Over the next few weeks, you won’t see my US callsign, K4SWL, out there in the spots—but you will see my Canadian callsign, VY2SW!
Yesterday, we finished packing the Subaru, handed our keys to a friend who’s house-sitting, and hit the road!
We’ll be in Canada through the rest of June and most of July for some much-needed family rest and relaxation.
The past few months have been a bit hectic on the home front with storm clean-up, parent health issues, and family obligations. We’re looking forward to a real break—and hoping there’s no reason to cut the trip short.
More ‘OTA for VY2SW
If you’ve been trying to work me from a spot where North Carolina’s a tough catch, you might have better luck while I’m roaming through Ontario and Québec.
I plan to do a fair bit of POTA, and hopefully some SOTA, while in Canada. I’m especially excited to activate a few parks and summits I’ve never visited before. If solar conditions stay the same (read: unstable and poor!), I’ll likely spend extra time on the air at each location.
Radios Packed
For this trip, I packed four of my smaller HF rigs: the KX2, KH1, MTR-3B, and CFT1. I had planned to bring a larger radio like the RGO One, Argonaut VI, or K2, but there just wasn’t space.
A six-week road trip with a family of four means every nook and cranny in the Subaru was put to work—and I’m quite proud of the packing job, to be honest! (One of my daughters helped—she and I are both known for our extraordinary abilities in loading the dishwasher… obviously a transferable skill!)
Ham Alert?
If you have a moment, please go ahead and add VY2SW to your Ham Alert. I’ll definitely need all the hunter help I can get on those activation days!
Now to get my muscle memory ready to send CQ POTA de VY2SW—I guarantee I’ll accidentally send K4SWLat least a few hundred times! Ha ha!
Time to hit the road again—I hope to catch you on the air soon!
As a junior pilot on the seniority list at American Airlines, it was no surprise to me when my May schedule had me flying all of Memorial Day weekend.
Fortunately, it was a pleasant surprise to see that I had a decent overnight in Portland, Maine. I was scheduled for 15 hours on the ground in Portland, and I was determined to make the most of it. I have overnighted in Portland many times over the last decade, but the overnight was either too short, too cold, or I was too lazy to try to do a POTA activation.
My schedule had me landing in Portland at 23:30 the night prior, and my van time for leaving the hotel to head back to the airport the next day was scheduled at 14:30. It was going to be tight, but I was determined to get a POTA activation completed.
Looking at Google Maps, my hotel location in downtown Portland, was only 4.5 miles from Mackworth Island State Park (US-2395). I knew that I would be able to Uber out to the park, but I wasn’t completely sure about getting back. I decided that worst case scenario, I could walk 4.5 miles in about 1.5 hours back to my hotel.
My window to be on the air was going to be from 0900 to 1200. That would leave me enough time to walk back to my hotel if a return Uber did not work out, and still give me enough time to get showered and looking pretty in my uniform before flying.
I had a workable plan, so it was time to go give it a try.
I woke up early Memorial Day, packed my radio gear, and summoned an Uber. I had the Uber drop me off at the beginning of the bridge heading out to the state park. It was an absolutely beautiful day. I was just hoping the solar storms that have been hitting us would allow me to get at least 10 contacts in the 3 hour window I had available.
The trail around the perimeter of the Island is amazing and already pretty busy for 0930 in the morning. I realized that even if I didn’t activate the park, it was still worth coming out here. I headed up the trail around the north side of the island. The further I walked, I started to worry that I would not find a good place out of the way to hang my wire antenna in a tree. I did not feel comfortable about going off the established trail in such a beautiful and busy park.
I could use my KH1 in pedestrian mobile configuration, but due to the recent solar conditions I would not be as confident in getting my 10 contacts using the whip antenna. Continue reading Memorial Day POTA activation in Maine→
On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, I was on the final stretch of my journey home after spending a full week on the road for FDIM and Hamvention.
The previous day—Monday—I had driven from Dayton, Ohio, to Hickory, North Carolina, so I could be with my father during his surgery. Thankfully, the operation was a complete success and wrapped up late that afternoon. I spent the evening with him and opted to stay overnight in a hotel in Hickory so I could check on him again early the next morning.
By Tuesday morning, he was doing well, and the doctors gave me the all-clear. So, I packed up and began the final leg of my trip back to the QTH.
Instead of heading straight home, though, I wanted to fit in a bit more POTA. Due to my father’s surgery, I had left Dayton a day early, missing a planned activation day with my Ham Radio Workbench friends.
The weather was wonderful, and I was curious to see if Tuttle Educational State Forest had reopened yet. The park had been closed since late September 2024 due to storm damage from Hurricane Helene. A quick call to the Tuttle office confirmed they were indeed open that Tuesday morning!
Tuttle Educational State Forest (US-4861)
If you’ve been a reader here for a while, you’ll know that Tuttle is one of my favorite POTA sites in the region. I’d really missed popping by for activations, so it felt like a bit of a homecoming when I pulled into the site entrance.
The first thing I noticed was the excellent progress on their new educational building. Thankfully, no trees had fallen on it during Helene.
There were still a number of roped-off areas in the park—spots the staff hadn’t yet cleared of tree debris.
I parked my car with one goal in mind: to film a true pedestrian mobile activation.
QRP POTA in Motion
Photo from my activation of Samuel Gross Memorial Woods on May 20, 2024.
Exactly one year ago to the day, I activated a park in Ohio completely pedestrian mobile—walking the entire time. It was a blast, even though band conditions were truly horrendous.
The only downside? I wasn’t able to take you along for the ride because I had no way to mount a camera and record the activation.
Several months ago, I purchased a clip-on camera mount for this very purpose. I first tested it while activating a park in western NC this past February, but the resulting footage was almost unwatchable—my arms and hands blocked the view the entire time. I realized I’d need to mount the camera much higher (near my shoulder) to make the video useful and enjoyable.
This activation at Tuttle gave me the perfect opportunity to properly test my new pedestrian mobile setup.
The funny thing is, setting up the KH1 for a pedestrian mobile activation is super, super easy—it literally takes about 20 seconds.
But if you’re making a video? That’s another story.
First, I pull the audio directly from the KH1 by connecting its headphone output to my Sony digital recorder. I then plug my earphones into the recorder. The audio cable from the radio to the recorder is long enough that I can comfortably walk with the recorder in my pocket.
Next, I mount the camera on my shirt and do a quick check to make sure it’s capturing video properly (which isn’t easy—the camera’s so close to my head that I can’t see the screen!).
An unflattering selfie of me managing the camera and radio.
Finally, I take a few extra moments to make audio and video cues to help me synchronize everything in post-production.
All told, it took me an additional 10 minutes to get the camera and audio gear set up and verified. Time well spent, though—I’ve always wanted to film an activation in motion!
Horrible Propagation
Propagation in and around Hamvention (and even today as I write this) has been pretty unstable.
It was so bad two days prior that some of our friends had to complete their POTA activation by working a number of us Park-To-Park using dummy loads. If that doesn’t make a lot of sense, I suggest you check out this (funny) video my friend Vince (VE6LK) made of the whole thing.
So, did it make sense to attempt a POTA activation in these conditions, pedestrian mobile, using a 5-watt handheld radio and a 4-foot whip antenna? Probably not, but I didn’t care. As Farragut put it, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”
Gear
Note: All Amazon links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
Sony ICD-FX312 Digital Recorder ($20 thrift store find)
On The Air
While Tuttle has a really nice single-track trail network, I did not hike these for this pedestrian mobile activation for a couple of reasons (reasons I’d suggest you pay close attention to if you decide to walk and operate at the same time).
First off, it’s a bad idea to try to operate radio on a track that is uneven with rocks and tree roots along the entire route. It’s a recipe for tripping, twisting an ankle, and (even worse) falling flat on your face while holding a $1,000+ radio.
Secondly, the whip antenna needs clearance; otherwise, it’ll hit branches. Tuttle’s paths have low-hanging branches in many parts, so I would also need to pay careful attention to this while hiking and operating the radio. I’m well aware that I’m not nearly coordinated enough to do this!
This field report picks up where we left off after my last post earlier this week at Lake Alma State Park (May 14, 2025).
Eric and I planned to hit two parks en route to Dayton, Ohio. Lake Alma was a successful park number one. The next park we planned to activate—another new-to-me park—was Great Seal State Park.
The skies opened up beautifully during our Lake Alma activation, so the drive to Great Seal was under clear, sunny skies.
Great Seal State Park (US-1954)
We arrived at the park around 11:45 AM EDT.
Great Seal State Park is tucked away in the hills just outside of Chillicothe, Ohio, and it’s steeped in early state history. In fact, the park gets its name from the Great Seal of the State of Ohio, which was inspired by this very landscape. Back in 1803, when Ohio was becoming a state, early leaders—including Thomas Worthington—looked out over the sunrise from Mount Logan and used that iconic view as the backdrop for the state seal: rolling hills, a rising sun, a bundle of arrows, and a sheaf of wheat symbolizing Ohio’s natural beauty and agricultural roots.
This area also has deep Indigenous history. Before statehood, the Scioto River Valley was home to the Shawnee, with several towns named Chillicothe located nearby. Later, Chillicothe became Ohio’s first state capital. These hills have seen a lot of history, and today I’m sure they make for some incredibly scenic and rewarding hikes.
Eric and I didn’t have enough time in our schedule for a hike that afternoon, but if I pass by here again, I’ll make time for one.
We first made our way to the main picnic area of the park but quickly discovered a large outdoor gathering for local utility workers. They absolutely filled that part of the park, so we checked out the campground area instead.
The campground was completely void of campers, so we felt it would be safe to set up without any issues. It was a beautiful site with numerous options for station setup.
I found a camping spot and parked there.
We decided I would set up at the picnic table at the site while Eric would use his folding chair and my Chelegance MC-750 antenna in the central island of the campground.
Poor Eric, though. When I started filming my activation video, I realized just how close we were to each other—and how much interference that could cause. I walked over to him (camera in hand) and helped him move a bit farther away.
As I was setting up my gear, Eric came back to my site and said the fellow doing the lawn mowing was about to work in the area where he had originally set up. So, Eric moved—again—a few campsites down from me. This time, he decided to use his fiberglass Jackite pole to support a random wire antenna.
This actually worked out quite well—the distance between us was just enough that we didn’t interfere with each other at all.
Gear
Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
Radio
Penntek TR-45L “Skinny”
Antenna System and Throw Line
MW0SAW’s Homebrew 40M EFHW built on a SOTAbeams Winder
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, my good friend Eric (WD8RIF) and I started our drive from Athens to Dayton, Ohio. We left Eric’s QTH early that morning—not because it’s a long drive (it’s only about 2.5 hours)—but because we wanted to activate at least two new-to-me parks en route and still arrive early enough to stop by the Commissary at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, check into our hotel, and meet up with friends for dinner.
The day before, I wasn’t able to activate a park in West Virginia as planned due to thunderstorms in the area. I also heard that propagation was incredibly poor—something we’ve seen off and on lately—so if you’re planning to validate an activation, be sure to budget extra time to reach your ten contacts.
That Wednesday morning started off foggy and misty, but the clouds quickly burned away and gave way to a beautiful day.
Amish farmers are not an uncommon site in rural Ohio.
Since I was firmly in WD8RIF’s activation territory, I let him do all of the planning for us that day. (Let’s be honest—I tend to let Eric do all of the planning no matter where we’re roving! Don’t tell him that, though.)
Lake Alma State Park (US-1967)
Our first stop was Lake Alma State Park near Hamden, Ohio.
Lake Alma is a beautiful park with large parking areas, great lake access, and numerous ideal spots for a POTA activator to set up.
Eric suggested we check out the gazebo, but I was keen to use one of the picnic shelters because it sat right beside an old-growth hardwood tree—just the kind I like to use to support my antennas!
Often when Eric and I do joint POTA activations, we activate at the same time to save time. In this case, we decided to take turns—me first at the key.
I knew Eric had never used a Penntek TR-45L, so I brought along my “skinny” version of this magnificent little rig. Paired with a 40-meter EFHW deployed next to the shelter, I figured we’d have nearly ideal conditions—even if propagation wasn’t.
MW0SAW’s 40M EFHW ready for action!
Setup was quick and easy!
My Red Oxx Micro Manager has become the TR-45L Skinny’s pack of choice!
Somehow, I managed to go first, so I prepped my log and aimed to get ten contacts to validate this new park.
Gear
Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
Radio
Penntek TR-45L “Skinny”
Antenna System and Throw Line
MW0SAW’s Homebrew 40M EFHW built on a SOTAbeams Winder
I’ve got a few quiet moments this morning as I sit in the dining room of our hotel in downtown Dayton, Ohio. It’s peaceful here—no one else is around, and no one has turned on the TV. Bliss…
Of course, that’ll change in a couple of hours when we pull into the parking lot at the Greene County Fairgrounds for Hamvention 2025!
So far, the trip and Four Days in May have been amazing.
I left Swannanoa bright and early Tuesday morning in the rain, but it cleared up as I crossed into Tennessee. The theme of the day was passing through thunder showers as I made my way north.
The plan was to activate Camp Creek State Park (US-5584) in West Virginia, grab lunch, then head to the QTH of Eric (WD8RIF).
I rolled into Camp Creek around 11:15 in light rain. Eric had confirmed there was at least one picnic shelter in the park, so I figured I’d activate from there to avoid scrambling if a downpour started.
I grabbed my end-fed half-wave and throw line from the back of the car—but then heard a very distant rumble of thunder. It was barely audible, but I decided to play it safe and set up under the metal shelter roof using my AX1 vertical instead. If I could wrap up the activation in 10–20 minutes, I could be packed up before any storms moved in.
It only took two minutes to set up the KX2 and AX1. I started scanning 20 meters for an open frequency, but could only hear one ragchew in progress—the band was otherwise dead.
I called QRL on 14,033.5 kHz, hoping for the best, when a loud clap of thunder hit.
Ugh.
I don’t mix radio and thunderstorms, so I packed up quickly, tucked in my tail, and hit the road. Camp Creek will have to wait for another day.
For lunch, I stopped at Tamarack in Beckley, WV. While the dining area might look like your typical folk art center café, the food is exceptional—the staff are in training for the famous Greenbrier Resort. I had a trout filet with green beans and mushrooms, kale, and sweet potato fries. It was incredible.
After a relaxed lunch, I hit the road again. A couple of hours later, I crossed the Ohio River and rolled into Ohio.
I arrived at Eric’s QTH around 4:30 and was warmly greeted by my canine buddy Theo—“The Great Warg” himself. You might remember him from some of Eric’s previous POTA adventures.
The Great Warg with WD8RIF circa May 2022.
Eric and I packed the car and headed into uptown Athens, Ohio for a quick bite.
On Wednesday morning, we hit the road early and activated Lake Alma State Park (US-1967), then headed to Great Seal State Park (US-1954) for a second activation.
Lake Alma State Park (US-1967)
While conditions were a bit unstable, we didn’t have to work too hard to complete both activations. (Full field reports and activation videos are coming soon.)
Great Seal State Park (US-1954)
Afterward, we drove another 90 minutes to Dayton and made a few stops at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, including the clothing store—where I stocked up on my usual Rite in the Rain pads—and the Commissary, where Eric picked up his annual supply of Nutella!
We checked into our hotel and later grabbed dinner at Carillon Brewing Co., one of my favorite spots in Dayton.
Yesterday, we left the hotel around 7:00 AM to attend Four Days in May at the Holiday Inn Fairborn.
I wish I had more time to describe what an incredible event it was—truly a highlight of the year!
L to R: Vlado (N3CZ), Thomas (K4SWL), and Phil (W9IXX)
We wrapped up the day at a jam-packed Vendor Night. And I do mean jam-packed—it was shoulder-to-shoulder.
A huge thank you to the many readers and subscribers who introduced themselves. I truly appreciate it!
I’ll cap off this report now because it’s time to hit the road again. More to come!
In case you haven’t seen previous Field Reports in this series, let me set the stage. In September and October of 2024, my wife, Becky, and I set out with our dog, Molly, for a great cross-country driving adventure.
We left from our home in northwest Pennsylvania on September 18, driving west to spend some time with my parents at their home in California’s Bay Area. We returned home on October 31, after driving through most of the states of the American West. One of the goals for this trip was to activate Parks on the Air (POTA) entities in as many new states as possible along the way (it turns out that with good planning and good weather, it is possible to activate a LOT of states). An overview of our trip can be found in the following Field Report (linked) on QRPer.com: Six Weeks and 7300 Miles: Activating on the Road.
On the westward leg of our trip, we zipped through Ohio and Indiana in a single marathon day of driving, without stopping to activate a park. There was no intent to diminish these fine states of our union, but I had previously activated parks there.
On the return leg of the trip, our priorities and our perspectives had changed a bit, so we made up for our previous inattention by activating new parks in both states on the way home. The change in priority came with the realization that we had succeeded in activating every state that I had planned to complete. I have now activated every lower 48 state west of the Mississippi River, save Arkansas and Louisiana (we intentionally left them for a future trip through the southern states). The change in perspective came from the realization that activating a park made for a nice break during a day of driving.
We planned for a modest 3-1/2 hour drive on our final day of the trip, so that we could arrive home before dark.
We spent the night near Mansfield, OH, and took our time getting breakfast and checking out in the morning. We had also looked over our maps and found an Ohio park to activate during the drive: Lake Milton State Park, US-3515.
Lake Milton State Park
Seen from the park, this bridge carries Interstate 76 across Lake Milton
As I-76 runs east-to-west across northern Ohio, it crosses over the middle of Lake Milton. For radio amateurs familiar with other attractions along the I-76 corridor, Lake Milton is about 20 miles east of the DX Engineering store.
Lake Milton State Park incorporates the lake itself, as well as selected land around the lake-shore. We decided to head for one of the park’s picnic areas, located on the eastern shore of the lake near the I-76 bridge. We found a parking lot, a large grassy area running down to the lake, picnic shelters, and comfort facilities. As Becky took Molly for a walk around the grounds, I set up to operate from a table in a picnic shelter.
A view of the picnic area beside Lake Milton shows me activating from the shelter at left. I threw a line over a branch on the tree to the right, and used it to hold my antenna as a sloper.The gull in this picture was riding the wind, but going nowhere fast.Standing straight out from its flagpole, this flag spoke eloquently of the wind.
It was a nice afternoon at the park. The weather was warm and sunny, but a stiff breeze was blowing across the lake. An American flag stood straight out from flagpole, and soaring gulls hung near-motionless in the sky. Both provided evidence of the wind’s power. The warmth of the day and the winds cooling effect were in perfect balance to produce a comfortable environment for activating, even though the breeze provided a bit of audio spectrum QRN.
The Activation
Caught from behind, while focused on incoming code…
I tossed a throw-line over a branch on one of the large trees near the shelter, and quickly hoisted up my Tufteln 35 ft end-fed random wire (EFRW) antenna. With the antenna set up, I connected the rest of the station. Moments later, my log was ready, and I was on the air.
I was able to spend an hour on the air, and with the EFRW and the KX2’s amazing internal tuner, I was able to rapidly transition between HF bands. Operating CW mode at 5 watts, I was successful in making contacts on the 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, and 10m Amateur bands. In total, I logged 30 contacts, including 3 DX stations from Europe, a thoroughly satisfying activation experience.
This map shows the contacts made from Lake Milton. It was gratifying to get some DX during the last activation of our trip.
Gear
Note: All Amazon, and eBay links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
Becky takes amazing pictures. Here, another view of Lake Milton.
Packing up the station went quickly, and we were back in the truck and ready for the final leg of our trip. In about 2 hours of driving, we were pulling into our own driveway for the first time in a month and a half. It is difficult to fully describe the feeling. It was really nice to be back home. The prospects of sleeping in my own bed and relaxing in my own chair were really welcome.
But, at the same time, this adventure was over, and we would soon be back to our old routines. After 6 weeks together, Becky, Molly and I would again be headed in the different directions occasioned by our day-to-day activities. So, there was gladness of a return to the familiar, combined with the bittersweet feeling of the end of our travel adventure.
As I think about our trip from the distance of almost 6 months, and a long, cold winter, I realize that I am ready to start thinking seriously about our next driving (and radio) adventure!
Home. After 6 weeks and 7300 miles, it was nice to get back…
It’s not every day that I get the chance to do a POTA activation from the radio room of a battleship. But thanks to the Azalea Coast Amateur Radio Club, I was able to do a POTA activation of US-6831 from the radio room of (BB-55) USS North Carolina in Wilmington, NC.
If you would like the chance to be a guest radio operator for the BB-55, check out http://ac4rc.org to set up your activation.
The below-deck self-guided tour takes you through Radio Central. The radio room that the radio club utilizes can be seen from Radio Central; however, it is separated from public access by a clear plexiglass bulkhead door. Because the public can watch from the other side of the glass, be aware that it can be very noisy.
To make things more distracting, there is a loudspeaker in the radio room central playing pre-recorded Morse code for ambiance.
Radio Central is located a couple of floors down in the belly of the iron-armored beast, so be sure to schedule your activation on the POTA page. There is no cell phone reception below decks.
The radio club has an IC-756 Pro III available for use. I am not sure about the status of the other WWII vintage radios. I definitely recommend you bring your own key! They had a Bencher paddle thrown in the filing cabinet; it was not usable due to the contacts being bent way out of position. Fortunately, I brought my BaMakey TP-III key with me. If you are using a 3.5mm stereo plug, make sure to bring a 1/4” plug adapter for use with the IC-756 key/headset jacks.
The radio club has the IC-756 and external tuner hooked up to one of the battleship’s original long wire antennas. During the activation, I only operated on 20M. I did attempt to tune 17m and 15m, but I was unsuccessful in getting a match. However, that may have been operator error on my end since I was unfamiliar with the radio and that particular external tuner.
After a minute or so of calling CQ, the Reverse Beacon Network did its magic, and I was blown away by an insane pileup. I realized that I am used to operating QRP with somewhat compromised antennas. In sheer panic, I started looking to see how to turn the power down from 100 watts to, say, 2 watts!!!!
In that moment, I saw a vision of a seasoned Navy Radio OP sitting beside me. He reached over and smacked me on the back of my head and said, “Listen, kid, you’re not some hippie tree hugger operating QRP on some windswept mountaintop. You are operating from the battleship USS North Carolina. She has participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific area of operation during WWII. Now stand tall, run full power, and work ’em all!”
With that old-school counseling session complete, I began to work the pileup. After being on the air for one hour and fifty-three minutes, I worked 67 stations, with two duplicates and one busted call sign (that I know about). Eventually, no one responded back to my CQ, and I sent “Last call fer POTA de N4MJL” twice. After no one responded to my second message, I quickly sent QRT and started breathing again!!!!!!
In addition to working SA4BLM from Sweden, one of the coolest contacts I got that day was from my dad, AC0UT, located in Missouri.
It’s not every ham that can say that their dad called them using CW while on a battleship.
This article continues my series from our 2024 road trip across the United States (Six Weeks and 7300 Miles: Activating on the Road). I hope to wrap up the series with one last article soon. In this report, I will cover the six National Parks (NPs) that we visited during our trip. I activated five of them for the Parks on the Air (POTA) program using CW mode at 5 watts. A previous report on Stealth Activating with the KX1 Antenna System provided activation details for three of the parks (Badlands NP, Yellowstone NP, and Grand Canyon NP), so I will not reproduce activation details here, but I will include more of Becky’s pictures.
Each of these NPs is spectacular in its own right, and also distinctly different from each of the others. We were able to see some of the sights, but by no means had enough time to do them justice. In fact, as we completed our drive through Yellowstone NP, Becky and I committed ourselves to going back again and spending much more time to see its wonders.
As I reflect on our visits to NPs on our trip, it occurs to me how beneficial it was to buy an Annual America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass before we left on our trip.
The pass costs $80 for a year, and generally covers the admission of one vehicle and its occupants. We were able to save on admission costs several times over, making this one of the best NP values going. Having now completed 62 trips around the sun, when we next visit NPs, I am eligible for an even better value, the $80 Senior Lifetime America the Beautiful Pass.
Badlands NP
The first NP we visited on our trip was Badlands NP in South Dakota. We spent a couple of nights and days based nearby in the town of Wall, so we were able to take two drives through the park. There is a stark transition from rolling plateau north of the park to the spectacular peaks and canyons of the badlands. Rapid erosion has been shaping the terrain for about 500,000 years with the Cheyenne and White Rivers cutting their way through the terrain. The resulting landscape is both beautiful and severe.
While visiting the park, we were privileged to see a variety of wildlife. We saw a number of bison, ranging from small herds grazing in fields along the road, to an individualist who took a liking to the taste of grass beside one of the overlook parking areas. There were also bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope wandering other parts of the park. There was abundant bird life, from a disoriented prairie chicken that accepted water from concerned visitors, to birds of prey soaring high above. Becky particularly enjoyed the frenetic activity of the residents of Roberts Prairie Dog Town.
This bison had no problem napping in the middle of the Prairie Dog TownThis prairie chicken appreciated shade and water in the parking lot
During our visit, we stopped at an overlook parking area for Becky to take pictures of the spectacular scenery, including the aforementioned bison. While she was doing this, I took the opportunity to do a stealth activation of the park, which is documented in an earlier Field Report here on QRPer.com, linked as K3ES: Stealth activating with the AX1 Antenna System.
I managed to catch the photographer in action during a lull in my activationOf course, Becky caught me in action, too
Yellowstone NP
We knew when planning our trip, that we would not have time for a proper visit to Yellowstone NP. In fact, we intended to hold off on visiting until we had time for a dedicated trip. But throughout our drive, Becky kept searching the available maps for opportunities and possibilities. As we traveled through Montana, she noticed that we could fit in an abbreviated trip through Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs if we adjusted our route. Consequently, we found ourselves spending the next night in Gardiner, MT, just outside the north entrance to the park. Continue reading From the Badlands to Mesa Verde: QRP Across America’s National Parks→
Radio Adventures on the Outer Banks of North Carolina
by Bob K4RLC & Alanna K4AAC
February 2025
My YL Alanna K4AAC had been advocating for a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for some time. She had never been there to see its incredible natural beauty, and I had not been in decades. In planning, we needed to go in the off-season, especially when it was a bit chilly, as she is a “bug magnet” and that can ruin her vacation. Not being totally unselfish, I wanted our visit to coincide with a radio event.
We first tried for Winter Field Day at the end of January, but Eastern North Carolina was socked in with five to seven inches of snow in places where it never snows. We rescheduled the trip for a month later at the end of February, to coincide with the North Carolina QSO Party. Just so happens, Eastern North Carolina got another freak snowstorm of several inches, but we only had to put the trip off one day. Even then, parts of the roads going down east were still covered in snow and ice.
1585 Map by Governor WhiteCurrent Map of Outer Banks
The drive is only a bit over 3 hours straight down US Highway 64 to the Outer Banks, where it dead ends in a T intersection with infamous North Carolina Hwy 12. Locals call the intersection “Whalebone Junction.” Going either north or south of this intersection, within a few miles one can explore lots of really beautiful natural areas, including six (6) POTA sites! Eight miles south of the intersection is the Oregon Inlet Campground on Bodie Island, part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (US-0682), where we camped. That time of year, the campground was really deserted with only a few other campers including a few brave souls tent camping. It is a flat area campground that backs up to huge dunes, separating you from some of the most beautiful but austere beaches on the Atlantic coast. A word of caution though, there are no trees or light poles to secure a mast for an antenna.
Alanna K4AAC enjoying the beachAntenna at Oregon Inlet Campground
We took our Winnebago Solis again. The Solis is a wonderful camper van on a Dodge ProMaster chassis that sleeps three, has a propane powered furnace and two burner stove, and a refrigerator that can be powered either by propane or by the 140 W solar panels on top of the van, loading up two 100 amp hour AGM batteries. You can boondock for days, or enjoy the luxury of “shore power.”
As the North Carolina QSO Party was Sunday, we wanted to explore the islands Saturday. About 20 miles north of the campground is the incredible Wright Brothers National Memorial, commemorating the first flight ever, and also POTA site: US-0797. This is part of the National Park Service, on 428 acres with an interactive Visitor Center whose exhibits include a full-scale reproduction of the Wright Brothers 1903 flyer. We particularly enjoyed climbing to the Wright Brothers Monument standing 60-feet tall atop Kill Devil’s Hill, a 90 foot high grass-stabilized sand dune. The original runway is there with First Flight Boulder and Markers charting the short distances of the first four flights. Incredibly, a few yards over and parallel is an actual 3000 foot First Flight Airstrip where pilots from all over the world fly in to celebrate their flying heritage. I decided to take the KH1 up to the top of the Monument, a steep but accessible walk for almost anyone. The day was clear and sunny; the white granite monument was gleaming against the Carolina blue sky.
It was a beautiful day to set up on the wall around the monument. Unfortunately, the temperatures were in the 40’s, and I didn’t realize there would be a 20-25 knot wind blowing. The beautiful thing about the KH1 is that it is so easy to deploy. Some have complained about the stock key in cold weather, but for me the problems are not the key but old, cold fingers. To help a little bit, I set up the AX1 on a small camera tripod and threw one 13 ft radial over the wall into the field. This modification worked really well when I operated at a Greek Navy lighthouse in the Aegean Sea. For some reason, the KH1 was fussy that day, and would not hold a tune consistently on 20 CW. Nevertheless, I pounded away until I got the minimum number of contacts about the same time my fingers just wouldn’t work anymore.
Alanna, with freezing extremities after fully exploring the monument and taking pictures of me operating, hiked off to explore a bronze sculpture garden which recreates the scene of the historic 1903 flight. This included a sandy plot with a life-size bronze replica of the original Wright Brothers airplane (being piloted by Orville laying on his stomach), along with bronze sculptures depicting the guys from the Hatteras Life Saving Station who were there to support Orville and Wilbur, help them launch their flyer, and capture a photo of the First Flight. The memorial was gifted by the State of North Carolina to the NPS, and dedicated at the Centennial of the First Flight in 2003, by then Governor Mike Easley. Alanna and I were both really cold and tired after hiking in the chilly weather at the park, so we sought out one of the few open seafood restaurants there and were treated to an incredibly tasty buffet.
Full size replica of original aircraftFull size bronze replica of aircraft
Weather Sunday morning was milder so with a strong cup of coffee from the French press coffee maker our daughter gave us, I set up on the picnic table with my trusty old ICOM IC – 706MkIIG at about 60 watts on 20 CW. I do have a trailer hitch mount for the Solis that can hold a 30 foot fiberglass mast, but I knew we were going to be traveling that day. So I set up my trustee default of a 17 foot whip on a 4 x 7′ piece of aluminum screen wire from Lowe’s. With one CQ, the calls started coming in, with the first one being from HA9RE in Hungary. Continue reading QSO Party, POTA, and a Touch of Winter: Bob and Alanna’s Radio Adventures on the Outer Banks→
Connecting an international community through low-power field radio adventures.
Please support QRPer by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us stay online. All of our ads are ham radio related--no junk, we promise! Thank you!
We’ll be in Canada through the rest of June and most of July for some much-needed family rest and relaxation.
If you’ve been trying to work me from a spot where North Carolina’s a tough catch, you might have better luck while I’m roaming through Ontario and Québec.
A six-week road trip with a family of four means every nook and cranny in the Subaru was put to work—and I’m quite proud of the packing job, to be honest! (One of my daughters helped—she and I are both known for our extraordinary abilities in loading the dishwasher… obviously a transferable skill!)
