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Bryce and Joe’s Triple-State POTA Activation

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A Triple-State POTA activation!

by Bryce Bookwalter (KD9YEY) and Joe Ladwig (W9NVY)

It’s finally winter here in Southern Indiana, which, for many, brings a time of cozy indoor activities and quiet radio time in the comfort of a warm shack. For Joe and me, however, this means it’s winter POTA time!

I have always preferred hiking in the winter—there are fewer bugs, less humidity, and typically much better views since the leaves aren’t in the way. It makes sense that my passion for outdoor radio also increases in the colder months. With work and school (Joe is a teacher) slowing down for the year, we decided it would be a good time to fit in another POTA trip.

Over the last two years, we have been checking states off our “activated” list, and lately, we have had to travel farther and farther away to find a state we haven’t activated. Joe had the lofty goal of traveling to the Minnesota (MN), North Dakota (ND), South Dakota (SD) tri-corner and catching Iowa (IA) on the way, but once we looked at the total travel time (27 hours!), we decided there might be other opportunities that are closer and less prone to winter mayhem.

We have set our sights on the corner of Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. One of the perks of being in “the crossroads of America” is that there are many places within a day’s drive. This intersection of three states is no exception. With a mere 6.5-hour drive, we will be able to activate three states in one day. We plan to overnight in Wheeling, WV, and then start our triple-state POTA adventure the next day.

Our first destination is US-0704 Fort Necessity National Battlefield in PA. With 68 activations already on record here, it seems like it will be a great place to activate. I have always enjoyed history, so this site is one that I am particularly excited to see. Activating at National Parks can have its challenges, so we will be sure to plan our equipment accordingly.

Our journey continues into Maryland, where we will try to activate at US-6400 Youghiogheny Wild River State Natural Area. This area is part of the Mississippi watershed that stretches from the western slope of the Appalachian Mountains in the east to the Rockies in the west. Based on the topography I see on the map, this spot has the potential for some beautiful views. This site has 46 reported activations, with 45 of them being successful, so we anticipate victory!

Our final state to activate this day will have us traveling back into West Virginia. We will stay another night in Wheeling before heading home the next day, and US-5585 Coopers Rock State Forest is conveniently on the way. Coopers Rock is another site with some amazing topography, at least according to the map, and I am very excited to see it! According to the website, “Coopers Rock State Forest boasts some of the most iconic views in Almost Heaven.” I’ve been to West Virginia several times, and the views never disappoint.

With our destinations selected, the next step is to pick the proper gear. With a trip of this scale, and this far from our ham shacks, it’s important to plan carefully. I always like to have backups when I go to activate, but in this case, I think having a few extra will be a good idea. Since this is a trip for POTA, we really have the entire vehicle to pack gear into, so why not bring all the toys?! Another important consideration is the parks we have chosen. One of them is a historic battlefield and a National Park… I can’t imagine throwing heavy lines into trees and hoisting antennas into the air will be tolerated, so having an antenna system that doesn’t require that will be an important consideration.

With these factors in mind, we have selected the following gear:

Radios

    • Yaesu FT-891 w/ tuner: This workhorse always delivers exceptional performance and I’m not saying anything new to speak of its POTA capabilities. Due to its size (especially with tuner) and weight, this isn’t a first choice for me as a backpacking radio. But with a car to carry it, and not having to carry a full camping loadout along with it, this radio is a go-to for our POTA escapades.
    • Xiegu G90: If you’ve watched any of my YouTube videos you know that this is my typical POTA rig. It relatively lightweight, has an internal tuner, and isn’t a huge battery draw with it’s 20W max output. I typically run it at 10W to give myself the QRP challenge and it consistently performs very well.
    • QRP Labs QMX: This little beauty is my backpacking radio of choice. It is incredibly lightweight and versatile. Currently, as far as I am aware, it still only runs CW and Digital modes. Eventually it will have the capability to run SSB and I am very excited for when that day comes. Until then, I use it for FT8 in the field and it does a great job. I am still learning CW so I haven’t used it to make contacts that way yet, but I will soon!
    • Yaesu FT-60: This is my HT of choice, which I always like to have with me when I travel. Before I leave, I will have the local repeaters programmed into it and it will be fun to try and reach a 2m/70cm contact via simplex while at the parks as well.
    • Yaesu VX-6: This is Joe’s HT of choice and another great radio from Yaesu. With it we can also try and get a 1.25m simplex contact…if band operators are out there.

Antennas

 

    • PackTenna!: The first thing going into my kit is the PackTenna! This antenna has proven itself to be incredibly capable and super easy to use. I have the 40m extension that goes with it as well and between its performance and the weight…it has quickly become my favorite antenna.
    • SOTABeams Bandhopper 3: This antenna is a 20m, 30m, and 40m dipole and works wonderfully, especially when paired with the Tactical Mast from SOTABeams. The only drawback to using this antenna is that to change bands, you must lower the antenna to the ground and connect or disconnect the alligator clips along the wire. Other than that, this antenna does great work.
    • K9EI Antennas: Joe and I both use K9EI antennas and they work great. Not only is K9EI a local in our area but he also makes great products. The 20m EFHW is always in my kit as a reliable backup and has saved my activation on numerous occasions. Joe has a 40mEFHW that is incredibly useful and has a unique design. With its rugged construction and versatility, it is Joe’s antenna of choice for POTA.
    • Wolf River Coil SOTA Special: Yes, yes, yes…another antenna. This vertical antenna has been fun to experiment with. It’s the only vertical I own, or have used for that matter, and it’s done the job each time. I used it for my first ever SOTA, which you can see on my YouTube channel. These types of antennas are great to have along with you when you are unsure of the area you are trying to activate in. If there aren’t trees, or if you aren’t allowed to utilize trees, or put stakes in the ground for guy lines, these verticals are a low-impact solution that will usually get the job done. I picked this one up at Hamvention 2024 and it’s been a great addition to the fleet.

Masts

Masts are a great solution for wires-in-the-air without having lines in trees. I have two masts and will be bringing both.

      • The SOTABeams Tactical 7000H has been a great addition to my kit and has served me well for a couple years now. It is a bit on the heavy side, but it stands tall and strong in many configurations and has accomplished every task I’ve asked of it.
      • The POTA20 is my newest addition which I picked up at the Huntsville Hamfest. This lightweight mast is my backpacking mast of choice. It is super bendy and can have trouble holding up a ton of weight, but it remains incredibly useful and one I carry on all my POTA trips.

Other Gear

Since we have the luxury of a vehicle, and not everything having to go into a backpack, we can bring along all the comfort items.

      • Table
      • Chairs
      • Laptop (though I still like to log with pen and paper)
      • Camera gear (for filming YouTube videos)
      • Bag of connectors, adapters, fuses, wire, alligator clips, tools, etc. (Very Important)

Needless to say, we are both looking forward to this trip very much. The parks mentioned above are the parks we will for sure be going to, but there are also other parks in the area and if time allows, we will try and add more to our list.

You can also see a video of our adventure at @backpackingbooky on YouTube. You can also search for Bryce Bookwalter / KD9YEY on YouTube to find the channel.

Thanks for reading and thank you to Thomas for sharing his platform and I’ll see you down trail!

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

K3ES: Stealth Activating with the AX1 Antenna System

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Activating on the Road:  Stealth Activating with the AX1 Antenna System

by Brian (K3ES)

The AX1 Antenna is on the air from the Profile View parking area at Mount Rushmore National Monument.

As I prepared my radio gear to do Parks on the Air (POTA) activations across the states of the American West (Six Weeks and 7300 Miles:  Activating on the Road), I knew that I would need to operate in a wide variety of different park environments.  This need was primarily connected with differences in topography, vegetation, population, and regulatory environments.

A selection of wire antennas, a throw line kit, and some collapsible mast options would serve many of my needs well.  However, I also expected that our travel schedule might require me to activate quickly or unobtrusively, from less-optimal locations.  Since I do not have an HF rig or antenna system installed in my truck, any vehicle-based operations would need to use equipment from my portable POTA kit.

For these occasions, I intended to use either a wire antenna supported by a telescoping mast attached to back of the truck, or my diminutive Elecraft AX1 base-loaded vertical antenna system.  During the trip, I found that I could use the AX1 to complete rapid, and extremely stealthy, activations.

My AX1 kit is kept in a Maxpedition Fatty pouch.
AX1 components are organized inside the pouch, and counterpoise wires are located in a hidden zippered pocket.

I had ordered the AX1 antenna system from Elecraft early in 2024, and took delivery in March.  I used it in a variety of configurations, gaining experience and confidence in its ability to make contacts (K3ES Travels: Ten Days of QRP with Compromised Antennas).

In early May, I also ordered an AM1-2 clamp-on antenna mount from ProAudio Engineering, and it had proved its versatility in deploying the AX1.  All of this equipment and more found its way into a Maxpedition Fatty pouch, to become part of the stealth antenna kit packed for our trip across the country.

I Wonder if this Will Work…

A view from the truck…  The AX1 antenna mounted on the fender, is seen with a great landscape from Badlands National Park.

Badlands National Park (US-0005) was one of the most spectacular parks that we visited on our cross-country adventure.  I plan a future report with full coverage of the park and the activation, but the conditions in the park led me to make my first attempt at a truck-based activation.  Shade was almost non-existent, the sky was cloudless, the air temperature was over 90°F, and the ground was too hot for POTA Dog Molly’s paws.

We pulled into a parking space at a roadside overlook, so that Becky could take some pictures, and I decided to try for a quick activation from the truck.  After I set out a bowl of water in the back of the truck for Molly to drink, I pulled out my radio gear, and looked over my antenna options.  I could have put up a mast and used a wire antenna, but I did not want to block access for other visitors, so my thoughts turned to the AX1 system.

The small size of the parking lot made it important to keep my operating footprint within the confines of my own parking space, both to avoid inconveniencing others, and to minimize the risk of damage to my antenna components.  I decided to try attaching the AM1-2 clamp to the cylindrical base of my 2m/70cm mobile antenna, which is mounted on the front fender of the truck.  The AM1-2 clamped on securely, and provided firm support for the the AX1 coil and whip.  I also attached a counterpoise wire to the ground screw of the AM1-2, then tossed the wire under the truck to keep it on the ground, hidden, and out of the way.

That left two questions:  could I get the antenna to tune, and would it radiate well enough to get contacts?  I connected my feedline to the AX1, ran it in through the open driver’s window to the KX2, and quickly got answers to both questions:  yes and yes. Continue reading K3ES: Stealth Activating with the AX1 Antenna System →

Articles, Field Reports, Mobile, Morse Code, POTA, Travel

Sometimes you need a little cryptaesthesia

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As always, there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things!

by Vince (VE6LK)

It’s time for another return trip to the correctional institution that I spoke about in my last post. And that means only one important detail: more time to POTA en route. This trip will carry me, via a ‘short’ 325km detour from the direct route, into Castle Provincial Park and Castle Wilderness Provincial Park, with a stop or two along the way.

The Research and planning

Castle Provincial Park CA-2971 is within the larger Waterton Biosphere Reserve CA-0109, so any activation I can do is automatically a 2fer. Looking more closely at the map, I see Castle Falls CA-2969 is within Castle PP, and that makes it a 3fer. I printed off the park info sheets from POTA.app, studied some satellite imagery, printed some, and bundled it all together. I have been in this area once before, camping in August (and the bugs were awful, yuck!), so at least I knew three things…where I was going, an expectation of cell service (not great off the main roads) and bugs would be minimal to non-existent, given it’s mid-November.

In thinking about a route that needs to get me closer to my hotel and one that increases the number of unique parks I’ve activated, I decided upon Beauvais Lake Provincial Park CA-0632, another 2fer with CA-0109. A satellite view shows easy-peasy road access, and even if the main gates are closed, I’m still on the property, so it will be a valid attempt/activation.

But I also really want to get to the Castle Wildland Provincial Park CA-2972, as it’s never been activated before. And while there is road access through the entire Castle area, I opt to take paved roads as winter driving and gravel (and no cell service) can be unpredictable at best. I’ve also never been to Castle Wildland, but in my mind, I’m imagining views reminiscent of Waterton Lakes or Glacier National Park, given the very close proximity. As it turned out, I wasn’t too far wrong.

I also tacked on one park at the last minute and was happy I did so, even if I could not activate it.

Continue reading Sometimes you need a little cryptaesthesia →

Articles, Guest Posts, Hams, News, People

Michael attends SEANET 2024 in Sri Lanka

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Many thanks to Michael (BD4AAQ) who shares the following guest post which was also cross-published on the SWLing Post:

Tidbits of SEANET (South East Asia Amateur Radio Network)

by Michael (BD4AAQ)

On 3rd October 2024, the 48th SEANET Convention was finally convened in Negombo, Sri Lanka. The SEANET convention, a gathering of a group of amateur radio operators, was last held in Johor Bahru Malaysia, in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic. The Sri Lanka conference was attended by only 25 people. Nevertheless, it was hailed as a triumph, as it was the first ever meeting of amateur radio operators for SEANET following the end of the pandemic and upon extensive discussions on WhatsApp groups.

SEANET in Sri Lanka

Tharanga, 4S6TMP, and other organisers, did a great job hosting the convention. Despite its modest size, the convention featured all the typical elements: presentations, discussions, dinners, a bonfire, a special event station (4S7SEA), and more. Above all, the organisers surprised the attendees with the first day cover of the event arranged by the Sri Lanka Post Service. The first day cover, with postage stamps containing photos of SEANET participants, were ready in the same morning when the photos were taken! Lightning speed!

First Day Cover featuring SEANET 2024

The low attendance of the convention was partially attributed to the altered schedule. It was originally scheduled for 19 – 22 September but had to be changed at short notice to 3 – 6 October due to Sri Lanka’s presidential election on 23 September. The altered timetable prevented many of the Seanetters who had signed up from attending as scheduled.

Highest Attendance in History

SEANET has seen much higher attendance amid excellent solar conditions. The 18th SEANET convention, held in Kuching, Malaysia in 1990, was attended by as many as 320 people! The 38th Convention took place in 2010 in Shanghai, China, with over 100 attendees.

SEANET Convention in Shanghai

The Origin of SEANET

SEANET, the South East Asia Amateur Radio Network, was established in 1964 and is operated on 20 metres (14.320 MHz plus or minus QRM). The objective of the net is to promote international understanding and fellowship among hams and to relay emergency, medical, urgent or priority traffic. The on-the-air meeting, which has taken place at 1200 UTC daily without fail during periods of good solar conditions, has strengthened unity and co-operation among hams around the world, especially those within the region. The net also provides hams with a facility for testing their equipment and propagation conditions on the 20 metres band. Over time, members then agreed to have yearly gatherings for eyeball encounters and exchanges, which is how SEANET conventions came to be.

Emergency Communications Network (from SEANET Website)

[Regarding the] value of the SEANET as an Emergency communications network…

There have been many a private Yacht in the Indian Ocean that had been helped via the SEANET and Amateur Radio. Once there was this small Tri-maran which had exhausted all its fuel, food and water and were drifting helpless. Radio Hams and SEANET alerted rescue services and succeeded in getting an Ocean liner to divert and drop off fuel, food and water.

There have been other impressive achievements to the credit of SEANET. There was the case of a young mother in Sri Lanka whose baby of a few days had a serious condition which could only be treated by a special drug not available locally. SEANET members looked in the likely places in Australia and Singapore but failed. They then contacted their friends in the U

.S.A. and succeeded in getting the drug flown out from California the baby was saved. There was also the case of the frantic father who could not be near at hand when his wife was delivery their first baby in a Singapore hospital, over a thousand miles away from his jungle location. He kept in touch via Ham radio and SEANET. The wife, in hospital, had friends from SEANET visit every day.

On another occasion, when disaster struck Darwin, Australia recently, wiping off all communications facilities, a member of the SEANET group living in Darwin set up his station and was one of the first to contact the National Authorities with news and requests. Another SEANET member in Sri Lanka was able to obtain details of the whereabouts and health etc. of his countrymen living in Darwin and so reassure their near and dear in Sri Lanka.

There was once also the team of Himalayan climbers who attacked Mt. Everest from a new direction and when success was first conveyed via Amateur Radio and SEANET.

My Involvement

In the early 2000s, I started to take note of SEANET. I occasionally heard other shortwave networks and net controls, but SEANET was one that was loud and clear and was almost always there at 14320 MHz at or shortly after 12:00 Zulu. Ah, the good old days! Net controls took turns and worked from countries including Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Australia. Among the net controls were Gary (VK8GW), Ben (VK6XC), Barry (VK6ADI), Kim (VK6UO), Roy (DU9/G4UNL) and Ray (HS0ZDZ).

In Shanghai, I would check in to the net soon after I got back from work. John (BD4AAV) would also join the net from time to time. In Taiwan, Tim (BV2A) was a frequenter of SEANET. He was very happy when he first learned that John and I were from mainland China. One day he recommended that we QRY to a different frequency and there we three chatted like old friends for a very long time. Next we exchanged QSL cards. Tim was the first person to be issued a ham radio license since the KMT government moved from the mainland to Taiwan. He passed away in 2006.

QSL card from Tim, with the enclosed note stating that due to propagation issues he was unable to work Shanghai stations via SEANET at 14320 MHz lately

Dr KN Singh

If we talk about SEANET, there is one person we must also talk about. Dr Singh, a Malaysian Indian. SEANET conventions have developed and now have survived the pandemic in large part thanks to his efforts. He has many roles: doctor, hospital owner, philanthropist, Sikh, and last but not least, ham radio operator (9M2KN). He himself has hosted a number of SEANET conventions in Malaysia and has dedicated to the development of SEANET and ham radio in general. Although SEANET is a loose organisation with no permanent secretariat and each host country decides for itself how to organise a convention, Dr Singh’s charisma, leadership and coordination capabilities have been essential and have greatly encouraged and inspired the organisers. We should meet regularly before we grow too old to move and we should bring in new, younger members to the big family, he said, the ham spirit and the camaraderie must be nurtured.

From left to right: Ramesh VU2LU, Dr Singh 9M2KN, Jaliya 4S7JL, Tharanga 4S6TMP and Aruna SWL at SEANET 2024

Hans from Germany 

Hans (DF5UG) is a veteran Seanetter with very extensive ham radio experiences. He has been to many countries and operated under probably the most callsigns. He was an EC member of IARU. He enjoys setting up antennas and amateur stations on the spot wherever he goes.

Hans, third from left, at the 38th SEANET Convention in Shanghai, with Michael BD4AAQ, second from right, and other attendees

The Legendary Fred

Fred (K3ZO) was a legend. He was an enthusiastic amateur radio operator and actively participated in amateur radio contests.  Fred was well-known and widely respected around the globe. He had worked many stations in China as well. Earlier in his career, he was a US Information Officer. In 1974, he was kidnapped by a guerrilla group in Córdoba, Argentina and critically shot. As he was an amateur radio operator and owned a large amount of radio equipment, he was suspected of being a CIA agent. Upon a behind-the-scenes offensive in Washington and with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger categorically denying spy speculations, he was released. He later stated in a message: “Amateur Radio is a wonderful hobby but it can be dangerous because people misinterpret what it is. I myself was kidnapped and shot in Argentina, but fortunately I have lived to tell about it.”

Fred also attended the 38th SEANET Convention in China. He became a Silent Key in 2023.

Fred, middle, in Shanghai

SEANET 2025 in India

Worth special mentioning are Turid and Mimis who are 82 and 91 years old now. The couple is originally from Yugoslavia (Serbia) (Turid was the Yugoslavian Ambassador to Germany in the 1970’s). They have now settled with their daughter in Australia. They attended many SEANET events and are great contributors to SEANET. Just a few days ago, they wrote to Dr. Singh asking when and where the next convention will be held.

Gladly, Ramesh (VU2LU) has taken the next slot for SEANET. We expect it to be a big event like what we have had in old times. The dedicated website for SEANET events is https://seanetasia.net. So, stay tuned for more information for the next SEANET Convention. 73!

Articles, Field Reports, Mobile, Morse Code, POTA, Travel

Vince gets out of jail long enough to do a handful of activations

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As always there are lots of links within the article. Click one! Click them all! Learn all the things!

Dear readers, admittedly the title is clickbait, but I assure you that there is truth behind it. As you already know, I occasionally travel for work and lately I’ve been working inside a correctional institution for my primary employer.

And, as you’ve seen before, while traveling usually I make a detour to go activate a site in the area or along the route, and to get a break from the drive. Usually that detour is only 10 or 20 kilometres. I enjoy the driving and the travel, and I’m always on the hunt for parks I’ve not yet activated and especially the elusive ATNO -All Time New One- or phrased another way, not yet activated at all or with one of the common modes of Phone, Digital or CW.

For this series of trips over the month of November, they were the first real road trips with my new-to-me 2023 F-150 PowerBoost hybrid. In the month leading up to this trip I was a busy beaver getting the radios installed in the truck to help pass the many hours on the road. Frankly I was excited to set up a new mobile installation and correct some major shortcomings with my last; experience is an excellent teacher if you are willing to listen. The video link below summarizes my mobile installation and is complete with chapters so you can jump to the section that interests you the most.

With all of that background and with an unseasonably warm November, I wanted to visit Waterton Lakes National Park which hosts several POTA entities, namely First Oil Well in Canada NHS CA-4776, Prince of Wales Hotel NHS CA-6101, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park CA-3157, and all of those (and many others) are encompassed within the Waterton Biosphere Reserve CA-0109.

Waterton-Glacier is a Unesco World Heritage site and the second such I’d visit in this series of road trips. On a prior week I twice activated Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump CA-6093.

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park encompasses both the Waterton National Park in Alberta, Canada and Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. It’s the first international designation of a park anywhere, ever. You’ve seen me write about Glacier National Park here on QRPer last year, and now I’d get a chance to complete that entity activating within the Canadian side. Needless to say I was pretty excited about the detour and hopeful that weather would be on my side for some spectacular photos.

Continue reading Vince gets out of jail long enough to do a handful of activations →

Articles, Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

Six Weeks and 7300 Miles: Activating on the Road

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Many thanks to Brian (K3ES) who shares the following guest post:

This map provides an overview of our cross-country road trip.  We traveled zig-zag paths from our home in Tionesta, PA to my parents’ home in Martinez, CA, and back again.

Six Weeks and 7300 Miles:  Activating on the Road

by Brian (K3ES)

This article gives an overview of a driving trip across the United States and back that included activation of Parks on the Air (POTA) entities in 21 states along the way.  We left our home in northwest Pennsylvania on September 18, 2024, and returned on Halloween.  During our time away, we spent about 3 weeks driving and 3 weeks visiting with my parents at their home near San Francisco, CA.  With such an epic scope, I plan to write several articles about various POTA activations completed during our trip.  In fact, I completed one article early, and it has already been published on QRPer.com:  K3ES’ Unplanned activation of Yellowstone National Park.  This report provides the background and a broad overview of our trip.

The Players

My mom and dad have made the Bay Area of California their home for 40 years.  They left Pennsylvania on their own great adventure in the mid-1980s, while I was attending graduate school in Pittsburgh.  Dad accepted a transfer, so they packed up the house, committed their belongings to a moving company, and drove their car across the country in 4-1/2 days to meet the movers.  I was able to go along on that driving trip (I returned to Pittsburgh by airline), but I have always wanted to do it again, spending a bit more time to see the sights.

My dad is a hero to me.  I have never been able to match his work ethic or his ability to plan and execute projects.  From home repairs to electronics projects, Dad was always working on something, and generally had several projects going at once.  His workshop was well equipped, and he spent a lot of time there.  Now, approaching his 90th birthday, Dad has been slowing down.  He is no longer able to make use of the shop, but he remembers how important it has been to him.  So, we planned this trip to help Mom clean out the shop, and to let Dad see his trustworthy tools moving to a new home where they can be used and appreciated.

Having retired in 2021, my calendar is more open than it was during 31 years of employment.  I am grateful for this.  My wife, Becky, and I were able to arrange other commitments to give ourselves time for an adventure.  So the two of us packed the back seat of my 2015 Toyota Tundra pickup truck for six weeks of travel, being careful to leave seat space for POTA dog Molly.  We kept the truck bed empty, so that space would be available to bring home tools and shop supplies from California.  This would be our opportunity to travel across the American west.  Forty years after my original cross-country driving trip, I would finally get to stop and see sights along the way.

Once we arrived at my parents’ home in California’s Bay Area, Molly had free run of their fenced yard.  This squirrel was Molly’s nemesis for the duration.  It spent hours across the fence eating fruit in the neighbor’s pomegranate tree.  Many chases ensued, none successful.

The Plan

In another article published on QRPer.com earlier this year:  K3ES Travels: Ten Days of QRP with Compromised Antennas, I explained Becky’s great idea:  that I should activate all 50 of our United States.  At that point, I had activated parks in only 6 states.  By the time we left on this trip, my total had inched up to 11 activated states.  So our goal would be to activate as many of the western states as possible.  Ohio, Indiana, Washington, Oregon, and California were already in the done column, courtesy of some previous travel, but that left a lot of territory to cover.

Since we were leaving in September, we were confident that the weather would be favorable for driving across the northern tier states.  Leaving California to return home in late October, we knew that snow was possible in the mountain passes, so we planned to take a more southerly route.  What remained was to adjust the route to cover all of the states along or near our intended travel path.  In total, including a side-trip to activate a new California park during the Autumn Support Your Parks event, we traveled 7300 miles:  3800 miles traveling westward, 200 miles for the California side-trip, and 3300 miles traveling eastward on the return home.

When we left our driveway, we had the broad outline of the route.  We also had an idea of some of the parks that I might activate on the trip.  We did not have a detailed itinerary.  In fact, though we knew the basic route, and we had reserved rooms for only the first two nights.   I encouraged Becky to leave things a bit open-ended, despite her penchant for careful planning.  This was kind of important, because I would be doing all the driving.  Don’t get me wrong.  Becky is an excellent driver, it is just that she is intimidated by my truck.  We needed its cargo capacity, but I became the sole driver.  So we needed to have the flexibility to stop sooner, or press on longer, depending on my ability to continue driving safely.

After stopping for the night, we usually set our travel goals for the next day or two.  If we were tired, we would cut the next day’s travel shorter.  If not, we might decide to go further.  We also settled on the parks we would visit during the next day’s travels.  Even then, we allowed ourselves to make changes if an opportunity presented itself, and more than once, it did.

Keeping our travel plans a bit loose worked really well for us, particularly after we discovered that almost all hotels welcomed Molly as a guest (for a nominal pet fee, of course).  We had expected more difficulty, and were very pleasantly surprised that nearly every hotel along the way was “pet friendly”.  The additional freedom let us alter our plans at times, like adding Yellowstone National Park to the travel route, when we had originally expected to miss it.

On our return trip, we realized that stopping for a park activation worked really well as a break during long days of driving.  We could stretch, eat lunch, take Molly for a walk, and CW would help me to clear my head before the remainder of the day’s drive.  In fact, we scheduled additional activations in IL, IN, and OH for just that reason, even though I had previously activated parks in those states.

On our final travel day, we stopped at Lake Norman State Park in Ohio.  Bands were great, and I took time to complete 30 contacts.  The greatest difficulty was ambient noise from the wind blowing across the lake.  This flag tells the tale…

The Parks

In the end, I completed 34 activations of 32 distinct POTA entities during the trip.  I activated in 18 new states during our travels, and finished with 29 of 50 states activated.  When I completed my activation of Mesa Verde National Park, I was within the activation zone of the Park Point SOTA summit (W0C/SJ-019), yielding a simultaneous SOTA/POTA activation.  The following Table lists the activations completed during our trip.  Before leaving, I had already activated OH, IN, and CA, so they do not count among the 18 new states.

A bench at Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa provided an awesome view of the Mississippi River valley while I was making contacts for the activation.
Molly kept watch while I activated Washoe Lake State Park in Nevada.
At Fort Union National Monument in New Mexico, I could look over the ruins of the large adobe hospital building while I was operating.  Fort Union guarded the Santa Fe Trail (now a National Historic Trail and a POTA entity).  I was able to make this a 2-fer activation.

Table:  Parks Activated During the Trip

Date State Park ID Park Name QSOs
09/19/24 IL US-4099 Moraine View SP 12
09/19/24 IA US-2311 Pikes Peak SP 27
09/20/24 WI US-1471 Perrot SP 11
09/20/24 MN US-2466 Afton SP 14
09/23/24 ND US-5748 Fort Abercrombie SHS 27
09/23/24 ND US-4239 North Country Trail NST (2-fer with US-5748) 27
09/24/24 SD US-0850 Minuteman Missile NHS 23
09/25/24 SD US-0005 Badlands NP 11
09/25/24 SD US-7487 Buffalo Gap NGL 34
09/26/24 SD US-0786 Mount Rushmore NM 11
09/26/24 SD US-4524 Black Hills NF 22
09/27/24 SD US-0786 Mount Rushmore NM 49
09/27/24 NE US-7478 Oglala NGL 18
09/27/24 WY US-0920 Devils Tower NM 15
09/28/24 MT US-4502 Custer Gallatin NF 16
09/29/24 WY US-0070 Yellowstone NP 11
09/29/24 ID US-4475 Caribou Targhee NF 13
09/30/24 UT US-3075 Great Salt Lake SP 11
10/01/24 NV US-2640 Washoe Lake SP 12
10/19/24 CA US-0651 Point Reyes NS 11
10/24/24 AZ US-0030 Grand Canyon NP 33
10/25/24 AZ US-0057 Petrified Forest NP 18
10/26/24 CO US-0051 Mesa Verde NP 23
10/26/24 CO W0C/SJ-019 Park Point SOTA Summit (joint with US-0051) 23
10/27/24 NM US-0933 Fort Union NM 17
10/27/24 NM US-4579 Santa Fe Trail NHT (2-fer with US-0933) 17
10/27/24 OK US-7481 Rita Blanca NGL 14
10/28/24 KS US-9191 Pawnee Rock SHS 19
10/28/24 KS US-4579 Santa Fe Trail NHT (2-fer with US-9191) 19
10/29/24 MO US-3345 Confederate Memorial SHS 14
10/29/24 MO US-3356 Mark Twain Birthplace SHS 14
10/30/24 IL US-4097 Kickapoo SRA 17
10/30/24 IN US-10247 Lawrence Creek SNR 23
10/30/24 IN US-2256 Fort Harrison SP (2-fer with US-10247) 23
10/31/24 OH US-3515 Lake Milton SP 30
Shading denotes my first activation in the indicated state.
My first activation of the trip was at Moraine View State Recreation Area in Illinois.

Activation Experience

One of the amazing things about our beautiful country is that each state has a seemingly different character than all of the others.  While there can be similarity, topography, geography, climate, and vegetation combine to make something unique.  From a POTA activator’s perspective, this uniqueness means that you must be ready to deploy antennas using a variety of different techniques.  Living in Pennsylvania (Penn’s Woods) means that I am able to find a tree at almost any location where I choose to activate.  This is definitely not the case in many other states. Continue reading Six Weeks and 7300 Miles: Activating on the Road →

Accessories, Antennas, Articles, Field Radio Kits, Field Reports, Grab And Go, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA, Travel

Flying High and Keying Low: A Pilot’s QRP Adventures Across the USA

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Many thanks to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the following guest post:

Elecraft KH1 Anytime and Anywhere Adventures

by Micah (N4MJL)

Anywhere and anytime—that’s how I like to describe my Elecraft KH1. This radio goes everywhere I go. As an airline pilot, I bounce from coast to coast and everywhere in between almost daily. Since I’m constantly on the move, my radio gear has to be small and compact.

I’m a third-generation ham radio CW operator. Anyone who’s heard me on the air knows I’m still quite new to CW. I only started running CW activations with POTA/SOTA in the spring of 2024. Here’s the gear that’s been working well for me, along with a few photos from the locations I’ve had the pleasure of activating.

I’ve found that the Pelican M50 micro case is the perfect “shack in a box” for my KH1. This setup goes everywhere with me. Here’s what fits perfectly in the M50:

  • Packtenna 9:1 random wire
  • 20 ft BNC coax
  • Panasonic ErgoFit earbuds
  • SP4 paddles from CW Morse
  • KH1 (fully loaded with internal battery and tuner)
  • 30 ft throw line
  • Write-in-the-Rain notebook
  • High Visibility Orange Cap-O-Matic Fisher Space Pen (with lanyard)
  • Desiccant silica gel pack

In pedestrian mobile configuration, the KH1 is a solid system. I’ve done several activations this way. That said, after 45 minutes of holding the KH1 in this setup, I’m ready to wrap up! Having a portable shack that lets me deploy a random wire that tunes 40-15m and a more ergonomically designed key drastically improves my capabilities.

In many urban environments where I activate POTA, pedestrian mobile is essential. Unfortunately, the security in urban parks can be unpredictable, and the KH1 allows me to operate on the go and quickly move if needed.

Some of you may be wondering what I did to the inside of my M50 case. Well, in my defense, it’s my wife’s fault. She left me unsupervised with a glue gun and a bit of alcohol. When my KH1 arrived this spring, solar conditions were poor, so I had a few days to think and decided to turn the case into a makeshift Faraday box. I used Polyken aluminum tape, cardboard, and a glue gun to line it. Now, I know what you’re thinking: there’s no electrical bonding between the lid and lower box due to the rubber seal, so will this really work as a Faraday cage? Maybe, maybe not—but it sure looks cool! What do you think?

In addition to the M50 case, I carry a support pouch (Magpul DAKA, size small). This heavy-duty, water-resistant pouch contains:

  • 31 ft counterpoise wire
  • AXE1 40m antenna extender
  • Bioenno battery 12V 3Ah (backup battery—“1 is none, and 2 is 1” if you know, you know!)
  • KH1 power cable
  • KH1 right-angle antenna mount

These items aren’t essential but are nice to have for longer activations.

When I’m done flying and ready to play radio, I pack all this gear into my Flash 22 day pack. This compact, minimalist pack takes up almost no room in my flight bag and even has a built-in whistle on the chest strap, which is perfect for California!

When conditions allow, I enjoy using the full five watts of power. My go-to antenna is the SOTAbeams Band Hopper III, which is a versatile half-wave linked dipole:

  • Rated 125 watts
  • Center-fed with 33 ft RG174 coax
  • Guying system included
  • Resonant on 20m, 30m, and 40m (no tuner needed, though the KH1 tuner will also tune up 17m and 15m)
  • Built-in balun
  • Weighs only 14 oz

The wire/guying winders are excellent, and I’ve used this system in all kinds of environments, from sandy beaches to mountain tops above the treeline. I replaced the aluminum tent pegs with plastic ones to keep TSA happier.

The SOTAbeams Tactical Mini Mast fits diagonally in my 22″ roller board. I wrap heavy rubber-coated wire around it to secure it to posts or shrubs when needed.

Along with this radio gear, I also manage to pack a change of clothes—usually enough for a five-day trip. I typically fly three trips a month, each lasting four to five days. My roller board carries me and my radio gear from plane to plane all week long.

On a short backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail (June 3, 2024), I activated SOTA summit W4V/BR-007 Three Ridges and the Three Ridges Wilderness area (POTA US-9959). The mountain in the distance is The Priest (W4V/BR-002), which I activated earlier this year with my LNR Precision MTR4B.

The summit of Three Ridges is a densely wooded area, so I stopped below the summit to enjoy the view, grab a quick snack, and play some radio. I snagged two POTA-only QSOs with W8WZ in Louisiana and KU8T in Indiana using the KH1’s whip antenna. Once I reached the summit, I used the Packtenna 9:1 random wire for my activation. Continue reading Flying High and Keying Low: A Pilot’s QRP Adventures Across the USA →

Antennas, Articles, Field Reports, Guest Posts, POTA

64-Contacts Spanning 6-Bands, 8-Countries, 3-Continents Using A 17m Coaxial-Sleeve Vertical Dipole

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Gee, the title almost tells the whole story.  But not really.  The title is where I ended up; how I got there, is the story.

Here’s the story.

Today, I hope to activate Fintry Protected Area CA-3505 in southern British Columbia.

One of my objectives since I started POTA last year is to try to activate as many parks as I can in the Okanagan region of BC that have not yet been activated by anyone.  Nothing like a good challenge.  I expect that most of them haven’t been activated because they are quite remote and difficult to access unless one has a true off-road all-terrain vehicle.  Even at that, sometimes it still requires backpacking-in, to boot (no pun intended).  This is in part because many of the Protected Areas and Ecological Reserves are not always directly accessible by vehicle.  The roads often do not enter the park boundaries at all.  They get you close, and then you need to hoof-it in to be POTA legit inside the park boundaries.

Fintry Protected Area has never been activated before, by anyone. I’m wondering why?  Compared to many of my past activations, it isn’t nearly as difficult to access as some others I’ve been to.

The location in Fintry CA-3505 that I will be activating today is located about a 1-hour drive north of Kelowna, BC (where I live) via West Kelowna.  The last section of travel is via rough gravel roads.

Continue reading 64-Contacts Spanning 6-Bands, 8-Countries, 3-Continents Using A 17m Coaxial-Sleeve Vertical Dipole →

Articles, Field Reports, Guest Posts, Portable Power, POTA, Solar

Pushing My 2016 Subaru Forester to its Off-Road Limits to Activate Buse Hill in CA-3287

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It’s another beautiful cloudless day in southern British Columbia (16 Sept, 2024).  My goal for today is to activate Buse Hill Lookout, located in Buse Lake Protected Area CA-3287, before the weather turns too cold and wet to venture into the area.

Buse Hill is about a 2.5-hour drive NW from Kelowna, BC where I live.  The last ¾ hour of the drive is on gravel range roads.  My wife Alexis (VE7LXE) is accompanying me on this trip, as always.

While planning for the activation, I closely studied Google Maps Satellite view, as well as Garmin GPS Birds Eye views of the activation area.  This helps me evaluate the terrain and access routes.  I also study the Gov’t of BC Mineral Titles online maps which give both satellite views and topographic views (before POTA, gold panning was my summer hobby and the BC Mineral Titles online maps were essential for knowing where to legally pan).

Access to Buse Hill Lookout, CA-3287. Ecological Reserve south-end access route. Tip: Click on images to enlarge view.

From these maps I can see that the last 1.5 Km is an undefined off-road access route.  From the satellite views, it’s very difficult to assess the viability of a route that my Forester can handle.  So, I knew there was a 50-50 chance I may be able to drive all the way up that last 1.5 Km.  With this in mind, we came prepared for two eventualities:  4-wheel it up, or backpack it up if necessary.

That means having two prepared POTA back packs; one with the KX3 for near car activations, and my KX2 backpack for hiking situations.

Continue reading Pushing My 2016 Subaru Forester to its Off-Road Limits to Activate Buse Hill in CA-3287 →

Articles, Field Radio Kits, Guest Posts, Kits, Morse Code, POTA, QRP, SOTA

The Design Philosophy of the CFT1: From concept to product

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Many thanks to Jonathan KM4CFT who shares this article with us.  If you have an article in your head and want to have it posted here, let’s keep this community going while our friend Thomas continues to help his neighbours. Draft up your story in an email with reference points to the pictures you want embedded and their captions, attach photos to the note and send it my way to vincedeon at gmail dot com and note QRPer in the subject line to get my attention.

By: Jonathan Kayne, KM4CFT

About 10 months ago, I took the plunge to design my own Morse Code transceiver. It was a crazy idea, and this was certainly a massive undertaking, but somehow, I managed to pull off this monumental task. The result of the project was the CFT1, a 5 Band CW Field Transceiver specifically tailored for POTA and SOTA operations. Doing this project was a great learning experience and despite the monumental effort and work I put into it, I really enjoyed getting to design a new product. There is something special when you see something you love and put effort into appear in the hands of others and seeing them enjoy using said product.

The purpose of this article is to outline some of the thoughts I put into when I designed the CFT1. It is not meant to go into the meat and potatoes of RF design work as there are plenty of resources out there that go over that stuff. I have yet to see much discussed on design philosophy of a transceiver so I thought it prudent to document these things. That is; what I took into consideration when putting together the radio. And as I learned in this project, when pulled off correctly, can result in a great product.

Continue reading The Design Philosophy of the CFT1: From concept to product →