In Mike’s first video, he describes the evolution of the POTA20 (and Carbon 6) ground spike system and its variations. As you’ll see, quite a lot of thought and engineering went into this simple design:
In this video, Mike demonstrates how you can easily hack a portable camera tripod to support a carbon fiber mast.
As Mike notes, “It’s a bit more to fiddle with than just a spike. But in the frozen north you have to deal with ground conditions. Get yourself a cheap tripod and give it a try. Will also work well when the park will not let you stick anything in the ground or use a tree.”
Yesterday morning, I replied to a message from a reader planning to obtain a vanity callsign. He asked, “Which [suffix] letters would make an easy callsign to send [in CW] and copy in your experience?”
This is a great question. I do have a few suggestions.
My previous call
I suggest avoiding ending your callsign with a “K.”
I speak from experience.
I was not an avid CW operator when I upgraded to General over two decades ago. I was auto-assigned the following callsign by the FCC: KF4TZK
It was a mouthful in SSB, especially when articulated phonetically: Kilo Foxtrot 4 Tango Zulu Kilo.
When I started operating in CW, I realized how confusing it can be to have the letter “K” at the end of one’s call. If your sending isn’t near perfect—or even when it is—people will assume the “K” is simply “OK, back to you,” and they copy “KF4TZ.”
I got tired of correcting my call by sending back “KF4TZK K” to let them know the K was part of my suffix.
If your call ends with a K, there’s no reason to change your callsign unless you also find it gives you trouble. If you have a ‘2 x 1 call (a callsign with two letters, a number, and a letter) ending in K, it’s not a problem.
I would also suggest not combining too many letters similar in dit patterns, like “HSI” or “HSH.” Strings of dits can be complex for some to copy.
Best advice?
When I decided to apply for a vanity call and ditch KF4TZK, I consulted my dear friend and wise Elmer/mentor, Mike (K8RAT).
He said:
Write down all available callsign options you’re considering, then practice sending them. You’ll know which one “feels” right.
He was spot on: K4SWL felt right, and since SWL (shortwave radio listening) is what started my radio journey, it was a no-brainer.
If you feel comfortable sending a callsign—if the rhythm and cadence feel right to you—then it’ll likely be easy to copy on the other end.
Final thoughts
Remember, this is a fun and creative process. Enjoy the journey of deciding on a new callsign!
In the end, very few “bad” calls are out there. It’s incredibly rare that I copy a call and think, “Wow—that’s a stinker!”
Even if your call sounds a bit awkward in CW—many do—rest assured, others won’t have difficulty copying you if your sending—your pace and spacing—is accurate.
What do you think?
Do you have any suggestions? Feel free to comment.
Many thanks to Jonathan (KM4CFT), for sharing the following article about his portable field radio kit, which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post.
CFT1 Field Kit
by Jonathan (KM4CFT)
I thought I would supply my own field kit I recently put together for my CFT1.
This will also be the official announcement of my newest product, which is a CW Key leg strap. The leg strap is something I originally got my dad to fabricate for me out of some scrap metal a while back, and now that I have the version 2 iambic paddles, I thought it would be nice to mass-produce them. They are compatible with any magnetically mounted paddle.
This is my CFT1 Go Bag. It contains everything I need to activate my CFT1 except for a mast or throwline.
The kit consists of the following:
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Earlier this week, I mentioned that I purchased a Xiegu G106 in September. Its delivery was delayed because I had it shipped to my local post office, which, as you likely know, was flooded during Hurricane Helene.
With all the post-Helene chaos, I haven’t been able to do as much POTA as I’d like, so the G106 sat unopened in its box—until Wednesday, November 20, 2024, when I finally had a chance to take it out for its maiden activation at Lake James State Park (US-2739)!
Why the Xiegu G106?
Last year, Radioddity sent me a G106 on loan, and I wrote an in-depth review after taking it on several activations. That review was lengthy because radios like the G106—designed as price leaders—often have compromises that may not suit everyone. It’s essential to judge such radios based on their goals, not by comparing them to premium models like the Icom IC-705.
For the G106, the question I aimed to answer was: “Does this radio accomplish what it sets out to do?”
I believe its mission is to offer affordable field radio fun—capable of completing park or summit activations without excessive struggle, providing performance commensurate with its price point.
I decided to purchase the G106 because I had returned my loaner unit over a year ago, but questions about it kept coming from readers. Instead of requesting another loaner, I opted to buy one.
To my surprise, the pricing had dropped significantly. Here’s my order confirmation:
Interestingly, as I mentioned earlier this week, Amazon (at time of posting) has a Black Friday deal for the G106 (without accessories) $199 shipped for Prime members[QRPer affiliate link].
I’d have chosen that over the bundle I ordered had it been available at the time.
Unboxing to Activation
It was a rainy day at Lake James.
A common question from readers has been, “Would the Xiegu G106 work as a dedicated field radio for POTA activations?”
Perfect weather to set up in a picnic shelter!
Most of these inquiries came from newcomers to ham radio, so I decided to test the radio in the field by setting it up from scratch—straight out of the box. This included attaching connectors to the power cord, configuring the radio, setting up the antenna, and hopping on the air.
This is a lot of picnic shelter for such a small radio setup!
I started the activation using SSB (voice) and later switched to CW (Morse Code) to give a full “out-of-the-box” experience.
The resulting activation video (below) is lengthy but was incredibly fun to film!
Gear:
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Most Black Friday sale prices are within a few dollars of each other between the retailers. If you have a specific product in mind, check all of the retailers for pricing, shipping, and availability.
If you’ve been waiting to purchase a higher-priced item, this is a good time to shop. Here’s a small sampling of products I’ve found from US retailers while browsing:
Many thanks to John (N3AAZ), who shares the following notes from a recent antenna project:
Hi Thomas
For what it’s worth, here’s an easy, cheap, very lightweight, multi-band, no counterpoise antenna for portable ops.
This build took place on a rainy day at a campground in an 18ft RV and was inspired by an article written by Craig (WB3GCK): No Counterpoise Speaker Wire Antenna.
This antenna can be set up as an inverted V or inverted L.
I cut a 30/20 ft version to hang on a 32ft Jackite telescoping fiberglass mast. I read that several ‘random’ lengths, the 50/25 and 25/17, have also been successful.
Cut a 30 ft length of speaker wire (do not peel or separate it yet), then measured back 10 ft and peel off then cut only one side of the speaker wire twin lead. This will effectively create a 30-foot antenna with a 20-foot “balanced” feed.
You will then need a “BALUN” with unbalanced input and balanced output.
My 1:4 and 1:9 did not work because both ports are single-end BCN connectors soldered on a PCB.
Luckily, I also pack an MFJ 9211 (1:4 QRPocket Current Balun).
Using a NanoVNA and MFJ-902.mod.aaz (mod to form an L-network–more info on my qrz.com page) I measured less than 2:1 SWR on 40, 30, 20, and 15 meters.
The N7DDC ATU-100 reports…
1.18 :1 SWR on 15M
1.03 on 20M
1.16 on 30M
1.88 0n 40M
It loads well.
My first 20-meter contact was a POTA contact with W4TTU (approximately 700 miles away), who gave me a 559 at 5W–he was 579 and signed “72,” so I assumed running QRP as well.
Not too shabby for an impromptu rainy day project hi hi!
72
John
N3AAZ
Thanks for sharing these notes, John! This looks like a fun little antenna build.
Activating on the Road: Pikes Peak State Park is Where???
by Brian (K3ES)
During our road trip across the country and back (Six Weeks and 7300 Miles: Activating on the Road), Becky and I planned our route to enable me to complete at least one Parks on the Air (POTA) activation in each state across the American west. One of the first parks that I activated on the trip was Pikes Peak State Park (US-2311) in Iowa.
You heard that right, Iowa.
This was one of my favorite activations during our time on the road. I had an amazing view of the Mississippi River Valley while I was operating, and since this park was less than an hour from our final destination for the day, I had enough time to work plenty of contacts.
Molly wants you to know that Pikes Peak State Park (US-2311) is located in McGregor, Iowa.
When we arrived in the park, I took Molly the POTA Dog for a walk around the park. She is always excited about a walk (particularly after riding in the truck for several hours), and it gave me the opportunity to scout the park for a good location to set up my station for the activation. The park is located on a bluff, hundreds of feet above the river, with walking paths and overlook platforms offering great viewpoints.
A number of park visitors were enjoying the overlook platforms and the pathways, and I prefer to keep my station out of the way, so I settled on using a path-side stone bench for my activation. The bench was located under some trees that provided both shade and support for my antenna, a perfect location.
Activating US-2311
This is the bench I selected for my operating position in the park. Trees provided support for the antenna, and shade for the operator. In the background is one of the platforms overlooking the Mississippi River Valley.
When we returned to the parking area, Becky took Molly, and set out on a hike to nearby Bridal Veil Falls. I picked up my radio pack, and returned to the bench. I tossed my throw line over a tree branch, and hoisted the Tufteln End-fed Random Wire (EFRW) antenna into a vertical configuration. Laying out the 17 ft counterpoise wire along the ground, and attaching a 15 ft RG316 feedline completed the antenna deployment.
I placed my KX2 next to me on the bench, connected the feedline, power cable, earbuds, and VK3IL pressure paddles. I opened my log book, secured it to a clipboard balanced on my knee, and was ready to get on the air.
Having caught a good tree limb with my throw line, I am preparing to hoist the 35 ft radiator wire of my EFRW antenna.Here I am operating from my bench. Another of the overlook platforms is visible in the background.The view from my bench was great, and Molly came to share it with me for a few minutes before I finished the activation.
As always for new-to-me parks, I scheduled my activation in advance on POTA.app while I had a reliable internet connection. That way, I was good to go, even if cellular service was unavailable at the activation site. Since I operate in CW mode, I just had to find an open frequency and begin calling CQ.
The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) picked me up, generated an automatic POTA spot, and calls began coming in. In truth, even when I have data service available in a park, I seldom do more than monitor continued automatic spots. The RBN even updates my spot when I change frequency or band. The RBN spotting function works spectacularly well for a CW operator, even at QRP power levels.
Results
This map shows the locations of hunters who made contact with me at US-2311.
I stayed on the air until after Becky and Molly returned from their walk. In about 40 minutes on the air, I logged 27 CW contacts on the 20m and 30m bands. The pace was steady, and I was able to work my way through all of the callers. I am grateful to each of the hunters who tracked down my QRP signal, and stuck with me to complete a contact.
During our 6-week excursion, solar conditions were stable, and propagation was great. The Tufteln EFRW antenna was quick to deploy, quick to pack, and performed impressively when paired with the KX2’s excellent internal tuner.
Gear
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There are a number of birds visible in this view of the river valley. They appear center-right as a string of white dots near brown islands. (Click image to enlarge)A small boat passes a string of barges in the river.The bluffs at the top of this view are located in Wisconsin, on the far side of the Mississippi River.
Final Thoughts
If you are ever find yourself in northeastern Iowa, I definitely recommend taking the time to see Pikes Peak State Park. Activate this park, if you can. The views are amazing. If you can bring binoculars, or a long lens for your camera, so much the better. We could see a large number of birds standing along sand bars in the river, but could only guess at the species.
Early fall is probably not the best time to view Bridal Veil Falls, but it should be spectacular in the spring.
Becky enjoyed the walk to Bridal Veil Falls. It involved moderate elevation changes along the trail. She was disappointed with the Falls themselves, because water flow was minimal after a dry period in early autumn. The Falls should be much more impressive in the spring.
A panoramic view of the Mississippi River Valley.Some views of the river peeked out from between the trees.Becky reminds us not to miss the little things, even when we are surrounded by spectacular views.
Best 73 de Brian – K3ES, XYL Becky, and POTA Dog Molly
Readers: Please let me know if you know of other mom-and-pop ham radio retailers offering holiday savings. I’d love to feature them here on QRPer.com as well!
On Friday, November 8, 2024, my wife and I ran errands while one of our daughters attended a Shakespeare rehearsal.
Since these rehearsals typically last 2–3 hours, I try to make the most of the time by completing errands and squeezing in a POTA activation when possible.
That day, my wife encouraged me to fit in a quick activation, provided we could also handle a few errands in town.
Fortunately, one of our stops was near the Sycamore Flats picnic area in Pisgah National Forest (K-4510). I’ve been activating this site almost weekly since Hurricane Helene swept through North Carolina, as it has been one of the few accessible parks. (Thankfully, as of today, a few more sites have reopened!)
When we arrived, we saw a large group of volunteers working to clean up the area. They were filling holes in the road and repairing picnic table pads damaged by flooding.
To avoid getting in their way, I set up under the trees by the river, away from the main picnic area where they were working.
Sadly, none of the picnic tables near the river remained—they were likely swept away by the floodwaters. This wasn’t an issue, as my POTA/SOTA pack always has everything I need for a fully self-contained activation.
While I’ve activated sitting on logs, large rocks, or the ground, I increasingly appreciate the comfort of a proper chair. The Helinox Chair Zero is a game-changer: lightweight, sturdy, and easy to pack. It’s pricey, but I’ve never regretted the investment.
The Helinox chair is quick to deploy and stable on the ground, unlike the three-legged trail stools I used to carry!My KX2 on the Tufteln kneeboard earlier this year at Lake James.
The Tufteln kneeboard is another essential. It’s just large enough to hold portable radios (KX1, KX2, KX3, TR-35, TX-500, MTR-3B, QMX, QCX, CFT1, etc.) and my Rite in the Rain notepad. Strapped to my leg, it provides a stable surface for logging and operating.
This is exactly how I set up my station that day at Sycamore Flats.
Next, I deployed my MM0OPX 40 meter end-fed half-wave, connected it to the KX2 (double-checking that the ATU was in bypass mode) and hopped on the air!
Gear:
My entire station is in this Nemo Resolve pack.
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