Category Archives: Portable

Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, QRP Radios, Videos

Parting Waves: My Last Activation with the Venus SW-3B

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On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, I made a little time in my afternoon schedule to take my Venus SW-3B on a final POTA activation.

I might have mentioned in previous posts (and certainly on the Ham Radio Workbench) that starting in April, I’ve been trying to downsize the shack a bit. This is a process I go through at least annually. My shack/office is very small, so things pile up quickly—and I like to divest myself of gear as best I can.

During this process, one of my readers here on QRPer reached out and asked—on a whim—if I’d consider selling him my Venus SW-3B. I gave it some thought and decided to do so.

I love the SW-3B, but the truth is, I hadn’t used it in a long while. It’s been tucked away in my headrest kit for more than a year, and I just haven’t been reaching for it. That and, frankly, I’ve a couple of MTR-3B LCDs, an MTR-4B, and an MTR-3B Currahee model–I’m flush with super compact transceivers.

I agreed to sell him the SW-3B but told him I wanted to take it out on one final activation—and that’s exactly what I did!

Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378)

I had to fit this activation into a one-hour window while my daughter was in a class. Fortunately, the class was no more than a mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, if I wanted a site with a picnic table for easy operation and setup, I wasn’t terribly close to one.

Luckily, I had my complete SOTA kit packed, including my Helinox chair and Tufteln knee board. With those two items—paired with the SW-3B—I could operate comfortably just about anywhere.

I picked a spot on the side of the road, very close to the parkway entrance from US-25. I knew the drive back to her class would take no more than three minutes.

I paired the SW-3B with my KM4CFT 30-meter end-fed half-wave, which includes a 40-meter linked extension. I figured with this antenna, I could operate on 40, 30, and 20 meters (by removing the link if necessary).

Lately, propagation has been flaky, so having a bit of frequency agility is key to a successful activation!

Gear:

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Radio:

Battery:

Key & Cable:

Other Accessories:

Camera & Audio Gear:

On The Air

I hopped on the air and started on 20 meters by calling CQ POTA.

Fortunately, 20 meters seemed to be in decent shape. Continue reading Parting Waves: My Last Activation with the Venus SW-3B →

Antennas, Guest Posts, How To, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA

Build a Linked End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna with Bluetooth-Remote Band Switching!

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A Remote Control Antenna Link

by Dave (KO4YLZ)

Like so many other SOTA activators, I’m constantly tweaking my gear to optimize it for all the variables we encounter in the mountains. One of my main antennas is, of course, an EFHW. Paired with my KX2, I generally get sub-1.6:1 SWR on 40, 20, 15, and 10. However, 30m has an unacceptably high SWR. I considered switching to a multi-link EFHW, but hopping up to change links to chase an inadvertent S2S on another band is inconvenient, especially when the link for low bands is generally well beyond my reach and requires lowering the antenna.

To fully optimize my EFHW I decided I needed to come up with a way to add a “remote” link for 30m. After a couple of design iterations, I came up with the light-weight and compact remote antenna link shown/described below. The version described here is not my final one. While this “pill bottle” version is still quite small, I’d like to reduce the size even further.

Let’s start with the end…

Here’s the final product. It weighs under 1 oz. and is ~2.5” long. I have included a complete parts list at the end of the article.

My design considerations were:

  • Small and light
  • Range of at least 75 ft.
  • Reasonable battery life
  • Waterproof
  • Durable
  • Able to withstand the current at the 30m position on the antenna
  • Doesn’t adversely impact antenna performance on other bands
  • Easy to connect and disconnect from the antenna

Executive Summary

For those in a hurry, here’s a summary description of the remote antenna link. It consists of a very, very small remote control Bluetooth relay powered by two CR2032 batteries (user supplied). A set of contacts (either normally open or closed) lead from the relay to male and female 2mm bullet banana connectors in the cap of the pill bottle. Two matching bullet banana connectors at the antenna plug into the remote control link.

To operate, you simply open the bottle, switch on the batteries, re-install the cap, extend the antenna, and plug the bullet banana connectors at the antenna into the opposite pair embedded in the cap of the pill bottle. When you are ready to operate, you just push the remote button. When the remote button is pushed, the relay opens or closes thereby making or breaking the link and physically shortening or lengthening the antenna. Below is a picture of both sides of the mini-relay (antenna wire not shown)

The relay can run on 3.5-12 volts and can handle 1A. The included 1-button transmitter sends a signal (455mHz) to the relay and either opens or closes a set of contacts depending on how the user programs the relay.

Wiring It Up

I won’t bore you with a detailed written explanation…it’s a pretty simple build. Below are a simple wiring diagram and a series of photos with build details [click images to enlarge].

Making It work

The relay has three operating modes: latched, momentary, and toggle. Because I wanted the 30m link to be normally connected when the relay is in standby waiting for a signal from the remote control and open and stay open when I pressed the remote button, I had to reprogram the relay. Programming is accomplished by turning the unit on, then putting a 22ga wire jumper between the two “programming dots” and then pressing the remote button until the LED on the relay board flashes the number of times specified in the instructions for the operating mode you want.  The instructions are not very clear, so I recommend connecting the unit to your VOM in continuity mode to figure out the button/LED flashing sequence that corresponds to how you want the relay to behave.

Testing

The unit is rated for 1A so, to be sure I wasn’t going to blow it up when I transmitted with 10 watts, I used ChatGPT to produce a very nice graph showing the current at the 30m position on the antenna for each band when transmitting with 10W. Here’s the graph. Luckily, the maximum current at the 30m position (~43’) is .6A at 7.062 MHz.

I tested the unit on my KX2 by setting my operating frequency and then putting the KX2 tuner in bypass mode and pressing the button on the remote control; Ding…the SWR jumped immediately to the expected pre-determined (and acceptable) SWR value for the 30m band!

The unit draws 7mA when in standby and 32mA when the relay is energized. Assuming 40 minutes of operating off of the 30m band (relay not energized) and 20 minutes on the 30m band (relay energized), I calculated that approximately 17mA would be drawn from the two CR2032 batteries. Given that a CR2032 battery has a capacity of 220mAh, they should provide about 12 hours of operation.

Any questions, please comment.
Dave – KO4YLZ

Parts List

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

A relaxing activation at Fort Harrison State Park

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by Vince (VE6LK)

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

Dear readers, Hamvention 2025 was a wonderful getaway for me, and I met so many people in 3-D that I’d only ever worked with over teleconferencing. It was super great to see members of the Ham Radio Workbench Podcast crew (and friends of…) and get to hang with them for several days. Naturally, this included QRPer.com host Thomas K4SWL.

I was the last of the group to leave the Dayton area on May 20th and I began my drive back to the Indianapolis airport for the first of two flights home. And, naturally, this means a POTA stop along the way, and it would be my first in Indiana. While I had grand plans to visit WV and KY along the way, those plans fell by the wayside for a simpler and direct route from Dayton to Indianapolis.

When I travel like this, I look for parks that appear to be radio quiet and are not too far off the path of travel. Fort Harrison State Park was my chosen destination. And it did not disappoint in any way at all.  Located in the NW corner of the Greater Indianapolis area, it is 1,700 acres of recreation nestled in a small quiet valley just away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Homes outside the park entrance seem to be from an era of yesteryear. I wished I would have had more time to explore!

Arriving at the park and one of the many picnic areas, I chose to be beside the lake. It was raining quite hard until up when I arrived and then let up to an intermittent drizzle. Fortunately there was a picnic shelter and a washroom building within eyesight. Accordingly I set up in the shelter with my KX3, Charmast battery and VK3IL pressure paddle.

I put out my Gigaparts Explorer 20 mast and new-to-me Packtenna 20m EFHW along with my fishing rod holder ground spike, hit tune on the KX3 and got to work.

The contacts didn’t come fast and furious, as the past week or so the SSN, SFI, A and K indicies weren’t really in my favour. Many times I would answer a station and they’d simply disappear. It took 30 minutes on air to complete the activation. This was a stark improvement from the day prior where it took well over an hour.

RBN Screengrab from the video

The Reverse Beacon Network told me my 10W signal was being heard all over the USA and some in Alberta Canada also, despite it putting my outgoing dot (see image above) on Montana where my USA callsign is based.

Denver airport where this article was written – and this is quiet!

Still, after the extreme hustle and bustle of the days prior, this was super relaxing and just the break I needed before dealing with airports, rental cars and plenty of other travellers.

Having spent so much time around K4SWL, I channelled his video style and did an end to end on the activation without any edits – you can see that video on YT.

Click here to view on YouTube.

List of gear used for these activations:

Summary

Sometimes it’s just great to find a place to hang out in the peace and quiet, and this park was perfect and just what I needed after many days of constantly running.

72 and dit dit,
…Vince

First introduced to the magic of radio by a family member in 1969, Vince has been active in the hobby since 2002. He is an Accredited examiner in Canada and the USA, operates on almost all of the modes, and is continually working on making his CW proficiency suck less. He participates in public service events around Western Canada and is active on the air while glamping, mobile, at home or doing a POTA activation. You can hear him on the Ham Radio Workbench podcast, follow him on Twitter @VE6LK, check out his YouTube channel, and view the projects and articles on his website.

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

The POTA Babe Tries the CFT1

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By Teri KO4WFP

Jonathan KM4CFT reached out to me recently to inquire if I was interested in trying his CFT1 QRP transceiver. The inquiry both surprised and delighted me as I’ve never had such an opportunity.

I nearly said no because I am no antenna expert and, as this rig has no internal antenna tuner, I’d need to learn more about antennas, SWR, and resonance.

My limited antenna experience dates back to when I first entered the hobby. I had ZERO antennas and no idea where to start. An acquaintance suggested I make a home-brew linked dipole and gave me a few pointers in doing so. I vividly remember limping through learning how to trim an antenna. That project taught me that I want as low a SWR as possible and to cut the antenna for the portion of the band on which I want to operate.

homebrew linked dipole

Those of you who read my articles here on QRPer know that I use an Elecraft KX2 for my field operations. I’m very happy with this radio and love that it has an internal antenna tuner. But the CTF1 does not. Here is where my hesitation and trepidation at trying this unit entered the picture. I figured the antennas I use on a regular basis might not play nice with the CFT1 and hence my reluctance to say “yes” to this opportunity.

“Craig”, my KX2

But this is ham radio, right? In ham radio, we relish challenges because they are opportunities to learn. This was my opportunity to learn not only about antennas in general but also to be more thoughtful as to how I deploy them in the field. This was an opportunity for growth.

I dug out the RigExpert Stick antenna analyzer I purchased nearly three years ago and tested each of the antennas I currently have, just for jollies. I understand that many factors impact SWR – height of the antenna, coax length, proximity of other objects, etc. For the purpose of this exercise, I just wanted a ball park idea as to what antennas I could or could not use with this rig without a tuner.

I found both the home-brew linked dipole and the Chelegance MC-750 would work fine. Out were the EFRW and AX1. As I’d been hankering for an EFHW in my kit, I purchased the Sparkplug EFHW and trimmed it. These kinds of projects intimidate me because I do not have much experience with them; however, one cannot learn what one does not attempt.

I used the CFT1 on three activations: April 25th at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) (US-0522) with the Chelegance MC-750, April 30th at the refuge again but this time with the Sparkplug EFHW, and Thursday, May 1st at George L. Smith State Park (US-2179) with the Chelegance again.

It was a warm day at the refuge on April 25th. I selected an open area in which I had set up in the past. There were wild blackberries growing directly under the oaks in the shade. The view was lovely and, when not engaged with the activation, the red-wing blackbirds, coots, and other birds kept me entertained. Unfortunately for me, the sun moved out behind the oak trees not long after I arrived and I soon called QRT to avoid being baked.

the field in which I set up
wild blackberries
cooter out sunning itself
water lillies in the impoundments
what is not to love about that view!?

I was pleased with the QSO map for this activation – 27 contacts on 40, 20, and 17 meters over the course of an hour and a half.

QSO Map for Savannah NWR 4-25-2025    Source: qsomap.com

My second experience with the CFT1 was on April 30th, again at the Savannah NWR, however, this time using the Sparkplug EFHW. I found a different spot, one I passed up before but was usable today as it was freshly mowed. There were wonderful, tall oak trees at this location which afforded shade and high, unencumbered branches for installing an antenna aloft. Continue reading The POTA Babe Tries the CFT1 →

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

Elecraft KH1 to the Rescue: Squeezing in a 20-Minute POTA Activation

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I feel incredibly fortunate to live in an area where a POTA park—the Blue Ridge Parkway—quite literally runs through town. As convenient as that is, I’ve still struggled to squeeze in activations over the past few months. We’ve had so much going on that even impromptu POTA time has felt out of reach.

Fortunately, I have a secret weapon for making the most of even the shortest activation window:

The KH1!

Left: My accessories pouch with contains a throw line, antenna adaptors, audio recorder, cables, spare key, and extras. Right: My Elecraft KH1 in a Pelican M40 case.

My Elecraft KH1 goes with me everywhere—it’s my proper EDC radio. And on Thursday, April 3, 2025, it came in very handy.

I dropped my daughter off at a physical therapist’s office, which just so happened to be right next to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Instead of waiting in the office for 45 minutes trying to catch up on email, I opted for some POTA radio therapy instead!

I left the parking lot and drove to a nearby gravel pull-off along the Parkway—just about four minutes from the PT office.

I hadn’t originally intended to film an activation, but I happened to have my camera, digital audio recorder, and a new magnetic clip-on camera mount with me.

I purchased this mount specifically to record pedestrian mobile activations. The first time I tried it, the results weren’t great: I mounted it at chest level, but my arms dominated the screen, making it tough to see both the radio and the logbook.

That Thursday, though, I had everything I needed—and I figured it was worth another try, this time clipping the camera mount higher and on my right shoulder.

With the clock ticking, I deployed the KH1 and hit the air!

Gear

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Radio and Antenna System

Camera and Audio Gear

On The Air

If you’ve done any POTA or SOTA activations in the past six weeks, you’ve probably noticed conditions have been rough—at times, downright miserable.

Luckily, I picked a day with reasonably good propagation. Continue reading Elecraft KH1 to the Rescue: Squeezing in a 20-Minute POTA Activation →

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

Activating on the Road:  The Last Park

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by Brian (K3ES)

In case you haven’t seen previous Field Reports in this series, let me set the stage.  In September and October of 2024, my wife, Becky, and I set out with our dog, Molly, for a great cross-country driving adventure.

We left from our home in northwest Pennsylvania on September 18, driving west to spend some time with my parents at their home in California’s Bay Area.  We returned home on October 31, after driving through most of the states of the American West.  One of the goals for this trip was to activate Parks on the Air (POTA) entities in as many new states as possible along the way (it turns out that with good planning and good weather, it is possible to activate a LOT of states).  An overview of our trip can be found in the following Field Report (linked) on QRPer.com:  Six Weeks and 7300 Miles:  Activating on the Road.

On the westward leg of our trip, we zipped through Ohio and Indiana in a single marathon day of driving, without stopping to activate a park.  There was no intent to diminish these fine states of our union, but I had previously activated parks there.

On the return leg of the trip, our priorities and our perspectives had changed a bit, so we made up for our previous inattention by activating new parks in both states on the way home.  The change in priority came with the realization that we had succeeded in activating every state that I had planned to complete.  I have now activated every lower 48 state west of the Mississippi River, save Arkansas and Louisiana (we intentionally left them for a future trip through the southern states).  The change in perspective came from the realization that activating a park made for a nice break during a day of driving.

We planned for a modest 3-1/2 hour drive on our final day of the trip, so that we could arrive home before dark.

We spent the night near Mansfield, OH, and took our time getting breakfast and checking out in the morning.  We had also looked over our maps and found an Ohio park to activate during the drive:  Lake Milton State Park, US-3515.

Lake Milton State Park

Seen from the park, this bridge carries Interstate 76 across Lake Milton

As I-76 runs east-to-west across northern Ohio, it crosses over the middle of Lake Milton.  For radio amateurs familiar with other attractions along the I-76 corridor, Lake Milton is about 20 miles east of the DX Engineering store.

Lake Milton State Park incorporates the lake itself, as well as selected land around the lake-shore.    We decided to head for one of the park’s picnic areas, located on the eastern shore of the lake near the I-76 bridge.  We found a parking lot, a large grassy area running down to the lake, picnic shelters, and comfort facilities.  As Becky took Molly for a walk around the grounds, I set up to operate from a table in a picnic shelter.

A view of the picnic area beside Lake Milton shows me activating from the shelter at left.  I threw a line over a branch on the tree to the right, and used it to hold my antenna as a sloper.
The gull in this picture was riding the wind, but going nowhere fast.
Standing straight out from its flagpole, this flag spoke eloquently of the wind.

It was a nice afternoon at the park.  The weather was warm and sunny, but a stiff breeze was blowing across the lake.  An American flag stood straight out from flagpole, and soaring gulls hung near-motionless in the sky.  Both provided evidence of the wind’s power.  The warmth of the day and the winds cooling effect were in perfect balance to produce a comfortable environment for activating, even though the breeze provided a bit of audio spectrum QRN.

The Activation

Caught from behind, while focused on incoming code…

I tossed a throw-line over a branch on one of the large trees near the shelter, and quickly hoisted up my Tufteln 35 ft end-fed random wire (EFRW) antenna.  With the antenna set up, I connected the rest of the station.  Moments later, my log was ready, and I was on the air.

I was able to spend an hour on the air, and with the EFRW and the KX2’s amazing internal tuner, I was able to rapidly transition between HF bands.  Operating CW mode at 5 watts, I was successful in making contacts on the 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, and 10m Amateur bands.  In total, I logged 30 contacts, including 3 DX stations from Europe, a thoroughly satisfying activation experience.

This map shows the contacts made from Lake Milton.  It was gratifying to get some DX during the last activation of our trip.

Gear

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Conclusion

Becky takes amazing pictures.  Here, another view of Lake Milton.

Packing up the station went quickly, and we were back in the truck and ready for the final leg of our trip.  In about 2 hours of driving, we were pulling into our own driveway for the first time in a month and a half.  It is difficult to fully describe the feeling.  It was really nice to be back home.  The prospects of sleeping in my own bed and relaxing in my own chair were really welcome.

But, at the same time, this adventure was over, and we would soon be back to our old routines.  After 6 weeks together, Becky, Molly and I would again be headed in the different directions occasioned by our day-to-day activities.  So, there was gladness of a return to the familiar, combined with the bittersweet feeling of the end of our travel adventure.

As I think about our trip from the distance of almost 6 months, and a long, cold winter, I realize that I am ready to start thinking seriously about our next driving (and radio) adventure!

Home.  After 6 weeks and 7300 miles, it was nice to get back…

Best 73 de Brian, Becky es Molly

Accessories, News, Portable, QRP

A New Penntek TR-45L Transport Cover from Mike (N2HTT) at HamGear3D

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In the spirit of full disclosure, my friend Mike (N2HTT) recently sent me one of his latest creations—a 3D-printed transport cover for the Penntek TR-45L—to evaluate at no cost. I’m happy to report that it’s a solid and thoughtful accessory for TR-45L users.

Mike designed this cover not for use during operation, but rather for safe transport of the TR-45L—especially protecting those protruding knobs, buttons, and switches that can easily snag or get damaged in the field or while bouncing around in a go-bag.

And it fits the TR-45L very nicely. It includes a cover for the front panel and one for the back (since my TR-45L has the ATU option), held together by a Velcro strap.

Yes, it does add a little bulk, but I appreciate that—it’s sturdy, and it cradles the front and back of the rig securely.

In fact, during our recent wildfire threat here at the QTH, I had my TR-45L stored in this cover. It was incredibly convenient to simply grab the protected radio and toss it in the car without giving it a second thought.

Here are a few photos of the cover in use with my TR-45L (Note that the TR-45L “Skinny” only needs one cover and Mike provides a shorter Velcro strap):

Mike offers a number of great customization options: your callsign or name on the front panel and a choice of colors (black, orange, olive green, and red). There’s also an optional rear cover available if your TR-45L has the internal tuner.

You can check out Mike’s product page and all the details here:
https://hamgear3d.com/penntek-tr-45l-transport-cover/

Mike is one of many makers and mom-and-pop businesses who help make the ham radio world so much better. I love seeing field-ready accessories like this coming from experienced hams who understand the gear and the way we use it.

Thanks again, Mike, for letting me give this one a spin!

73,
Thomas (K4SWL)

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

Cherry Blossoms, History, and POTA in Ritsurin Garden

6 Comments

by Mark (JJ5GVY/KB2PIZ)

My wife and I visit Japan every year for 3 to 4 months, usually in the spring. This year, we arrived in early March, and the weather was a bit cold. However, recently, we’ve seen the temperature turn quite warm and mild, with the cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom! It’s a perfect day to play radio!

Since we live in Takamatsu on Shikoku Island, we have easy access to Ritsurin Park (JP-2051).

Wednesday, March 26, was a perfect day for my wife to stroll through the park while I played radio.

Here is the gazebo where I set up shop.

The History of Ritsurin Garden

It is believed that Ritsurin Garden was originally created in the late 16th century, from a garden belonging to the Sato Clan located in the southwest corner of the present garden.

What is now the Nanko Pond was created around 1625, when Takatoshi Ikoma ruled the Sanuki Province (present-day Kagawa).

In 1642, Yorishige Matsudaira began ruling the Takamatsu Domain and inherited the garden. He and the successive generations of his family kept developing the garden over the years, and the 60 scenic spots were named when the domain’s fifth lord, Yoritaka Matsudaira, was in power in 1745. Continue reading Cherry Blossoms, History, and POTA in Ritsurin Garden →

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

From Box to POTA: First Activation with the New Elecraft AX3!

6 Comments

by Thomas (K4SWL)

If you’ve been a QRPer.com reader or subscriber to my YouTube channel for long, you’ll know I’m quite the fan of super-compact, low-profile antennas like the Elecraft AX1 and AX2.

In fact, I just checked, and my Elecraft AX1 activation video playlist alone includes 36 videos as of this post.

Although AX antennas are certainly a compromise in terms of performance, I find them surprisingly effective for on-the-air programs like SOTA, POTA, and WWFF. While they’re not high-gain, they’re also far from the “dummy load” some make them out to be. In fact, the best DX I’ve ever worked in the field was with my Elecraft AX2 and just 5 watts of power—check out the field report.

The New AX3

A couple of weeks ago, Wayne Burdick of Elecraft announced the new Elecraft AX3 portable antenna, the latest addition to the AX line.

Unlike the AX1 and AX2—which attach directly to the radio—the AX3 is fully self-supporting, thanks to its detachable tripod legs and 1/4-20 base mount. This adds next-level mounting versatility, making it ideal for tabletop or ground deployment. (Check out how Conrad so easily mounted it to two different tripod options in his recent field report.)

It covers 30 through 10 meters and uses a 4-position band selector plug, which I personally find more rugged than the AX1’s band switch. Like its siblings, the AX3 is designed to pair with an ATU, but unlike the AX1/AX2, it doesn’t need to physically mount to the transceiver—so it’s compatible with virtually any rig and tuner combo. The AX3 also supports up to 30 watts.

Despite the added versatility, the AX3 still packs incredibly small: the whip, base, and tripod legs collapse to just 6 inches, yet the whip extends to 45 inches in the field. The side-mounted BNC connector avoids awkward cable bends or adapters.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I’m in the testing group for the Elecraft KH1 and, as such, I was aware the new AX3 was on the horizon, but I had not yet tested it in the field until I ordered one and it was delivered on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

From Unboxing to Activation

Since Hurricane Helene wiped out our local post office, my buddy Vlado (N3CZ) has kindly allowed me to have parcels delivered to his house. When he told me that “a small box” had arrived from Elecraft, I knew exactly what it was.

I had an errand in town that afternoon, so I swung by Vlado’s, picked up the package, and then stopped at the Blue Ridge Parkway Folk Art Center to perform the AX3’s debut activation.

Of course, I packed my Elecraft KX2, thinking it would only be right to pair the AX3 with an Elecraft radio for its first outing!

In my activation video (below), you’ll see that assembling the AX3 was incredibly simple right out of the box. I ordered the full AX3 package, which includes the antenna, mini banana plug, counterpoise wire, tripod legs, BNC-to-BNC cable assembly, and a small nylon storage bag.

I attached the tripod legs, screwed on the whip antenna, clipped the counterpoise to the ground lug, and connected the BNC cable. In less than a minute, the antenna was fully deployed and ready to go!

Gear

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Radio

Key

Antenna

Battery

Pack/Case

Log and Pen

Camera/Audio Gear

On The Air

The first thing I did was make sure the band plug was set to 14 MHz, then pressed the ATU button to find a match on 20 meters. Continue reading From Box to POTA: First Activation with the New Elecraft AX3! →

Antennas, Digital Modes, Field Reports, FT8, Guest Posts, New Products, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

Conrad Tests the Elecraft AX3 at Silver Sands State Park

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Elecraft AX3 Field Report

By: Conrad Trautmann (N2YCH)

My new Elecraft AX3 antenna arrived in the mail. The weather when it arrived was 73° F and sunny with a slight breeze. Space weather was calm.  It seemed like the perfect recipe for a POTA expedition to the unofficial antenna testing range at Silver Sands State Park (US-1716) here in Connecticut on the Northern shoreline of Long Island Sound to try out the AX3. Given that this antenna is specifically designed to be light and portable, I chose my Elecraft KX2 to pair it with, which is also light and portable.

Conrad, N2YCH testing the new Elecraft AX3 at Silver Sands State Park, Connecticut

The AX3 operates on six bands. Out of the box, it can do 30,20,17,15,12 and 10 meters. With the optional AXE1 adapter, you can add 40 meters as well. Elecraft says an ATU is required, which I have built into my KX2. I tested using FT8 on 30/20/17 & 15 meters, the four positions labeled on the front “jumper block.” Using FT8, I was able to use the PSKreporter.info website to get a sense of where my signals were being received. This antenna is capable of handling 30 watts, which is amazing for its size. I ran 10 watts from the KX2.

Unlike the AX1, which needs something to hold it in place such as a tripod or the optional bipod, the AX3 comes with three legs to turn the base into a tripod.

AX3 integrated Tripod

At the park, I tried using the legs which lasted all of 30 seconds before the Long Island Sound breeze blew it right over on its side. Anticipating that it might be too breezy down at the shoreline, I brought a slightly heavier tripod along. The good news is that the bottom of the antenna is tapped with a ¼-20 hole to connect to any standard camera tripod. The heavier tripod did the trick.

Elecraft KX2 with new AX3 antenna

I used a three foot piece of coax as recommended and I had no problem with RFI into the radio or the computer. The KX2 was able to tune to 1.0:1 SWR on all bands except for 17 meters, which was right around 2.0:1. I should note that I had the 13’ counterpoise laying on the ground for this test.

KX2 1.0:1 SWR on 20 meters

I began on 20 meters and in 20 minutes, I had the 10 QSO’s needed to activate the park.

Map showing spots on 20 meters.

Next I QSY’d up to 17 meters.

PSKreporter.info spots on 17 meters

Here, I had plenty of spots, yet I struggled to get two in the log before I gave up and QSY’d to 15 meters. Changing frequency is as simple as pulling the jumper block out and moving the arrow to the correct frequency.

Jumper Block used to change bands

Thankfully, 15 was open and my first QSO was with a station in Ukraine and my second was in California.

QSO Map – Dark Blue are 20 meter contacts, Light Blue are 15 meters and Purple are 17 meters
Completing a QSO with the Ukraine on 15 meters

I made contacts on 20, 17 and 15 meters. Could I manage something on 30? I tried but to no avail. I was spotted by stations on PSKreporter, but after calling for some time, I figured that midday in Connecticut was just not the best time for that band. Before I packed up for the day, I went back to 17 meters which was definitely better than earlier and I logged three more for a total of five on the band.

PSKReporter spots on 15 meters using the AX3 antenna

I took the opportunity to go back to Silver Sands a few days later to try the antenna on 12 and 10 meters, which I did not do on the first trip out. I also wanted to see how elevating the counterpoise might affect the performance. It was downright windy, so I brought along a camera tripod this time to provide more stability. Obviously, the extra weight carrying a full size tripod wouldn’t be ideal for a SOTA activation, but for my test, I brought it along.

AX3 on camera tripod

The high band propagation was miserable when I went out, I was wondering if I’d be able to make any contacts at all. I was pleased to see that elevating the counterpoise allowed 17 meters to easily match to the antenna with a 1.0:1 SWR. I then tried 15, 12 and 10 meters which also tuned right up and I made contacts on all bands.  10 and 12 meters were open to my south. I made QSO’s with Belize, Mexico, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

QSO Map Day 2 – Purple is 17m, Light Blue is 15m, Pink is 12m and Yellow is 10m (click image to enlarge)
AX3 on camera tripod with elevated counterpoise

The AX3 did not disappoint.

Making QSO’s from California to the Ukraine and down into South America while sitting at a picnic table in a park in Connecticut with just 10 watts using such a small antenna is simply amazing to me. I like the AX1, which I used primarily on 20 meters. Having the multi-band flexibility of the AX3 is very nice, especially now that the upper bands are active, and it provides more flexibility for operating portable and being able to change bands on the spot to adapt to the ever changing band conditions.

Click here to check out the AX3 product page.