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

Cross-border activation between friends

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by Vince (VE6LK)

In August and September 2024 I was travelling around Southern Ontario for some family matters and naturally I brought my radio kit with me to squeeze in some radio therapy stops along the way. This is the report of my stop at the Battle of Lundy’s Lane National Historic Site CA-6216.

As like many sites around the Niagara Peninsula, it is rich in history from the war of 1812 between Canada and the United States of America. It would therefore be only fitting that I would meet up with my friend Mike Kennerknecht N2MAK for a joint activation. The plans were made, and at the last minute he surprised me with a request.. but I’ll tell you about it later on.

This site is at the top of a hill in Niagara Falls along Lundy’s Lane, one of the main roads in the city. It’s easy to see why it was strategically important for both sides to capture the hill, and indeed both sides claimed success in the battle depending on where you read up about it.

The words on this monument summarize the relationship between our two countries perfectly.

It was great to meet Mike in person as we’d only worked together virtually on teleconferencing platforms. The park was about halfway between us, not counting the stops he’d make at the border each way. It was 5 years since he’d last been in Canada and he was excited for the Duty Free stop he’d make on the way home. And he travels prepared for sites and brought along a couple of chairs and a small side table for our use, which beats a park bench any day of the week.

I was able to get my Goture carbon fibre mast up with my 20-30-40m trapped EFHW (see links below) just before he arrived along with my KX3,. He deployed his Gigaparts POTA Explorer 20 CF mast with a 20m EFHW to his IC-705; later he switched to 17m.

We both started off on SSB with me on 40m. Despite the very close proximity of our antennas, interference between us was very minimal.

Goture (left) and POTA Explorer 20 on the right. A similar amount of flex is seen despite the big differences in their construction.

At around 1100h local time we began calling at 10W on SSB. Mike was able to get to his 10 fairly easily but on 40m I was limited by the NVIS configuration with my average height at 3m for the 40m band, so once he was done on 20m, he switched to 17m and I moved to 20 to complete my activation.

And then he said the words that were magic to my ears: “Let’s do CW”. To be fair he gave me some heads-up that he wanted to do this when he asked if I had 2 CW keys with me. And he wanted his first CW contact to be made in Canada. Thus with a bit of pre-planning, and a pair of dummy loads, we set out to make the contact, Park-to-Park no less.

What I hadn’t realized is that he had never done CW before today, but with bravado and a Quirky QRP Reference Mat at his disposal, we got into it. I explained what each side of the paddle key does (dit vs. dah), however we both didn’t know how to adjust the speed on his IC-705 from it’s default of, I think, 15WPM. No matter, after a few minutes of rehearsing his callsign along with a handwritten chart I’d built him, he was ready.

With our respective radios in close physical proximity, signals were quite strong. I showed him the typical exchange for a POTA and then it was showtime. We did the exchange, and for good measure we did it on the 6m band. That CW contact was the first one done at the park as well.

Mike’s the tall guy on the left

We retired to a well-deserved lunch and went about our respective ways after the required team photo and a bear hug. I’m so delighted I got to connect with him on this trip, and especially for a cross-border activation.

Mike’s Video

List of gear used for these activations:

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Postscript

This was the first activation with my new Bass Pro Shops Extreme tackle bag and I am very impressed. It is the correct size for me and everything works as it should. As a matter of fact, It inspired me to create a new channel on the Ham Radio Workbench’s Discord called #bag-talk if only to prove that bags need not be expensive in order to be functional.

72 and dit dit,
…Vince

First introduced to the magic of radio by a family member in 1969, Vince has been active in the hobby since 2002. He is an Accredited examiner in Canada and the USA, operates on almost all of the modes, and is continually working on making his CW proficiency suck less. He participates in public service events around Western Canada and is active on the air while glamping, mobile, at home or doing a POTA activation. You can hear him on the Ham Radio Workbench podcast, follow him on Twitter @VE6LK, check out his YouTube channel, and view the projects and articles on his website.

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

Climbing Grandeur Peak: Micah’s SOTA Adventure in Utah’s Wasatch Range

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Many thanks to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the following guest post:

Activating Grandeur Peak (W7U/NU-065)

by Micah (N4MJL)

Emboldened by my successful activation of W7U/SL-022 (7,500ft MSL) a week earlier, I decided to up my SOTA game and try to activate Grandeur Peak (W7U/NU-065).

Grandeur Peak is located in the Wasatch Range (POTA Entity US-4398) just to the east of Salt Lake City. It is approximately three ridges south of my last weeks SOTA activation. Which you can read about here.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, that should be true for climbing a mountain right?……

After conducting an area study, I decided to take the “West Ridge Route” it is a short 2.2 mile trail to the top of Grandeur Peak. Some of the comments on the hiker forums described this route as “undoubtedly one of the steepest hikes on the Wasatch Front.” Another commenter said, “this short but brutally-steep hike gains over 3,300ft elevation in a mere 2.2 miles to reach the summit. Adding up to just a 4.4-mile round trip, this is a quick jaunt for the most accomplished climbers.”

Reading in between the lines I deduced that this was a short 2.2 mile jaunt to the top, with a bit of elevation gain. After all, we know how these drama queens…I mean hikers…sometimes embellish hiking stories. Either way, this looked like a good way to stretch my legs after flying almost 8 hours the day before. There was a significantly longer trail with lots of switchbacks and more gentle elevation gain, that I could take, but I’m a millennial and delayed gratification is apparently not a strong suit for me. Looking at the SOTA page for this summit, it had only one QSO logged this year, even though this summit had been activated 14 times since April 2011.

On the morning of 25 August 2024 I got up at 0700 and packed up my REI Flash 22 day pack. I was taking with me a full 2 liter hydration pack along with 2 more 1 liter water bottles (4L water total), along with assorted snacks and electrolyte additives. Based on my last SOTA activation in the area, I decided I should bring some emergency gear just in case. I brought my trusty Surefire EdCL2-t flashlight [QRPer affiliate link], a few raps of duck-tape around a stick of chapstick, a box of matches, and a few feet of toilet paper. After all some things just happen, like the effects of coffee on an empty stomach. Don’t leave without toilet paper.

Since the temperature in Salt Lake City was projected to be around 85F, I decided to bring a flannel shirt and wool cap for the summit. There is virtually no humidity in UT and the temperature at 8,300ft could easily be 15 degrees cooler with possible wind chill. I’m bad enough sending CW without being chilled.

My radio gear consisted of the following:

During my 15 minute Uber ride from the hotel to grandeur Peak West face parking lot my driver was incredulous that anyone of sound mind would ever voluntarily climb such a mountain. He was convinced that I was going to be eaten by mountain lions.

After my first 5 minutes on the trail I started to question whether or not I actually was of sound mind.

After 15 minutes on the trail I began to think that there may have been some truth to what was written on the hiker forums about this trail.

After 30 minute on the trail I was definitely working through the five stages of grief!

1) Denial: how was I sooo stupid to be hiking straight up a mountain
2)Anger: I’m an idiot for NOT listening to those hiker forums
3)Bargaining: if I can just make it ten more feet further I’ll take another selfie
4)Depression: if I don’t get to the top, I won’t have a selfie at the summit and I’ll never get a dopamine rush from public accolades.

Seriously, the first 0.8 mile was brutal. The trail was completely straight up the ridge, and it was all loose gravel with little to no vegetation to stabilize the trail. If I started to slide down, I would be sliding aloooong way down. My plan if I tripped or started to slide was to go flat on my stomach like a star fish In hopes of stopping my down hill slide. I tried to get pictures to show how “brutal” this section of the climb really was. Unfortunately, pictures really don’t do justice.

It’s a 3,346 ft elevation gain in 2.2 miles; what more needs to be said? Looking ahead, I realized that if I could make it a bit further up, the mountain started to look more green indicating some shrubbery. I hoped this meant the trail would stabilize for me. Being young and bullet proof, I pushed on. Continue reading Climbing Grandeur Peak: Micah’s SOTA Adventure in Utah’s Wasatch Range →

Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

Scott Activates the HMCS Haida

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Many thanks to Scott (VA3EKR) who shares the following field report which was originally posted on his blog:

August 4, 2024, HMCS Haida National Historic Site (CA-4870)

by Scott (VA3EKR)

I wanted to try out a new park, and so I visited the HMCS Haida National Historic Site (CA-4870).

Band conditions were simply awful, so thankfully Dave Burroughs, VA3CP, and his help getting out the word to the Hamilton repeater, I was able to make this a successful activation.

There were some nice trees, next to some nice picnic tables, and I asked if I could use them, assuring them that I would be exceptionally careful and cause no damage. The male teen suggested I not, so I set up with 20m antenna mounted to the car.

The next priority was to get a picture of my faithful mascot, QRP-Bear.

With antenna set up, I next found the least ergonomically attractive configuration possible. One that made me twist my torso for every time I had to send. If you can avoid this silliness, it’s probably for the better.

I then took a tour of the vessel.

This is on the from the deck of the ship.

Next, I really wanted to see the radio room. I was hoping they would have the transceiver running, as they sometimes do, and let me send some QSOs as the Haida callsign, but that really only happens occasionally.

This is the radio room. They keep a modern radio tucked behind some of the older equipment, and they have a 20m dipole on the deck.

These are from the control room.

Looking up the bow.

A view of the lake.

Some historical context.

Some weaponry shots.

So, while the propagation was not so great, the tour made up for it, and I had a good time!

Click here to check out Scott’s amateur radio blog!

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

The POTA Babe Goes Back in Time

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by Teri (KO4WFP)

After a fun POTA for K2D the previous week, it was time to resume the pursuit of my 2024 goal – 60 new valid POTA activations. Friday, August 30th, I headed to Fort McAllister State Park (US-2175). Though I have lived in Savannah most of my life, I’ve never visited this park in nearby Richmond Hill.

The park is located at Genesis Point, a bluff on the Ogeechee River. An earthen fort was build on the bluff to protect the plantations along the Ogeechee River and the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf railroad bridge. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, it is the best preserved earthwork fortifications of the Confederacy. The fort repelled seven Union naval attacks between 1862 and 1863 but was finally captured by General Sherman from the landward side during his March to the Sea campaign.

After being captured, the fort became a prison for Confederate soldiers captured on the upper Georgia coast. It fell into disrepair until purchased by Henry Ford (yes, that Henry Ford) in the 1930s and restoration began on the site. Later the fortifications were restored to their 1863 appearance.

A model of the fort as to how it looked in 1863

I arrived at the park around 8:30 AM without Daisy. Though she loves going with me, the heat and humidity were simply too high for her comfort and I wanted to tour the museum at the site. (Often dogs are not allowed inside buildings at parks.)

park map – source: GA DNR

If you visit the park, please take the time to walk through the museum. It is well done, looking at the history of the site all the way back to the Guale Indians who originally occupied this land. There is also a room devoted to ironclads. (After entering the park, there is an outside exhibit for the machinery that was in the CSS Nashville, a ship who was sunk on the Ogeechee River by the Union ironclad Montauk.)

ironclad room at the museum

After walking through the museum, you head outside to the greenway leading to the fort. There is a signal tower like one that would have been constructed after the capture of Fort McAllister, non-commissioned officer huts, and a reproduction of a barracks building that previously occupied the site.

signal tower reproduction
NCO huts
inside of a NCO hut

Then you come to the fort. Who doesn’t love a fort? Though this one is simple, you could get turned around in it fairly easily. The inside is accessed via a bridge crossing a moat with palisades in it. I found the central bombproof shelter interesting though I certainly wouldn’t want to shelter in it. Just outside it, I discovered a deer eating breakfast.

view of the fort
palisades in the moat – ouch!
inside the fort
entrance to central bombproof

I couldn’t have asked for a better day for viewing the Ogeechee River. Wow! A bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds reflecting in the river below and hardly a ripple on the surface. Views like this is one of the reasons I love living in coastal Georgia.

the Ogeechee River – What is not to love about a view like this?!

I would have enjoyed setting up on top of the fortifications like I did at Fort Anne in Nova Scotia. However, there wasn’t as much room here and setting up the EFRW here might not be appreciated.

path on top of fortification looking down to live oak trees by marsh

I looked below and saw several oak trees near the riverbank. Though there was a gravel path, it was wider than the path on top of the fort. Anyone walking by would have plenty of room to avoid my antenna. Plus the trees would shade me from the summer sun.

my potential QTH from a ground view

After several tries, I snagged a live oak branch and had the Tufteln EFRW installed. I set up my Helinox chair, settled my equipment on my Tufteln kneeboard, and got to business.

view from my Helinox chair
a squareback marsh crab visiting

I started with 40 meters, giving ops close to home a crack at me; but the only op who contacted me was Lou N8LEM, a nice op in Ohio from one of my CW Innovations classes. I switched to 20 meters and that band proved to be the heavy lifter of the day – 31 CW QSOs over the course of an hour and a half, including two park-to-parks: Carson W8VAB at US-1828 in West Virginia and the Tortolita Radio Club KT7RC at US-4571 in Arizona.

QSO Map Fort McAllister State Park 8-24-2024 source: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/

By noon, it was time to call QRT. The sun was gradually encroaching on my shady locale and I had sweated enough for one day.

my setup

I had no idea this park was such a gem! The fort is accessed only by paying a fee or purchasing a Georgia State Park historic site annual pass. (There are picnic grounds accessible with a state park pass or $5 fee outside the museum and fort area.)  As I intend to revisit the site as well as other historic sites over the course of this next year, I went ahead and purchased a pass.

picnic grounds outside museum

For those interested, you may access my YouTube video for this activation via the following link: https://youtu.be/IhXsd87fy6k

My valid activation here gave me #38 of the 60 parks I need for my 2024 goal. I have four months to get the remaining activations I need. Where will I show up next? Stay tuned…

Equipment Used

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

Testing My C6 Rooftop Tent During an Overnight POTA Camping Trip!

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Friday, August 23, 2024, was packed with activities, but I was looking forward to the evening to wind down and relax.

That morning and afternoon, my wife and I ran numerous errands around town. I played chauffeur to my daughters, taking them to their volunteer jobs and Shakespeare classes.

The day wrapped up around 5:00 PM when I returned to the QTH, dropped off one set of car keys, and grabbed the other!

I had pre-packed the Subaru for a trip to the Lake Norman State Park campground!

Overnight camping trip

I may have mentioned in previous posts—and I know I certainly have on the Ham Radio Workbench podcast—that I purchased a rooftop tent system last year for my Subaru.

I had hoped that my maiden voyage in it would be the 2023 W4G SOTA campout in North Georgia, but the actual tent platform didn’t ship until a couple of months after the campout.

2024 has been a crazy year—and the summer, especially, has been hot and humid—so I haven’t gone camping even once so far. This is very much not the norm, but there you go.

This summer, I’d been waiting for a little relief from the heat to at least fit in an overnight trip and give the rooftop tent a good shake-out before the fall and winter camping trips I have planned. In mid-August, that relief arrived as a front moved into the area, bringing cooler temperatures and lower humidity.

I planned to spend Saturday with my father in Hickory, NC, so I decided that a trip to Lake Norman State Park Campground for Friday night was in order! I made a reservation a couple of days prior to secure a nice, level site.

Lake Norman State Park (US-2740)

I arrived on site and checked in around 18:45 local time (22:45 UTC).

Part of me considered making POTA a priority to fit in an activation during the August 23 UTC day, but the primary goal of this camping trip was to see how long it would take to deploy my C6 tent.

I didn’t want to do this in the dark and, frankly, I was looking forward to making an evening meal before hitting the airwaves.

The C6 Rev Tent

Since elementary school, I’ve always loved camping and over the years have owned a variety of tents—most of which were on the affordable end of the scale.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve moved away from sleeping on the ground. In the past few years, I’ve used either a full-size cot in our family tent or a backpackable cot for my two-person tent. I find I sleep much better when off the ground.

I always thought a rooftop tent would make impromptu camping trips much easier, but such tents are often insanely expensive. Plus, some weigh over 100 or 200 lbs, which is why some of my friends who have them never remove them from their vehicles—it’s just too much of a hassle.

I discovered the Rev Tent by C6 Outdoors a couple years ago. Although still pricey (by my standards), it was at least half the price of other quality rooftop tent options.

Last year, my wife and daughters encouraged me to order one as a birthday gift from them. I bought the tent portion of the setup during a sale and got it for about 20% off. The platform (that attaches to my Subaru’s roof bars) wasn’t in stock because C6 was redesigning it and it wasn’t available yet.

In November, they started shipping the new platforms and offered those of us who had already purchased the tent an excellent discount for being patient.

While the Rev tent requires more time to set up compared to clamshell rooftop tents, it offers a level of flexibility they don’t. The tent portion of the system weighs only 20 lbs and is designed to be completely self-supporting. You can use it on the roof rack, put it in the bed of a truck, or set it up on the ground like a normal tent.

The Rev tent has thick but lightweight foam padding in the floor, acting as a permanent mattress. It’s super comfortable—no need for additional padding.

Deploying the Rev tent at Lake Norman involved detaching it and removing it from the roof rack, unzipping and setting up the tent on the ground, opening the tent platform, then placing the tent back on top and attaching it at the four corners.

I timed myself, and the whole process on my first attempt took 15 minutes from start to finish. The part that takes the most time is simply attaching and detaching the tent via the four bolts. I’m confident I can cut this time nearly in half with a bit of practice.

I plan to do a full review of the Rev tent in a future video, as there aren’t many reviews out there. This tent isn’t for everyone, but I like it. I’ll want a few more camping trips under my belt before considering making a review, though!

Fireside POTA

After dinner, I started a fire and set up my MM0OPX 40-meter end-fed half-wave.

I then grabbed my KX2 and, using my Tufteln/N0RNM kneeboard, sat comfortably as I prepared to hit the air.

Gear

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On The Air

I’ll admit, it was incredibly comfortable sitting back and playing POTA by the campfire.

I engaged the KX2’s internal ATU, then used it to find a match on 80 meters. I believe it achieved a 1:1 SWR.

I started calling CQ, and the contacts began rolling in at a relaxed pace. Continue reading Testing My C6 Rooftop Tent During an Overnight POTA Camping Trip! →

Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Pedestrian Mobile, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

24 Hours in San Francisco: Three POTAs in One Activation!

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Many thanks to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the following guest post:

Fort Point (3-Fer POTA activation) San Francisco 1 June 2024

by Micah (N4MJL)

What do you do with 24 hours off in San Francisco? Well, as a card carrying FCC certified nerd, I hit the streets and headed off to Fort Point with my brand new Elecraft KH1 for an afternoon of sightseeing and history.

Fort Point is the only brick fort on the west coast of the United States. Construction on the fort was from 1853-1861. Shortly after completion of Fort Point, the Civil War began. By the end of the Civil War, advances in military technology had rendered the fort less effective.

Cannons were finally removed from the fort in the 1890s. Brick fortifications were simply no match for rifled cannons and iron clad war ships. In the 1930s, the fort was used as a command center, cafeteria, and barracks for the engineers building the Golden Gate bridge.

Leading up to WWII, Fort Point would continue to play a key roll in San Francisco harbor defenses. Durring WWII fort point was a control center for the submarine net across the harbor. In the 1970s Fort Point would finally be officially categorized as a Notional Historical Site (POTA US-0819).

ATTENTION: Full disclosure here!

The sexy photo (above) with my KH1 on the ramparts of the fort, with the American Flag and Golden Gate Bridge in the background was a staged photo.

Yes, I’m sorry, not a single QSO was made from that position. It was simply too loud, too cold, and too distracting to operate from that position. Best of luck to anyone attempting to operating from there.

The vehicle traffic noise, venture affect off the wind, and the constant flow of tourists made it a very difficult spot. Instead I operated on a bench next to the bathrooms outside the walls of the fort but well within the confines of the Historical Park site. The single brick column next to the road in the picture above is the boundary line for operating in Fort Point US-0819. Just to the right of the brick column in the grass area against the hill is the bench (next to the bathrooms) where I operated for all my contacts.

The operating area for Fort Point is rather small and challenging. It gets very busy there. Be prepared to be asked regularly if you are tracking whales are trying to communicate with aliens….. Space aliens to be exact…..

All my contacts for this activation were from hunting park to park on 20m using whip antenna.

With the noisy distracting environment combined with my compromised antenna I did not feel comfortable calling CQ. Instead I focused on hunting parks I could hear very well in hopes they would be able to hear me with my compromised antenna. My first contact was at 1610z and my 10th contact was at 1754z. It was very slow going, but I really wanted to activate Fort Point. Not to mention the fact that Fort Point is a 3-Fer activation.

A 3-fer means that with one activation you get credit for 3 different park activations. Looking at the map above of the San Francisco area you can see that Fort Point US-0819 (#6) falls inside a much larger park entity (#7) Presidio (POTA US-7889). Both Fort Point and Presidio also both are located in an even bigger park entity known as the Golden Gate National Recreational Area GGNRA (POTA US-0647).

Restating what is written in the picture above for easier reading: After six generations, coastal defenses were made obsolete by intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area GGNRA was created largely from surplus coastal defense military reservations.



So much can be said about Presidio of San Francisco (US-7889). It served as a military out post for the Spanish Empire(1776-1821ish), Mexican Republic(1821-1846), and United States Army (1847-1989).

As a pilot, I have to mention Crissy Field. Crissy Field is part of the Presidio park, and played a huge part in the fast development in aviation technology. The first successful dawn to dusk trans con (east coast to west coast) flight landed at Crissy Field June 1924. In addition to military operations, the airfield played a major role for Coast Guard Search & Rescue, AirMail, and Forest Fire Surveillance.

The Presidio is a very large park, that’s offers many stunning views of the area. There are plenty tucked away picnic tables near tall trees that are just begging you to hang a wire antenna.

As an airline pilot, I am in San Francisco often. I am always operating QRP and much of the time I’m having to use a whip antenna due to busy/small operating area. As my CW skills improve I hope to get more of you in my log in some of these hard to activate parks.

PS Don’t quote me on this history stuff. Remember I’m a pilot not a history major, so I’m just kind of winging it.

Until then 72 . .

~ Micah J. LaVanchy

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

The POTA Babe Gets Skunked

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by Teri (KO4WFP)

After a one-month hiatus, it was time for the POTA Babe to get back in the saddle. Tuesday, August 13, Daisy and I dropped off my son and headed out for an adventure. Tillman Sand Ridge Heritage Preserve (US-3913), across the Savannah River in South Carolina, is a 45 minute drive from my son’s high school.

source: freeworldmaps.net

The drive is a simple one from Savannah: take US Highway 17 across the Savannah River to Hardeeville, SC where one turns onto US Highway 321. This road cuts a straight line from Hardeeville to Tillman, a small town in the middle of nowhere. Though the day was sunny, shortly after turning onto Highway 321, I hit fog which I assume was due to the proximity to the Savannah River. Canals run along both sides of the road most of this stretch of 321 and they were full of water lillies.

foggy conditions

In Tillman, one takes Sand Hill Road/SC Route 119 to the park. The preserve is on the left side of this road when heading north but if you don’t have a map as I did, you would miss the information kiosk which is hidden behind some trees.

For POTA, I usually like to operate out of or close to my car. In the summer heat (yes, it is hot and humid here even at 9 AM), I am not interested in hiking any distance. However, the access road to this preserve was gated so driving into the preserve was not an option. Time to rethink my game plan.

To the left of the kiosk is a parking area. Just past it inside the preserve is a dirt road which is not accessible due to wood posts. I parked my car Kai and walked to the road, looking to the left and right. Hmmm. To the right, I found an opening in the tree canopy a little ways up the road. Not being far from the car, this spot would make a suitable QTH.

looking to the left on the dirt road in the park
looking to the right on the dirt road in the park – note the opening in the canopy

Y’all know I enjoy using my arbor line and EFRW antenna; however, today I brought the Chelegance MC-750 for several reasons. A short activation is optimal in this heat and humidity and the Chelegance might be quicker to install than the EFRW, especially if it takes me multiple throws to snag the branch I want with the arbor line. (Some days I do a better job than others.) I also feel I should branch out and use different antennas on occasion. Last but not least, I just felt lazy given the weather. (Even POTA Babes have their lazy days.)

the radials extending across field vegetation
the vertical taking advantage of open canopy

I found a spot on the dirt road nicely shaded by trees. Given the sun’s position, I figured we would have one and a half to two hours of respite from it. I threw a tarp on the road, my stuff on top of it, and finished setting up. Daisy, spurning the tarp, dug her own little cool place in the dirt.

our setup on the dirt road

the sun is well behind the trees shading us

I started with 40 meters, given the early hour. I found the band noisy due to RFI from either the nearby power lines or the residence across the street. I then discovered the cell coverage here was spotty. I’d be able to text for five minutes and then there’d be no service for ten minutes. Right when I was ready to text my partner Glenn the frequency to spot me on the POTA page, I lost service. (Great.)

Given the noise on 40 meters, I didn’t linger there long and moved to 20 meters, looking for a station to set up near and hope ops might run across me. Given how often I was calling CQ, this was the first activation I used the pre-recorded CQ POTA message on my KX2.

Finally, after calling CQ for 25 minutes, Steve N2YLO responded to my CQ. But then I lost him due to propagation. I went back to calling CQ and three minutes later I heard from a regular, Bob AB3GB in Pennsylvania. I gave him a 599 and he gave me a 579. YES! I was finally off and running. Continue reading The POTA Babe Gets Skunked →

Digital Modes, Field Reports, FT8, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

Philly: Conrad Activates Independence National Historical Park

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Many thanks to Conrad (N2YCH) who shares the following field report:

Activating Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

August 21, 2024

By: Conrad Trautmann, N2YCH

I recently took an overnight trip from Connecticut to Philadelphia via Amtrak and before I left, I checked to see what parks in Philly I might be able to activate. Conveniently, Independence National Historical Park (US-0738) was a short 15 minute walk from the hotel. So, along with a change of clothes and my toothbrush, my Elecraft KX2 transceiver and AX1 antenna went into the backpack. This is my preferred equipment when I need to travel light.

Equipment List

Independence National Historical Park is actually a series of attractions that are managed and run by the National Park Service, including Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell Center, The Benjamin Franklin Museum and Washington Square. Looking at the map of the location I decided to use a bench in Washington Square to activate from. The yellow highlight in the map below is where I set up.

I was able to set my AX1 up using the tripod on the grass behind the bench, keeping the RF wire and counterpoise out of the path of traffic.

I got all set up, spotted myself on the POTA page and pressed “Enable TX” on WSJT-X and the radio would not transmit. I checked everything…the CIV cable, the audio cables, the settings in WSJT-X, the windows audio settings, the com port…and I still couldn’t transmit. It was decoding fine.

I went to the Elecraft KX groups.io and searched, I searched Google and tried things people suggested and still, no transmit. I changed the CIV cable and the audio cables and interface, since I had spares and even that didn’t work. Thirty minutes later, ready to give up, I tried turning the KX2 off and then back on again and yes, you guessed it, a reboot solved the problem. I’ll try that first next time. I’ve never had that happen before, but you live and learn.

So, I re-spotted myself, got on the air and knocked out 10 contacts pretty fast once I could transmit. I made two additional QSO’s for good measure for a total of 12. Here’s my coverage map…I was running FT8 on 20 meters and I was surprised to make it to Florida to get Matthew, N4MRD. Clint, W9AV also hunted me…that should be a familiar call sign to many activators.

Once I was done and packed up, I took some extra time and checked off a bucket list item. I walked another block North past Independence Hall and visited the Liberty Bell Center to see the historic bell in person. Admission to see the Liberty Bell is free.

Independence Hall
Conrad, N2YCH at the Liberty Bell Center
The Liberty Bell

If you ever head to Philadelphia, this is an easy city site to activate so I recommend bringing your radio to activate the park.

73

Accessories, Morse Code, News

Len Tests a Signet Spring Straight Key

2 Comments

Many thanks to Len (W8VQ) who writes:

I have been working CW a bit in my upstairs QRP station. Last night, 40 meters was alive. Lots of POTA and general QSOs and a few SKCC. I used my new straight key. I thought you’d enjoy a critique.

I used the new key for two SKCC QSOs and three POTA hunter contacts. Here it is between my mini straight key and mini Iambic. Those are small keys, as the ruler shows;

It absolutely works, and I suspect by the way it is designed and manufactured, it will work well beyond my years. It would be excellent for travel as there is little you could do to damage it or throw it out of adjustment, short of using it to play catch.

It does not provide you with any sort of positive CLICK feedback when keying. A vintage Kent Morse Op like myself finds this a negative when keying. I like that positive click (or TAP if you prefer that description) on contact while using a straight key. This key is more of a touch-key because of the design.

If you look at the “Spring”, it’s a manufactured pseudo torsion disc spring that functions both as a spring and a stanchion for the key knob. It’s made to be both supportive and slightly flexible.

There is not enough flexibility in that spring nor space between contacts to give you enough smooth travel to get a positive click. You can get a click if you back the bottom contact screw all the way out, but it’s minimal and you have to hit the key harder than normal to get that minimal click. The spring is strong by design. This key is designed to give you more of a “Touch-Contact” that you hear via sidetone rather than feel via tactile feedback.

Some ops said that you best leave it at the factory setting, but I played with the contact set-screw in the bottom and I think I adjusted it a bit better for my fist. It comes factory adjusted with a very light touch, almost feathery. I now have it on a medium-to-light touch. There is just no “Click” or “Tap”.

Is it the best key (as one op stated in the reviews) I ever used? No.

Is it a cool and unique key that works well? Yes, as long as you don’t expect that mechanical click-on-contact that I like in a straight key for “Pounding Brass”.

There will be no brass pounding with this particular key. But I’m glad I added it to my collection. The fit, finish and manufacture is very well done, IMO. Especially for the price. And it’s unique. I may add it to my POTA kit instead of any other straight key.

Click here to check it out on AliExpress.

-Len

What a unique key! Thank you, Len, for the mini review!

Accessories, News

Elecraft KX2: Paul’s a fan of this “cool idea”

4 Comments

Many thanks to Paul (KE4SC) who writes:

Hi Thomas.

I thought I would pass along this idea for your readers.

I was using my KX2 on PSK31(and cw!) this weekend at the lake QTH. I felt the rig getting warm. I remembered that my wife bought several of these battery powered personal fans (Cold Sky) in the attached pics. She bought them from Amazon for less than $15 each including a charging stand [QRPer.com affiliate link].

It took me a few minutes to realize that the fan “head” will pivot which makes it a perfect cooling device for the rig.

I often though about purchasing after-market heat sinks but none are needed with this little device. It has 4 or 5 fan speeds and it really moves air and cools my KX2. With headphones, I could barely hear the fan.

I really enjoy your videos and website. I hope this helps you and others looking for a cheap way to cool the rig.

73 Paul KE4SC

Thank you for the tip, Paul! 

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