Category Archives: POTA

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

Climbing an old hill and struggling to get ten in the logs!

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by Anthony (M7TAW)

Introduction

After the success that was my first ever activations at Devil’s Punch Bowl, I’d earmarked another close by POTA spot for my second activation.

This one had an unusually low number of activations, given the local activity in surrounding parks. I just figured maybe it’s a bit out the way and a smaller area, slightly less popular. There can’t be another reason, right…right?

Only a few activations at this park, but G7SQW (pota.app) had a good one!

Old Winchester Hill National Nature Reserve (GB-0029)

Old Winchester Hill is a 164-acre nature reserve, with an Iron Age hill fort at the summit of its largest hill. Interestingly when checking out the location I did spot the phrase “Some unexploded Ordnance may still remain in ‘fenced-off’ sections of the hill” as the hill was used as target practice back in WW2. Watch where you’re walking then!

History buffs delight. An iron age hill fort!

Gear

The radio gear list was basically the same as my last activation apart from throwing in the Baofeng, so I just had to grab the already filled backpack again, and not have to think about it too much!

The only thing I did check was that the batteries were fully charged. I’ve seen a couple of videos of people mentioning running out of battery on an activation Lee – MØVKR!  Also I decided that I’d also bring a camping chair, which wound up being a bit hefty to carry and not very useful in the end…more on that later.

A full list of gear and links below.

Setting up

The presence of a dedicated car park is a definite plus, especially for visitors who may not be familiar with driving on narrow UK country roads. Finding suitable parking near some parks can be a challenge, so having a designated parking area makes access much easier!

After having parked up, I donned my cap and grabbed my back and the chair. The day was warm, and the sun was out. It was a glorious day, but I’d forgotten one thing…it wasn’t radio related but you’ll see the consequences of that later.

I set off down the path and was greeted by a lovely view, and a fork in the path. Do I go left or right?

In a poor choose your own adventure, I chose right and realised about half way down a huge hill that I’d chosen incorrectly. What is this SOTA?!

I was carrying my backpack, a camping chair, and a huge bottle of water. The amount of vegetation and the incline of where I was walking meant I didn’t particularly feel good about setting up anywhere. So on I trod.

The heat was exhausting and the terrain was a little tricky. I then had to get through a pretty overgrown forested area.

The route so far.

What goes down…must also come up? Whatever…I was panting and I broke through the forested area to be greeted with this hill.

Deceptively tiring.

I have to say, looking at the image now it doesn’t look that bad, but at the time it felt horrendous. There were other people struggling getting up, and the heat didn’t help! I calculated the incline afterwards using google earth and it turns out it’s about 16 degrees, or roughly 25% grade.

In either case, I can see why this park has so few activations. It’s a bit of a slog to get up and down, and there aren’t many great spots to activate.

Thankfully, after I got to the top of the hill, I found a nice looking bench, which turned out to be a fairly precariously balanced bit of wood on top of some sort of water trough. I didn’t care though, I’d found a spot to sit down.

The spot for the day.

I’d spent a bit of time practicing setting up the antenna for both 20m and 40m at home using a wider range display on the NanoVNA which really helped. I could setup quickly, and boy after the walk that was helpful!

I’m loving this antenna for it’s quick setup and ease of being pretty discreet.

I found that for 20m I really needed to spread the radials out to get a good SWR. 40m tended to find a low SWR with just the radials lengthened out together. Not really that much trouble!

All setup and ready to go!

On The Air

Before I started, I actually pulled out my Baofeng this time, and tried to give a few calls out to no avail. I coordinated with a fellow Online Amateur Radio Community (oarc.uk) member over on Discord, and whilst we couldn’t make a straight line QSO, we did manage to chat via a repeater (which doesn’t count for POTA).

This time, I prioritised CW, and with my low SWR and nice spot high up on a hill, I thought I’d be getting out and getting calls in in no time. That great ball in the sky had other ideas though.

After setting my spot on the website, I called CQ on 40m for about 10 mins and noticed I wasn’t even getting heard on the RBN. I gave it another 5 minutes of trying and thought, “damn, maybe I’ll switch to 20m.”

A quick slide on the coil and adjustment of the whip and I’m on 20m. Okay, CQ again…nothing still. I tried moving about the frequencies a little but still nothing on the RBN and no calls coming in. That’s frustrating, I was really looking forward to some CW.

Okay let’s change tact, and go with FT8. Again, the (tr)uSDX is pretty handy for this as I can just plug directly into my phone via USB and boot up FT8CN and that’s that…I’m working FT8.

I tried on 40m first, and I found HB9XQH (pota.app) who was also POTA at that time! My first P2P, that seems like a good start!

It was another 6 minutes to get the next QSO with PA3CPS, immediately followed by M6BLV (pota.app). Then nothing for a good 15 minutes on 40m. Drat!

I then switched to 20m. My friend from the first activation came back this time DK5UR (pota.app), then followed EA7HTE (pota.app), and quickly SP1JQJ, and also OH1NOA (pota.app). Phew! At least it looks like I’ll be getting my 10 (foreshadowing).

At least there were some nice views to pass the time.

I then spent another hour working both 20m and 40m, FT8 and CW to no avail. I didn’t seem to either be getting out much, or anybody coming in. I had a couple of sniffs of a QSO on FT8 but they didn’t complete.

Finally, I got M0PTZ (pota.app) after this hour, but the day had gone on about 3 hours now, and I was starting to get too hot and tired. That was only 8 in the log, and it felt super frustrating to only be 2 away, but I needed to get back and I had to come up with the energy to make my way back up the hill!

After the high of the first activation, to go to a low of not being successful was disheartening, but it shall not dissuade me from future attempts! Just maybe I’ll give this old hill a miss for a while.

Oh, and also that thing that I forgot? Sunscreen…don’t forget that or you’ll end up looking like I did.

A British confectionary representation of my skin colour palette the next day.

Where are those last 2 hiding?

73s

Anthony (M7TAW)

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

Quarter-Wave Conquers: Christian and Andrea’s POTA Success Despite Solar Slumber

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Many thanks to Christian (IX1CKN) who shares the following field report:

POTA Friends Meet to Activate IT-0737

by Christian (IX1CKN)

With Andrea (IW0HK) in Turin for a few days, it would have been a shame not to use Sunday for a POTA activation, recreating the “Multicountry Rove” team that participated in the Friedrichshafen Fair.

Our chosen destination, as a halfway point for both of us, was (again) Canavese in Piedmont, where we had identified Lake Candia (IT-0737), a Natura 2000 reserve we had been eyeing for some time but had never activated.

We reached the reserve (exit on the A5 for both of us at San Giorgio Canavese, then towards Caluso, and finally the Provincial Road 84, which runs right along the lake’s edge). We soon realized that on Sundays, the area is quite popular with locals seeking a cool spot (the lake is also suitable for swimming). A restaurant and a beach are the first things you encounter, but we had something less crowded in mind.

We stopped by a patch of vegetation, with tall trees that offered much-needed shade on a 30°C Sunday (though with some insects as a price to pay, but we brought repellent spray). For the antenna, we used the tried and tested quarter-wave Chinese whip, which had proven crucial in our recent German activations.

We started the activation on 20 meters, and it was clear from the beginning that propagation was only partially favorable (a minor solar flare in progress, but we’ve lost count at this point).

Many signals started strong but faded quickly, almost disappearing after the second pass. Almost all contacts were POTA enthusiasts, recognizable by their calls, a testament to the program’s growing popularity.

We managed two “park to park” contacts: one in Germany and the other in the UK. Other stations appeared on the cluster, but we couldn’t hear them. After about half an hour, we reached the milestone of 10 QSOs, making the activation valid. The rate indicated a challenging Sunday, as it seemed right from the start: few stations responded, but curiously, those that did came in with solid signals.

We attributed this to well-set-up home stations and decided to switch bands. 10 and 12 meters were closed, but we heard some QSOs on 15 meters and started calling. The response that made the activation worthwhile came from Marvin Ward “Lee” KI5MM (who, we later discovered, was transmitting from a place in Texas called Italy—perhaps it was fate). He gave us a 3/3 report, but we couldn’t have been happier: we were using a KX-3 at 10 watts with a ground-planted vertical antenna.

Another colleague from Sweden also came in on 15 meters, but nothing else in the next ten minutes. We wrapped up with fourteen contacts and headed back to the initial restaurant for a refreshing beer by the lake.

If every activation has a lesson, this one was that while propagation may be poor, taking care of your antenna setup (the quarter-wave being the most natural form) guarantees results. There’s already a lot of talk about this antenna, but I’m sure the more people try it, the more it will be discussed.

Thanks to everyone who connected with us, and until next time!

Ciao, 73!
Chris, IX1CKN

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

The POTA Babe Strikes Out – Day 3

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by Teri (KO4WFP)

As my friend Jon KC1FUU says “Some days are diamonds, some are stone.” The third day (Tuesday, July 16) of my North Carolina trip definitely fell into the “stone” category.

The day began nice enough with a slow but steady pace. As our next overnight stay was at Lake James State Park, it was time to break camp and set out northward for Linville Gorge Wilderness Area (US-10262). According to the US Forest Service website, “the gorge is formed by the Jonas Ridge on the east and Linville Mountain on the west and is bisected by the Linville River which drops 2,000 feet into the valleys below.” The gorge is also known as the “Grand Canyon of Eastern USA”.

source: GIS Geography

When you activate parks out of the state and with which you are unfamiliar, you never know what the actual conditions will be until you arrive. In case we didn’t want to hike into the gorge, I figured there would a parking lot at which we could set up as is typical of many parks. However, that is NOT the case here. The roads that run along the gorge are also not in the park boundary. All the trails to hike are rated difficult except for one which doesn’t go into the gorge.

After the previous day, I was loathe to do any major hiking, especially for Daisy. The weather didn’t help either as it was sunny and warm.

There was one hike – Spencer Ridge Trail – whose description said there was a moderate section. Plan B was to ride to the other side of the gorge and hike enough to be in the park boundary and try an activation on Spencer Ridge Trail.

Spencer Trail circled in black on Linville Gorge map

Have you ever ridden any forest service roads? Whew! They are a rough bunch of characters. This one – Table Rock Road – was no different. Roads like this is why I drive my Crosstrek Kai, as he is made for these kinds of adventures.

This photo doesn’t begin to convey the bumpy condition of this road!
A huge rock along the forest service road

We parked in the lot for Spencer Ridge Trail, geared up, and began the hike. A little ways down the trail, we stopped and I set up for an activation. There was no way to put up an antenna in the trees as this was a  narrow trail and likely there would be hikers coming along at some point. I opted for the AX1 and hopped onto 20 meters. After 10 minutes of calling CQ with no answers, I thought about moving to 40 meters. However, there was no room for that long of a counterpoise and, by this time, I was ready to admit “uncle” to the gorge. Sometimes, as another acquaintance says, “the juice ain’t worth the squeeze,” and it wasn’t by this point.

The trail
My view – looking straight into the foliage with the trail behind me

We rehydrated, loaded ourselves back into the car for the bumpy, crazy service road ride, and went on our way to the next activation – Table Rock Fish Hatchery (US-8012).

The hatchery, built in 1946, has 17 ponds as well as a flowing water flume for holding trout. Its water supply is nearby Irish Creek. It is the only coolwater hatchery in the state due to its location which  raises fingerling smallmouth bass, walleye, and muskallunge as well as channel catfish.

Maybe I should have taken the rain I encountered as an omen this activation was not to be. It poured on the drive to the hatchery and for about 15 minutes at the site. There was blue sky in the distance and the clouds seemed to be clearing when all of sudden, the sun was out! However, with the sun came intense humidity, almost south-Georgia level humidity.

I set up in a picnic area outside the hatchery gates but still on hatchery property. I found a spot I could park Kai under branches for shade. As there were dogs loose on the property and the ground was soggy, I left Daisy in the car with the windows down and the Koonie fan on high to keep her cool.

Picnic area
Kai in the shade
Daisy keeping cool in the car

Due to the rain, there was no lack of wildlife. As I set up, I disturbed a bunch of tiny (and I mean tiny) frogs. During the activation, I kept an eye on the ground while calling CQ over and over and spied a little beetle crawling nearby.

One of the frogs I inadvertantly disturbed

I deployed the EFRW antenna and hopped on the air. I’m not sure if it was the location or bad propagation or both but I had only one nibble. (Thank you Tim VA3UZ for that single contact!) I tried 20 meters for two periods as well as five minutes each on 40 and 30 meters. It was hot and humid. While setting up, the feed-end of my EFRW had dropped out of my pocket unbeknownst to me and I tore my hair out for over 20 minutes trying to locate it. Between the weather, the frustration from temporarily losing the antenna feed-end, and the lack of contacts, I had had enough and called QRT.

Throwing the arbor line to snag my branch
The creek at the hatchery
My QTH

We drove onto Lake James State Park to set up camp for the night. What a pretty and open landscape this park has. I booked a spot in the Paddy campground, spot #1 right near the bathhouse. Given the rainy weather we encountered, this proved to be a good spot.

Lake James campsite

I planned for an evening activation at Lake James; however, the weather had a different idea. It rained several times over the course of the evening. So, the POTA Babe struck out – zero successful activations of the three parks planned for the day.

Yes, it was a stone kind of day. The good thing about stone days is they don’t stick around. At some point, the diamond days show up again. Was day four of my North Carolina  trip a diamond day? Stay tuned…

Announcements, Field Reports, New Products, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, QRP Radios, Videos

Introducing the New CFT1 Five Band Portable CW Transceiver Kit!

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My buddy Jonathan (KM4CFT) made a big announcement this morning.

He’s been working tirelessly since the start of the year, designing and testing a brand-new field-portable CW transceiver he’s dubbed the CFT1.

As of this morning, you can purchase the transceiver kit on HamGadgets.com.

A little backstory

Jonathan first mentioned his plans to design a CW transceiver back when we were doing a joint POTA activation at the end of December 2023. At the time, it was just an idea. When he said he planned to have it ready for sale in 2024, I was skeptical. I mean, he had a day job and had never designed a radio before. How could he pull that off in such a short timeframe?

Fast forward to Four Days in May/Hamvention in May 2024, and wouldn’t you know it, Jonathan had a working prototype on display! I was blown away. Within a couple of weeks, he was contacting us beta testers, eager to get revision one units into our hands.

I got my CFT1 in June and immediately put it through its paces in the shack. Even in beta, this little radio was rock solid – I was seriously impressed!

I thoroughly tested the CFT1 in the shack, both on a dummy load and with my QTH antenna. If you’re into SOTA or POTA and I worked you in June, chances are it was with the CFT1.

Vlado (N3CZ) making field day contacts.

I even took the CFT1 out for a spin on Field Day. Vlado (N3CZ) and I were both impressed with how well it performed in that crazy RF environment. Remember, this isn’t a contest radio, but it didn’t seem to overload at all. Impressive!

When I heard Jonathan was launching the CFT1 today, I figured I’d do a quick POTA activation to showcase this awesome little radio.

The Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378)

Yesterday morning, I was heading to Mission Hospital in Asheville to visit a family member who had just been admitted. I realized I had enough time for a quick activation at the Folk Art Center on the way.

I arrived at the parking lot around 8:30 AM. It was pretty empty except for the grounds crew. I set up at my usual picnic table.

I paired the CFT1 with my KM4CFT End-Fed Half-Wave, trimmed for 30M with a 40M linked extension. I was hoping for some 40-meter action early in the morning. Setup was a breeze. My throw line cooperated beautifully – the 40M EFHW was practically vertical!

Naturally, I filmed the whole process: setup, activation, and pack-up. Before I started the activation, I spent a few minutes talking about the CFT1 – its design philosophy and what I like about it. Hopefully, this will help you decide if it’s the right radio for you.

Gear:

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On The Air

I spotted myself on 40 meters and started calling CQ using the CW message memory I’d already programmed with “CQ POTA DE K4SWL.”

Fortunately, the band was healthy–at least, healthy enough to reply to a number of hunters. Continue reading Introducing the New CFT1 Five Band Portable CW Transceiver Kit! →

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

Field Report: POTA Energy Boost at Tuttle Educational State Forest

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Somedays, I just need a little POTA and radio-active therapy to energize the day. And this was one of those days.

On Thursday, July 18, 2024, I woke up still feeling quite tired because I had been out the entire day before helping my sister with a move–my wife and I didn’t get back home until midnight.

I was exhausted!

That Thursday, though, I still needed to hit the road again fairly early to help my sister with her home closing and then bring my dad home (finally) from the skilled nursing facility where he’d spent the previous 2.5 months!

It was a big day, and I was feeling pretty low on the energy reserves even after the morning coffee. We’ve all been there, right?

I didn’t think I would have time to fit in a POTA activation, but my father’s nursing facility contacted me and asked if I could pick him up after lunch instead of before. All of a sudden, I had a two-hour chunk of time, so, of course, I was going to get radio-active!

Fortunately, I had my GoRuck GR1 in the car, after my trip to the NC coast, packed with the KX2 and a few antenna options!

Looking at the time, I knew Tuttle Educational State Forest would be my best bet for a quick activation. Accounting for travel time and lunch, I would have about a one-hour window to operate.

Tuttle Educational State Forest (US-4861)

I arrived at Tuttle and wasn’t surprised to find the place nearly empty. Tuttle caters to school groups, and since schools were still in summer break, I didn’t expect to see any school buses or large groups.

My plan was to attempt this activation using the AX1 antenna–just to keep things simple.

I chose a picnic table in the shade and set up my gear in short order!

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 hopped on the air hoping that propagation wouldn’t be too rough, but turns out, it was not in the greatest of shape. Anyone active in POTA lately knows this struggle! Continue reading Field Report: POTA Energy Boost at Tuttle Educational State Forest →

Field Reports, Funny, Guest Posts, News, POTA, QRO, QRP, Videos

Fish Creek Provincial Park: My most frustrating activation to date

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by Vince (VE6LK)

All I wanna know is howcome our local star decides to throw in a monkey wrench when I go to activate? Huh? Huh?

Monday August 5 was a statutory holiday for me and I decided to get out early at a popular picnic area in south Calgary and get some radio therapy. I listened to the IARU beacons while driving and even 15m sounded promising.

I’m not nearly as adept as Thomas at using an arborist throw line as I famously exclaimed once and had to be beeped out, so it took me close to a half hour to get my VE6VID OCF antenna how I wanted it with one end supported by the tree and the opposite my carbon-fibre mast. Given I was also setting up video equipment, It was an hour before I made my first contact from when I had arrived.

I started off very optimistic that I’d be able to get 10 contacts as I was hearing all kinds of DX on 20m FT8. I connected my iPad with iFTx software along with some cables I heard about via KD7DTS and I started working it off at 1 watt (just to be cocky) and it took me a while to get 2 contacts. This simply won’t do as I don’t have all day!

So I switched to CW. 10 minutes of calling and only one spot on RBN at 5 watts. So I did what any reasonable person would do and I moved to 10 watts because more is better, right?

Two entries in RBN, one for 5W and the other for 10W.

I then had a couple of contacts. At one point I did a visual check to ensure my antenna wasn’t on the ground (it wasn’t). So I proceeded with my logical thinking and moved to SSB at 10 watts, because after all, I was there to experiment! Clearly I was delirious to think that SSB would be better than CW – that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

This got me nowhere, slowly. Me, I prefer nowhere fast, but beggars should not be choosers. After 20 minutes of calling on SSB I decided it was time for more powah! and thus I took down my gear and moved into my truck with the trusty FT-857D and the ATAS-120A antenna with the lengthened whip. By this point I had zero hesitation to run 100 watts as I’d been at the park for close to two hours.

I posted a spot and began calling. I even turned my spotting into something humourous in an attempt to woo callers:

I got creative when posting spots 🙂

Along the way I attracted at least one bystander and spoke with them about the hobby for a bit, and I worked 4 contacts between being hunted and being the hunter. At least those 4 “only” took 15 minutes. But they were getting progressively harder. Can you spot why in the image below?

A=46

I’ll give you a clue: it starts with the letter A. I had noticed some small M-class flares over the past couple of hours and they were adding up fast. Conditions were deteriorating for me. I must have been damn near a direct hit to those flares, as others in the southern USA were making 50 contacts an hour at the same time as I wasn’t. So I finally did the right thing and moved to CW at 100 watts. I felt like Scotty “I’m givin’ ‘er all I can Cap’n!” …

…and I was met with mediocre results. Nobody answered my calls so the remaining contacts I obtained were found by hunting. Some that were calling were super loud to me and giving out 72s -indicating they were QRP- but could not hear me after my callsign was given 4 times. My final contact was with my friend VE3JO who has just returned to CW and was at a slower pace which helped to bring my blood pressure down a notch 🙂

Summary

Yes, there is a video with plenty of wise-cracking with myself to reduce tension, one of my coping mechanisms.

It’s not a race, sometimes it is a marathon that you didn’t plan on and only takes patience to have whatever you define as success finally fulfilled.

Still, how bad is it to be out in a park for a bunch of hours? It’s not too bad at all if you ask me!

72, 73 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, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

A tale of two back to back activations

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by Vince (VE6LK)

On Sunday July 28 I needed some shortwave therapy. I headed west from Longview Alberta to find a location on Highway 541 where I could have the perfect convergence of having cell service and be within a POTA entity and near to the mountains. This would allow me to receive any updates about a family member (none happened) while getting a break from home and to play radio.

Along the drive I took time to listen to the IARU beacons and was pleased to hear bits of VK and ZL on 15m so I was hopeful that my plan for two QRP activations -one CW and one SSB- would be successful.

I would discover just how difficult it was at the second activation … but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Activation One: Sentinel PRA

After some driving around and testing cell service at a few roadside points, I landed up at the Sentinel Provincial Recreation Area which is just inside the boundary of Kananaskis Country. This would offer me the luxuries of a bench or table along with a stunning view. While it’s not a unique entity itself in the POTA system, it is part of the larger CA-6112 that is K-Country.

Sentinel PRA is at the confluence of the Highwood River and Cataract Creek and is, like many in this area, an equestrian-focused facility. Unlike many, it’s mixed-use so day-users like me are also welcome here. Upon my arrival I was fortunate to see a few equestrian users heading out of the backcountry. What was unusual to this city-raised kid was the covered wagon a small team was pulling. Perhaps the team was training for a future cattle drive?

I set up my cameras and my radio gear and got to work at a park bench overlooking the river. I released a video of the river suitable for background white noise and to practise your Zen and/or Yoga.

I secured my carbon-fibre mast to the bench, used a small weight to hold down the 17′ counterpoise, and deployed the 41′ main segment out to a 10′ fishing pole lashed to a sign nearby. I used my carrying totes (sometimes used for groceries) as a makeshift desk. It all worked out well enough. I began my CW activation at 5 watts.

The author logging a contact

I did a basic video of the activation which you can see here:

Thirteen contacts and about 20 minutes later at 1930UTC, I called it a wrap and packed everything down to head to my next site. I wouldn’t say that conditions were stunningly good or anything, and some were downright hard to copy while others were incredibly loud. Given what I heard of the IARU Beacons on 20, 17 and 15m I wasn’t too surprised. I would later on learn that meant some solar action had happened as you’ll see in this chart.

Activation Two: Bar-U Ranch NHS

About an hour’s drive from my last stop and just south of Longview is the Bar-U Ranch National Historic Site (CA-4774). It’s a working ranch and it takes you back to the late 1800s once you set foot beyond the gate. As I’m fairly certain the Ranch would take a dim view to radio technology beyond the gate, I operated in the visitor parking lot. Once again, I set up my cameras and gear and got to work. Continue reading A tale of two back to back activations →

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

Code, Contacts, and a Stunning View: A POTA First-Timer’s Experience at the Devil’s Punch Bowl

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Many thanks to Anthony (M7TAW) who shares the following guest post:

A first timer’s POTA activation at the Devil’s Punch Bowl!

Anthony (M7TAW)

Introduction

Let me start with the confession that I am an amateur radio operator born out of the Covid lockdown. With the switch to remote examinations by the RSGB in 2020, and a lot of free time on my hands, I thought why not get myself on the air! However, it wasn’t until this year, and a nice birthday gift from the fiancée, that I finally managed to reach into the HF bands with a (tr)uSDX.

This 5W QRP multiband and multi(ish) mode transceiver was going to be my first serious foray into what I deemed “proper radio”. So, I endeavoured to try and learn and maximise every bit of usage I could out of it. Like many newcomers to radio, I started with getting an EFHW strung out my window and got onto digital modes with FT8 on 20m just to confirm that I could in fact be heard. I also managed to SSB over to Italy at one point, though the in-built microphone gave me a 337 RST. At this point though, I was buzzing to be heard!

That’s USB covered, but what is this CW mode I can select?

As a graduate in history, there’s something about “old timey” technology and methods that intrigue me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a technophile at heart (you kind of have to be a data scientist), but there’s something about post-industrial mechanical and electrical advancements that amazes me still!

Of course, morse code was going to be next on the list of things to explore then it seemed!

I ordered a cheap but decent key from our favourite Chinese marketplace, and started cramming LCWO, Morse Mania, and Morsle as much as I could, and getting that muscle memory rhythm with practicing sending the alphabet and my name. Luckily, the (tr)uSDX has a practice mode and a decent decoder in-built so I can just power the radio from a USB connection and practice away!

No better setup than practicing on the sofa in your pyjamas.

Naturally, the YouTube algorithm decided that if you’re learning about CW, you might also be interested in this POTA thing. A few K4SWL videos, a dash of K2EJT, and a splash of newcomer-encouraging KI7QCF, I was hooked. I could combine what I’d started learning, with equipment in the field, and also a slight competitive (I’m eyeing that top spot) and award-based activity.

I started obsessively watching POTA spots on Gridtracker to make sure I could hunt FT8 contacts, and also kept my eye on the spots for any CW contacts that I thought I’d be able to hear. Finally I did it; about 25 days after I seriously started learning CW, and with a bit of a crutch with the morse decoder on the radio, I finally made a POTA hunter CW QSO – DC5LY (pota.app) thank you very much.

As fun as hunting is, I had to follow the YouTubers I’d been watching and actually get out there for an activation. However, actually getting out there – shudders – in public and getting my antenna up seemed a daunting task. Add in the fact that I was determined to not rely on digital only to get an activation, but also CW.

I started to plan…

Firstly, I looked for sites that had decent parking, but were also probably big enough that I could tuck away uninterrupted (something to take the nerves away). Luckily for me, about 20 minutes up the road is a large stunning National Trust area known as The Devil’s Punch Bowl – the legend has it that the Devil scooped up a handful of earth and hurled it at Thor, God of Thunder, the depression that remained is the Devil’s Punch Bowl. Also, unluckily for me, I had to take a day off work to visit the dentist, so why not mitigate that by trying out my first activation!

Wealden Heaths SPA – Devil’s Punch Bowl Site of Significant Scientific Interest (GB-0243)

Devil’s Punch bowl – Surrey Hills National Landscape
GB-0243 Wealden Heaths SPA – Devil’s Punch Bowl Site of Significant Scientific Interest (pota.app)

Gear

When planning for this little adventure, I thought to myself that I’d likely panic if I had to combine putting up a mast for an EFHW or trying to throw a wire in the tree for the first time. Coupled with the fact that the (tr)uSDX doesn’t come with an ATU, I thought why not invest in a quick and easy vertical. After a bit of research, and another visit to our favourite Chinese marketplace, I opted for a JPC-12 vertical antenna along with an investment in a NanoVNA.

The (tr)uSDX comes with an inbuilt SWR meter but I wasn’t sure how reliable it was, and I’d have a hard time tuning with it. I grabbed some 18650 batteries and the stage was set! Helpfully, the JPC-12 antenna comes with a nice little carry case with supplementary space, and the compact size of the (tr)uSDX means I could just throw everything in there.

Full gear list and links below:

Setting up

I was up bright and early on a Friday morning, and headed over to the park slightly nervous, but also excited!

As a nervy POTA first timer, my original plan was to maybe just activate from the car park and hide my antenna behind my car. However, when I got there, it became very clear that there was nowhere to hide, and frankly there weren’t many great spots to plant a vertical in the ground.

I’d have to suck it up, and venture deeper into the park! After grabbing my backpack, and trotting down a marked route, I chose to go left onto a track that bikes weren’t allowed in the hope that it’d be quieter. Albeit the path was quite dense with overgrown bushes and plants. I was beginning to think I’d not have a clearing to even sit in, let alone mount the antenna.

What a view.

However, a couple of minutes later I chanced up a bench and table that was nestled slightly into the trees with a bit of a clearing! It was like the POTA gods had answered my calls for a perfect location. I quickly plonked my backpack on the table, claimed the spot, and started unpacking the gear. You can see below how efficient I’d been in packing, and I was surprised myself how I could get this antenna and all the equipment I’d need neatly into my bag.

Can’t recommend this antenna enough (with my limited experience)

A few minutes later, the vertical was up, and I’d got it tuned to 40m like I’d practiced at home. Helpfully, the loading coil has marked points which correspond to the bands, and all I had to do was slightly adjust the length of the whip whilst keeping an eye on the NanoVNA. I got it down to 1:1.18 around the CW bands for 40m in Europe (7000-7040MHz) – couldn’t be happier!

What a find for a first-time location!

On The Air

Part 1 – A job half done

Now came the exciting part! Finally getting on the air portable for the first time and POTA for the first time! I thought I’d settle my nerves by starting with the familiar FT8. I booted up FT8CN, and plugged the (tr)uSDX into the phone. A few firmware updates ago, the (tr)uSDX got audio over USB, and being able to plug it directly into the phone with a single cable and receive and send FT8 seems like magic to me. Continue reading Code, Contacts, and a Stunning View: A POTA First-Timer’s Experience at the Devil’s Punch Bowl →

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

The POTA Babe Goes North – Day 1

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by Teri (KO4WFP)

Sunday, July 14 finally arrived, a day for which I prepared the past five weeks. It was time for Daisy and the POTA Babe to head to North Carolina for a week of POTA, SOTA, and camping. The drive was straight-forward and easy – Interstate 95 to Interstate 26.

About four hours after leaving Savannah, we arrived at my first POTA location: the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site (US-0804) in Flat Rock, NC.

map source: GIS Geography

I LOVE visiting North Carolina. Nearly everywhere you look in the countryside you see green, green, GREEN. There are ferns (one of my favorite plants) in the understory. There are wildflowers in the fields I don’t see back home. There is a certain earthy smell when one walks trails. And the roads! Don’t get me started on how much fun I have driving the winding mountain roads with their banked curves! (Can you tell I love visiting North Carolina?)

Ferns in the woods of the Carl Sandburg site

Back to the story at hand, the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site is 264 acres and contains the home of Carl Sandburg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and poet. He and his family moved to the site in 1945. It suited his need for seclusion and his wife’s needs for raising her prize-winning goats. In fact, the park service actually maintains roughly fifteen goats in a historic herd on site today.

Property map with my notes

The Sandburg home sits atop a hill and one gets glimpses of the house as you walk along the lengthy driveway winding up the hill toward it. The drive is shaded and benches dot the pathway beckoning one to sit and enjoy the quiet. I longingly looked at them as an activation site but the intermittent presence of pedestrians nixed that idea.

Daisy is ready to go!
The trail around the lake was necessary as a pedestrian bridge was under construction
View of the house from the driveway looking up the hill
Path along the driveway

Both Daisy and I were surprised by the heat of the day. The temperature was 91 degrees! Thankfully, outside the house I spied some trees with shade beneath them. Their orientation would allow me to run my antenna toward the northwest and their shade was a welcome respite from the heat.

The Sandburg home
Our QTH in the shade

Given I saw no restrictions on antennas in the trees when reading the rules of using the property, I promptly set about getting the EFRW up. Trust this hobby to keep you humble, though. On my last activation at Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area, it took just one perfect throw to snag the branch I wanted. Today, it took four! Some days you have it and others you don’t.

Creatively displaying the POTA flag!

The activation proceeded slowly, I think mostly due to the inconsistent band conditions. It took an hour to log twelve stations. There were several stations I heard but they were too faint or they disappeared on me. Continue reading The POTA Babe Goes North – Day 1 →

News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel, Videos

Video: IX1CKN & IW0HK’s Friedrichshafen ’24 POTA Rove

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Many thanks to Christian (IX1CKN) for sharing the following video recorded during his multi-park rove with Andrea (IU1APL).

The video was only recently published, but I’ve added it to Christian’s original field report. We’re highlighting it here for those who may otherwise miss it. (Note: Some of the video is in Italian, but YouTube closed captioning can auto-translate.)

Click here to view on YouTube.