Category Archives: Videos

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

Huge 30 Meter Pileups: Beautiful day for a SOTA & POTA Activation at Hanging Rock State Park

1 Comment

There are a few reasons I love Summits On The Air (SOTA):

  1. I love hiking.
  2. I love going truly portable with my radio gear; packing an entire minimalist station in my backpack along with first aid supplies, water, and a bite to eat, then hitting the trail.
  3. I love the views.
  4. I love the sense of accomplishment (hiking to a summit doesn’t happen every day).
  5. I also love that post-hike feeling–my body telling me, “Hey, T, thanks for doing something today!“

No kidding: If I could, I would do a SOTA activation at least twice a week. Maybe when I retire, I will.

Living in the mountains of western North Carolina, I have no shortage of summits to activate–indeed, one is within (strenuous) hiking distance of my QTH.

So why don’t I activate more summits?

It’s because they are much more difficult to fit in my active schedule.

You’ll notice that the bulk of my POTA activations take place within a one hour window of time. This includes set-up, on-the-air, and pack-up time. The brilliant thing about POTA sites is that they’re so accessible in my weekly travels. (Plus, I absolutely love POTA too!)

My average SOTA activation, on the other hand, requires at least a three hour window of time. In fact, it’s usually much closer to four or five hours.

The view from Dogback

Drive-up summits like Anderson Mountain and Dogback Mountain are the exceptions. There’s no hiking time involved, so they are pretty easy to fit into my schedule.

On Saturday, February 18, 2023, a rare thing happened: an entire day opened up for me to play radio. The only real obligation I had was to set-up and participate in a live stream with Josh (KI6NAZ) on the HRCC channel that evening.

At first, I thought about doing a five park POTA rove, hitting four parks and one game land all that eight hour window of time. It was very doable and I knew it would be fun.

But then again, park roves allow very little time for hiking–typically, they’re wham-bam style short activations.  It was also a gorgeous day weather-wise so I scrapped the idea of a POTA rove. (This time!)

Instead, I had a hankering to do a SOTA activation and hike. I took a quick look at SOTL.as and remembered how much I enjoyed my last activation of W4C/EP-001 (Moore’s Knob) at Hanging Rock State Park (K-2753). And hey! It’s both a SOTA and POTA site!

It’s been nearly two years since I’d visited Hanging Rock SP because it’s a two hour drive in a direction I rarely travel.

Hanging Rock  a beautiful park and I truly enjoyed the hike to Moore’s Knob.

As a bonus, Hanging Rock State Park is less than a 30 minute drive to Pilot Mountain State Park. I knew I’d have time in the schedule to do activate both sites! Score!

Hanging Rock State Park (K-2753)

I pulled into Hanging Rock that morning and made my way to the parking area by the lake.

Since it had been nearly two years, I consulted the hiking trail map at the trail head to confirm I was taking the correct loop (Moore’s Wall Loop). Continue reading Huge 30 Meter Pileups: Beautiful day for a SOTA & POTA Activation at Hanging Rock State Park →

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

A Casual 17 Meter POTA Activation with the Penntek TR-45L, PackTenna Random Wire, and a Furry Friend

5 Comments

On Sunday, February 19, 2023, I felt like I was moving in slow motion.

The previous day started early and I fit in a long hike, a SOTA/POTA activation, and a second park activation. Round trip driving time was about four hours, but it was worth it. I had an amazing time. Those field reports will be posted in the upcoming week.

The previous evening, I also participated in a live stream and after hours chat with Josh (KI6NAZ) on his amazing Ham Radio Crash Course channel. It was loads of fun, but I was up pretty late after a long day.

Sunday morning, I was feeling it and couldn’t decide if I wanted to do a POTA activation on the drive back to the QTH. In case I decided to, early that morning, I scheduled an activation at Table Rock Fish Hatchery with a very wide activation window. I often don’t have enough mobile phone service to self-spot at that particular site, so I decided that if I was able to make the activation, it would cover me.

I wasn’t even ten minutes into the drive home when I decided to go for the Table Rock activation, of course! I seem to never be too tired for some POTA!

I did make up my mind in advance to try to activate the park on 17 meters because 1.) there was a CW contest that weekend, and 2.) I wanted a more laid-back activation instead of a pileup. I figured 17 meters would have some activity, but not to the degree of the non-WARC bands.

Table Rock State Fish Hatchery (K-8012)

I decided to record the entire activation from set-up to pack-up so I grabbed the action camera from my radio bag in the passenger’s seat and started recording as I pulled into the site.

I had a lot of gear in the trunk/boot of my car–more than normal–because I brought along quite a few radio packs to show on the HRCC live stream for this trip.

I grabbed the Penntek TR-45L and PackTenna random wire.  I thought they would pair nicely for a casual POTA activation.

Set up

The great thing about the PackTenna random wire antenna is that the radiator is only 31′ long. It’s super easy to deploy. Continue reading A Casual 17 Meter POTA Activation with the Penntek TR-45L, PackTenna Random Wire, and a Furry Friend →

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

Postcard Field Report: Cheap POTA thrills with the TEN-TEC R4020 and Chelegance MC-750

5 Comments

Welcome to another Postcard Field Report!

My Postcard Field Reports are information-packed, just slightly more concise and distilled than my average field report so that I can publish them on a busy day.

T-T R4020

One of the least expensive radios I’ve ever purchased is my TEN-TEC R42020 two-band CW only radio. I believe I paid $120 for it (shipped!) a couple years ago and it sat on my shelf unnoticed for months until I took it on a POTA activation last year.

Here’s the admission:  I really love this little radio!

It is not a feature-rich radio, and the sidetone sounds like a 1080s handheld arcade game, but it works a charm! The receiver and audio are fantastic and it sports two of my most useful POTA/SOTA bands: 40 and 20 meters.

What’s not to love?

POTA time!

I had an early morning doctor’s appointment on Thursday, February 23, 2023. As a little reward  for doing my annual physical I decided to add a POTA activation to my morning. This was a last minute decision, so only a couple minutes before leaving the house that morning, I grabbed my TEN-TEC R4020, the Chelegance MC-750, and my Spec Ops Backpack (filled with all other field accessories), and I hit the road!

I chose the MC-750 that day because I needed an antenna that could be configured to be resonant on 40 meters since the R4020 has no internal ATU. That and I couldn’t remember if I’ve configured the MC-750 for 40 meters in the past. I know I’ve deployed the MC-750 with the 40M coil, but I think I may have used an ATU to match it.

I arrived at the Blue Ridge Parkway (K-3378 NC) mid-morning and set up in very short order. Continue reading Postcard Field Report: Cheap POTA thrills with the TEN-TEC R4020 and Chelegance MC-750 →

New Products, News, POTA, QRP, QRPer Notes, Videos

QRPer Notes: 3Y0J Presentation, BitBanger Demo, POTA Developers Live, and Georgia State Parks On The Air Event!

2 Comments

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!

Adrian Ciuperca (KO8SCA):  3Y0J Presentation to the Northern Illinois DX Association

Many thanks to Eric (WD8RIF) who shares this excellent presentation by Bouvet activator, Adrian (KO8SCA):

 Click here to view on YouTube.

BitBanger Demo

Many thanks to Benn (AK4AV) for sharing this video demo:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Click here for the Github page and more notes/details.

Ask the POTA Developers – LIVE!

Click here to view the archived live stream on YouTube.

Georgia State Parks On The Air: April 1-2, 2023

Many thanks to Scott Wooten who shares the following announcement via YouTube:

Welcome to the Georgia State Parks on the Air event. Our goal is to have all fifty Georgia State Parks on the air in one weekend. This event is open to all licensed Amateur Radio Operators whether you live in Georgia or not.

There are two ways to participate: Activating or Hunting. Activators fall into two different categories: Single Operator or Club, and there is a special category for Georgia ARES operations.

The first annual 36 hour event kicks off on April 1, 2023 at 1200 Zulu and concludes at 2359 Zulu on April 2, 2023.

If you participate please remember this event is considered a CONTEST, so while casually operating Parks on the Air on the WARC bands is permissible, this event does not allow operations on the WARC bands.

For more information or to sign up as an activator, go to GAPARKS.org

We look forward to hearing you on the air!

Click here to view on YouTube.

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

Breaking in the new Elecraft AX2 during a short POTA activation

6 Comments

As I mentioned in my recent AX1 vs AX2 video and blog post, I purchased an Elecraft AX2 antenna and bi-pod in late January (note: two days before Elecraft announced their February ’23 sale price! Doh!).

I received the AX2 package a few days later and I was certainly eager to take it to the field.

My first opportunity came on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, when a short activation window opened up in the afternoon.

Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace (K-6856)

One of the first things I noticed after taking the AX2 out of the package is just how solid and compact it is. The AX1 is short, but the AX2 is a few inches shorter because the base is more compact.

Unlike the AX1, the AX2 is a mono band antenna, thus the coil only needs to accommodate one band. When you receive a new AX2, it’s configured for 20 meters out of the box, but the user can modify the coil to work anything from 20 to 6 meters.

“Resonant-ish”

Even though I mentioned this in my AX1 v AX2 article and video, I’d like to reiterate that the AX2 is nearly-resonant on 20 meters. It is not reliably resonant.

I’ve still been receiving a lot of messages from readers stating that their AX2 and AX1 are resonant on 20 meters, so they don’t pack any sort of matching device in their field kit. They simply hook the AX2 up to their little QRP radio and hop on the air.

While it’s true that these antennas may provide an acceptable SWR most of the time, you really can’t rely on a solid, reliable match as you could with an end-fed half-wave.

I’ll repeat what I mention in a previous post:

Small verticals like the AX1 and AX2, that use coils to electrically “lengthen” the antenna, have a higher Q than, say, a large aperture quarter or half wave antenna. In practical terms, this means that the window of resonance is narrow and more fickle than, for example, an end-fed half-wave.

A lot of factors can affect the SWR on higher-Q antennas like the AX1/AX2 including:

      • the type of terrain,
      • height off the ground,
      • length of counterpoise,
      • configuration of counterpoise,
      • and, most notably, the operator’s own body capacitance.

You may find that the AX2, for example, is natively resonant on 20 meters at one location, but isn’t at another location. This is quite normal. It’s also the reason why Elecraft states that both antennas are designed to be used with an ATU.

So there you go! If I hook up my AX1 or AX2 to a radio, I’ll always have some means of matching the impedance–either an external ATU, or a capacity hat. You can also tinker with the length of the telescoping whip and counterpoise to tweak the match.

The important part–especially if pairing these antennas with a radio that lacks both an internal ATU and SWR meter (say, the MTR-3B, G106, or TR-35)–is that you’ve some means to check the SWR before conducting a long activation session. Continue reading Breaking in the new Elecraft AX2 during a short POTA activation →

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

Gazebo Portable! A quick hike and speedy QRP POTA activation with the Elecraft KX2 and a 28.5′ random wire

6 Comments


On the morning of Friday, February 3, 2023, I wanted to fit in a quick hike and activation as I made my way back to the QTH.  Tuttle Educational State Forest (K-4861) is my go-to when I want to hike and play radio but don’t have enough time to fit in a proper SOTA activation.

That morning, the park was very quiet–mine was the only car in the parking lot. This being an educational state forest, they tend to get large groups of visitors all at once (typically, bus loads of school kids). In the winter, however, the park is quiet because their restroom facilities and water points are all winterized.

I grabbed my SOTA pack–which contained my Elecraft KX2 field kit, Tufteln/N0RNM folding knee board, and a throw line–then hit the trails!

Although it was a windy day, I headed to the gazebo at Tuttle (one I’ve used for activations in the past) which is on a hill and has a brilliant view of Grandfather Mountain.

Trust me, Grandfather Mountain is out there, my iPhone just can’t easily capture it:

The only issue with the gazebo is that the trees behind it are short and very dense with branches. In the past, I’ve launched a line over the top of the tree, but it’s not easy because then there’s always the possibility your throw weight will land on the roof of the gazebo. You also need a 10oz or heavier throw weight on trees like this, else risk getting your line caught in the tree.

There are a number of pines immediately behind the smaller ornamental trees, but to get to those, I’d need to lay my feedline across a service road the park staff use regularly, so that’s a no-go. Continue reading Gazebo Portable! A quick hike and speedy QRP POTA activation with the Elecraft KX2 and a 28.5′ random wire →

Antennas, News, POTA, QRP, SOTA, Videos

Video: What are the differences between the Elecraft AX1 and AX2? Should you buy one?

15 Comments
The Elecraft AX1 paired with the KX2.

During the months of January and February 2023, I’ve given my Elecraft AX1 a thorough workout. As I mentioned in a previous post, I thought it might be fun to take the AX1 out on a good 30 days worth of activations.

Turns out, I’ve had such brief windows of opportunity to play radio recently, the AX1 and now AX2 have been valuable tools in my field kit. They are, no doubt, the quickest-to-deploy and most portable antennas in my collection.

The Elecraft AX2 paired with the KX2.

If I only have a 20 minute window to squeeze in a quick park activation, the AX1 and AX2 make a valid POTA activation–with 10 logged contacts– a reality.

I originally purchased my Elecraft AX1 in the spring of 2020 and have used it extensively since then. In January 2023, I finally caved in and purchased the most recent addition to the AX family, the mono-band AX2.

Elecraft AX1 vs. AX2

Since I’ve been publishing numerous field reports recently using the AX1 (with more to come) and since Elecraft has included both the AX1 and AX2 in their February 2023 Specials, I’ve received questions from readers asking:

  1. “Should I buy an AX1 or AX2–?”
  2. and “If so, which one should I buy? What are the differences?”

At first, I simply pointed readers to the concise comparison guide that Elecraft publishes on their website (linked below).

I realize, though, that there are characteristics of each antenna that you might only discover after actually using them in the field.

I decided to make am unedited video–based on a few notes–not only describing the differences and similarities of the AX1 and AX2, but also if either would potentially benefit you as a field operator or traveler.

One quick note about resonance…

One point I touch on in the video is that both the AX1 and AX2 antennas are designed to be mostly resonant on 20 meters.

Small verticals like the AX1 and AX2, that use coils to electrically “lengthen” the antenna, have a higher Q than, say, a large aperture quarter or half wave antenna. In practical terms, this means that the window of resonance is narrow and more fickle than, for example, an end-fed half-wave.

A lot of factors can affect the SWR on higher-Q antennas like the AX1/AX2 including:

  • the type of terrain,
  • height off the ground,
  • length of counterpoise,
  • configuration of counterpoise,
  • and, most notably, the operator’s own body capacitance.

You may find that the AX2, for example, is natively resonant on 20 meters at one location, but isn’t at another location. This is quite normal. It’s also the reason why Elecraft states that both antennas are designed to be used with an ATU.

If you are pairing the AX1 or AX2 with a radio that doesn’t have an ATU (or you can’t use an external one), then you might consider making a simple capacity hat. Check out this field report and video where I paired the AX1 with the IC-705 and used a capacity hat to sort out the SWR.

Video

As with all of my videos, this one is unedited and commercial-free. If you’d like to skip through the video to the parts you might find most relevant, simply hover your mouse over the YouTube time line and click on the chapter indicated:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Another note here: I have no affiliation with Elecraft, but pushed this article and video to the front of the line to help those who are consider taking advantage of Elecraft’s  AX1/AX2 February 2023 Package Deals.

I hope you find the video helpful. I’ll try to answer any other questions you might have in the comments of this post.

Resources

Thank you

I hope you enjoyed this comparison video.

I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon and the Coffee Fund. While certainly not a requirement as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.

Cheers & 72,

Thomas (K4SWL)

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

Taking the Xiegu G106 on its maiden POTA activation!

12 Comments

Last year (May, 2022), Xiegu announced a new compact field radio that would be added to their line of transceivers: the Xiegu G106.

As I was capping off my summer in Canada (August, 2022), Radioddity started shipping the G106. Radioddity had me on their list of folks to send a loaner G106 to, but I didn’t have time to even look at the radio I was so busy upon my return, so didn’t immediately request it.

I did watch, however, K8MRD’s initial review and updated review of the G106. It was less than stellar [understatement alert!] but more than relevant to me because Mike shipped his second unit to me on behalf of Radioddity.

I connected that G106 to a dummy load, checked the transmitted signal, and it simply didn’t look very clean. It looked worse than it did when Mike checked it only a couple weeks prior.

I shared my results with Radioddity, told them I didn’t feel comfortable putting it on the air for testing in the field, and they asked to have that unit returned and checked out.

Updated G106

Fast-forward to January 2023 when I was once again contacted by Radioddity to see if I would like to field test an updated G106. I was happy to do so, in fact, because I was curious if the whole G106 experience had improved.

In the spirit of full disclosure: keep in mind that Radioddity is a Xiegu retailer/distributor–they are not the manufacturer nor are they owned by Xiegu. They are a sponsor of QRPer.com, but have no say in what I post nor any sort of editorial input. Indeed, this is always a condition of sponsorship from day one.

To Radioddity’s credit, some of my most critical reviews have been of products they’ve sent me on loan (especially the GSOC).  They take criticism on the chin and keep on moving forward. This is why they are still a sponsor and I like working with them. They understand that I call it like it is and stand by what I publish.

This G106 has been sent to me on loan for a few weeks to review. I plan to take this unit on a number of activations and pair it with a variety of antennas and accessories.

Very early impressions

I will eventually publish a full review of the G106 (likely in The Spectrum Monitor magazine first) once I’ve put in a lot more field and shack hours with the G106. In the activation video, below, I do make a lot of comments about the radio–thinking out-loud–so if you’re considering purchasing the G106, you might at least listen to a few of my initial impressions.

I will say this: for a modern SDR-based transceiver, it’s pretty bare-bones. It lacks a number of features I assumed it might have despite the incredibly affordable $320 US price point:

  • No SWR meter
  • No Power meter
  • No CW or Voice message memories
  • No RF gain control
  • No AGC control
  • No dedicated headphone audio output

But, again, it has more features than many of the bare-bones CW-only QRP transceivers out there, so for the price perhaps expectations should simply be in check–?

Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace (K-6856)

On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, I took the G106 on its maiden POTA activation to K-6856.

The G106 doesn’t have a built-in ATU (which I would never expect at this price point) so I decided to pair it with a resonant antenna. Since it was a very rainy day and the area/ground where I tend to deploy my wire antennas at Vance was squishy and soft, I opted to deploy my Chelegance MC-750 next to the picnic shelter. Continue reading Taking the Xiegu G106 on its maiden POTA activation! →

Accessories, Antennas, Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, QRP Radios, Videos

New Penntek TR-35 Field Kit, Canine Welcome Party, & Brilliant 20 Meter POTA Conditions!

9 Comments

There are few things that make me happier than radios and pets.  On Saturday, January 7, 2023, I got copious amounts of both.

On the way back to the QTH, I stopped by Table Rock Fish Hatchery (K-8012) for a nice, leisurely POTA activation.

En route to Table Rock I gave some though to the antenna I might deploy. In the end, I decided I’d once again set up the Chelegance MC-750.

There was no question which radio I’d use: it’d be the brilliant Penntek TR-35 packed-up in its new field kit!

Table Rock Fish Hatchery (K-8012)

Table Rock Fish Hatchery isn’t open on Saturdays, but that really isn’t a problem because the picnic area where I set up shop is open 24/7.

And the best part about Table Rock? The welcoming committee…

These two dogs are so incredibly sweet and always a highlight of activating Table Rock. You may have seen them in my previous field reports and videos. Continue reading New Penntek TR-35 Field Kit, Canine Welcome Party, & Brilliant 20 Meter POTA Conditions! →

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

Pairing the Penntek TR-45L and Chelegance MC-750 on a swift POTA activation

6 Comments

Friday, January 6, 2023, was a beautiful day and my route took me within 10 minutes of South Mountains State Park (K-2753).

Of course, I had to activate it!

In truth, I had only a short window to do the activation, but I knew it would be seriously fun.

I’d packed my Penntek TR-45L and Chelegance MC-750 for the trip and was looking forward to pairing the two.

My TR-45L actually has the built-in Z-Match manual antenna tuner, but I wanted to, once again, configure the MC-750 as a resonant antenna (much like I did in my previous activation).

I also had my new VK3IL pressure paddle along for the ride and wanted to see how nicely it might work with the TR-45L.

If I’m being honest, it was a bit strange not to use a wire antenna at this particular park because South Mountains has some very large old-growth trees that are ideal for hanging antennas.

That said, I also had my choice of spots to deploy the MC-750 vertical. Continue reading Pairing the Penntek TR-45L and Chelegance MC-750 on a swift POTA activation →