Category Archives: QRP Radios

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

QRP POTA: Breaking in an Elecraft KX1 and setting up message memories in the field

25 Comments

If you’ve been reading QRPer.com for long, you’ll no doubt have gathered that I’m [understatement alert] a big fan of the Elecraft KX1.

A couple months ago, a good friend and supporter of this site/channel, reached out to me because he planned to sell his pristine Elecraft KX1. He’s in the process of downsizing his radio inventory in preparation of a move.

He wanted me to have first dibs at his KX1 and I couldn’t refuse. I knew it would be a great unit and I wanted two fully-functioning KX1s.

You might ask, “But wait Thomas, don’t you have three KX1s???”

Yes, this is true.

With this latest addition, I have now have two fully-functioning KX1s (a 3 and a 4 band version) and one other in need of repair. After I make the repair, I plan to give this radio to a friend (one who doesn’t read QRPer regularly) so will be back to two KX1s.

Since Elecraft has discontinued the KX1, they’ve become difficult to find on the market and when they do appear, they often demand a very high price.

That said, if you’ve been looking for a KX1, you will eventually find one. All of my friends who’ve wanted one have put out word and found willing sellers in due time. Elecraft sold quite a few of these back in the day, so there are units floating around out there.

Tuttle Educational State Forest (K-4861)

On Sunday, August 27, 2023, I had an opening to play a little radio and fit in a hike at Tuttle Educational State Forest.

At the time, I needed a little radio therapy and outdoor break: my mom had been admitted to the hospital the previous day (they released her a few days later and at time of posting she’s doing much better).

Tuttle was only a 30 minute drive from the hospital and, as I suspected, I was the only visitor there that Sunday–educational forests aren’t nearly as busy as other NC state parks.

After a nice 3-ish mile hike, I grabbed my radio backpack from the car and started recording an activation video.

My goal was to test this new KX1 and to set up CW message memories.

First, though, I needed to deploy an antenna. I chose my MM0OPX EFHW because it was in my pack from a previous activation. This antenna has never let me down. Continue reading QRP POTA: Breaking in an Elecraft KX1 and setting up message memories in the field →

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

Getting To Know You Series: The Mountain Topper MTR-3B — My thoughts, notes, and a POTA activation!

21 Comments

I’m very fortunate in that in the past few years I’ve accumulated a number of QRP radios that I use in rotation when I do park and summit activations.

I’m often asked for advice on choosing radios, and as I’ve mentioned in the past, I feel like the decision is a very personal one–everything is based on an operator’s own particular preferences.

Over the years, I’ve written formal reviews about most of the field radios in my collection. In those reviews, I try to take a wide angle view of a radio–to see how it might appeal to a number of types of operators. I highlight the pros and cons, but I don’t focus on my own particular take because, again, my style of operating might not match that of readers. I try to present the full picture as clearly as I can and let the reader decide.

The Getting To Know You series gives me an opportunity to highlight one radio at a time and showcase what I love about it and why it’s a part of my permanent radio collection. After we spend a bit of time talking about the radio, we’ll do a park or summit activation with it!

The Mountain Topper MTR-3B

The fourth radio in my Getting To Know You series is the Mountain Topper MTR-3B by LnR Precision.

And, spoiler alert: I think the MTR-3B is one of the most ingenious little QRP transceivers ever made.

In truth, all of the Mountain Topper series radios are outstanding if you’re a CW operator and into truly portable, ultra-lightweight, field radio activities.

Steve Weber (KD1JV), the designer behind the ATS and Mountain Topper series, created a brilliant platform that has only been improved upon over time.

I’ve only ever operated the MTR-3B and MTR-4B. That said, I’d love to add a high band MTR-5B to my field radio collection someday.

The Mountain Topper MTR-4B V2. Read the review here.

I recently reviewed the MTR-4B (see photo above) and I absolutely love it, but in truth? I prefer the more compact MTR-3B simply because it’s rare that I operate 80 meters in the field and I like the even more compact from factor of the 3B. It’s literally the size of a pack of playing cards.

That said, I wish the 3B had some of the later model MTR-4B upgrades like easy-access sidetone adjustments and power/SWR metering, but I still prefer the MTR-3B.

What? A second MTR-3B?

Confession time: last month, a good friend and QRPer.com patron/supporter offered to sell me his MTR-3B for a very fair market price. He could have put this on eBay or in ham classifieds and surely commanded a much higher price, but he knows how much I love this radio and offered his never used MTR-3B to me.

It didn’t take long for me to accept his offer–like quicker than the blink of an eye quick.

I’ve been looking for a second MTR-3B because 1.) these radios are no longer manufactured and 2.) if something happened to my one and only MTR-3B, I would sob uncontrollably.

I should state here that I blame my buddy, Vince (VE6LK), for introducing the “Two is one, one is none” slogan. Over time, I’ve convinced myself to keep two copies of my favorite radios such as the KX1, FT-817, and MTR-3B.

Vince, by the way, is a card-carrying, certified enabler!

Holmes Educational State Forest (K-4856)

On Friday, August 25, 2023, I made my way to Holmes Educational State Forest to play a little POTA with the MTR-3B.

The site was very quiet. The new school year had just started,  so it was too early for school field trips at the park.

I had my pick of spots to set up, so I chose a new-to-me picnic table. Continue reading Getting To Know You Series: The Mountain Topper MTR-3B — My thoughts, notes, and a POTA activation! →

New Products, News, Portable, QRP, QRP Radios

New Product: Xiegu has a new DDC/DUC portable transceiver in the works

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Image source: Xiegu (click to enlarge)

It appears Xiegu has a new direct-sampling SDR portable transceiver in the works.

Image source: Xiegu (click to enlarge)

Along with the photos above, here’s the teaser Xiegu shared via their Twitter account today:

Xiegu New product Introduction

It is a new generation of ultra-portable shortwave transceiver. It adopts advanced RF direct sampling architecture and is equipped with powerful baseband and RF units. It integrates rich functions of major models and has built-in popular remote network control function. [B]ringing you a new amateur radio experience.

    • RF direct acquisition architecture, HF/50MHz full-mode transceiver
    • Supports listening to WFM broadcast frequency bands and supports listening to aviation frequency bands
    • Built-in high-efficiency automatic antenna tuner
    • Support network remote control
    • Integrated standing wave scanner and voice pager
    • Integrated modem, preset text messages, CW automatic calling
    • Standardly equipped with high stability TCXO internal clock source
    • External expansion equipment can be connected to expand the frequency band
Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, QRP Radios, Reviews, Videos

Getting To Know You Series: The Ten-Tec Argonaut V (Model 516) – My thoughts, notes, and a POTA activation!

8 Comments

I’m very fortunate in that over the past few years I’ve accumulated a number of QRP radios that I use in rotation when I do park and summit activations.

I’m often asked for advice on choosing radios, and as I’ve mentioned in the past, I feel like the decision is a very personal one–everything is based on an operator’s own particular preferences.

I’ve written formal reviews about most of the field radios in my collection over the years. In those reviews, I try to take a wide angle view of a radio–I try to see how it might appeal to a number of types of operators: field operators, DXers, summit activators, contesters, rag-chewers, casual operators, SWLs, travelers, outdoor adventurers, mobile operators, etc. I highlight the pros and cons, but I don’t focus on my own particular take because, again, my style of operating might not match that of readers. I try to present the full picture as clearly as I can and let the reader decide.

On that note, I thought it might be fun to take a radio out for a field activation and spend a bit of time explaining why I enjoy using it and why it’s a part of my permanent field radio collection. Instead of taking that wide-angle view of a radio like I do in magazine reviews, I share my own personal thoughts based on long-term experience.

Each new video in the Getting To Know You series will highlight one of the field radios from my field radio collection.  I’ll spend time in each video explaining what I personally appreciate about each radio, then we’ll do a park or summit activation with the radio.

I’ll release these every few weeks or so–when the notion strikes me.  They will not be on a regular schedule, but I hope to include each of my radios in this series over the the next year.

The Ten-Tec Argonaut V

The third radio in the Getting To Know You series is my Ten-Tec Argonaut V (Model 516).

I’ve always been a big fan of Ten-Tec products because I love their focus on quality, high-performance receivers, and benchmark audio fidelity.

Ten-Tec has produced some impressive radios over the years and was a trail-blazer in the world of QRP with their Power Mites and original analog Argonaut series (check out these and more T-T radios here).

When Ten-Tec manufacturing was located in Sevierville, Tennessee, I knew many of the employees of the company and even did Alpha and Beta testing for their QRP radios like the Patriot, Rebel, and Argonaut VI.

I love the ergonomics and simple front panel design of the Argo V.

I purchased my Argonaut V used in 2021 when I saw it for sale on QTH.com. The price was right and, frankly, I wanted a Ten-Tec radio back in my life.

In the activation video (below) I’ll speak to all of the reasons I love the Argonaut V, why I think it’s so unique, and why I’ve no intention of ever selling it. Then, we’ll perform a POTA activation with it.

Keep in mind that my perspective will primarily focus on HF CW operating–I don’t actually own a microphone for the Argonaut V, but I do plan to at some point.

Lake James State Park (K-2739)

On Sunday, August 13, 2023, I made a detour to Lake James State Park en route to visit my parents in Hickory, NC. As I’ve mentioned many times before, Lake James is one of the easiest parks I can hit in my travels and it’s open every day of the week–in the summer, it’s also open quite late which is a bonus.

The only negative with evening activations at Lake James is fighting the mozzies–they can be persistent!

I picked out a picnic table close to the car and pulled the Argonaut V from my Husky latching box.

I then immediately deployed my MW0SAW 40 meter End-Fed Half-Wave antenna. Since the Argonaut V doesn’t have an internal ATU, the EFHW would give me the flexibility to operate on 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters natively.

Of course, it was in the early evening, so I only intended to hop on 40 meters, but I had the option to move up the band if needed.

After deploying my antenna, I recorded the “Getting To Know You” portion of the activation video–I’d encourage you to check that out below!

Time to hop on the air! Continue reading Getting To Know You Series: The Ten-Tec Argonaut V (Model 516) – My thoughts, notes, and a POTA activation! →

News, QRP Radios

Best QRP field transceivers for operators who are blind/visually-impaired?

8 Comments

I recently received the following inquiry from Vic (K7HSS) who shared that he is blind and seeking a field-portable transceiver that is user-friendly to those who are visually impaired. 

Vic notes:

I’ve actually owned the KX2 before, but it was now sold, because I realize that I was sitting on a lot of money, and I wasn’t doing that much portable operations at the time.

The KX line is ideal because it has CW read outs. Having said that, I will be able to make do if a radio somehow stops or notifies me at band edges. From there, I could put some sort of markers on the knob, so that I could roughly gage where I am base on how many spins I’ve given the knob. I’m not very sure how the single band radios like the QCX mini operates. Does it stop once you reach the band edge?

Anyways, those are some thoughts that I have. Also, I’ve been following your Youtube channel and blog for quite a while and is definitely a fan.

I hope you will have a lovely day.

Best and 73,

Vic (K7HSS)

Thank you for the kind words, Vic. 

I’m not visually-impaired so feel like I can’t really comment here, but I do know of at least two other hams who are completely blind and use the Elecraft KX3. From what I gather, it is loved for the CW read outs (as you mentioned) and for there being a dedicated tactile button and/or knob for most of the important functions and features one would use in the field.  

Vic would welcome your comments especially if you are visually-impaired or if you can provide insight about radios with features (like band edge notification) that make it more accessible.  Click here to comment!

Antennas, News, QRP, QRP Radios, QRPer Notes

QRPer Notes: 23cm on the IC-705, New Color Counterpoises, and Rekindling the NJQRP Club

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Because I receive so many tips from readers here on QRPer, I wanted way to share them in a concise newsletter format.  To that end, welcome to QRPer Notes, a collection of links to interesting stories and tips making waves in the world of radio!

1296 on the Icom IC-705

Many thanks to Alan who shares this video of VK3FS operating his Icom IC-705 on the 23cm band.

Video description:

If you enjoy SOTA, parks, microwave or radio in the great outdoors, then Icom IC-705 is the radio for you. Having received many accolades, and a long list of positives, some might say there’s one thing missing on the IC-705 and that’s the 23cm band.

The good news – is it’s a relatively easy fix with the help of a 1296 MHz transverter from SG Labs.

Chameleon adds color counterpoise kits to catalog

Many thanks to Don (W7SSB) who notes that Chameleon antennas has added color counterpoises to their product offerings.

Click here to check it out.

Efforts to Rekindle NJQRP Club

Many thanks to Dennis (K2DCD) who shares the following message sent originally by Larry (W2LJ):

Once again, I’ve been giving thought to attempting to pump new life back into the New Jersey QRP Club. For many, many years it was considered to be one of the top QRP organizations in the country. It ranked right up there with the NorCal QRP Club, the Colorado QRP Club, the New England QRP Club and others.

In the early 2000’s, due to the efforts of George N2APB and Joe N2CX and a host of others, the NJQRP Club reached its azimuth when it sponsored Atlanticon, the QRP confab of the Mid-Atlantic Coast. It was held in Baltimore and each year I was dying to go. But my two kids weren’t even really toddlers yet, and with Marianne and I both working full time, it was an impossibility.

Soon after Atlanticon ceased, it seemed the club started to wither away. Stalwarts became Silent Keys, others moved away and NJQRP started to become a shadow of its former self. There were a few times I met with other members at the food court of one of the malls near Princeton. There were also a few outdoor gatherings at the park in Grover’s Mill – the infamous landing spot of the Martians in Orson Well’s “War of the Worlds”. And then finally there was nothing.

So where does that leave us? The website was moved to its present URL location in 2016. As far as I can tell, there have been no updates. And in all honesty, except for the Skeeter Hunt, there hasn’t been much activity to update the webpage with. Whatever the members have been up to individually, there’s been no real effective means of communication between them.

George N2APB has moved to Tennessee and N2CX is a Silent Key. There’s no roster, so there’s really no way to tell who was a member and who was not, and what members if any have either moved out of the area or have become Silent Keys. And since the last iteration of NJQRP, there just may be a whole new generation of New Jersey QRP’ers anxious to meet their like minded brethren in the state.

So we start with a new beginning. I started a Facebook page. As of right now, it’s a public group and I think you can just join. I’ve also started a Groups.io group now that Yahoo groups are defunct. This group will be an e-mail reflector and our main way of keeping in touch with each other. If you’d like to join that, you’ll have to send me an e-mail ([email protected]) and I’ll send you an invitation to join.

Granted, it’s not much of a start, but it is a beginning. Hopefully, as the word spreads and QRPers in New Jersey and the surrounding area become interested, maybe we can start holding meetings, if we can find a location that is convenient for all.

I’d like to stress that while the New Jersey QRP Club will primarily serve local QRPers as far as any future live in person events go, there are no residency requirements. All are welcome and if we do meet in person, we can always incorporate a Zoom component as other clubs I belong to have been doing to include those who can’t attend in person for whatever reason.

It’s not my job to run the organization, that will be up to the members. I’m just going to try and re-launch it. So stay tuned – maybe we can light this candle and get this puppy off the ground!

72 de Larry W2LJ

News, Portable, QRP, QRP Radios, Surveys, Travel

Survey #3 Results: What QRP HF transceiver would you or do you choose for air travel?

17 Comments

This past week, I posted the third of several surveys on QRPer.com, this time asking:

“What QRP HF transceiver would you or do you choose for air travel?”

I turned off the survey at 6:30 EDT today, with a total of 475 responses.

Survey Results

Here’s a pie chart showing the top 18 results in the survey. To see detail, you will need to click on the image below (or click this link) to enlarge it in a new window:

The top choice was the Elecraft KX2 which accounted for 22.9% of the votes.

It’s funny: I had assumed the Icom IC-705 might take first place in this survey. Then I realized that I own both the KX2 and IC-705 and, this summer, I chose the KX2 each time I traveled. Indeed, I can’t think of a time in recent memory that I didn’t take the KX2 with me during travels.

The reason I picked the KX2 each time is because it’s such a comprehensive HF radio with a superb built-in ATU and battery pack. There’s no field situation I can throw at it that it can’t handle. In fact, if a site doesn’t allow any antennas on the ground, I can even pair it with my AX1 or AX2 tabletop antennas.

I see why so many of you picked it as your first choice.

Your second choice was the Icom IC-705 which accounted for 14.3% of the votes.

The IC-705 has one very cool feature for travel: you can charge it with a common Micro USB charger!

No need to take a separate power supply, battery pack, or custom charger. Simply bring a Micro USB cable and plug it into the hotel USB charger, your phone’s charger, or even a Lithium power pack. If you’re happy with 5 watts of output power, you really need no other battery, power supply, or charger.

Of course, the IC-705 is compact, sports the entire HF band, VHF, and UHF and is multimode. It can also receive FM and AM broadcasts along with weather radio, and the AIR band.

You can even do D-Star natively and allow the GPS in the IC-705 to find the closest repeaters and load them to memory.

The IC-705 is a very savvy travel transceiver!

Your third choice was the Yaesu FT-817/818 which accounted for 9.9% of the votes.

At first, I was a little surprised the FT-817/818 would gather more votes than, say, the Elecraft KX3, but then again it’s actually a very compact radio. I remember when I used to travel Europe for a living, I would tuck my FT-817 into my carry-on and I hardly noticed it was there.

It also ships with a NiMH battery pack, and you can also buy a much longer-life and faster-charging Li-Ion pack.

The FT-817/818 is a rugged radio. You don’t have to worry about it being harmed in a pack and it lays pretty flat as well so it’s easy to protect and pad among your clothes.

The Elecraft KX3 took forth place with 8.6% of the votes.

The KX3 is one of the highest-performance field radios ever made and it is incredibly portable.

I added the Side KX panels to my KX3 many years ago. With those installed and using the Lexan cover, it’s a very rugged radio. Simply toss it on your flight bag and you’re good to go!

The KX3 is also a very efficient radio, so you could easily power it with, say, a $25 Talentcell USB battery pack–one that TSA wouldn’t blink at.

I’ve traveled pretty extensively with my KX3 so I see why it ranks so high on the list. Like its newer sibling, the KX2, it has an amazing internal ATU. You can also load the KX3 with AA cells for short on-the-air sessions or longer listening sessions.

Fifth on this list of travel radios is the Xiegu X6100 which accounted for 6.1% of the votes.

No doubt, what makes the X6100 so appealing is that, like the KX2, it’s a proper shack-in-a-box. Indeed, I would also add the X5105 to this same list.

The X6100 contains a high-capacity rechargeable internal battery pack and an excellent ATU. It’s an all-in-one radio solution that’s actually quite rugged and could easily handle the bumps and jolts of air travel.

Notable mention…

There was another winner in this survey. It wasn’t any one model, but rather a whole class of HF transceivers: super compact portable transceivers. If lumped together as a category, these would have placed in the top five.

I’m talking about radios like the: Mountain Topper series, QCX-Mini, QMX, QDX, SW-3B, (tr)uSDX, TR-25, TR-35, and similar. These radios are so incredibly tiny that they can be packed away in a very compact pouch.

Indeed, I have a complete dedicated POTA/SOTA station built around my Venus SW-3B (see photo above). It’s all contained in a small BROG headrest pouch that I could easily toss in a travel bag.

These pint-sized radios aren’t general coverage radios like the top 5 listed above, and many are CW-only. Still: if your goal is to hit the field a bit during your vacation, they’re incredibly effective.

This radio class also represents some of the most efficient and affordable transceivers on the market.

Full Results…

If you would like to see the actual number of votes for each of the 48 radios in this survey, click the link below to load the rest of the page:

  • Elecraft KX2: 109 votes
  • Icom IC-705: 69 votes
  • Yaesu FT-817 or FT-818: 47 votes
  • Elecraft KX3: 41 votes
  • Xiegu X6100: 29 votes
  • lab599 Discovery TX-500: 27 votes
  • Xiegu G90: 20 votes
  • (tr)uSDX: 15 votes
  • Elecraft K2: 11 votes
  • Penntek TR-35: 10 votes
  • FX-4C, FX-4CR or FX-4L: 9 votes
  • Venus SW-3B: 9 votes
  • Elecraft KX1: 8 votes
  • Mountain Topper MTR-3 series: 8 votes
  • QRP Labs QCX-Mini: 8 votes
  • The following received less than 7 votes
    • Icom IC-703
    • Mountain Topper MTR-4 series
    • Xiegu X5105
    • QRP Labs QCX
    • QRP Labs QDX
    • uBITX transceiver (any model)
    • Xiegu G106
    • Elecraft K1
    • Pentek TR-45L
    • Hendricks PFR 3 series
    • YouKits or Ten-Tec Branded 2-4 band CW QRP Transceiver
    • Flex Radio Flex 1500
    • M0NKA mcHF
    • Penntek TR-25
    • Xiegu G1M
    • Hamqrpkits EGV+
    • Expert Electronics SunSDR2 QRP
    • Hermes-Lite 2
    • DSW-20
    • QRP-Labs QMX

More QRP radio surveys on the way!

What did you think about these results? Was your choice in the top five? Feel free to comment!

Also, stay tuned as I have quite a few QRP radio survey questions in the works.

I’ve tagged all of these reviews so they’re easy to browse, just bookmark or note: QRP Radio Survey Series.

News, QRP Radios, Travel

Survey 3: What QRP HF transceiver would you choose for air travel?

21 Comments

Many of us are traveling this summer and with pandemic concerns lessening, we are taking to the air and going much further afield!

This summer, I’ve gotten a number of inquiries from readers asking about the “best” HF QRP radios for air travel.

While I have suggestions, in truth, these days the radio selection often comes down to availability. It might be difficult to order and receive your first choice radio prior to your travels unless you scope out the used market or are simply looking ahead to travels next year.

With air travel in mind, of course, transceiver size and weight become important factors especially if, like me, you’re a one-bag traveler.

In addition, being able to easily power the radio without a large/heavy external battery/power supply is also important.

This is why QRP radios are so ideal for air travel; they’re so much easier to stash in luggage compared with their 100 watt siblings.

Survey #3

The first and second surveys we posted were so much fun and insightful! As I mentioned in May, I’ve a number of surveys in store this year.

As with our previous, surveys, this one also also focuses specifically on HF QRP transceivers.

If you would like to participate, please use the Google Form below. If you don’t see the radio you would choose in this list, feel free to add it in the “Other” selection, but again, please do not list 100 watt radios in this particular survey that focuses on QRP HF transceivers.

While the survey form doesn’t allow for comments, this QRPer post does! Please consider sharing your thoughts about the radio you chose in the survey–this is a brilliant way to elaborate on your entire travel set-up. Being a radio, pack, and travel geek? I love this stuff!

Thank you!

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

Getting To Know You Series: The Elecraft KX2 – My thoughts, notes, and a POTA activation!

15 Comments

I’m very fortunate in that over the past few years I’ve accumulated a number of QRP radios that I use in rotation when I do park and summit activations.

I’m often asked for advice on choosing radios, and as I’ve mentioned in the past, I feel like the decision is a very personal one–everything is based on an operator’s own particular preferences.

I’ve written formal reviews about most of the field radios in my collection over the years. In those reviews, I try to take a wide angle view of a radio–I try to see how it might appeal to a number of types of operators: field operators, DXers, summit activators, contesters, rag-chewers, casual operators, SWLs, travelers, outdoor adventurers, mobile operators, etc. I highlight the pros and cons, but I don’t focus on my own particular take because, again, my style of operating might not match that of readers. I try to present the full picture as clearly as I can and let the reader decide.

On that note, I’ve had an idea bubbling around in my head for quite a while.

I thought it might be fun to take a radio out for a field activation and spend a bit of time explaining why I enjoy using that particular radio and why it’s a part of my permanent field radio collection. Instead of taking that wide-angle view of a radio like I do in magazine reviews, I would share my own personal thoughts based on long-term experience.

Getting To Know You

Each new video in the Getting To Know You series will highlight one of the field radios from my field radio collection.  I’ll spend time in each video explaining what I personally appreciate about each radio, then we’ll do a park or summit activation with the radio.

I’ll release these every few weeks or so–when the notion strikes me.  They will not be on a regular schedule, but I hope to include each of my radios in this series over the the next year.

The Elecraft KX2

The first radio in the Getting To Know You series is my Elecraft KX2.

Without a doubt, I’ve put more time in with the Elecraft KX2 than any other radio I’ve ever owned. As a field radio op, it’s one of my all-time favorite transceivers.

I originally purchased and reviewed the KX2 in 2016 (click here to read my review).

In the activation video (below) I’ll tell you about how I acquired my KX2, why I think it’s one of the best portable HF field radios ever made, what makes it so unique, and why I turn to it more than any other radio I own. Then, we’ll perform a POTA activation.

Tuttle Educational State Forest (K-4861)

On Friday, June 23, 2023, I pulled into Tuttle Educational State Forest knowing it could rain on me at any point. We’d just come out of nearly a solid week of rain (after a very long dry spell). I had packed my ENO rain fly in the car, but my hope was that the Tuttle picnic shelter would be unoccupied. Continue reading Getting To Know You Series: The Elecraft KX2 – My thoughts, notes, and a POTA activation! →

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

POTA & SOTA at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville, Alabama!

9 Comments

I had some big POTA plans for Alabama this summer.

After returning home from Hamvention, I had about three days to prepare my truck, our small travel trailer/caravan, and pack for one week of camping in Huntsville, Alabama.

We had a great excuse for hanging around Huntsville: my daughter was attending Advanced Space Academy (Space Camp) at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

The drive to Huntsville is about five hours and we decided that it would fun to go camping with not a whole lot to do for a week. Proper relaxation!

I looked at the POTA map in advance and plotted out at least four or five parks I could activate without driving too far. I planned to fit in activations on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Thursday, we planned to spend the full day at the Space and Rocket Center and Friday was my daughter’s graduation.

My truck, though, had other plans!

About half way on our journey to Huntsville, my 1997 Dodge Ram 2500 started to have issues. Without going into too much detail here, there seemed to be a problem with the accelerator.

We drove to Huntsville on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, so not an ideal time to have mechanical issues. I limped to truck to Alabama and waited for a diesel shop in Huntsville to open on Tuesday morning.

In the meantime, I was able to hunt POTA and SOTA stations from our campsite which overlooked the Space Camp model rocket launching station. No kidding: we probably witnessed some 300 model rocket launches during the day that week and it was an absolute blast (pun intended).

I never got tired of seeing a full scale Saturn V model above the tree line on our evening walks!

Fortunately, the diesel shop was able to sort out the issue and fix it in one day–I was super pleased with that. However, that only left Wednesday to play POTA–we’d already plotted out a visit to Monte Sano State Park. That was fine by me because, turns out, almost the entirety of Monte Sano State Park is also within a SOTA activation zone! A SOTA/POTA two-fer! Continue reading POTA & SOTA at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville, Alabama! →