Category Archives: Portable

Articles, Digital Modes, Guest Posts, How To, Portable, QRP, QRPp

Beyond the Beacon: Conrad Discovers the Unexpected Benefits of WSPR

33 Comments

Many thanks to Conrad (N2YCH) who shares the following field report:

QRPppppp….WSPR

By: Conrad Trautmann (N2YCH)

WSPR, or Weak Signal Propagation Reporter, is a digital mode you can select within WSJT-X. You can use the data that’s generated by the WSPR network to check your own antenna’s performance for transmitting and receiving and also to see what paths are open by band at a particular time of day from your QTH. Recently, I’ve been using WSPR to improve my own antenna systems and to help reduce local noise sources.

Originally developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT, an approximately two minute QRP transmission contains the originating station’s call sign, the maidenhead grid locator and the transmit power level being used. Stations typically use 250mw up to 5watts when they send these signals. WSJT-X allows you to select how often you want to send this transmission and what bands to transmit on. There’s an embedded schedule in WSJT-X that allows “band-hopping” for stations using a multiband antenna to transmit on different bands. When not transmitting, it listens for and decodes other stations transmitting and can post “spots” of those stations to the WSPR network database.

WSJT-X WSPR mode
WSPR Band Hopping Schedule (click to enlarge)

Here on QRPer.com, Thomas, K4SWL posted in this field report what the various flavors of QRP power levels are…

  • QRP: 5 watts to 1 watt (for some contest 10 watts = SSB QRP)
  • QRPp: Less than 1 watt to 100 mw
  • QRPpp: Less than 100mw

Did you know that there are more than 3,000 WSPR HF beacons running on all of the amateur bands all over the world at QRP power or less? Many are running 250mw or less. If you open up WSJT-X and select the WSPR mode, you’ll see that the pull down for power levels give you these options:

  • 37dbm = 5w
  • 33dbm = 2w
  • 30dbm = 1w
  • 27dbm = 500mw
  • 23dbm = 200mw
  • 20dbm = 100mw
  • 17dbm = 50mw
  • 13dbm = 20mw
  • 10dbm = 10mw
  • 7dbm = 5mw
  • 3dbm = 2mw
  • 0dbm = 1mw

You could transmit your own beacon if you choose to using WSJT-X. You can also receive many of the 3,000+ beacons that are on the air right now if you wanted.

Why, you ask?

Let me tell you about the WSPR journey I’ve taken over the past few months and how what I’ve learned has benefitted me, my station and my antennas. Here’s how extreme QRPpp signals can help all of us.

I’m an avid digital operator, and I’ve tested many of the digital modes that WSJT-X, FLDigi, VarAC and others have to offer.

WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) is a program embedded as a mode in WSJT-X and you can set it to transmit at the various power levels I listed above and band hop to different bands if your antenna can support those frequencies. When it’s not transmitting, it will receive and post the beacons it hears to the WSPRnet.org web site. For anyone familiar with pskreporter.info, WSPRnet.org is similar in that it provides maps of where and when “spots” are received and the relative signal strength the signals were when received by station, the mode and frequency.

After setting my station to transmit and receive on WSPR and looking at my spots on WSPRnet.org that were reported by receiving stations over the previous day, it was a thrill to see my 250mw signal making it out all over the world. Amazing actually, that such a small amount of power could travel that far. 250mw to Antarctica? That’s pretty good.

I bought a QRP-Labs QCX transceiver and the external companion GPS clock, which supports running WSPR transmission stand alone, without tying up a computer. Then I learned about the Sotabeams WSPRLite Antenna Tester (a 250mw WSPR transmitter) and the various WSPR transmitters offered by ZachTek which can also run without needing a computer.

My goal was to have WSPR beacons transmitting on as many bands as possible. Combining them into a single, multiband antenna posed its own problems, which is a topic for another article. However, all of these solutions just transmitted. I was hoping to also be able to receive and post spots as well.

Then, QRP-Labs (shout out to Hans Summers) came out with the QDX and then the QMX, both of which connect to a PC and are controlled by WSJT-X to do the band hopping transmitting and receiving. Like FT8, WSPR does depend on timing to work best, so using an external GPS clock for the QCX or connecting a QDX or QMX to a computer that can get it’s time from the internet can help keep the transmission cycles in sync with the receiver sites for best reception results.

Various WSPR transmitters and transceivers

This is cool stuff, but still, what’s the point? That’s when a friend I made in the WSPR community, Tom, WA2TP pointed out how to use all of these beacons to improve my station’s receiving capabilities. I have a good HF receiver and a dipole antenna and a hexbeam on a rotor and I figured I was good to go. I was making contacts without any problems. Tom told me this: “It’s all about the noise.”

He recommended using a wideband SDR called a Kiwi that can view the entire HF spectrum from 0 -30MHz on a waterfall at one time. My ICOM IC-7610 can connect to a PC and work with HDSDR software which has a waterfall, but it will only show you the spectrum of the particular band you’re on, not the entire HF spectrum at once. The Kiwi shows the entire spectrum from 0 to 30 MHz and when set up just right, you can see noise in there…a lot of noise, emanating from all sorts of things.

If you’re trying to receive a 250mw WSPR beacon signal transmitting from Australia, the noise from the after-market, wall-wart switching power supply connected to your cell phone charger a few feet away from your antenna could be way noisier and will blank that VK beacon right out. Your antenna and ability to hear distant signals is only as good as how low or quiet the local QRM is that we all have to deal with.

So began my hunt for noise, with a lot of guidance from folks with experience at it. Continue reading Beyond the Beacon: Conrad Discovers the Unexpected Benefits of WSPR →

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

Carolina Beach State Park: A QRP Oasis Amidst the Summer Heat and Activities

6 Comments

Tuesday, July 9, 2024, was a very radio-active day!

I was in Wilmington, North Carolina, and that morning, I had the privilege of activating the Battleship North Carolina from inside the battleship. Click here to read the field report and watch the video.

In short? It was amazing and certainly a fabulous way to start the day.

We were in Wilmington because one of my daughters was attending a week-long program at NC State University, and the other was attending a similar program at UNC Wilmington.

That Tuesday afternoon, after dropping my daughter off on the campus of UNC Wilmington, my wife suggested we hit Carolina Beach State Park for a POTA activation. It didn’t take me a microsecond to agree to that plan!

Carolina Beach State Park (US-2722)

Carolina Beach State Park, located just south of Wilmington, is a unique spot full of natural wonders. The park covers over 760 acres of Pleasure Island, with diverse habitats ranging from the impressive 50-foot Sugarloaf Dune (which used to be used as a navigational aid) to the fascinating limesink ponds, each with its own special plant community.

The park is also home to the Venus flytrap, a rare carnivorous plant found only in a small part of the Carolinas. You can explore the park’s trails, winding through maritime forests and maybe even catching a glimpse of these fascinating plants in action. The park also has a marina for easy access to the Cape Fear River and the Intracoastal Waterway, making it a great spot for boating and fishing.

We arrived at the park a little before 4:00 PM local time. Had it not been so hot and humid, we would have hit one of the park’s trails before finding a spot to do POTA, but the weather being what it was, both of us were happy to spend time in the shade.

We pulled into the main picnic area and quickly found a spot to set up. As I pulled out my radio and camera gear, my wife, Heather, pulled out her travel watercolor kit, all packed in a Tom Bihn HLT1 (we’re a pack geek family!).

When Heather joins me on POTA activations, she almost always sets up somewhere and paints while I activate. I love the fact that we both enjoy the experience in different ways.

In fact, my buddy Steve (KC5F), who is also an avid POTA activator, performs almost all of his activations with his wife, who also paints while he activates. He told me that she likes a good couple of hours of painting, so he typically racks up a lot of contacts in that amount of time.

Setting Up

The first thing I did was set up my Thermacell mosquito repeller–it needs a few minutes to do its thing and clear out the mozzies. The model I carry, the “backpacker,” fits a standard backpacking stove canister. I’ve recommended this one to many other POTA ops who operate in areas with mosquitoes–so far, it’s never let me down!

Also, I want to send a big shout-out to Alanna (K4AAC) and Bob (K4RLC) for making this activation even more civilized.

After watching an activation earlier this year at Tuttle Educational State Forest, where I placed my KX2 and logbook on a wet and dirty picnic table–covered in pollen and other tree bits–Alanna ordered a blue Gingham picnic tablecloth and whisk and had it sent to me.

I’ve had this tablecloth packed in the go-box I keep in the Subaru, and this activation was the perfect time to put it to use because the table I chose needed cleaning!

Thanks, Bob and Alanna!

Next, I deployed my PackTenna 9:1 End-Fed Random Wire antenna and paired it with my Elecraft KX2.

New paddle mount!

I did (finally) get to try out a new piece of kit in the field: a newly-designed paddle mount from Steve (KB3SII) at QRPworks.

Steve handed this prototype mount to me at Hamvention this year. It’s an updated design of one we tested last year.

You basically attach the mount to the front of the KX2 (or KX3) and place a paddle like the Bamakey TP-III that has strong rare earth magnets. The paddle locks onto the metal pad and makes for a rock-solid, ergonomic keying experience.

Steve also sent me two short 3.5mm angled cords to connect the key to the radio, but I forgot to pack them for the trip. My standard paddle cable worked fine, although I had to angle the TP-III slightly.

Note that Steve plans to have these paddle mounts in production and available on the QRPworks website in the coming weeks. When they’re available, I’ll post a direct link.

With the KX2 set up and ready to go, it was time to 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.

On The Air

I started calling CQ POTA on 17M and discovered that it was a fairly quiet band. Nonetheless, I worked two stations in about six minutes. Secretly, I was hoping there might be a 17M path into Europe, but then again, it was a bit late in the day for that (and it seemed 17M wasn’t terribly energized). Continue reading Carolina Beach State Park: A QRP Oasis Amidst the Summer Heat and Activities →

Digital Modes, Field Reports, FT4, FT8, Guest Posts, How To, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

Karl Heinz’s Pocket-Sized Digital HF Station

18 Comments

Many thanks to Karl (K5KHK) for sharing this guest post, which originally appeared on his blog, Karl Heinz Kremer’s Ramblings:

A Digital Station in Your Pocket

by Karl Heinz (K5KHK)

How small can a complete station to work FT4/8 be? With the QRP-Labs QMX, we have a transceiver that certainly fits the bill for a small station. By itself it can only be used for CW, to use the digital modes, one has to combine it with a computer. Even the smallest laptop is too big the fit into the pockets of my cargo pants – we are trying a pocket sized station after all 😉

In this article, I will describe how to use a QMX transceiver and an iPhone to activate a POTA park with FT8.

The Components

My QMX is the original that was released at FDIM 2023, so it covers 80m to 20m. Mine is serial number #20.

My iPhone is small enough, but unlike Android based phones, the QMX cannot be connected directly to the phone. Apple sells a “camera adapter”, which plugs into the phones Lightning port on one side and provides a USB connection on the other end. $29 for the original Apple part was a bit hard to swallow, so I opted for something cheaper straight from China’s “we clone everything” factories: https://amzn.to/3WDSfUc

[Please note: All Amazon links are affiliate that support QRPer.com.]

 

The picture shows both a USB and a lightning port on the adapter. This should allow the phone to be powered/charged while the adapter is being used – more about that later.

Another limitation is the antenna: The QMX does not have a built-in antenna tuner, and even my QRP sized ZM-2 would have to live in a different pocket 🙂 My plan is to use a resonant antenna so that I would not need a tuner.

The easiest antenna with a good match is a dipole, but that is a bit more challenging to deploy in the field, so I opted for an end-fed halfway (or EFHW) antenna with a 49:1 transformer. I 3D printed a winder that allowed a BNC connector and the transformer to be mounted on the wire winder:

The design came from Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2871679

Because I am using a different toroid for the transformer, I had to remove the “bump” that is holding the toroid in place. Going forward, I may change the design a bit more to have so that I can fit more wire on the winder.

For those familiar with the transformers usually used for EFHW antennas, the picture shows two things that are different: As I’ve already mentioned, I am using a different toroid (the Fair-Rite 2661102002 core, which is a type 61), and a different winding pattern. More about that in a future post.

To power my station, I am using a TalentCell rechargeable 12V power bank:  https://amzn.to/3snTyr8

First Test

With everything in place, I tried to make a quick FT8 contact from home with this setup, but with my “big” EFHW antenna in my backyard. Because it was just a quick test, I did not even bother to hook up the charging cable for my phone (more on that later).

The software I am using is iFTx, which supports both FT4 and FT8.

I connected the phone to the adapter from above, connected the adapter via a USB cable to the QMX, and connected the QMX to a 12V power supply (unlike anywhere else in ham radio, 12V here means 12.0V and not the usual 13.8V), and hooked up the antenna to an antenna tuner and then to the EFHW in my back yard.

I answered an FT8 CQ call and successfully completed the FT8 exchange. The software does the automatic sequencing of the different messages, so it is very straight forward to use. With this first contact, I verified that the iPhone/adapter/QMX setup does work.

The Real Test

The next attempt was while camping at Hamlin Beach State Park (US-2068). I set up everything just like at home, but because I was planning on being on the air for a while. I also hooked up the cable to charge my phone while I was operating.

I was able to receive stations, but could not transmit. What made the troubleshooting more complex is that during setup, I created some sparks (that is why I do not like the barrel connector for power). I was pretty sure that the QMX was not involved, but not being able to transmit kind of suggested that I killed the finals. So I put everything away and used my KX2 instead.

Back home, I did some troubleshooting and hooked up a straight key to the QMX and it worked: I was able to finish a few CW QSOS without a problem, so the finals were definitely OK. I then set up the system again for FT8, and sure enough, I was able to make a contact. Because it was a quick test, I did not bother to use the power cable for the phone. By now, most of you probably know what the culprit was, but because I did not spell things out like this, I was still in the dark.

Success At Last

Fast forward a few more days… We went back to Hamlin Beach State Park – but this time to the picnic area – and I set up my station again. And sure enough, once everything was set up, the QMX did not transmit. This is when I took a step back and reviewed everything I had done so far, and slowly I came to the realization that when I provide power through the adapter to the phone, the QMX would not transmit.

I was able to finish my FT8 activation with my pocket sized digital station. I did run into one problem however: iFTx allows to automatically determine one’s grid square – which of course is important for FT8. When I enabled that, it correctly put me into FT13 at first, but a few QSOs later it switched me to JJ00aa – I reported this as a bug to the developer.

Using iFTx with the iPhone

The connection from the phone to the QMX is audio only. iOS does not allow an application to open a serial port connection (unlike Android). This means that the QMX will not receive any frequency information from the phone, and also no PTT signal. For this setup to work, the operator has to make sure that the QMX is tuned to the correct frequency that the correct band is selected in iFTx, and that the QMX is set to VOX mode (this is in the Digi Interface menu).

When configuring iFTx, it is possible to select a “Special Interest Activity” like POTA. This is then added to the CQ call as in “CQ POTA K5KHK FN13”.

As I’ve mentioned before, the application will automatically sequence the correct messages when a station answers the call.
Once the QSO is completed, it will be logged to the iFTx internal log, which can be exported via the usual “send to” methods available in iOS (e.g. email the log, save as a file, …).

When exporting the log, there is a choice of exporting everything, or only the new QSOs since the last export. This will create an ADIF file, which can be submitted to the POTA program, or imported into any other logging program.

At the end, I was successful in building a “pocket sized” digital station based on the QMX, I just need a fully charged phone and cannot depend on charging it while operating.

Click here to check out more articles from Karl on his blog!

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

Do I make videos of all of my field activations?

7 Comments

This past weekend, I attended the WCARS hamfest in Waynesville, North Carolina. My buddy Vlado (N3CZ) and I purchased a few indoor tables to sell some gear we no longer needed.

I also gave a short presentation about the ins and outs of going QRP. It was a lot of fun!

When I go to a hamfest, I spend a great deal of time salivating over the vintage stuff. This R-388 would look brilliant in my radio room! Wish I had the space.

I was surprised at how many people introduced themselves as readers, subscribers, and supporters. It blew my mind since this is a smaller regional hamfest—not Hamvention or Huntsville!

One reader asked a question I get a lot: “Do you film all of your activations?“

The answer is no, but I probably film 80% or more. I enjoy making activation videos. When I do a real-time video, I feel like you’re there with me, and I really enjoy that.

Even though I’ve simplified my camera gear, filming still adds time to my activations. I have to plan the setup so you can easily follow along as I log, and I need to ensure the audio is acceptable. When I’m really pressed for time, I skip making a video.

In addition, each activation video and field report takes me at least four hours to prepare. Unlike most YouTubers, the video editing time is minimal, but the field report takes time: preparing the text, photos, layout, links, etc. It’s a labor of love, though, and I enjoy the process.

Speaking of offline activations…

Lunch with Vlado isn’t complete without Baklava.

After the hamfest, Vlado and I enjoyed lunch (at this brilliant Italian restaurant), then I drove to Sylva to pick up Hazel (who had been staying with my brother-in-law).

On the way home, I passed the Blue Ridge Parkway, so I did an impromptu POTA activation at the Balsam Gap Overlook (which is overgrown and not much of an overlook anymore, but still a great spot for POTA).

I decided to make a short video for YouTube answering the reader’s question.

There’s some irony in making a video stating that I don’t always make videos of activations!

Click here to watch on YouTube.

It was a fun and quick activation: ten contacts in thirteen minutes. I used my Elecraft KX2 and PackTenna 20M EFHW—always an effective combo.

Hazel enjoyed laying on the grass next to me.

All in all, a fun little activation! I was in and out of there in 22 minutes. Had I filmed this, it would have taken more than 30 minutes.

Here’s my log sheet:

Here’s the QSO Map:

Screenshot

I’ve got some great activations in the pipeline and look forward to publishing them this month!

Thank you for coming along on the journey!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)

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

Lee’s QRP CW POTA Adventure on Black-a-Tor

12 Comments

Black-A-Tor Copse National Nature ReserveMany thanks to Lee (M0VKR) who shares the following field report and video:

A QRP CW POTA Adventure on Black-a-Tor

by Lee (M0VKR)

It was another sunny morning when my wife Joanne and I set off for a new mini adventure. Our destination was Black-a-Tor on Dartmoor, Devon, a scenic location ideal for a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation. We had not activated this park before so didn’t know what to expect. With excitement abound and a bit of nervous anticipation after looking at the propagation figures, we parked their car at Meldon Dam Reservoir car park, the starting point of our trek.

The weather was pleasantly warm as we began the journey, following a meandering river that gently led us towards our destination. The path was relatively easy, allowing us to enjoy the natural beauty surrounding us. At one point a horse fly latched onto my arm, and although I indicated my displeasure it continued to harass me for a good 10 minutes or so, before eventually giving up.

As we hiked, the silhouette of Black-a-Tor gradually appeared on the horizon, beckoning us closer. A short climb later, we found ourselves at the summit, ready to set up for our POTA activation.

After a delicious boil in the bag meal of Chicken curry and a pot noodle heated on the jet boil stove (and of course a mug of tea!), we started proceedings with the trusty Elecraft KH1 hooked up to the MPAS, calling out into the ether for about 45 minutes.

Despite best efforts, the airwaves remained silent, and no contacts were made. Relatively unfazed but a little dejected, I decided to bring out the backup—the Elecraft KX3. This radio, with its extra power, held the promise of better luck. I think in hindsight if I had just stuck with the KH1 a little longer the RF gods would swing things in our favour, or perhaps the extra little bit of power helped? Now I know you need to quadruple your power to make a single S unit of difference at the receiving station, but maybe, just maybe the extra 5 watts or so might have helped us just break over the noise threshold?

After setting up the KX3, we managed to make a very scratchy CW contact with my son, Daniel, who was back at home on 40 meters, around 70 miles away. I must admit at this point enthusiasm was depleted a little and the poor propagation conditions continued to be a challenge on this activation, and I was struggling sending with the Bamatech key for some reason. I think I had been a bit over enthusiastic when setting it up and it felt a tight in operation. A couple of European stations faded out just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving me feeling a bit frustrated to be honest. Things are not normally this difficult! I think this is the point of these longer videos (se below) it’s important to show the struggles and the highlights.

With all this being said, as if by magic after calling again on 20m, the station K2UPD suddenly erupted out of the KX3’s speaker loud and clear, as if he was on the next hill. The sudden clarity of the signal was surprising and caught me off guard. I simply couldn’t believe I was hearing a letter K, and I struggled to comprehend the characters, once my brain had recalibrated itself. I couldn’t help but smile.

It was a gentle reminder of the CW innovations Comprehensive Instant Character recognition course that coach Jon KC1FUU has mentioned so many times, Ignore the scope, and ignore the propagation predictors, persevere, and just call, as you never know who will answer! In ham radio, sometimes it’s all or nothing. The contacts started to come in more steadily after that and it really woke me up. Suddenly we were back in the game, and eventually, we reached the 10 contacts required for a successful POTA activation.

As the summit grew busier with curious passersby, Joanne found herself fielding numerous questions about our intriguing setup. The interest from the public added an unexpected but enjoyable social element to our adventure. With our mission accomplished, we decided it was time to pack up.

On our way back down, we took a detour through the ancient woodland at Black-a-Tor. The old oak trees, with their branches draped in lichen, and the river running quite fast down the slope as it meandered through created an enchanting atmosphere. It felt as if we had stepped back in time. We lingered there for about 20 minutes, absorbing the serene beauty of the place.

It was an 8km round trip. The walk back to the car was under the blazing sun, and we were both getting a little tired from it. By the time we reached the car, we realised we had gotten sunburned on the back of our necks. It was a small price to pay for such a fulfilling day, and we made a mental note to remember the sunscreen next time, perhaps I will add a small travel tube to the admin pouch.

Reflecting on our adventure, and despite the sunburn, Joanne and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction that had overridden the previous frustration. Despite the challenges, we had successfully activated Black-a-Tor and enjoyed a day immersed in nature. The memory of this outing, like the lichen on the ancient oaks, would stay with us for a long time.

Click here to view on Lee’s YouTube channel.

Field Day, Field Reports, News, Portable, QRP Radios, Reviews

Field Day: It’s all about the audio…

9 Comments

If you listened to the latest Ham Radio Workbench Podcast episode–our Field Day Debrief–you will have heard that my Field Day was a pretty low-key event.

Originally, I had hoped to fly out to Oregon and hang with my friend George (KJ6VU) and his radio club, but there were just too many family activities happening this year for me to travel for a week.

Instead, my wife, daughters, and I met up with my buddy Vlado (N3CZ) and his sister, who was visiting from North Macedonia.

We met at the Zebulon Vance Birthplace (US-6856) and, luckily, had the picnic shelter to ourselves. The weather was gorgeous, and we put together a proper potluck picnic.

Field Day POTA

Vlado and I decided to do some casual Field Day operating, and I brought the radio gear.

Since I’m currently testing the Xiegu X6200, I brought it along to see how it might handle the RF-dense environment of Field Day.

We made a few contacts with the X6200, but the audio and receiver struggled in that RF-congested environment. This isn’t a surprise, in truth. Most portable field radios aren’t designed to have contest-grade performance—they’re designed for portability and functionality in normal field conditions.

The other radio I brought along was the Penntek TR-45L. I can’t remember if I’ve used it during Field Day in the past, but all Vlado and I could say was…

Wow!

The TR-45L sounded phenomenal!

I’ve always believed that the TR-45L (both the original and skinny version) has some of the best audio in the world of field radio. That is a major plus when it comes to Field Day.

The thing is, it also has a stable front end—the TR-45L receiver handled those packed RF conditions with ease. In fact, we were both amazed at how easily we could hear all of those competing signals. There was absolutely no listening fatigue at all, and both of us could hear weak and strong signals all occupying the same space..

It sounded distinctly analog and “pure.”

Vlado and I both tend to operate with filters wide open—using the filter between our ears—so the audio produced had excellent fidelity.

Vlado and I also made short work of Vesna’s Feta cheese bread!

A couple of times, we did narrow the TR-45L’s audio filter when there was a strong competing station, but by and large, the audio was so clear, we really didn’t need to.

Top-Shelf

The takeaway for me is that the TR-45L series radios have proper contest-grade performance even if they lack contest-grade filtering.

I shouldn’t be surprised because even its predecessor, the TR-35, can handle crowded conditions with ease.

I should add here that the supply of new Penntek radios may already be dried up. As I mentioned in a previous announcement, John (WA3RNC), is retiring and selling off all of his existing radio inventory.

According to his website, he might still have some TR-45L Skinny models, but that’s it. In fact, that notice was dated May 28, 2024, so I’m not sure if it’s still correct.

The TR-45L Skinny

I love the Skinny as much as the original TR-45L—they sport the same receiver and audio; the Skinny simply lacks the ability to add an internal battery and Z-Match ATU. What you get, though, is a radio that’s even more portable and provides an excellent operating angle with the bail folded out.

Have you ever operated a Penntek radio during a contest or Field Day? What are your other favorite field radios for this type of environment? Please comment!

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

Morning POTA with KM4CFT: Back-to-Back activations with the venerable Yaesu FT-818!

6 Comments

As I write this report, I’m on the road with my family–we’ve been spending the week on the coast of North Carolina and are now (at time of publishing) in Raleigh. I’ll keep this field report short and sweet so I can publish it quickly and also fit in an activation before record temps heat up the region!

Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378)

On the morning of July 4th, 2024, Jonathan (KM4CFT) and I arranged to meet and activate on the Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378).

Jonathan was in town visiting family over the holiday weekend, and I had a brief window of time that morning to join him. My schedule had been packed since Field Day, making this my first chance for a POTA activation for a couple of weeks.

We knew it would be an interesting activation right from the start: we both arrived at the Folk Art Center at the same time and were greeted by a large black bear strolling down the road in front of the entrance! A bear walking away from your POTA spot is always a good thing.

After a quick catch-up, I grabbed my arborist throw line and deployed the 30/40 meter linked end-fed half-wave antenna I’d built using the KM4CFT antenna kit.

It would have been rude to use another antenna with KM4CFT standing right there! (Note to N5FY: Yes, I know I’ve been rude to you on many previous activations, haha!)

Gear:

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

On The Air: The Accidental Self-Spot

Jonathan took to the air first. Since neither of us had announced our activation, I opened POTA.app to spot him. Except, I didn’t. In a moment of confusion, I accidentally spotted myself!

It turns out there’s no easy way to delete your own spot once you’ve done that. (If there is, I’d love to know, though I hope to never make that mistake again!)

What followed was rather comical. Jonathan noticed people thought he was me, even though he used his own callsign in each exchange. I guess it’s easy to mishear a callsign when you think you already know it!

I kept spotting myself “QRT,” but many kind operators kept re-spotting me. I even moved to 14,000 kHz (an out-of-band frequency I’d never use) and spotted myself QRT. People were still re-spotting me on Jonathan’s frequency!

It was funny, and the early morning hour on a holiday probably contributed to the confusion.

After Jonathan logged his ten contacts, he handed the radio over to me. I swapped out paddles (his TP-III setup mounted to the FT-818 wasn’t comfortable for me).

I started calling CQ POTA de K4SWL, spotted myself (correctly this time!), and the real activation began.

In the end, I worked 25 stations in 26 minutes. Thanks to all the hunters!

Then it was time to call QRT and continue our day. It was great seeing Jonathan and fitting in a little POTA before the day really started!

QSO Map

Here’s what this five-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map:

Activation Video

Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation.  As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have monetization turned off on YouTube, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.

Note that Patreon supporters can watch and even download this video 100% ad-free through Vimeo on my Patreon page:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Thank you

Thank you for joining me during this activation! (And thank you, Jonathan, for joining me!)

I hope you enjoyed the field report and my activation video as much as I enjoyed creating them!

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.

As I mentioned before, the Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me! Have a brilliant week ahead and be kind to one another out there!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)

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

Back in the Game for the POTA Babe

4 Comments

by Teri (KO4WFP)

After a five week break from POTA, it was time to get back in the game! I leave for my North Carolina camping/POTA trip Sunday, July 14th and frankly miss being out on an activation. To remedy that situation, Monday, July 8th, I headed to Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area (WMA), POTA park US-1603.

source: Google maps

Tuckahoe WMA consists of 15,000 acres purchased by the State of Georgia in 1990. Hunting for deer, turkey, and coyotes is allowed on the property in season. The property has over 10 small ponds for fishing and three designated camping areas. It is located in Screven county and its eastern border is the Savannah River.

When researching Tuckahoe WMA for this article, I came across information regarding the Battle of Briar Creek which was fought on March 3, 1779. Much of the battle site lies within the boundaries of Tuckahoe WMA.

The attack that day in 1779 by the British was a surprise and 150 Americans lost their lives. The aftermath proved especially bloody because the British were enraged over the death of one of their sergeants – Hugh McAllister – whose body was found hacked to pieces. As a result, the American wounded were hunted down and bayonetted. According to an article in the Athens Banner-Herald, “the British victory was so decisive scholars believe it prolonged the American Revolution by a year, changing the course of U.S. history.”

Back in the present day, Daisy and I left Savannah early under grey and sprinkling skies. The drive to Tuckahoe was pleasant and took us through Sylvania, Georgia again. Along the route, I spied a rainbow with a slight double-bow on its left-hand side. I hoped that was a good omen.

Downtown Sylvania, Georgia

The map on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources website showed what looked like several entrances for the property. I opted to take the second entrance I found but that proved to be a mistake as a tree blocked the road. I backtracked to the first entrance (where the battlefield sign is) and found myself on a wide, gravel road.

Access denied!

The woods I encountered on the property were open, mostly pine, and, I think, managed for wildlife and hunting as evidenced by several turkeys I watched crossing the road in front of me. It wasn’t far before I saw the memorial for the Battle of Briar Creek.

Originally, I intended to reach one of the boat ramps on the Savannah River, deep inside the WMA, as my activation site. However, given the limited time I had for an activation and the availability of low branches in an open area, I opted for a place just past the memorial as my QTH. I set up the hitching system for Daisy so she could enjoy the outdoors while I worked with my equipment. I oriented the EFHW antenna toward the north running the coax back underneath it hoping that orientation would push my signal to the north and west. (The orientation worked as per my QSO map below.) It wasn’t long before I was ready to call CQ. I went to spot myself and discovered there was…

Hitch system set up between Kai’s roof rack and large pine tree

NO CELL COVERAGE! (A POTA activators worst nightmare!) Ugh. I couldn’t even text anyone asking them to spot me. Continue reading Back in the Game for the POTA Babe →

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

Guest Post: Combining POTA with an FBLA national competition road trip!

3 Comments

Many thanks to Doug (KO4WDE) for sharing the following guest post:

POTA and FBLA

by Doug (KO4WDE)

I have recently found myself fully immersed in the world of Future Business Leaders of America, as my wife is the chapter leader for the middle school where we teach.  She started the program with just a handful of kids, and they performed so well their first year that six students qualified for national competition in Atlanta, Georgia last year.

To save money, and help provide this experience, we loaded them in our camper and took to the road.  Fast forward to this year and they have continued to grow and develop to the point where they now have more than twenty four members!  Now here’s the cool part: they didn’t just grow, they have developed into a powerhouse of Kentucky’s FBLA. Of the twenty four members, fifteen placed either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd at the state level competitions and qualified for national competition in Orlando Florida this summer.  Of those fifteen, eleven went to Florida.

The costs for this trip were huge.  Fuel alone for the vehicles to get us there was nearly $1000, and lodging, registration fees, and food drove the cost per student to well above $1500 per student.   The students voted that they would not go unless they could all go.  So they hit their computers and applied for grants and scholarships.  They were successful in obtaining a local  grant for $3500 to cover their registration fees, and came up with a battle plan for fundraising as much as possible. They formed a team that would go out into the community and present to local business owners in efforts to gain sponsorships to help lower the cost of the trip.

Goal Achieved

To say that they were successful was an understatement.  The students were able to gain enough financial support to lower the cost of the trip to $300 each.  This includes opportunities for the kids, (some of whom have never been out of Kentucky) to see the ocean, and experience many attractions that Orlando has to offer including Universal Studios and downtown St. Augustine.

That Ocean experience is where POTA plays a part.  Our travel plan had us staying at Anastasia State Park (US-1832) for two nights.  A couple of the FBLA members attending are also members of the School’s radio club (KQ4CWT) and were looking forward to the club’s first POTA activation (although the ocean was far more fun for them).  I had not activated Florida  myself and was greatly looking  forward to the experience.

Traveling with fourteen people total, in two vehicles (a Nissan Armada, and a Honda Pilot) space is extremely limited so I started the process of streamlining several separate systems into one specific mission bag.

The Field Kit

The host radio was my Xiegu G90 kit seen here combined with a small folding camp table and a Wolf River Coils vertical antenna to use on the beach.  My G90 kit is designed to be as simple possible for voice and digital modes, but it is completely based on using trees and wire antennas to get on the air, and picnic tables to operate from, so a few changes needed to be planned.

The nature of the beach itself is the most important change to plan for: no trees… no wire antennas.  I don’t own a mast, so the WRC needed to be in the kit.  Secondly, we would be on the beach for our planned activation, so I would need a small portable table to keep the gear out of the sand.  I chose a cheap amazon table [QRPer affiliate link] that is small enough to fold up into my host backpack (a maxpedition Riftcore) and sturdy enough to hold the G90 and my Evolve III laptop.  Preliminary testing on this little table was promising.

Testing the Amazon table

The Bioenno battery can wedge under the table while also supports lowering the center of gravity and freeing up the table top. The radio itself has lost the cooling stand as it was just too big and clunky for my go kit.  It now rests on a small laptop stand [affiliate link] that is suspiciously similar to the radioddity version for a quarter of the price.  I planned on sitting in the sand, under an umbrella using this little table to activate the park.

The Merging of the Bags

The G90 bag consists of the radio, battery, laptop, coax, power cables and adapters, stand, Digirig and backup wire antennas and tree line kit.  The coax has been replaced with RG-316 to save weight but the kit is essentially the same as seen in the article linked.

The Wolf river coil bag is an old camelback hydration pack.  It contains the SB-1000 coil, three legs, three radials, a 25 foot run of RG8X, and the whip.

The Riftcore has two main compartments and two secondary compartments. The front the main compartments consist of a large deep area in the back, and a slightly smaller and thinner area directly in front of that.  The main compartment holds the table top, the table frame, and the WRC system with just enough room to zip up.  The zippered pouch opposite holds the coax.

The main rift core compartment

The second compartment holds the radio, battery, stand, and ground coverings that double as padding and chargers, as well as the evolve III POTApotamus laptop.

The secondary rift core compartment

The front compartments hold the backup wire antenna, tree kit, power cables and Digirig.

The small outer rift core compartment

The kit, as planned, was much larger and heavier than the Redrock outdoors bag I’m used to carrying, but I thought it to be better since I would only have to keep up with one bag.  Especially since I would be carrying other beach gear out to the beach, and would have the kids with me.

Success All-Around

So how did it go? Success, and major FBLA success!

We arrived in St. Augustine around 7:00pm.  The boys and I setup camp, three tents.  A boys tent dubbed “Brozone Zero”, a girls tent “The She Shack”, and “Smalls” a small tent for my youngest daughter, my wife and me. The girls took the Armada into town to get pizza for dinner on the beach.

I usually RV camp, but when I do tent camp it’s in a Kelty.  Our little tent wasn’t a Kelty. We stayed in a Walmart special 3 man tent while the ladies enjoyed the Kelty tent.

When they arrived back, my wife laughed at our little tent and asked if it was like the magic one in Harry Potter.  Bigger on the inside.

It wasn’t.

The boys blowing up floats to use as mattresses in “brozone zero”
Pizza on the beach

The kit worked out better than I had planned. I was able to snag eleven SSB contacts between rain storms on the beach.  I was unable to sit down and really do an activation because of a change in plans. We planned to stay two nights but we canceled one and moved to the local Hilton to avoid tent camping storms the second night, so it was more of a “set up as fast as you can and get ten” type deal.

The table worked perfectly, although the beach wind blew my WRC vertical over.  Propagation was fair on 20 meters and I was able to get my last couple contacts via P2P hunting.  I was excited to add Florida to my list of activated states.

Admittedly, it was a fun challenge to setup and get those contacts as fast as possible and repack. I need to pack some flags for the radials in the future.

The camp table was perfect
Even with the feet of the WRC dug into the compacted sand the wind still managed to knock the system over

Once we left the beach for the hotel, radio time was over and I dedicated myself to the FBLA mission at hand. We spent five days competing and exploring Orlando. Our FBLA chapter performed very well overall and my daughter placed 2nd in the nation for her performance in the learning strategies competition.

My lovely wife was named the middle school chapter advisor of the year!  We had many, many more successes across the event but we will learn final scores in August.

My daughter winning 2nd place
The entire chapter before the closing ceremony party

This adventure was so much fun. It was very tiring, but worth every second of work to make it happen, and of course it’s always okay to sneak a little radio wherever you go.

73!

Doug (KO4WDE)

Grab And Go, Guest Posts, News, Pedestrian Mobile, Portable, QRP

A QRP Morse Code Exchange with a Monk

12 Comments

How I worked the #19 most wanted CW DXCC as a pedestrian mobile station

by Leo (DL2COM)

A couple of months ago, I started using the app HamAlert to keep track of interesting DXpeditions and rare call signs just to check if I would be able to copy their signal on my home-made WebSDR at a location outside of the city. This helped me a great deal in understanding propagation and pile-up dynamics as I began to develop a strong interest for expedition-like operating from exotic regions.

Mount Athos and monastery
Mount Athos (2027m abt. 6650 feet high) and one of the monasteries (courtesy of Dave Proffer, CC-BY 2.0)

One of the stations I had tracked for a while is Monk Iakovos Kutlumusian SV2RSG/A – the only licensed operator in Mount Athos which is currently #19 most wanted CW DXCC according to Clublog. Mount Athos is an autonomous orthodox monk republic under Greek sovereignty and located on a peninsula in the North-East of Greece (locator KN20CG). More info on Mount Athos can be found here (Wikipedia) and a trailer for an upcoming documentary here (Youtube).

Koutloumousiou Holy Monastery (courtesy of  Στάθης Κουτσιαύτης , CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia commons)

The priorities of the community in Mount Athos understandably lie on their theological work. So I think it is a big commitment that Monk Iakovos (QTH: Koutloumousiou Monastery one of 20 monasteries in Mount Athos) is able to make some contacts in his free time outside his monastic duties as he writes on his QRZ page.

Very experienced DXers from Berlin once told me how they worked Mount Athos many moons ago on 80m in the middle of the night only by chance and that it is almost impossible to log this super rare DXCC.

Impossible? Hold my beer.

I had noticed that during May and June 2024 Monk Iakovos was on the air more frequently but each time only working 4-5 stations in a couple of minutes before disappearing again for days. The only two consistencies I found was that he was active on 20m CW and most of the time during local evening hours.

Garmin Instinct 2 Tactical Watch
Whoops there he is again – Hamalert notification on the Garmin Instinct 2 watch

I took the photo above a couple of days before to inform a friend that SV2RSG/A was active again (btw the HamAlert notification feature on my watch comes in very handy).

Then on Sunday, June 16th 2024, I was sitting on the couch reading when my watch vibrated and showed his call sign again on RBN at about 20:56 UTC (22:56 local time, 23:56 DX time).

I was in absolutely no position to make a QSO as I live in a very urban neighborhood in central Berlin City and I cannot have antennas at my QTH. Also the location brings along a high degree of man-made QRM and all the tall townhouses act as blockers for any kind of RF. Far from ideal for HF operation which is the reason 100% of me operating is portable or from the car.

In addition, we had just returned from a weekend trip to the countryside and I was enjoying the fact that our kids were sound asleep. So I only took out my phone and checked if I could hear this station again online.

To my surprise, this time it wasn’t the immediate and very intense “red ocean” simplex pile-up that I had witnessed multiple times during the weeks before. Maybe it was due to the fact that a big DX contest was coming to an end or most tired OPs were just off the air already on a late Sunday evening. Who knows? Or maybe it was just plain luck…..

Should I? Or should I not? I knew that I needed to be outside if I wanted to have the slightest chance to work this station. There is also a tiny park about 200 meters from our house which would improve my situation a little due to better “sky access” and takeoff angels towards Greece. But I thought by the time I could be set up the pile-up would already be too big for my QRP signal or the station would already be gone as it was the case each time before.

Still I ran over to our utility room, ripped open my backpack and got the KX-2 pouch out. I took the transceiver, slapped the AX-1 whip on, grabbed a key and dumped the counterpoise wire in my pocket.

Don’t let the shoe situation mess up your TTQ stats (time-to-QRV)

Have you ever wanted to take out the trash and then ran into a “shoe situation” at the front door with your hands full?

With my wife’s sneakers slipped half on I staggered out on the street all while trying to secure the end of the counterpoise to one of the bottom screws on the KX-2’s case and nearly falling down the stairs. Time-to-QRV (TTQ is that an official metric? if not it should be imho) maybe 80-100 seconds….no kidding.

Outside I dialed in 14.004 and immediately heard SV2RSG/A still calling CQ at a relaxed pace and then working a station. The signal in my “street canyon” was weak but a 100% copy.

Elecraft KX-2 and AX-1 whip antenna
Elecraft KX-2 and AX-1 whip antenna got me on the air in no time (I need to set the internal clock again)

I quickly send my call sign only to get a “QRZ?” back. OMG did he really just hear my signal? Apparently my field strength was too weak on his end because he started calling CQ again.

So I sprinted towards the park (dragging along the counterpoise behind me) and I noticed that his signal was coming on stronger and stronger. After about 100 meters I stopped and again called “DL2COM”. This time I heard “DL2?” but then a very loud OP blasting his signal right on top of me.

I repeated my call another two times and couldn’t believe my ears when SV2RSG/A came back with my true full call and a 599 report. With shaking hands I somehow managed to reply R 599 TU and then we exchanged 73s. I simply couldn’t believe what had just happened.

When I walked back to the front door one of my neighbors was standing there looking somewhat irritated. He paused his phone call for a second and asked “ARE WE SAFE?”.

“Oh yes! For now, very safe!” I told him that I had just communicated with a monk in Greece in morse code (“you know the stuff they used on ships back in the day”) and that this story probably needed more context over a beer.

I then noticed that I had pulled the counterpoise wire through a pile of dog droppings with everything happening so quickly. Of course I did! How can this not happen on the streets of Berlin. A sacrifice I was happy to make for this very special contact and btw cleaned easily in under 2 minutes.

Beer bottle and glass

Gear used:

Thanks to QSL manager SV1GRM I did not have to wait long for this card

How did this work? Being on the air so quickly and the fact that 20m was on fire that night certainly helped. But then again is it also the idea to just dare and get out there operating. If you don’t cast a line there won’t be any fish…right?

You never know which exciting DX station might be just around the corner during a special band opening.

While Greece isn’t particularly hard to reach from Germany it was more the overall circumstances (very rare, short and erratic operating times of this station, usage of callsign by pirates, urban QTH, compromised antenna, simplex pile-up with QRP signal) that made this contact highly unlikely but as I now know also totally possible. Blessings to Mt. Athos and their ongoing work for the DX-community! I am very grateful that I got the chance to log them.

– vy 73 de Leo DL2COM

p.s. as of the day of publishing this article, Monk Iakovos has not been active since I worked him on June 16th (according to RBN).