Editor note – Please enjoy this guest post from Conrad Troutmann N2YCH.
Thank you “deputy” Vince, VE6LK, for assisting in managing some guest contributor posts for QRPer.com. I’m so happy to hear Thomas and his family rode the storm out safely and send him my best wishes and hope things return to normal soon. Here’s my contribution to help keep QRPer.com going while Thomas gets his house back in order. 73, Conrad, N2YCH
September 22, 2024
Lately, the high frequency bands (15/12/10 meters) have been hit or miss, largely due to recent space weather events. Today, taking a look at WSPR beacon reception at my QTH on the Top Spotters web site, I noticed that 10 meters was open and I was spotting quite a few stations on the band.
Top Spotters Ranker – https://wspr.rocks/topspotters/
The weather here was sunny and beautiful and my batteries were all charged up, so it seemed like all signs were pointing to a POTA activation at Silver Sands State Park, US-1716. I usually activate on 20 meters, however with 10 open, I thought I’d try for some DX and give hunters that don’t normally hear me on 20 a chance to get the park. When I was trying for my Worked All States POTA award, I appreciated it when the Hawaii and Alaska activators activated on the higher bands so I had a chance to get them all the way from the East Coast. I like to return the favor when I can.
I decided to give my Elecraft KX2 a workout as well. Paired with my Buddipole vertical up 10’, I figured I would do well.
Buddipole Vertical with Elevated Counterpoise using Electric Fence PostKX3, Samsung Computer and Bioenno Battery with a view looking towards Long Island Sound at Silver Sands State Park in Connecticut
I got set up, checked and adjusted my computer time using JTSync and started calling CQ POTA on FT8. I called and called and no one answered. I checked PSKReporter and I was being spotted, but still, no answers. I was receiving well, in fact, I was picking up stations as far away as South Africa. “Hello, is this thing working? Can you hear me now?”
Just to be sure my equipment was working, I shifted to “hunt and pounce” mode. Rather than call CQ, I started answering stations who were calling CQ. It’s not my preferred way to get the QSO’s needed to officially activate the park, but sometimes that’s what you need to do. I have JTAlert set to sort received stations from strongest received signals to weakest. I’ve found based on prior experience that my chances of completing a QSO are much higher with stations that I’m receiving with strong signals. So, I answered a CQ for a station in Texas coming in at +19 and he answered right away. One in the log.
I did this for the next 30 minutes or so and managed to get six stations, about half I called and the other half answered my CQ. I moved around the waterfall looking for openings, but it was busy and challenging. Just for grins, I decided to see if FT4 was active. Sure enough, I was receiving many stations there as well. I called CQ and immediately had stations answering. I did the rest of the activation on FT4 and had a steady stream of callers. I completed the activation with 17 total QSO’s, my map is below. I make these maps using the Adventure Radio log analyzer. You can import the same log you upload to the POTA page and put the grid square in and it generates the map.
Activation QSO Map made with the Adventure Radio Log analyzer
Interestingly, all of the USA contacts were on FT8 and when I moved to FT4, I picked up all of the EU ones. I was happy to see after I uploaded my log to the POTA site that almost all of the hunters who got me were active POTA hunters and had accounts at the POTA web site. In fact, one was actually a park-to-park QSO. PA4PA was at the Sluiswaai Nature Reserve, NL-0219 in the Netherlands.
If you haven’t read my previous posts, here’s the situation in a nutshell: we live in a rural mountain community in Swannanoa, NC, where the bridge connecting us to the outside world was swept away during the 1 in 1,000-year flood event caused by Tropical Storm Helene.
Recovery Period
Since my last update, I’ve had to take a break from chainsawing and heavy lifting due to an old mountain biking injury that flared up, causing significant pain in my right shoulder. I’m currently on medication prescribed by my doctor and focusing on giving that arm a rest.
Fortunately, one of our amazing neighbors is a physical therapist and gave me an evaluation on Friday. She has me on a treatment plan that seems to be working, and she taped my shoulder with therapeutic tape to help stabilize it. I’m incredibly grateful for her help.
In many ways, I’m my own worst enemy. Like my grandpa, I have a hard time stepping back when there’s work to be done or someone who needs help. If my mom were still around, I’m sure she’d be quick to point this out! But I realize I need to take it easy for now to heal properly so I can help later.
Amateur Radio’s Vital Role
Over the past 17 days, the N2GE (Mount Mitchell) repeater has shifted from being the primary source for gathering real-time information and conducting wellness checks to now serving as a liaison between aid groups and those needing assistance. If you’ve been monitoring, you’ll hear it’s as busy as ever.
This week, I’ve been focused on connecting aid groups with the parts of Western North Carolina most in need. I can’t overstate the importance of amateur radio in facilitating these connections.
Government resources and private aid groups often operate on different communication networks, making coordination challenging. This has led to some areas being overlooked while others are inundated with supplies they can’t manage. For example, one local church in north Asheville has become a relief hub due to social media posts but is now overwhelmed with donations and lacks the logistical infrastructure to manage them. It’s a bit crippling for an all-volunteer group.
I’ve been attempting to: 1) gather information on resource hubs, 2) compile a list of communities in need along with their specific requests, and 3) link the two and arrange deliveries. So far, I’ve made good progress, especially with some amazing resources here in central Buncombe County willing to drive supplies to more remote areas in Yancey, Mitchell, and Avery counties.
Aid Coordination
On that note, yesterday, my wife and I headed into town to connect with one of the largest aid resources in Swannanoa: a coalition of churches and private individuals from various states that have taken over a large facility near I-40. They’re as organized as a private aid agency can be.
We met with one of their logistics managers and set up direct communication, so I can provide them with specific community needs. We also informed them about a local church that needed heavy equipment like skid steers (with forks) to manage palletized donations.
Their site was buzzing with activity, with trucks coming and going, and volunteers lining up for tasks ranging from chainsaw work to laundry services. It was incredible to witness the coordination.
We also checked in with the Swannanoa Fire Department to relay the status of our community and see if they needed anything. They’ve been a critical hub for both government and private relief efforts.
On our way home, we couldn’t leave without accepting meals prepared by the Swannanoa First Baptist Church—such loving persistence! Their generosity was deeply appreciated.
Our mobile post office.
At the post office, we helped out a bit too.
Proudly displayed in the window of the mobile post office. 🙂
They were open on Saturday to accommodate those in the community collecting mail and packages
They’re based in a brilliant temporary mobile post office and have an additional shipping container (that lacks lighting) to manage larger packages and parcels.
Our amazing postal workers and friends were pretty busy, so Heather and I helped set up some battery-powered lanterns and headlamps they’d just acquired so they could locate packages more easily in that dark shipping container.
I may have mentioned that our local post office was flooded, so this mobile setup could be in place for a long while. We love our hardworking postal workers–they’re such valuable members of our community.
A Few Photos
Heather took some photos as we drove around town. Many of these appear blurry mainly because everything (and I do mean everything) is covered in fine silt that was left over from the flood. When the wind blows in town, it looks like a dust bowl. The town is even spraying down the roads with water just to keep it somewhat at bay.
The field next to the Swannanoa Harley Davidson shop has become a key helicopter distribution site. There’s a constant stream of helicopters taking off and landing.
Tree Removal
As I mentioned in the last post, we’ve contracted arborists to remove the trees from our houses. They’re scheduled to come today, but it’s unclear if they’ll make it. The crane they need may not be able to handle the dips and dodgy conditions on our patched-up road. The crane operator was supposed to assess the situation this weekend, but I haven’t heard back yet. Two other homes on our road are also awaiting tree removal, so we’ll see how things unfold.
One of many dump truck deliveries on our road yesterday.
In addition, the Kentucky DOT is continuing to patch our road. We’ve confirmed they’re bringing it up to DOT standards, just adding more stability. We certainly welcome any repairs. The road is still our biggest concern, aside from power restoration.
We’ll roll with the punches. Removing the trees is a priority, especially before the weather turns. While we’ve been blessed with dry days, our vacation rental has no protection from rain pouring through the ceiling where a tree came down.
Power Restoration?
One positive? We’re so fortunate to enjoy dark skies here at the QTH year-round, but lately it’s even been better because there’ve been no lights from neighboring towns.
I mentioned previously that a Duke Energy employee estimated we might not have power restored before Christmas. While our community accepted this as reality, a crew from Indiana working on our lines gave us more optimistic news yesterday. Barring any unforeseen complications, power could be restored this week. Possibly in a couple of days! This doesn’t mean everyone will get power immediately—some homes with slab-mounted transformers have additional damage—but it’s a positive development.
At our community meeting, though, we all agreed: “We’ll believe it when we see it.”
Again, we’ve been incredibly fortunate to have solar power throughout this ordeal. Still, restored power will be a huge relief for our neighbors, and we’re hopeful it’ll happen soon!
Thank You So Much!
Olive: one of our amazing neighborhood dogs.
Once again, we’re overwhelmed by the kindness and support we’ve received. I apologize if I haven’t been able to reply to emails and comments—I’ve been spending most of my energy helping my family and neighbors through this challenging time.
Also, a HUGE shout-out to the amazing Vince (VE6LK) and all of the contributors here on QRPer.com! THANK YOU!
Vince has completely taken over formatting and posting field reports and articles to QRPer.com. It’s been so fun reading through all of the brilliant field reports and see QRPer.com in full-swing.
What an amazing community you are! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Many thanks to Brian K3ES who submits this awesome report.
As I write this report, we are currently visiting with my parents at their home near San Francisco, CA. Getting here from our Pennsylvania home and back again is a continuing great adventure for my wife Becky, POTA Pup Molly, and me. You see, this is a grand road trip, complete with sight seeing, activating POTA parks in new-to-me states, and lots of driving. While much of the trip has been planned, there have been frequent changes to the route and schedule, as better opportunities presented themselves. One such opportunity was to deviate from interstate highway travel between Montana and Idaho, and divert to lesser-traveled highways. This detour enabled us to fit in a drive through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Sadly, we were only able to take the time to see a small fraction of the natural splendor. We did see enough to create the resolve to return for a proper exploration of the wonders that we had to miss.
The Welcoming Committee: I had to stop again just after the entrance plaza leading into the park. These elk, along with a number of their friends, were standing beside the road to greet us.Mammoth Hot Springs. To get this picture, Becky hiked along planked walkways and climbed a great number of steps. Sadly we could only stop and look for a few minutes during our drive.
We made a handful of stops on our drive through Yellowstone, including a couple of hours at the Old Faithful geyser. One challenge of traveling with Molly, is that dogs are not always welcome in interesting areas. Another challenge is that, having been rescued from an abusive situation, she can respond unpredictably to other dogs. So, Becky and I have often taken turns with one of us exploring the sights, while the other remained in the truck with Molly. At this stop, Becky was the designated sight-seer for an impending eruption of Old Faithful (she takes better pictures), and I stayed in the truck with Molly.
*No explanation needed*Becky got some great action shots Old Faithful!
If you haven’t read my previous posts, here’s the situation in a nutshell: we live in a rural mountain community in Swannanoa, NC, where the bridge connecting us to the outside world was swept away during the 1 in 1,000-year flood event caused by Tropical Storm Helene. We’ve also confirmed that a tornado swept through our valley, which explains the large number of trees down on houses and roads.
Arborists in High Demand
One profession in particularly high demand here, post-Helene, is arborists.
As a community, we worked together to clear our road and driveways within days of the storm hitting—an enormous task. But some trees require professional equipment and expertise, especially those needing cranes.
About 80% of the homes in the upper part of our road had trees fall on them, including our two homes—our primary residence and our vacation rental cottage.
Difficult to see in this photo, but the tree that hit our house chopped off the top portion of one of our panels and likely damaged a couple more.
At our main house, three trees fell: two landed on our Subaru, and one hit our roof, damaging two solar panels.
We were able to fully uncover “Ella Sue” a few days ago.
Thankfully, after a thorough two-hour inspection by an insurance appraiser, we were relieved to learn there was no structural damage or water penetration.
The vacation cottage wasn’t as fortunate. A tree punched through the master bedroom ceiling. I attempted to trim the branches around the hole, but the weight and tension of the tree made it too dangerous to cut without risking further damage.
In both cases, we need a crane to safely remove the trees.
I’ve been in touch with arborists we’ve used before, but they’re a small company, and the wait could be up to two weeks. With perfectly clear and dry fall weather right now, we knew we had to act quickly before the rains return.
Most arborists in Western North Carolina are so overwhelmed that they’re only doing “chop and drop” jobs—removing trees from homes, dropping them to the side, and moving on. No debris cleanup or additional work.
After numerous calls, we’ve contracted a well-recommended arborist who may be able to remove the trees from both of our houses and two others in the neighborhood.
I should note that any job involving a crane is incredibly expensive, but neither of our insurance companies raised concerns about the cost.
Fingers crossed that the arborists keep their schedule and safely remove the trees. It will be a relief to stop hearing the tree groaning on our roof and to prevent more water damage in the vacation home!
Grid Restoration
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, we’re incredibly fortunate to have solar power with battery backup. It allows us to live in relative comfort, keeping the fridge and freezer running if we manage our energy use carefully.
It’s now been two weeks without power on our road.
Duke Energy, along with line workers from across the U.S. and Canada, have been working around the clock to restore electricity in Buncombe County.
Yesterday, while we briefly had cell phone service, we received this text:
Duke Energy: We are making more progress than anticipated repairing the considerable damage left by Helene and restoring customers. Of the 50K remaining outages in NC mountains, we estimate restoring about half by Sunday night. The remaining outages will require significant construction of roads, bridges, and/or electrical infrastructure. We will provide you with additional details about your outage as soon as possible. Rest assured we will not stop working until we have restored every customer who is able to receive power.
We’re among those outages that will require major reconstruction of infrastructure.
While we’ve known this from the start, we’ve been holding out some hope as we’ve seen rapid progress on other areas. Some neighbors were thinking we might get power back in a few weeks.
For a few days, hope grew as we saw a parade of line workers along the two-mile stretch of road connecting us to the Bee Tree reservoir and the rest of the world.
Yesterday, while on our way to a 4:00 PM community meeting and potluck, we passed a Duke Energy vehicle on our road for the first time.
One neighbor stopped the worker and asked, “Are you surveying the damage?”
The lineman replied, “I came up here to count how many power poles were destroyed. I stopped counting after ten, further down the road.”
When asked about the timeline for restoration, he said, “I think we’ll be doing well if we can restore power here by Christmas.”
Sobering news, but we weren’t shocked. We’ve all adjusted our expectations, and most of us have some form of backup power. The community meeting and potluck helped keep spirits high.
Ham Radio Workbench
Last night, I had the pleasure of recording an episode of the Ham Radio Workbench podcast. While I’m a regular on the show, this time I was also the guest, sharing my experiences post-Helene and discussing how radio played a crucial role in emergency communication.
It was so energizing to hang out with friends—it was the first “normal” thing I’ve done in two weeks.
Our “priority bandwidth” renewed the previous day, so my connection via Skype was solid. We still have no mobile internet here, only voice and basic texting. So I couldn’t rely on my mobile hotspot as a backup.
The discussion was fantastic, and I feel fortunate we have solar power and satellite internet to make this possible. All other internet here is still down, and it could be that way for a while.
Feeling Fortunate
I was telling George, Vince, Mike, and Mark last night (sadly, Rod was traveling) that for most people, things improve each day after a disaster like this. Recovery is a process. I overheard a Samaritan’s Purse volunteer say to a homeowner whose house flooded, “What happened here was horrible, but you’re a survivor, and your life will improve each day from now.”
Scene from the neighborhood where I spoke with the amazing people with Samaritan’s Purse.
It’s a powerful sentiment, but it made me think of those in war zones. For them, there isn’t one event followed by recovery. It’s constant devastation. My friend Wlod (US7IGN) in Kyiv, Ukraine, has lived through years of uncertainty and attacks. Power outages, explosions, and devastation are part of daily life for him.
Natural disasters are tough, but I really feel for those in places where the struggle never seems to end.
Thank You
Once again, we’re overwhelmed by the kindness and support we’ve received. Thank you so much!
I apologize if I haven’t been able to reply to emails and comments—I’m spending most of my energy these days helping my family and neighbors navigate this challenging time.
Thanks to those that have submitted stories of late. If you have an article in your head and want to have it posted here, let’s keep this community going while our friend continues to help his neighbours. Draft up your story in an email with reference points to the pictures you want embedded and their captions, and attach photos to the note and send it my way to vincedeon at gmail dot com and note QRPer in the subject line to get my attention.
I’ve often wondered if naming radios is just a Thomas thing or if others do this also. He mentions them so fondly in his articles here or when we are recording Ham Radio Workbench as we were last night.
Sort of top-secret: Thomas was our featured guest in last night’s recording and I think that episode will come out as an extra outside of our regular schedule.
A great time among friends
Thomas assured us that he and his family are doing well. He acknowledges that so many have sent him words of encouragement and reads every one of them. He’s apologetic that his limited internet time is managing completion of forms for FEMA and such instead of responding to you all, but wanted you to know that he appreciates your support from afar.
Greek philosopher Seneca said that “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” and, from what I heard last night Thomas and family were not only well-prepared but quite fortunate. The luck part happened when he and his neighbours banded together to handle a mountain-load of tasks garnering praise from the FEMA representatives who visited them. One thing stuck out from the interview -and I’ve seen this first-hand– help will not be on the ground to you, in a disaster zone, for several days. We all need to be self-sufficient for at least that period of time.
The HT Fleet at Chez VE6LK
During the interview he spoke of passing out his HTs to neighbours and establishing a twice-daily schedule of check-ins among them, at 8am and 8pm. This is an indispensable tool in situations like this! I asked if he named his HTs as he does his HF gear.. it was a fun moment and you’ll have to listen for yourself. But I then, inspired, broke out the Dymo and did my own named on the gang from Peanuts. Lucy and Linus, the brother and sister, are both Yaesu VX-7s that were my workhorse HTs during the 2013 Southern Alberta Floods. Since that time they’ve been joined by Woodstock, the Alinco DJ-MD5XT, for logging road use (it’s type approved for both commerical and amateur), Schroeder, the TH-D74, as it can -I’m certain- play a symphony once I find that page in the manual, and last but not least, Snoopy, for it’s the carefree and fun to use FT-70DR.
So – back to the title of this post – Do you name your radios? Let me know in the comments.
My goal for this summer is to do more backpacked day-trip POTA activations while I’m still physically able to. This is my 4th backpacked-in activation this past week or so. And a thank you to Thomas K4SWL for letting me share my adventures from the Canadian out-back.
Today’s goal is to activate Trout Creek Ecological Reserve, CA-4221 which is about one-hour drive south of Kelowna, BC, Canada, which is where my wife Alexis (VE7LXE) and I (VE7EFF) have lived for the past 12 years. Alexis accompanies me on all my POTA activations.
It is a beautiful late August day. The temperature is expected to be about 31℃, or 88℉. The one-hour drive is just the beginning of the day’s adventure. We were able to conveniently park at the Summerland Golf and Country Club, but this is where all conveniences end for us.
Trout Creek Ecological Reserve has never been activated before – I’ll be the first. It’s no surprise this reserve hasn’t been activated before. It’s all wilderness with no trails to follow. I have to rely on my Garmin 66sr GPS and Pixel8 smart phone with Google Maps with Satellite View to help me navigate to and through the reserve in search for an optimal operating location.
I expected the trek to only be about 1 Km in with about 600 ft elevation gain. It’s all uphill, all the way. From the golf course parking lot, the hike starts out relatively easy. At first, there appears to be some semblance of a trail.
If you haven’t read my previous posts, here’s the situation in a nutshell: we live in a rural mountain community in Swannanoa, NC, where the bridge connecting us to the outside world was swept away during the 1 in 1,000-year flood event caused by Tropical Storm Helene. We’ve also confirmed that a tornado swept through our valley, which explains the large number of trees down on houses and roads.
No Power Interruptions at Home Despite Grid Outage
Although the power grid on our road is down and likely will be for weeks, if not months, we haven’t experienced any interruptions in power at our home.
Living in a remote, rural community, most of our neighbors have some form of backup power. Many have either 1) whole-house propane generators that kick in automatically during outages, or 2) critical load systems that connect to portable generators for essential power needs. Very few homes lack integrated backup power.
Until March of this year, we relied on the second option: a 7,700-watt portable generator connected to the house via a dedicated 220V outlet. This primarily powered our well pump but also ran essential appliances like the microwave and lights.
We also had a dedicated 490W solar/PV system that powered our DC refrigerator and freezer, which were always off-grid, running on a 360Ah battery bank. When power was out, the fridge and freezer stayed operational, and we could use the generator when we needed water.
This system served us well for 13 years, although I had to frequently maintain the generator and deep-cycle flooded Lead Acid batteries.
The New Solar PV System
In March 2024, we installed a 10.13 KW grid-tied solar PV system, something we had dreamed of since we finished building our home in 2011. We couldn’t afford it back then, but we finally made it happen in 2023, after signing a contract in August.
We wanted to include a whole-house battery backup but were initially hesitant due to the cost. Our installer designed the system to allow for battery integration in the future. Then, in mid-January, while dealing with my mother’s final days battling cancer, we got an offer from our solar installer: a significant discount on Tesla Powerwall Version 2 units, as they were transitioning to Version 3.
Honestly, my wife and I had so much going on in the family, we had no bandwidth to do a cost analysis. We simply decided to go for it. We committed to purchase two Powerwalls, which was the minimum needed (for Version 2 Powerwall) whole-house backup.
Note that we originally preferred a Kyocera LiFePO battery system, but it was too expensive and complicated to install compared to the Powerwalls. Looking back, this decision has been a blessing for us and our community, especially post-Hurricane Helene.
Staying Powered During the Crisis
Thanks to the Powerwalls, we’ve had no power interruptions at home during this disaster. These two batteries have kept the lights on, the water pump running, and our satellite internet operational.
It’s worth noting, though, that our system wasn’t designed to keep us fully off-grid for weeks. Additionally, two of our solar panels were damaged when a tree fell on the house, reducing our PV system’s output to about 60%, likely because the failed panels also affected other panels in the same series.
Difficult to see in this phot, but the tree that hit our house chopped off the top portion of one of our panels and likely damaged a couple more.
By managing our energy consumption carefully, we’ve kept everything running.
Managing Power Consumption
Right after the storm, I shut off the circuit breakers for our HVAC system and water heater, the biggest power users apart from our well pump. I also appointed one of our daughters, “Phantom Load Czar” and gave her absolute authority to hunt down, turn off, and unplug anything that wasn’t necessary.
If we didn’t reduce our usage—if we ran the HVAC, water heater, and cooked all our meals on the electric stove—we’d only have 8-12 hours of battery life. But by cutting out those heavy loads, we can stretch that to nearly 48 hours.
The Advantages of Solar
Unlike our neighbors with propane generators, who have to ration fuel, our system recharges every day thanks to the sun. Even though our output is lower on cloudy days, we still get daily “fuel deliveries” from the sun.
Keep in mind that our road is in rough shape and most propane delivery companies will not refuel customer tanks at present.
Our two string inverters.
When solar production is lower–when it’s overcast or cloudy–we scale back by skipping hot water, cooking on a camping stove, and using minimal lighting. So far, we haven’t dipped below 50% battery capacity.
This week, we’re expecting clear skies, so by early afternoon, our batteries should be fully charged, allowing us to use excess solar energy to heat water for showers and run the dishwasher—true luxuries during a crisis like this.
Helping Our Community
As I mentioned, many of our neighbors with whole-house generators only run them for a few hours each day to conserve fuel. They’ve been bringing their devices to our home to charge, and because we have satellite internet, we’ve opened up free Wi-Fi. We’ve jokingly renamed our porch the “Witherspoon Internet Café,” where neighbors use our internet for everything from filing FEMA applications to contacting loved ones.
One big advantage is Wi-Fi calling, which has been crucial since cell service remains unreliable. While we now have some mobile voice and texting capabilities, the connection is unstable and frequently drops. Wi-Fi calling bypasses these issues, making it easier to deal with complicated phone trees and long hold times.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
One of the nicer patched-up parts of our road.
We’re preparing for the possibility of being without grid power for another two months—or longer. The road to our home, with a 1,000-foot elevation gain, was severely damaged, and nearly all the power poles are down. Some transformers are wrecked, and our local substation was wiped out by flooding.
Duke Energy will have restored power to 90% of its customers by next week, but we’re in the 10% that will take much longer. Our entire power delivery system needs to be rebuilt, and the road might need to be repaired first to make this possible.
With winter approaching, we’ll have shorter days and more overcast skies, which will further reduce our solar production. We plan to repair the damaged panels and hope that gives us enough output to make it through the colder months. Otherwise, we’ll have to be even more conservative with our power usage, possibly shutting off devices like our satellite modem during the day.
Before you ask: don’t worry about our heating during the winter. Our house is passive solar and we also built it around an efficient RAIS wood stove. We can typically heat our home on less than two cords of wood per winter. We’ve got plenty in stock and, in fact, will have a nearly unlimited amount starting in a couple of years when our sawed up wood has cured.
Change in mindset
We now know that we can live comfortably off-grid, and while we’d consider making it a permanent arrangement, our main reason for staying connected to the grid is to sell back our excess solar energy.
As long as our solar system continues to function, we should be in good shape until the grid is restored.
Four Words…
Thank you so much!
We feel so incredibly fortunate compared to many who have lost their homes, their businesses, and members of their family.
Once again, our family is overwhelmed by the kindness and love you’ve shown us.
We know many who live in Florida where they’ll soon be receiving the full force of Cat 4 or 5 Hurricane Milton. Know that we’re here for you too.
Many thanks to Tom (VA2NW) for this report on Chillycon, aka Chilicon – Vince.
Canada’s capital, Ottawa, is the home of the Ottawa Valley QRP Society. The group holds an annual weekend camp-out at the Rideau River Provincial Park (POTA CA-0365) in early fall and it’s affectionately called Chillycon (also known as Chillicon). This year’s camp-out ran from September 20th through 22nd with some folks arriving a few days earlier. It’s a low key gathering which largely consists of casual operating, socializing, sharing tips and tricks, and checking out everyone’s portable radio gear.
On Friday morning I packed up my van with radio gear, camping equipment, and enough batteries to get me through a weekend of operating and cell phone recharging. Rather than tent camping, I decided to set up a sleeping pad in my minivan. The trip from Gatineau Quebec took a little under an hour, and I arrived just after 2:00pm local time.
Entrance to Rideau Provincial Park in Kemptville Ontario Canada
I brought my new toy with me, the Venus SW-6B (metal case + internal battery configuration). In just a few minutes I was on the air with the radio, an AlexLoop Hampack antenna, American Morse Equipment Mini-B paddle, and Apple EarPod wired headphones. I made several POTA contacts before it was time to start my shift as the Straight Key Century Club’s Canadian Straight Key Month special event station VC3Y/VE3. Conditions weren’t great and there wasn’t a lot of SKCC activity in the middle of a work day, so I only made one SKCC contact that day. After SKCC hour, I joined in on the weekly K1USN Slow Speed Test (SST). I contacted a few regulars, and then I returned to POTA and made another dozen or so contacts to bring the total up to 17 QSOs.
Reading ‘The CW Way of Life’ by Chris Rutkowski by the (citronella) candlelight
After striking out at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, it was time for this POTA Babe to get back on track with my goal of 60 new valid park activations for 2024. As much as I enjoyed the historic sites and the refuge I recently visited, I needed to return to activating wildlife management areas.
Wildlife management areas (WMAs), properties set aside for conservation as well as hunting and fishing, are plentiful in the state of Georgia. Georgia has 163 WMAs and 38 are located within 75 miles of my home QTH. So it makes sense I would include those in my 60 new activations pursuit.
I set my sights on Morgan Lake WMA (US-9791) and Griffin Ridge WMA (US-3752) because they are an hour’s drive from my home and across the road from one another. Talk about convenient!
map source: worldatlas.com
Daisy and I set out early Tuesday, October 1st. During the drive, I encountered two groups of ambulances moving north on Interstate 95. At a rest stop, several EMTs from one group were taking a quick break and wore t-shirts with “Disaster Relief” on them. It was a reminder of the recent events due to Hurricane Helene.
I chose to activate Morgan Lake WMA first. According to the map, most of the property appeared to be wetlands but there is a boat landing for fisherman to access Morgan Lake. In fact, the road you use to reach the landing is built up a good 10-12 feet, I assume, to provide access even when the area experiences flooding.
boat landing and train trestle bridge
WMAs vary in their presentation. Some are nicer than others with shooting ranges and gravel roads. Morgan Lake was, frankly, on the dumpier side. This was not the place to come to commune with nature. But no matter. I was here to do an activation, so I set about getting my equipment up and running.
Map for Morgan Lake WMA. source: GA DNR
I opted for the Chelegance MC-750 today. Attempting two parks in one day meant I needed a quick and easy set up and a vertical would provide that.
Chelegance MC-750 with a train in the backgroundsetting up on the gravel parking lot
Despite poor band conditions at some of my past activations, today the bands were great! (You’d really want that on a day you are attempting back-to-back activations.) Even better, I had internet access at this park, though it was on the slow side. I could spot myself (always a plus) and it wasn’t long before calls began coming in once I was spotted on the POTA website.
Forty meters gave me 15 contacts in 20 minutes – not bad! It was good to hear so many from the southeast, some I hadn’t heard fromin a while. Given I had a second activation to attempt and I wasn’t thrilled with the site conditions at Morgan Lake, I called QRT after contact #15, packed up, and headed across the road to Griffin Ridge WMA.
QSO Map for Morgan Lake WMA (by home QTH) source: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/
Griffin Ridge is a much larger WMA than Morgan Lake. The park has two access points from the road and I chose the one farther to the north as it looked the more inviting of the two.
Map for Griffin Lake WMA. source: GA DNR
Again, given I was short on time today, I found a little area off to the side near the information kiosk by the road. If I visit this WMA again, I’ll drive further in and find a place away from the road noise.
entrance to Griffin Ridge WMA
The little place I found was somewhat shaded which Daisy and I needed given the warm weather. The day had been mostly overcast; however, I’ve learned to not trust that will persist. Nothing like being in the middle of an activation and the sun comes out from the behind the clouds to roast you.
the spot I found just perfect for parking Kai
For the North Carolina trip this past July, I purchased a Mountain Laurel Designs shelter. It was handy for my SOTA activation at Black Balsam Knob. I figured it would also be useful for POTA activations in the heat. Since I can activate next to my car for POTA, I used the front and rear wiper blades as well as the roof rack to attach three sides of the tent and the surrounding foliage to which to attach the other two. My hiking pole was not tall enough to support the center, so I used the outer rear door handle on the car to elevate the bottom of the pole to give me enough height so I could sit in my Helinox chair under the tent. It was not the best setup but good enough for today. I need to give more thought how to better support and use the tent as a shelter with my car.
Daisy relaxing
We all know band conditions fluctuate throughout the day and I hoped they would hold up for my second activation. Guess what? They did!!!
I opted for 20 meters given it was nearly noon and had 39 contacts in a little over an hour. I was thrilled! That is a “good” thing about bad band conditions. When the bands behave, you really, REALLY appreciate it.
QSO Map for Griffin Ridge WAM (by home QTH) source: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/view from under the tent at my QTH
As I packed up my equipment, I reflected on the two activations. Of the two, I would return to Griffin Ridge. The foliage and landscape reminded me of Canoochee Sandhills WMA; however, it was nicer than Canoochee and not nearly as remote, which could be considered bad or good, depending on your perspective. I would definitely set up farther inside the property to avoid the road noise unless it had rained a lot prior to my visit. The road into the property was quite sandy and soft and deep in some spots. My car might not be able to navigate those conditions after a heavy rain.
A valid activation at these two parks put me at 41 out of the 60 new park activations for which I am aiming in 2024. There are only three more months of this year so I am running out of time to reach my goal. It would be easy to accomplish my goal if life didn’t keep getting in the way, right?
There are still plenty of wildlife management areas to consider as well as properties closer to the coast as I continue my pursuit. Where will I show up next? Stay tuned…
For those interested, visit my YouTube channel for a video about this activation.
Equipment Used
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If you haven’t read my previous posts, here’s the situation in a nutshell: we live in a rural mountain community in Swannanoa, NC, where the bridge connecting us to the outside world was swept away during the 1 in 1,000-year flood event caused by Tropical Storm Helene. We’ve also confirmed that a tornado swept through our valley, which explains the large number of trees down on houses and roads.
Community
The reason why I, along with all the households on our one-mile stretch of road, now have egress is because our community came together to make it happen. As I mentioned in previous posts, when I first surveyed the number of downed trees on my driveway and on our road, I thought we would be blocked from the rest of the world for at least a week. Instead, our neighborhood mobilized and cleared everything ourselves.
People we barely knew 10 days ago now feel like family. We all feel this way.
On Saturday at 13:00, we gathered for another neighborhood BBQ. This time, we enjoyed barbecued ribs, and they were exquisite—three different types: blackened, jerk, and extra spicy, both dry-rubbed and marinated.
These neighborhood barbecues give us a chance to relax and have casual conversations, rather than just focusing on work like fixing chainsaws and coordinating home repairs. It’s also practical: sharing meats that were thawing out in our freezers ensures everyone enjoys them before they spoil.
We had so much food that we also invited neighbors from the lower part of the road, as well as the National Guard, FEMA, and others working on our road. Of course, they declined, not wanting to take any resources from us (plus, they had packed their own lunches).
My wife spoke to a neighbor who joked that he wants to print T-shirts that say:
“I Survived Hurricane Helene and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt (And a Tighter Community)”
That pretty much sums up how we all feel.
We did have a little drama at lunch. One of the National Guard’s RSVs (Re-Supply Vehicles) developed a flat tire. They had to deploy the outriggers and lift the truck to replace it, which completely blocked the road for a while.
Evidently, there’s no easy way to replace a tire on one of these, and each tire must weigh over 200 lbs. Unfortunately, one of the soldiers helping to maneuver the tire fell unconscious, and the tire hit him in the chest as he collapsed.
Fortunately, one of our neighbors is a trauma nurse and jumped into action. The soldier was stabilized and re-hydrated. They quickly finished the tire replacement and took him into town for a proper medical checkup, but fortunately, he appeared to have no major injuries.
We are incredibly grateful for all the hard work of the 5th Battalion 113 Field Artillery. They’ve been amazing.
Coordinated Efforts and Misinformation
Speaking of outside help, we’ve received and been offered more than we could ever take. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s been humbling to be on the receiving end of so much generosity.
Lately, I’ve had almost no time to catch up on messages or news because I’ve been so busy. Yesterday, however, I checked in on Mastodon and a few news and social media sources.
There are rumors going around about major clashes between government agencies and private organizations, groups, and individuals trying to help out here in western North Carolina. This simply isn’t true—not in the way some on social media are portraying it.
Keep in mind that fear, anger, and drama fuel likes, views, and search algorithms, which is why these “news” sources tend to paint everything in the worst possible light. It’s in their best financial interests to create drama where there is none.
Here on our road, we’ve met and worked with our rescue task force, four different FEMA teams, the Sheriff’s Department, the Forest Service, the National Guard, a private-sector ex-military helicopter team, church groups, numerous NGOs, arborist companies volunteering, and countless individuals, friends, and families.
In fact, they’ve all been working together, sharing ATVs and trucks, to get up and down our road. They’ve even coordinated and shared their observations and findings.
Anyone who has been monitoring the N2GE (Mount Mitchell Repeater) will hear coordination efforts between both public and private entities.
The only issues that arise, and where volunteers are turned away, happen when people try to enter areas en masse where access is limited, and their vehicles block the way of search and rescue teams or supply deliveries. Many of our mountain communities only have two-lane access roads, and when these are blocked, it creates serious problems.
Authorities have also asked some individuals to leave when it’s clear their intent is more about disaster sightseeing for their YouTube channels than helping out.
There’s also concern about looters targeting abandoned homes and businesses. If someone shows up in an SUV, ATV, or motorcycle without any sign of delivering supplies or assistance, they’re likely to be turned away. We actually requested law enforcement presence on our road to minimize the number of vehicles traveling across our precarious, temporarily-repaired road. Some groups have shown up in high-performance ATVs just for the thrill of navigating our damaged road. Seriously.
All this to say: don’t believe what you see on social media. It’s not telling the full story. The only people being turned away are those who aren’t really here to help in the first place. Genuine volunteers being refused would be an extreme rarity and likely only because they would be interfering with search and rescue ops.
SITREP (Situation Report)
Yes, trees have been completely removed from the Subaru!
As of now, our neighborhood feels like it’s in a semi-stable place. We have egress and ingress, we’ve cleared our road and driveways, and we’re working together to overcome the challenges we’ve faced.
At our community meeting yesterday, we even discussed how we could help others who still need their roads or driveways cleared. We have a tractor and a dozen people with chainsaws and ATVs.
Thankfully, most communities around us have already been cleared, which is wonderful news. There’s still months of debris cleanup ahead, but most places around us now have access in and out.
We’ll find other ways to give back to the community.
The power grid is still down, and I imagine it will be for weeks. Duke Energy announced that most people in urban Asheville neighborhoods will have power restored within a few days or by the end of the week. My buddy Vlado (N3CZ) had his power restored last night in south Asheville, which is a good sign.
However, there’s still a lot of electrical infrastructure to rebuild, and rural communities like ours will likely be a lower priority because the work needed benefits only 40 or so households instead of hundreds.
And none of us here take our road for granted. One heavy rain could wash out the temporary repairs or the makeshift bridge that connects us to the rest of the world.
The road is currently a one-lane, steep, and curvy path with no guard rails and steep drop-offs. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s what we’ll have to live with for months until the DOT can properly repair it.
We’re lucky to have fresh water, unlike many urban neighborhoods. We rely on well water, and as long as our well pumps have power, we have water. Additionally, we have a creek running through the valley that we can use to flush toilets or even drink from (with proper filtration).
Those on city water aren’t sure when service will be restored. Asheville’s water treatment facilities and reservoirs were all damaged by the storm, with two suffering severe damage. The North Fork facility, which supplies water to about 80% of Asheville, requires rebuilding a 36-inch bypass line that was destroyed. Access to the damaged areas has also made progress slow.
Water service restoration is the top priority, but there’s no estimated timeline yet. Thankfully, water distribution sites are available across Asheville, so getting drinking water hasn’t been difficult for most.
Updates
In my next update, I’ll explain the details about our solar power system here at the QTH. Many of you have asked for information, so I’ll dedicate a post to it.
Thank You
Hazel posing with the sign my daughters made for the neighborhood. They drew caricatures of all of the dogs in the neighborhood!
Once again, our family is overwhelmed by the kindness and love you’ve shown us.
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