR) who shares the following guest post which was originally posted on his blog:

July 17—18, 2025. Lake Erie POTA Mini-vacation

by Scott (VA3EKR)

The Plan

I had the Monday and Tuesday off from work, as an extended July 4th. Unfortunately both my daughter and wife had to work, and we also have some animals that are in need of constant medical attention, so this was going to have to be a solo trip.

I have long been fascinated by the coastline near Long Point, but until this point I had only seen it in pictures and maps. I wanted to camp overnight, and do two activations from Long point, and book-end it with a POTA activation both before and after.

I booked at the last moment, and so there was only one site available, despite being on a Monday. I looked at a few online pictures of the site, and noticed it had trees, so I was hopeful. It was also near the beach. Site 335.

I left around 9:30 in the morning, and I was planning for about a 2 hour drive. The plan was to activate Turkey Point Provincial Park (CA-0417) at around 11:00, then have a nice lunch at 13:00, and drive to Long Point (CA-0279) for the 14:00 arrival-time check-in.

Turkey Point Provincial Park (CA-0417)

Arriving at Turkey Point, the staff were very helpful and, because I had a reservation for another provincial park later that afternoon, they did not charge me an admission fee. I drove to a picnic table that was right next to some trees, and had an easy setup.

I used a Packtenna Random Wire that has a 9:1 transformer neatly packaged onto the winder.

The bands were moderately active, and it did not take me long to activate on 20m CW with the KX2. 17 QSOs in about an hour. I brought a 30AH battery to allow me to operate for a long time, however in retrospect, I believe that the internal charger for the KX2 never engaged. I had a full charge on the KX2 beforehand, so I suspect that all three activations were done on its internal battery! I ended it on a fitting note with a park-to-park with Jim in Nebraska (WBØRLJ).

Date Time Call State Band Mode Park
2025/07/07 15:52 KO4USA GA 20m CW  
2025/07/07 15:53 K2UPD NY 20m CW  
2025/07/07 15:54 NAØF MN 20m CW  
2025/07/07 15:55 KA5TXN TX 20m CW  
2025/07/07 15:57 W3YJ PA 20m CW  
2025/07/07 15:59 AA5XA AR 20m CW  
2025/07/07 16:00 KO4ALY AL 20m CW  
2025/07/07 16:03 W5KEB AR 20m CW  
2025/07/07 16:05 KB3A AL 20m CW  
2025/07/07 16:06 KM4QNA AL 20m CW  
2025/07/07 16:14 KG4NXT VA 20m CW  
2025/07/07 16:21 KAØLDG ND 20m CW  
2025/07/07 16:33 KE2BKW PA 40m CW US-8734
2025/07/07 16:39 W9MET FL 20m CW US-3605
2025/07/07 16:42 AB9CA IL 20m CW US-4104
2025/07/07 16:50 K1ATL NH 20m CW  
2025/07/07 17:02 WBØRLJ NE 20m CW US-4010

Following the activation I went to the Tipsy Pirate that had a nice outside deck overlooking the water.

I had a nice vegi-burrito and fries and an afternoon cocktail.

Long Point Provincial Park (CA-0279)

I arrived at Long Point and found the site. It was even nicer than I had hoped! It was perfect for POTA, it was fairly quiet, and close to the lake.

My plan was to activate in the early afternoon while the UV was at its worse, under the shade of the campsite trees, and then check out the lake, and have some supper.
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