Category Archives: Portable

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

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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 →

Antennas, Articles, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

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

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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)

Field Reports, FT8, Guest Posts, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

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

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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 →

Accessories, Articles, Field Radio Kits, Grab And Go, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Radio Field Craft, SOTA, Travel, Videos

What’s in My Travel Radio Backpack? Summer Activations in Canada

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Besides radio, one thing I love to geek out about is bags, pouches, backpacks—and more specifically—how and what I pack.

In fact, some of my favorite YouTube videos are those where the host shows how they pack for, say, summer travels in Asia, a one-week business trip to Helsinki, or what’s in their Everyday Carry (EDC).

Although this is one of my favorite types of videos, I don’t make enough of them about my own philosophy of packing: what I take, how I pack it, and how it all works in the field.

My Canada Backpack

If you’ve been watching my videos for long, you’ve probably noticed that one of my favorite field backpacks is the one with a Canadian flag on the front:

It’s a 21L GoRuck GR1 USA. I’ve owned this backpack for the better part of a decade and use it for both field radio and travel. I’ve many other backpacks, but this one is just the right size for almost any of my radio adventures. It also meets the “personal carry-on” size restrictions for even low-cost carriers (at least, at the time of posting). I’ve packed this—with radio—for a week of air travel. I’ve also taken this pack on numerous SOTA hikes.

I have other backpacks I love, but this one strikes the right balance of being big enough without being too big. The main compartment is boxy, somewhat structured, and fits some of my longest field kit items: my Joby Tripod with action camera attached, hiking sticks, Helinox Chair, and carbon fiber telescoping mast.

Ready for Any Activation

While here in Canada, I’ll be activating parks I’ve never visited before, so I need to be prepared for just about any situation. I’m also activating a lot of urban parks in and around Québec City.

When I packed for this trip, I assumed that some of the parks wouldn’t have picnic tables—and some might not even have available park benches. That’s why I pack a collapsible hiking chair and folding knee board. With those, all I need is a flat spot on the ground and I can operate comfortably and complete an activation.

Somewhat Modular

In my pack, there are core items I don’t take out, like my:

  • Helinox Chair and Ground Sheet
  • Folding Knee Board
  • POTA20 Explorer Mast
  • Logging Pad and Pencil
  • Throw Line and Weight
  • A few antenna options
  • A LiPo battery and USB charger
  • Garmin InReach
  • Headlamp
  • Camera and Audio recording Gear
  • First Aid, Sunscreen, Nitrile Gloves (for picking up rubbish), etc.

I do, however, rotate the radio kit inside.

My KX2 Field Kit

For example, in this video, I feature my venerable Elecraft KX2 kit (see photos above).

My MTR-3B Kit

But I can take that one out and replace it with either my Elecraft KH1, CFT1, or MTR-3B field kits.

My KH1 Kit

They are all packed in small Pelican cases that easily fit in the center of my backpack.

Weight

When fully loaded, my backpack isn’t exactly lightweight. Besides all of my radio gear, I’m usually packing a bottle of water too. I haven’t weighed it, but it’s relatively heavy. That’s not an issue for POTA since I’m rarely walking more than 10 minutes (and often just 2 minutes) to find a site to set up.

For SOTA outings or hikes that are an hour or more, I shed any items I know I won’t need. That frees up space for more water and lightens the overall load.

For example, on SOTA hikes I plan to only take my Elecraft KH1 transceiver and a few accessories. That means I can leave behind cable assemblies, extra keys and key base, POTA20 mast, ground spike, and throw line and weight. (The KH1 kit includes a minimalist throw line/weight if needed.) It significantly reduces the pack weight.

In fact, I brought a second, smaller backpack for times when I want to go very minimalist with the KH1 or MTR-3B. Both have fully self-contained field kits in individual Pelican cases. This smaller backpack is perfect when I’m with family—say, spending the day in Vieux Québec visiting museums, shops, restaurants, and one or two urban parks where I can squeeze in activations.

Extras

Note that there are a few extras always in my car that I didn’t include in the video because they typically stay there: my portable table, HT, and a 2-liter water bladder.

Also, a bedroll that we use for family picnics. All of these items work for both field radio, family picnics, and lounging on the shores of the mighty St-Lawrence.

All of these items get heavy use since our family spends so much time outdoors.

Video

In the video tour of my field radio backpack from this trip to Canada, I take you through each individual item I packed. Below, you’ll find links to each item (when available), in the order they appear in the video.

Click here to view on YouTube.

Gear List

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

(In order of the video presentation.)

Outer Pocket, Outside Flap

Top Pocket, Inside Flap

Lower Pocket, Inside Flap

Main Compartment

Interior Zippered Pouch

Interior (Ruck Plate) Pouch

Outside of Pack

More to come!

My smaller GoRuck BulletRuck

This video didn’t take long to shoot because, as you know, I don’t edit my videos—they are what they are.

Putting together all of the links and video chapters, however, takes a long time. I do plan to make a video of my other, more minimalist backpack and my new Red Oxx Gator EDC bag I’m using for all of my extra supplies.

My Red Oxx Gator EDC Bag

I’d love to hear your comments about your own field packs—and I especially enjoy your Field Radio Kit posts for our Field Radio Kit Gallery!

Thank you

Thanks for reading this post—I hope you enjoyed the “What’s in my pack?” video. I certainly enjoyed the process. It was a fun excuse to nerd out about packing!

Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL / VY2SW)

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

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

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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 →

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

Mud, Mosquitoes, and Morse: A KH1 Pedestrian Portable Activation on the Yadkin River Trail

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by Micah N4MJL

Recently, I examined the POTA app map and discovered a new yellow dot along my work commute that I had not yet activated. I have activated most of the POTA parks between Charlotte, NC and my home in Virginia that are not too far off my route of travel.

Upon further investigation, I learned that the new yellow dot belonged to the Yadkin River State Trail (US-12320). It is over 200 miles long. I chose to attempt activating from the Yadkin River Park on the Davidson County side of the river, just off I-85.

There is a nice walking bridge over the river with benches and historical signs along the walking trail. I thought about activating from one of the benches on the bridge, but there are some large power lines going over the bridge, making some heavy RFI noise on my KH-1.

After exploring the established walking trail, I found some makeshift chairs down by the riverside. It was pretty muddy, and I didn’t feel like wallowing in the mud while throwing a wire in a tree. I decided to use my Elecraft KH-1 whip antenna in the pedestrian mobile configuration.

As soon as I started calling CQ, a swarm of mosquitoes started feasting upon me. It didn’t help that I was wearing shorts and flip-flops.

I had just finished flying a four-day trip in Charlotte (CLT) and was on my way home. I had changed out of my uniform at a rest stop right before this activation. I was supposed to fly three flights today, but because of a maintenance delay, crew scheduling had already re-crewed my last two flights. I was getting home six hours early and getting paid! It usually doesn’t turn out this well for me. Normally, I’m getting junior manned into flying into my day off.

My first couple of contacts on the 20M band came quickly. I logged 8 contacts on the 20M band before they petered out. I noticed that there was a lot of QSB fading occurring. I tried tuning in other activators throughout the country who I should have been hearing just fine on 20M with no success.

My first two contacts on 20M were from Colorado and Arizona. After the 20M band died a silent death, I put on the AXE1 40M loaded coil antenna extender and threw out the longer counterpoise. I was able to log 5 more contacts on the 40M band and 1 contact on the 30M band.

After just over one hour calling CQ, I was able to get 14 contacts with two P2P.

Some people on the POTA Facebook page have commented on my activation photos that the KH-1 whip antenna is “garbage.” I do not think this is the case.

I have lost count of the number of POTA parks that I have successfully activated using the KH-1 whip antenna. Obviously, I would prefer to get a wire up in a tree when possible instead of using the whip antenna. However, many of the parks that I have activated would not have allowed a wire to be hung in a tree. I like using a very small stealth setup that does not attract much attention. I am always surprised when stations start calling me back.

I have also failed to activate many parks due to current band conditions/choice in whip antenna. But these are the things that make ham radio fun.

Small Success Story:

Before I started the activation, I noticed this sign for Davidson County. I took a picture of it so that I would remember to give credit for specific counties in the Logbook of the World for my hunters.

During the activation, after my second contact on 20M, I started getting QRM from close-by stations. The KH1 doesn’t have great filters, and the QSB from stations fading in/out was starting to get confusing. When I finally realized that a station was calling me, sending very slowly with repeats, I realized this station was asking what county I was located in. I grabbed my phone to look at this picture and sent him “QTH Davidson County” twice. The other station responded back with “RR TU 73..”

I am pretty sure it was one of the two stations I had already finished with who was calling me back. Unfortunately, the band conditions were getting bad. The RBN had not picked me up for a bit, and another POTA station started calling CQ right on top of me. The joys of activating QRP during the current solar conditions.

As you all know, I am a very green op! Anything outside of the canned POTA QSO does get difficult for me to copy. I can run my POTA exchanges at 18–20 WPM, but in order to keep up with a ragchew, I’m operating at about the 10–12 WPM range. So for me to copy a message outside of the canned CW POTA exchange during an activation is a small victory for me on my CW journey.

Since the bands have been in pretty rough shape lately, I have been practicing more CW copying with ARRL QST Bulletins from the W1AW archives. It is an awesome resource for new CW ops like myself. You can listen to parts of QST magazine sent in CW, ranging in speeds as slow as 5 WPM up to 40 WPM. After you listen to the message, you can click on the text file to read/grade yourself on what was sent.

13 WPM Code Archive

I give myself an 80%–90% accuracy score at 13 WPM copy. Unfortunately, my copy accuracy takes a giant nosedive when I go up to the next speed of 15 WPM.

In addition to listening to W1AW, I have been playing a lot of MorseRunner. It is a free program that simulates running a contesting station with or without a simulated pile-up. I have been practicing receiving stations from 18–26 WPM. I enjoy trying to break my previous scores copying international and domestic callsigns.

During my long drives commuting to/from work, I have been using Morse Code Ninja.

Practice · Morse Code Ninja

This has been instrumental in my pursuit of head copy. There are numerous exercises, with hyperlinks to many different speeds. The hyperlinks’ default setting opens YouTube, where you can listen to the sessions.

I recommend doing the bulk downloads. This gives you the option to do a bulk download at your chosen speed to your media player of choice. I have downloaded all of the 20 WPM lessons into my iPhone podcast app for offline use. This allows me to access them without being connected to cell or Wi-Fi. I have been working my way through all of the 20 WPM lessons.

The 5-letter word lesson that I am currently working through is just over 5 hours of riveting CW material! I’m definitely not near the land of head copying, but I’m slowly working my way there!

72 and thanks for hunting!
~ N4MJL

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

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

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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

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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 →

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

Hot Day, Cool QRP: Scott’s Twofer Activation at Iroquoia Heights and Bruce Trail

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

June 22, 2025, Iroquoia Heights Conservation Area (CA-1447)

by Scott (VA3EKR)

It was a very hot day, and a lovely time to go into the woods, and I thought I would try out this POTA spot. It is a 2-fer, with the Bruce Trail (CA-5628) as long as you get your placement correctly.

When I left the car it was 38°C, so I took a full litre of water with ice in the thermos. I probably should have taken more, but this activation required a lot more carrying than usual.

I parked in this neighborhood park (Chedoke Radial Trail), that had parking for 2 hours, and it didn’t cost anything.

From the parking lot, it was a small walk under the power lines towards the Bruce Trail.

Just beyond was a sign for the conservation area, giving a map.

I walked at a slow-pace for about a half hour, and did not see any ideal places to activate. The woods had a lot of tall grass, and after getting 4 ticks last time, I was not keen on long grass. After getting a little tired from walking, I decided to go down a small Bruce Trail tributary trail. It was a single-track trail, frequented by mountain bikers, so not ideal, but I hoped that the heat would keep the crowds away.

I picked a tree that had some overhanging branches and a small piece of short grass that I could sit on, and keep my deployment off the main trail as much as possible.

I used a QRP-guys random wire antenna with a 9:1 transformer, and managed to get the radiating element fairly high.

The bands were fairly good. I did have some unexpected difficulty with my Begali key, when it stopped transmitting dits. It happened in the middle of a QSO call with a BARC club colleague, Chris, VA3CJW. I wonder if the key got some dirt or other contamination in it. I forgot to bring my reading glasses, so I swapped in a BaMaTech key instead. Definitely a case of it being a great idea to bring spare things in your bag!

I kept to 20m CW, using the KX2, and 5W, making two park-to-park QSOs. Here’s a map.

On the way back I saw a family of deer crossing the trail. I only managed to get one in a photo. Here is a picture of the adorable deer.

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

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

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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! →

Funny, News, Portable, QRP

Toilets on the Air (TOTA) @ HOPE_16

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At the upcoming HOPE_16 in NYC, Todd (KE2AEQ) is launching a brilliantly fun, tongue-in-cheek radio activity called Toilets on the Air (TOTA) — inspired by Georg (DH5GH) and the German hacker scene.

Yes, Toilets on the Air. But before you flush the idea entirely (sorry!) read on…

Much like POTA and SOTA, TOTA is about getting on the air from a defined activation zone — in this case, just outside conference restrooms.

It’s lighthearted, but there’s a serious side too: TOTA promotes hands-on, hyper-local ham radio experimentation in environments that aren’t traditionally OTA-friendly. Modes like SSTV, APRS, and even CW can shine in this creatively constrained space.

In Todd’s own words, it’s a way “to have fun, to experiment, and to use our precious spectrum space.” I couldn’t agree more.

Check out Todd’s post here: https://toddmazierski.com/radio/toilets-on-the-air-hope-16

And the official TOTA watch site: https://hope-16.totawatch.de/

Todd, if you’re reading this — I think TOTA needs to be rolled-out at Hamvention next year. Just sayin’.

72,
Thomas (K4SWL)