Category Archives: Morse Code

New Kneeboard and AX3 Mount: Park Bench Portable POTA at Domaine de Maizerets in Québec City

On June 17, 2025—two days after we arrived at our condo in St-Ferréol-les-Neiges—we drove to Québec City to pick up a few provisions.

My wife loves exploring thrift stores and had mentioned on the way into town that she’d enjoy popping by one before we returned that day. My POTA brain immediately pinged because I remembered a thrift store she enjoyed visiting was very close to one of the first parks I ever activated in Québec City.

I pitched the idea of an activation to my wife and daughters, and they readily approved. Fortunately, I already had my Canada Field Radio Backpack loaded with the Elecraft KH1 in the back of the car!

Domaine de Maizerets (CA-5020)

I first activated this park on June 20, 2022—almost exactly three years earlier. Here’s the field report. (I didn’t film that activation.)

Back then, it was an ATNO (All Time New One)—the park had never been activated before.

It was also one of the very first proper urban parks I’d activated. By “urban,” I mean a park that’s located in the city, on the smaller side, and fairly busy with activities and locals who live nearby.

As I posted a couple of days ago, I’m learning to become a better, more adaptive, urban park activator—since I usually activate large state, provincial, and national parks where I have all the space I need to play radio.

Having visited this park several times over the past few years, I already had a good idea of where I’d like to activate and how I’d like to do it.

New Field Gear!

As I mentioned earlier this week, my buddy Mike (KE8PTX) has been hard at work in his top-secret, underground laboratory developing accessories for the Elecraft KH1 and AX3 antenna. I knew this activation would give me a chance to test two of them.

The first is a new kneeboard designed specifically for the KH1. It’s super simple, lightweight, compact—and I love it.

It also includes a steel base that can magnetically lock your key in place.

The board secures the KH1 and paddle, and the adjustable elastic strap keeps the board firmly on your leg. It’s so secure, you can easily stand up and reposition without anything sliding off. That’s a big deal—because during longer activations, I tend to shift positions or stretch. This kneeboard lets me do that without worrying about my rig.

Some of you might be thinking, “But isn’t the KH1 meant to be a pedestrian mobile radio? Why not operate handheld?

That’s a great point! Pedestrian mobile is absolutely the way to go if you’re using the included 4’ telescoping whip antenna. But if you want to use a different antenna—like the AX3 or a wire antenna—I prefer to sit and operate, since those options limit mobility.

AX3 Strap Mount

Speaking of the AX3, I planned to pair it with the KH1 for this activation—and I had a new secret weapon: a strap mount Mike designed.

It’s a brilliantly simple mount based on the ¼-20 threaded base on the AX3. Just a threaded adapter attached to a Velcro strap. That’s it.

So super simple.

Since the AX3 is so lightweight, this strap mount opens up a variety of mounting possibilities. For this activation, I planned to use it on a park bench.

At time of posting, Mike’s accessories aren’t yet available for purchase. Joshua (N5FY) at Tufteln will produce these for purchase in the coming weeks. When he does, I’ll announce it on QRPer.com.

Setting Up

I found a nice, albeit conspicuous, park bench next to the creek that runs through the middle of the park.

First, I mounted the AX3 to the top slat of the bench’s backrest. It worked brilliantly.

 

My daughter made a short video panning across the park–can you spot me?

From a distance, you can’t tell that the guy in the Tilley hat near the footbridge is a Morse Code and POTA nut!

Time to hit the airwaves!

Gear

Note: All Amazon links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

Radio

Antenna System

Camera and Audio Gear

Logging

Backpack

On The Air

I suspected this would be a challenging activation—and I was right. Propagation had been in the dumps, and several friends had mentioned struggling with their activations that same day.

Normally, this isn’t when I’d choose to use a compromised antenna, but in this case:

  1. I wanted to keep the setup very low-impact and respectful of other park guests, and
  2. I was eager to test Mike’s new accessories!

After tweaking the antenna position to accommodate the cable length from the AX3 package, I started calling CQ POTA. Continue reading New Kneeboard and AX3 Mount: Park Bench Portable POTA at Domaine de Maizerets in Québec City

Adaptive Urban Park Activating (AUPA): A New Personal Challenge

When we plotted our trip to Canada this year, I mentally set a goal for myself: to get better at Adaptive Urban Park Activating (AUPA).

Yeah, I just made that initiative up. Don’t laugh (too hard).

Let me explain…

Back home in North Carolina—and really, most of the parks I travel to in the eastern half of the U.S.—are large state and national parks. When I set up my field radio gear, I typically have a vast area with many choice sites to choose from. It’s easy to disappear into the void, and park staff have no issue with the antennas I deploy.

That said, I also activate quite a few small state historic sites, but in each case, I know the park staff and they know me. I always ask for permission before activating and describe the antenna I plan to deploy. We’ve built relationships over time, and they allow me to activate with essentially no restrictions. I can deploy wire antennas, verticals, loops—whatever I choose.

But the truth is, I have two conflicting interests when I’m in a park.

First, I enjoy being a public and (hopefully) positive impression of the amateur radio community when I’m approached by park guests and staff. POTA gives me an excuse to talk about the importance—and fun—of amateur radio. Since Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina, I’ve seen even more interest from locals who stop to ask what I’m doing because they heard that amateur radio played an important role in emergency communications during the aftermath.

That said, in general, I try to be as low-impact and inconspicuous as possible when operating in public spaces. I don’t want my antennas to be trip hazards or interfere with others’ enjoyment of the park. And if I’m being honest, I’m naturally introverted—I like to disappear and be left alone.

The balance I try to strike is deploying gear in a way that doesn’t interfere with others, while also not worrying too much if someone notices my setup. If I’m not bothering anyone but I’m visible enough to serve as a sort of radio ambassador, that’s the best of both worlds, right?

Right!

Adaptive Urban Park Activating

Which brings us back to this philosophy I made up five minutes ago…

When I packed for our trip to Canada, I knew most of the parks I’d be activating in and around Québec City would either be urban parks or national wildlife refuges. In both cases, I aim for field setups that are low-impact, sensitive to surroundings, and unlikely to attract negative attention.

I also had to pack compact and light—we maxed out our Subaru for this multi-week trip. So I brought my usual assortment of wire antennas (end-fed half-waves and random wires) and my self-supporting, low-impact verticals: the Elecraft AX1 and the new AX3.

If you watched my recent field radio pack video, you’ll have an idea of my core setup.

I left behind the Chelegance MC-750, the Radioddity HF-009, and the Chameleon MPAS Lite self-supporting verticals.

The POTA20 mast

I did bring my POTA20 Explorer carbon fiber pole, which easily fits in my backpack. While the POTA20 Explorer mast is pretty conspicuous when deployed—no way around that, especially if I’m not backed up against a wooded area—I paired it with very short 4:1 and 9:1 EFRW antennas that are super easy to deploy, giving me a stealthier self-supporting vertical option.

In a sense, I chose my lightest, stealthiest antenna options.

When I feel comfortable hanging a wire in an urban park, I do it in a low-impact way: keeping the wire, throw line, and counterpoise all within view and away from high-traffic areas. I keep the footprint as small as possible.

The Propagation Factor

Of course, all of this depends on propagation…

In these urban activations, I’ve placed more emphasis on compromised antennas—either my 4-foot AX1 and AX3 verticals or 17-foot end-feds. And I knew before leaving that propagation’s been spotty these past few weeks (months?). I expected I’d need more time to activate parks with these setups.

Indeed, the first park I activated in Canada was Fort Wellington National Historic Site (here’s a link to the field report). That day, a festival brought a lot of foot traffic to the park, so I went very low-impact—not just out of respect for the historic site, but also the crowds.

I set up my KX2 and AX1, unsure if I’d manage to activate at all. Fortunately, I did.

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see a common thread in my Canadian field reports: stealth and the challenge of becoming a better, more adaptive urban activator. It’s been great practice.

A Few New Tools

I’ve also added some new tools to my kit.

My friend and mad-scientist 3D-print designer, Mike (KE8PTX), made clamp and strap mounts for the new Elecraft AX3 vertical in addition to a new KH1 knee board.

These have made it ridiculously easy to deploy that antenna pretty much anywhere. So far, I’ve mounted it to a park bench (you’ll see this in an upcoming field report) and clamped it to a picnic table in gusty winds.

In many of the Québec City parks I’ve activated, I rarely see staff—there’s no one to ask for permission. So if I’m using an AX1 or AX3 on a table, I feel like I’m having less impact than the average family picnic. If a park employee were to approach me, I’d like to think there’d be no grounds for complaint.

CW + Earphones = Super Stealthy

I’ve also been using earphones a lot more than usual. I actually enjoy using earphones for activations, but I typically rely on my speaker instead because, frankly, it makes for quicker and easier activation video setups.

But when you’re doing a CW activation with earphones, you’re super stealthy—no sound, no fuss. This is one major benefit of CW over voice modes: we can send without speaking out loud.

For this reason, I’ve been recording my audio directly from the radio for activation videos when I’m in an urban park setting.

To be clear, I actually think the sound of CW can be pleasant and even intriguing to many people. But I can’t assume everyone feels the same way—especially in urban parks, where visitors are often trying to escape noise. A quiet, discreet setup just feels more respectful in that context.

What About You?

The KH1 in Pedestrian Mobile mode is a very low-impact way to do urban POTA.

Do you activate urban parks or low-profile sites where you aim to remain low-impact? What’s your default setup?

I’d love to hear how you approach this—especially if you’re working with limited space, increased visibility, or extra constraints.

You’ll see more on this topic in my upcoming videos.

72,

Thomas (VY2SW / K4SWL)

POTA in the Heart of Europe: Ken’s Travels in Hungary

Many thanks to Ken (WR7D) for sharing the following field report and travelogue:


POTA in Hungary

by Ken (HA/WR7D)

I had the opportunity to take a short notice trip to Hungary the beginning of June. I was accompanying my daughter who was attending a class at the University of Debrecen as part of her PhD program at Montana State University. The class was only a week long and we would be in Debrecen for that time and then spend a couple of days in Budapest before heading home.

My wife couldn’t make the trip because of work and my daughter would be occupied with the course for the time in Debrecen so that meant I had all kinds of time to do ham radio stuff. POTA is relatively new in Hungary, but there were already some designated parks around Debrecen and Budapest. One of the POTA coordinators, Greg (HA4UC) even offered to add parks if I found any that I would like to activate that weren’t already designated.

I didn’t have a lot of time to get things organized so I decided to stick with my trusty Elecraft KX2. I thought seriously about taking the Elecraft KH1 also but decided against it in favor of taking extra antennas and support stuff. My plan was to activate using CW with FT8 as a backup. I had been using The KX2 with the iFTx app on my iPhone, a headphone adapter and splitter. That setup had worked well a couple of times already.

The other question was what was required to operate legally in Hungary? I noticed on the POTA website that Spencer, N4KPT, had activated a park in Budapest just a few days prior. Along with his help, I determined that all I needed was a copy of the CEPT agreement, an original copy of my license and my passport. I also needed to prefix my call sign with HA/. Everything was set.

Debrecen

My first activation attempt would be at HU-0010, Debreceni Nagyerő Nature Reserve. This was ideal because it was within easy walking distance of the hotel. The main challenge I had was determining the actual boundaries of the park. The park is generally known as the Great Forest.

From what I found, the Great Forest originally encompassed much more area, but parts were carved out of it for the University of Debrecen, a large city park, a sports stadium and other venues. What was left became the Nature Reserve. I finally found a good drawing that showed the actual boundaries of the reserve. The red circle in the picture below is where I activated from.

For this attempt, I used the EFRW 4:1 from Tufteln, with a 15ft radiator and a 7.5 foot counterpoise. I had contacted Joshua about getting one of his EFRW no transformer antennas that would work great with the KX2. He suggested this new 4:1 antenna with the much shorter elements. He shipped it as fast as he could but no guarantee that it would arrive in time. Considering that, I built a simpler version of his no transformer antenna just in case.

I deployed the EFRW 4:1 antenna on a POTA20 mast. I didn’t even need to use the full height of the antenna. The antenna tuned fine, but I wasn’t getting any answers to my CW calls. I tried a couple different bands with no luck after quite some time. I decided to switch to FT8 on 20m. I was receiving and decoding signals but was having quite a time getting successful transmissions. I decided to call it a day after that.

Second Attempt

A couple days later, I attempted an activation from the same location. I had done some troubleshooting back in the hotel after the first attempt and believe I had discovered the problem with FT8 on the first attempt.

This time I used the EFRW no transformer antenna that I had built. This antenna has a 28.5 foot radiator and counterpoise. The radiator was suspended from a tree with the counterpoise on the ground. Again, I received no answers to my CW calls. I again switched to FT8. This time I was successful and made 15 contacts all over Europe in about an hour and a half. That’s not great for FT8, but a successful activation.

Below is a picture of my CW setup and my backpack of goodies. I made the knee board based off Carolanne’s (N0RNM) design. Mine is a bit smaller and I added a metal plate on the lower section for attaching magnetic keys. In this case a BaMaKeY TP-III.

Here is a map of the QSO’s from that activation.

I was planning on activating another park near Debrecen but after looking at the logistics to get there, I had second thoughts. Then a big geomagnetic storm hit about that time, so I decided not to attempt it.

Even though the band conditions were bad, I decided to try HU-0010 a third time since it was so convenient. Again, I received no answers on CW. I didn’t hear any CW traffic at all on 40m and 20m. I tried FT8 again but had more technical difficulties. I think I’ve decided this was a mic bias issue. It seems that the setting doesn’t survive a power cycle in DATA mode. The radio will always start with the mic bias on. I think that resulted in damage to the USB-C to headphone adapter.

After more testing back at the hotel, I’m not sure about the mic bias setting. Sometimes the bias will remain off when the radio is power cycled in DATA mode. Regardless, the solution is to power up the KX2 and make sure the mic bias is off before connecting the headphone adapter and splitter cord. Fortunately, I did find a new headphone adapter in Debrecen that I could use in Budapest. Continue reading POTA in the Heart of Europe: Ken’s Travels in Hungary

Tough Bands, Tiny Antenna: An AX1 Activation at Fort Wellington NHS

Note: This first field report from my 2025 trip to Canada happens to coincide with Canada Day (today, July 1, 2025). Happy Canada Day!

by Thomas (VY2SW / K4SWL)

In a previous post, I mentioned that my family was heading north into Canada for a few weeks this summer. This trip wasn’t easy to carve out of our schedule, but we were looking for a bit of escape from all of the Hurricane Helene clean-up—and, frankly, we were craving some family time.

We arrived in Canada (via the Thousand Islands Bridge) on Saturday, June 14, 2025, in the late afternoon. Had it not been such a tiring drive that day, I would have activated Thousand Islands National Park (CA-0099), but honestly? We were all ready to check into our hotel in Brockville, Ontario, take a stroll along the waterfront, and grab some dinner.

Brockville waterfront

The next morning (June 15, 2025), I took a look at the POTA map and determined that we had plenty of time for a park activation before heading into Québec. Several options lay along our route, but one, in particular, caught my attention:

Fort Wellington National Historic Site (CA-4868)

Fort Wellington is a Parks Canada site situated right along the St. Lawrence River, which we were traveling beside. Even better, it was only about a 15-minute drive from our hotel.

We arrived on-site around 10:15 AM local time and immediately noticed the parking area in front of Fort Wellington was barricaded for an event. I saw two Parks Canada rangers standing out front, so I asked them about the event and whether it was okay to park on the street in front of the property. They couldn’t have been kinder.

Turns out, the town was hosting an outdoor BBQ ribs event that Sunday. It’s as if they expected a ham from North Carolina to pick their site for POTA! It was a pretty big event for a town as small as Prescott—there were loads of entertainers, food trucks serving all forms of BBQ, and tours of Fort Wellington.

I asked the rangers if they were familiar with Parks On The Air (they were!) and if I could set up on the NHS property closer to the river and away from all the festivities. They gave me permission.

I should add here that I volunteered not to put any antennas in trees or place stakes in the ground to mount my telescoping carbon fiber pole. As a rule of thumb, I default to my lowest-impact setups when at archaeological or historic sites. I feel it’s not only respectful but also leaves a good impression of ham radio operators for park staff who may encounter activators after me.

My wife and daughters were encouraged to take a free trolley tour of Prescott—how could they resist? They told me later that it was a hoot.

I made my way down to a shady spot under a tree by the river.

To keep things low-impact, I set up my Nemo portable table and Helinox chair, then deployed my KX2/AX1 field kit.

I’ll be honest here…

Propagation had been very rough the previous day, and numbers were indicating challenging conditions during my activation as well. This wasn’t a day I’d normally opt for my most compromised antenna, but here we were. My hope was that I could call CQ on every band possible using the AX1 and somehow gather enough contacts (10 total) to validate the activation.

Backpocket strategy

So here’s the deal: most of us activators aim to get the minimum number of contacts in order to complete a valid activation (10 for POTA, 4 for SOTA).

When I’m activating a park I’ve done numerous times before? I honestly don’t care if I don’t reach 10. I’m just happy to get outdoors and play radio. I try not to let the threat of poor propagation stop me.

However, when I’m activating a new-to-me park, I really want to validate it. I want those 10 contacts—and I’m willing to spend more time on the air to get them.

Technically, since I’m traveling with three other licensed hams (my wife and daughters) and we have two dual-band HTs in the car, I really only need to make four HF contacts. I could make three FM contacts on 2 meters, then three more on 70 cm with my family. That gives me 10 total.

In fact, I also have multiple HF radios and dummy loads in the car, so I could get away with never deploying an antenna at all—I could just log 10 park-to-park contacts with my family.

But where’s the fun in that, right?

Actually, I say that, but it can be fun—in situations where you’re left with no other options—to do P2P contacts with your own crew, as my buddy Vince proves here.

Still, I was determined to log “my ten” all on the HF bands, using five watts into my 4’ AX1 antenna.

The only way to find out if I could? Hit the air!

Gear

Note: All Amazon and eBay links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

Radio

Antenna

Pack/Case

Logging Pad/Pencil

Chair/Table

Camera/Audio Gear

On The Air

As expected, propagation was rough.

I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters—the band I knew would likely give me the best chance. Continue reading Tough Bands, Tiny Antenna: An AX1 Activation at Fort Wellington NHS

Moonlander to the Rescue: A Tabletop FT-818 POTA Activation on the Blue Ridge Parkway

On Friday, May 23, 2025, I had a good 90 or so minutes to play radio, and the Blue Ridge Parkway (as always) is the easiest hit for me when running around in the Asheville, NC area.

I was in the western part of Asheville, though, so I needed to find a site to set up. I’d packed my Yaesu FT-818, which is very much a tabletop radio (compared with, say, my Elecraft KX2 or KH1). A picnic table would have been ideal, but there are no sites on the BRP with picnic tables in the western part of town.

I could have driven a bit further to Lake Powhatan, but it would have cut 20 or so minutes out of my activation and I’d rather opt for more time on the air than the convenience of a picnic table.

Fortunately, I packed a secret weapon—one I’d taken to Hamvention weekend and was still in the car…

The Nemo Moonlander Portable Table

Moonlander with extension legs (Photo by Nemo)

There’s a story behind this table.

Back in November 2023, when we were recording the “Holiday Shopping Show” on the Ham Radio Workbench Podcast, my dear friend George (KJ6VU)—who shares a passion for quality gear—suggested that I invest in a Nemo Moonlander portable table [note: QRPer Amazon affiliate link].

I’ll be honest: I had some credit either on Amazon or REI (I can’t remember) and decided to make the purchase based solely on George’s recommendation.

This was a splurge since the Moonlander costs around $150–180 US (!!!), depending on the color variation. When I purchased mine, I believe I paid about $160. In my book, that’s a lot of money for a portable table.

Moonlander top (Photo by Nemo)

George’s selling point was that it’s the only portable table he’d used that was actually super sturdy and functional. The table surface is strong, the table has two heights (with and without the legs installed), and it folds flat. It’s not super lightweight like some portable table options on the market, but it is adaptable and useful.

When I received the Moonlander, I was very pleased with the design: it was everything George had described. The surface is so strong I could put a heavy object on it and the table wouldn’t buckle. The table, if anything, feels over-engineered. I like that.

The hinges and leg storage is beefy (Photo by Nemo)

Thing is, though, I hardly ever thought about taking this little table out to the field with me with POTA or SOTA in mind. We used it a bit for family picnics, but I tended to default to my smaller portable radios combined with a kneeboard to play radio in the field where there are no picnic tables or benches to set up.

In fact, I believe the first time I used this little table in a field radio outing was this past December (one full year after I’d purchased it) for this Christmas Eve video.

During that outing, I only used the table to hold my coffee and some Christmas cookies. I still used my kneeboard to hold my KX2.

I realized during that outing, though, that the height of the Moonlander table—with the legs installed—was about perfect for the height of my much-loved Helinox backpack chair. With it set up next to the chair, it was a great ergonomic height for me to reach things on the table.

Two months later, in early February, I took the Nemo Moonlander to the field and thought I’d experiment with using it to hold my radio and key. For some reason, I can’t find this field report or video in my archives (I’ll need to check my hard drive once I’m back from my Canada travels). Here’s a photo from that activation:

This activation taught me that the Moonlander is actually incredibly functional and gives me the flexibility to use my larger portables like the TR-45L, Argonaut V or VI, K2, RGO One, or my FT-818 (the subject of this field report) a proper place to operate.

I had not recommended the Nemo Moonlander up to this point on QRPer.com because I felt like it was just too pricey for something that had limited utility for field radio operating. My mind has completely changed on this point, though! Yes, it’s very pricey and, yes, I’m sure there are cheaper third-party knock-offs of this design already, but I’m very pleased with this purchase. I feel like the Moonlander will last me the rest of my days. The folding design is so clever. Check out this from Nemo showing the components and how it can be set up:

In short, I’ve really done a 180 here: the Moonlander—very much an impulse purchase at the time with a touch of buyer’s remorse—has become one of my favorite field accessories.

Back to our field report…

I drove to a site on the Blue Ridge Parkway near the bridge that crosses I-26 where there’s an easy pull-off and parking spot for a few cars. I’ve activated this particular site at least once before.

I walked into the woods perhaps 10 meters and started setting up my table and radio gear.

I was in a bit of pain that day, and I mention this in the video because I was a little concerned I might have difficulty sitting in my hiking chair so close to the ground. The previous evening, when walking to my neighbor’s house on a path in the woods, I slipped on a large white oak trunk. I landed on the right side of my chest on the log. The pain was significant enough earlier the next morning (the day of this activation) I set up an appointment at my doctor’s office and they made a few chest x-rays. Fortunately, it was just bruised ribs. Also fortunately, it didn’t cause me too many problems during this activation—I just had to be careful how I moved about.

I set up the Yaesu FT-818 in short order and deployed my end-fed half-wave antenna knowing that it would give me good coverage sans ATU on the 20 and 40 meter bands.

Band conditions had been so crappy, I wasn’t sure what to expect once I hopped on the air.

Fortunately, it turned out that propagation was pretty solid that day…

Gear

Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, Spooltenna, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

Radio and Battery System

Antenna & Cable Assembly

Arborist Throw Line

Key and Accessories

Other Gear

Camera and Audio

On The Air

I started calling CQ POTA on the 20 meter band and was rewarded with a nice stream of adept POTA hunters calling. Continue reading Moonlander to the Rescue: A Tabletop FT-818 POTA Activation on the Blue Ridge Parkway

POTA QRP: A Mid-Week Reset with the FT-818 and Spooltenna!

by Thomas (K4SWL)

On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, I had another opportunity to squeeze in a POTA activation during a late morning drive back to the mountains after visiting my father, who was in the hospital at the time.

Once again, I chose one of my favorite POTA sites that I don’t get to visit nearly enough these days: Tuttle Educational State Forest.

Tuttle Educational State Forest (US-4861)

The weather that Wednesday was nearly perfect, and I was really looking forward to getting on the air.

One advantage of early-to-late morning activations this time of year is avoiding those unpredictable afternoon pop-up thunderstorms that are so common and can chase one off the air.

I picked out a shady picnic table beneath a canopy of trees, hoping it would provide a few good options for hanging a sloper.

Spooltenna Time!

As I mention in the activation video, I was an early beta tester of the Spooltenna. Just before Hamvention, Rob (KO4HUI) sent me a final production version so mine would match what’s now shipping. This was the first time I’d deployed the production model in a sloper configuration.

Full disclosure: I didn’t pay for this antenna, as I volunteered as a beta tester. Rob and his wife Christi also invited QRPer to join the affiliate program, so QRPer earns a small percentage of any sale made through our link.

When I surveyed the trees around my site, I realized I didn’t immediately see a branch directly over my operating position. That’s really what a sloper needs—especially with this antenna—because the feed point is elevated and a bit heavier than something like the far end of an EFHW radiator. I also wanted to maximize height using my 25′ cable assembly, which meant a more vertical hang would be best.

Eventually, I spotted the perfect branch. It took a couple tosses with the throw line–my window to hit it was narrow–but that’s part of the fun!

Slopers have great performance characteristics, so it was worth the (wee bit of) extra effort. And to be fair, if I deployed slopers more often, I’d probably be a lot better at it!

With the Spooltenna deployed, I simply set up my Yaesu FT-818 and I quickly checked the SWR on 20 meters where I planned to start the activation. Turns out, it was a near perfect match! Woo hoo!

Time to get this activation started!

Gear

Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, Spooltenna, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

Radio and Battery System

Antenna & Cable Assembly

Arborist Throw Line

Key and Accessories

Other Gear

Camera and Audio

On The Air

I started calling CQ POTA and was pleasantly surprised: 20 meters had some life! Continue reading POTA QRP: A Mid-Week Reset with the FT-818 and Spooltenna!

Putting the New Radioddity HF-009 Portable Vertical Antenna on the Air — QRP Style!

by Thomas (K4SWL)

The day before I left on my week-long FDIM/Hamvention trip, I received a package in the mail from Radioddity containing their soon-to-be-released HF-009 vertical antenna.

In the spirit of full disclosure: Radioddity is not only a sponsor of QRPer, but we’re also an affiliate—meaning that if you purchase items via our affiliate link, we receive a small percentage of the sale, and you get a small discount. Radioddity sent this antenna to me free of charge. I don’t know yet if they want it back after I evaluate it, but let’s assume (for future transparency) that they don’t.

My Bias

When I evaluate gear, I like to take you along for the ride—and that means actually using the gear in the field.

It took me a few weeks to get around to evaluating the HF-009. Not only was I swamped post-Hamvention, but honestly, a part of me wasn’t looking forward to tinkering with this antenna.

The HF-009 is a multi-band vertical that uses a slide‑and‑tap center coil system. I know many operators who love sliding-coil verticals, but I’m just not one of them.

Early on in my POTA days, based on reader recommendations, I purchased the venerable Wolf River Coils vertical antenna. It uses a sliding coil system—like the HF-009—though its coil is located at the base of the antenna.

I immediately saw why these antennas are so popular: they deliver multi-band performance without needing an ATU, and they’re surprisingly effective. I had some fantastic activations with my WRC TIA.

My Wolf River Coils “TIA” vertical antenna on Mount Mitchell

But I eventually sold the TIA after discovering the Chelegance MC-750, which I found much easier to deploy and use.

Sliding coil antennas can be a pain to tune. Most friends who use them also carry an antenna analyzer to help dial in the best SWR before hitting the airwaves. While I eventually learned the “sweet spots” on the WRC coil, I often had to tweak it—especially on lower bands like 30, 40, and 80 meters. The more coil you use, the higher the Q—and the narrower the bandwidth.

Personally, I prefer antennas I can just set and forget (like the MC-750), or those that are non-resonant and rely on an ATU for matching (like the Chameleon MPAS Lite).

To be clear, this is just my preference. Center- and base-loaded coil verticals are very popular for good reason: they work. The more you use them, the easier they get. They’re just not my default go-to.

Getting Started

Normally, I film the “discovery” phase of a new antenna or radio in the field—experiencing the full unboxing and set-up for the first time on video, in real time.

But with the HF-009, I wasn’t comfortable doing that. Given my previous experience and bias, I decided to first test the antenna at the QTH, identify good match points for 40, 30, 20, and 17 meters, and then take it to the field.

I set up the HF-009 at home, grabbed my RigExpert analyzer, and spent about 15 minutes finding match points on the coil. Honestly? It wasn’t as tedious as I’d expected.

Because the coil is mounted at a comfortable height—not at the base like the WRC—adjustments were easier. The coil itself is smooth to adjust; I suspect it uses a finer gauge wire than the WRC, which has a clickier feel. The HF-009 is much more fluid.

To remember the coil positions, I took photos of the slider settings and saved them in the Notes app on my iPhone for quick field reference. That turned out to be a very good idea.

Very First Impressions

Before I get ahead of myself, here are a few things I immediately liked about the HF-009:

  • It comes with everything you need, including a coax cable and an SO-239 to BNC adapter.
  • The included carrying case is well-organized and feels solid.
  • When broken down, it’s compact and easy to pack, with shorter segment sections that fit nicely into a backpack.
  • The slider mechanism is smooth, responsive, and placed at a comfortable height.
  • The loading coil is sealed—unlike my WRC vertical, whose exposed coil was affected by moisture.
  • Overall, build quality feels excellent.

On The Air: Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378)

Of course, the best way to put the HF-009 through its paces was to take it to a park and put it on the air.

On Monday, June 9, 2025, I dropped my daughter off at a class and had well over an hour to play radio, so the HF-009 came with me to the Folk Art Center picnic area on the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Since I’d set up the HF-009 once before, it came together very quickly. In fact, I think it’s right there with the MC-750 in deployment time, which is very much a good thing.

I decided to pair the HF-009 with my Penntek TR-45L Skinny. Why? To be honest, I didn’t fully trust the SWR to be acceptable using only the photos I’d taken for the coil slider placement. The TR-45L has a beautiful analog SWR meter, which I find much easier to read in situations where I might need to fine-tune an antenna.

I also packed my RigExpert analyzer because it allows me to make adjustments as I read the SWR.

Turns out, though? It wasn’t an issue at all. During the activation (spoiler alert), I moved from band to band and—solely based on the photos I took of the slider switch position—the SWR was spot-on each time!

Gear

Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

Radio

  • Penntek TR-45L “Skinny”

Antenna System

Key/Cable

Pack/Cover

Battery

Logging

Camera and Audio

On The Air

I positioned the slider switch to the 20-meter position I had noted using this photo from back home.

My 20 meter setting photo

When I checked the SWR on the TR-45L’s analog meter, it was nearly perfect. I was surprised.

I then hopped on 20 meters and started calling CQ POTA. Continue reading Putting the New Radioddity HF-009 Portable Vertical Antenna on the Air — QRP Style!

A Peaceful POTA Stop at Lake James with the Penntek TR-45L

by Thomas (K4SWL)

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, I was on the final leg of my trip back home from Dayton. After spending some time with my father—who was in the hospital at the time (happy to report he’s now home and doing much better!)—I performed a pedestrian mobile activation of Tuttle Educational State Forest (US-4861). Here’s the field report.

After wrapping up that activation, I realized I could likely squeeze in another hour of POTA on the way home. Without a doubt, the best nearby site was Lake James State Park, so I made the 25-minute drive from Tuttle to the Catawba River Access.

Lake James State Park (US-2739)

When I arrived, the park was blissfully quiet—I was one of the only people there. That meant I had my pick of activation sites!

I grabbed my Red Oxx Micro Manager pack, which contained my Penntek TR-45L Skinny, specifically packed for Hamvention.

Inside the bag, I also had my 40-meter end-fed half-wave antenna—homebrewed years ago by my friend Steve (MW0SAW).

I made my way down to one of the lakeside picnic tables. These sites can be hit or miss: they’re close to the boat dock, and when the boats show up, some of them have brutal inverters that wipe out the bands.

But being a quiet Tuesday, I wasn’t too concerned about heavy traffic.

I deployed the antenna quickly, fired up the TR-45L, crossed my fingers that propagation would hold—and hit the air!

Gear

Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

Radio

  • Penntek TR-45L “Skinny”

Antenna System and Throw Line

Key/Cable

Pack/Cover

Battery

Logging

Camera and Audio

On The Air

I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters and was quickly rewarded with a string of friendly hunters.
Continue reading A Peaceful POTA Stop at Lake James with the Penntek TR-45L

Memorial Day POTA activation in Maine

by Micah (N4MJL)

As a junior pilot on the seniority list at American Airlines, it was no surprise to me when my May schedule had me flying all of Memorial Day weekend.

Fortunately, it was a pleasant surprise to see that I had a decent overnight in Portland, Maine. I was scheduled for 15 hours on the ground in Portland, and I was determined to make the most of it. I have overnighted in Portland many times over the last decade, but the overnight was either too short, too cold, or I was too lazy to try to do a POTA activation.

My schedule had me landing in Portland at 23:30 the night prior, and my van time for leaving the hotel to head back to the airport the next day was scheduled at 14:30. It was going to be tight, but I was determined to get a POTA activation completed.


Looking at Google Maps, my hotel location in downtown Portland, was only 4.5 miles from Mackworth Island State Park (US-2395). I knew that I would be able to Uber out to the park, but I wasn’t completely sure about getting back. I decided that worst case scenario, I could walk 4.5 miles in about 1.5 hours back to my hotel.

My window to be on the air was going to be from 0900 to 1200. That would leave me enough time to walk back to my hotel if a return Uber did not work out, and still give me enough time to get showered and looking pretty in my uniform before flying.

I had a workable plan, so it was time to go give it a try.

I woke up early Memorial Day, packed my radio gear, and summoned an Uber. I had the Uber drop me off at the beginning of the bridge heading out to the state park. It was an absolutely beautiful day. I was just hoping the solar storms that have been hitting us would allow me to get at least 10 contacts in the 3 hour window I had available.

The trail around the perimeter of the Island is amazing and already pretty busy for 0930 in the morning. I realized that even if I didn’t activate the park, it was still worth coming out here. I headed up the trail around the north side of the island. The further I walked, I started to worry that I would not find a good place out of the way to hang my wire antenna in a tree. I did not feel comfortable about going off the established trail in such a beautiful and busy park.

I could use my KH1 in pedestrian mobile configuration, but due to the recent solar conditions I would not be as confident in getting my 10 contacts using the whip antenna. Continue reading Memorial Day POTA activation in Maine

This Rig Was Made For Walking: Pedestrian Mobile POTA with the Elecraft KH1!

by Thomas (K4SWL)

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, I was on the final stretch of my journey home after spending a full week on the road for FDIM and Hamvention.

The previous day—Monday—I had driven from Dayton, Ohio, to Hickory, North Carolina, so I could be with my father during his surgery. Thankfully, the operation was a complete success and wrapped up late that afternoon. I spent the evening with him and opted to stay overnight in a hotel in Hickory so I could check on him again early the next morning.

By Tuesday morning, he was doing well, and the doctors gave me the all-clear. So, I packed up and began the final leg of my trip back to the QTH.

Instead of heading straight home, though, I wanted to fit in a bit more POTA. Due to my father’s surgery, I had left Dayton a day early, missing a planned activation day with my Ham Radio Workbench friends.

The weather was wonderful, and I was curious to see if Tuttle Educational State Forest had reopened yet. The park had been closed since late September 2024 due to storm damage from Hurricane Helene. A quick call to the Tuttle office confirmed they were indeed open that Tuesday morning!

Tuttle Educational State Forest (US-4861)

If you’ve been a reader here for a while, you’ll know that Tuttle is one of my favorite POTA sites in the region. I’d really missed popping by for activations, so it felt like a bit of a homecoming when I pulled into the site entrance.

The first thing I noticed was the excellent progress on their new educational building. Thankfully, no trees had fallen on it during Helene.

There were still a number of roped-off areas in the park—spots the staff hadn’t yet cleared of tree debris.

I parked my car with one goal in mind: to film a true pedestrian mobile activation.

QRP POTA in Motion

Photo from my activation of Samuel Gross Memorial Woods on May 20, 2024.

Exactly one year ago to the day, I activated a park in Ohio completely pedestrian mobile—walking the entire time. It was a blast, even though band conditions were truly horrendous.

I wrote about that activation in this field report.

The only downside? I wasn’t able to take you along for the ride because I had no way to mount a camera and record the activation.

Several months ago, I purchased a clip-on camera mount for this very purpose. I first tested it while activating a park in western NC this past February, but the resulting footage was almost unwatchable—my arms and hands blocked the view the entire time. I realized I’d need to mount the camera much higher (near my shoulder) to make the video useful and enjoyable.

This activation at Tuttle gave me the perfect opportunity to properly test my new pedestrian mobile setup.

The funny thing is, setting up the KH1 for a pedestrian mobile activation is super, super easy—it literally takes about 20 seconds.

But if you’re making a video? That’s another story.

First, I pull the audio directly from the KH1 by connecting its headphone output to my Sony digital recorder. I then plug my earphones into the recorder. The audio cable from the radio to the recorder is long enough that I can comfortably walk with the recorder in my pocket.

Next, I mount the camera on my shirt and do a quick check to make sure it’s capturing video properly (which isn’t easy—the camera’s so close to my head that I can’t see the screen!).

An unflattering selfie of me managing the camera and radio.

Finally, I take a few extra moments to make audio and video cues to help me synchronize everything in post-production.

All told, it took me an additional 10 minutes to get the camera and audio gear set up and verified. Time well spent, though—I’ve always wanted to film an activation in motion!

Horrible Propagation

Propagation in and around Hamvention (and even today as I write this) has been pretty unstable.

It was so bad two days prior that some of our friends had to complete their POTA activation by working a number of us Park-To-Park using dummy loads. If that doesn’t make a lot of sense, I suggest you check out this (funny) video my friend Vince (VE6LK) made of the whole thing.

So, did it make sense to attempt a POTA activation in these conditions, pedestrian mobile, using a 5-watt handheld radio and a 4-foot whip antenna? Probably not, but I didn’t care. As Farragut put it, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Gear

Note: All Amazon links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

Radio and Antenna System

Camera and Audio Gear

On The Air

While Tuttle has a really nice single-track trail network, I did not hike these for this pedestrian mobile activation for a couple of reasons (reasons I’d suggest you pay close attention to if you decide to walk and operate at the same time).

First off, it’s a bad idea to try to operate radio on a track that is uneven with rocks and tree roots along the entire route. It’s a recipe for tripping, twisting an ankle, and (even worse) falling flat on your face while holding a $1,000+ radio.

Secondly, the whip antenna needs clearance; otherwise, it’ll hit branches. Tuttle’s paths have low-hanging branches in many parts, so I would also need to pay careful attention to this while hiking and operating the radio. I’m well aware that I’m not nearly coordinated enough to do this!

Instead, I opted to walk Tuttle’s access road that crossed the entire length of the park. The road is gravel, even, and there are no low-hanging branches or limbs. Perfect for this type of activation! Continue reading This Rig Was Made For Walking: Pedestrian Mobile POTA with the Elecraft KH1!