As I’ve mentioned countless times, what I love most about the Elecraft KH1 is how it has become my EDC (Everyday Carry) radio. It’s the perfect companion for those impromptu activations I manage to squeeze into my daily routine.
Take Thursday, December 5, 2024, for example.
Around 3:00 PM, fresh from a physical therapy session (working on that shoulder!), I found myself rerouting due to a washed-out bridge on Highway 70—a lingering reminder of Hurricane Helene. The quickest path home took me along a short stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway. And, as any POTA enthusiast knows, you must seize the chance for an activation if you’re on the Parkway anyway!
Time was tight—just 25 minutes from start to finish—but that’s all I needed.
2-Fer Time!
I parked at the Folk Art Center, grabbed the KH1 from my EDC bag, and hiked a short stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST). This lucky spot scored me and my hunters a 2-fer: US-8313 (MST) and US-3378 (Blue Ridge Parkway).
I had the parking area all to myself.
In addition to the KH1, I actually had my camera with me because I’ve been planning a video to showcase the gear I carry in my EDC backpack. No doubt, when I eventually produce that video, I’ll reference this activation as an example of why it’s so nice to have an Everyday Carry radio.
Gusty Winds
It was a gusty day, and unfortunately, my wireless mics (with wind screens) were still in my full radio bag at home. Without them to combat wind noise, I opted to record the video intro and summary from the relative calm of my car.
I only walked, perhaps, 50 meters down the MST.
For the activation itself, I used audio piped directly from the KH1 into my digital recorder—clean, crisp, and wind-free. The downside? No narration during the activation.
Ironically, setting up the camera took longer than setting up the KH1. The radio was ready in a breezy 15 seconds, while the camera setup stole a couple of precious minutes.
Gear:
My KH1 in the M40 Pelican case with my Tufteln angle adapter on top. This was my entire field radio kit.
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This month, we’re heading out for a short vacation, and while I think I’ve already answered this question for myself, it’s always fun to explore the possibilities a bit further.
As you probably know, I’ve accumulated a fair number of QRP radios over the years—so many, in fact, that it’s borderline embarrassing. When people ask me how many radios I own, I tend to dodge the question. It feels a bit like admitting to an addiction! It’s the same feeling I get after the holidays when I finally total up how much I spent on gifts. Sometimes, it’s better not to know the number.
Less is more
Honestly, I’d be a happy camper with just my $125 TEN-TEC R4020 two-band, CW-only radio.
I told a friend recently that I’d honestly be content with just one radio from my collection.
I know that might sound surprising, especially since QRPer.com often showcases my radio “addiction.” But the truth is, aside from radios, backpacks, and books, I don’t accumulate many things. We intentionally live in a small house (by American standards), and we like to keep it uncluttered.
That said, most of the radios in my collection are ones I genuinely enjoy using. Any one of them could be my only radio, and I’d be happy. So choosing one radio for a vacation should be easy, right?
Not quite.
Almost every time I face this decision—“Which one should I take?”—a couple of radios consistently rise to the top of the list. I’ll share those choices in a moment, but I’d love to hear your thoughts: would you make the same choices, or would you pick something else?
Vacation Parameters
Before diving into my choices, here are a few details about this particular vacation:
It’s short—just four nights.
I haven’t been to this area in 17 years. (The destination is a surprise for my daughters, so I’m keeping it under wraps for now!)
This is a road trip. Since our beloved Subaru is out of commission and not yet replaced, we’ll be taking our Volvo C40, which has much less cargo space.
I’ll likely only have time for two POTA activations. The focus of this trip is family time, so any activations will be short.
I’ve never visited the POTA sites we’ll likely visit, so I don’t know if wire antennas are allowed or what the conditions will be. One site is a historic/archeological area, so I’ll need a low-impact setup.
The Contenders
Given the tight space and limited time, I’ll only bring one radio. It needs to be versatile enough to handle unknown conditions and compact enough to fit with our packed gear.
The Mountain Toper MTR-3B
It’s hard to beat the MTR-3B for size. This ultra-compact, lightweight, self-contained kit is both impact and waterproof.
However, it lacks an internal ATU, so I’d be limited to wire antennas. Since I won’t have room for my MC-750 vertical, I’d need to rely on finding parks that allow wires in trees. I could call ahead to confirm, but this adds complexity.
The Penntek TR-45L.
The TR-45L is an excellent choice. It has a large internal battery that can easily handle 10 activations, an internal manual ATU, brilliant audio, and it’s nearly self-contained. Add a key and almost any antenna, and you’re good to go.
I’ve even used the AX1 antenna with the TR-45L, for low-impact setups. But like the MTR-3B, it’s CW-only, which eliminates SSB as an option. It’s also a bit larger than my other QRP radios, and I need to prioritize space.
It would also be nice to have a radio small enough to fit on my folding kneeboard.
The Elecraft KX3
The KX3 is an incredibly capable radio. It handles SSB, CW, and even digital modes like PSK-31 and RTTY without extra gear. It has an excellent internal ATU and pairs beautifully with the AX1 or a simple wire antenna. It’s small enough to fit on my folding kneeboard, too.
That said, there’s one radio that offers nearly the same capability as the KX3 but is even smaller and has an internal battery:
The Elecraft KX2
The KX2 is my go-to travel radio. It’s compact, versatile, and so capable it feels like the Swiss Army Knife of QRP radios.
Every time I travel, I try to talk myself out of bringing the KX2 just to mix things up, but it’s hard to argue with its convenience and reliability. For this trip, where time and space are limited, the KX2 is the clear winner.
I’ll pair it with a random wire antenna, the AX1, and a minimalist throw-line kit. This setup will allow me to adapt quickly to park conditions, even if wires aren’t permitted.
What about the KH1, Thomas?
Okay, I may sneak a second radio onto this trip.
The KH1 is so compact it can fit in my Pelican M40 case, which slides under the seat or into the glove compartment.
The IC-705 might be a great choice, too. I’ve even paired it with the AX1 using a capacity hat.
While I know I could make any radio in my arsenal work, the KX2 takes the guesswork out of the equation. When time is limited, that means more time on the air!
Would you choose the KX2 for this mini-vacation, or do you think another radio would be better suited for the job? Please comment.
It lets me hop on the air–anytime, anywhere–and work my friends when they’re activating a park or summit.
Yesterday afternoon, I activated Lake James State Park (US-2739) for about an hour. The pileups were deep, and I was so focused on working stations that I missed a text from my buddy Vince (VE6LK), who was activating a park in Alberta, Canada.
By the time I saw Vince’s message after packing up and turning off my camera, it was too late for a P2P contact—he’d already packed up as well. However, he mentioned that he planned to hit another park and promised to let me know when he arrived.
True to his word, Vince pinged me while I was checking out at a Lowe’s hardware store in Marion, North Carolina. He had reached Castle Wildland Provincial Park (CA-2972) at Butcher Lake, roughly 1,900 miles (3,058 km) away.
My KH1 in it’s Tufteln-modified Pelican Micro M40 case.
I quickly hopped in my car, drove to the middle of the parking lot to escape RFI, and deployed the KH1 in about 30 seconds.
Vince’s signal was about a 529, and I was surprised when he answered my call. He later mentioned it was one of those near-ESP-level contacts!
We completed the QSO, and I did a little happy dance in the parking lot. I absolutely love how accessible and capable the KH1 is.
Here’s what Vince’s view looked like:
And here’s mine:
Let’s just say Vince’s view was orders of magnitude more bucolic!
72,
Thomas (K4SWL)
Spoiler alert: Vince plans to post a full field report from his three-park rove yesterday. He worked some amazing DX, and conditions were clearly fantastic! I’m really looking forward to reading it! Stay tuned!
Many thanks to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the following guest post:
Elecraft KH1 Anytime and Anywhere Adventures
by Micah (N4MJL)
Anywhere and anytime—that’s how I like to describe my Elecraft KH1. This radio goes everywhere I go. As an airline pilot, I bounce from coast to coast and everywhere in between almost daily. Since I’m constantly on the move, my radio gear has to be small and compact.
I’m a third-generation ham radio CW operator. Anyone who’s heard me on the air knows I’m still quite new to CW. I only started running CW activations with POTA/SOTA in the spring of 2024. Here’s the gear that’s been working well for me, along with a few photos from the locations I’ve had the pleasure of activating.
I’ve found that the Pelican M50 micro case is the perfect “shack in a box” for my KH1. This setup goes everywhere with me. Here’s what fits perfectly in the M50:
Packtenna 9:1 random wire
20 ft BNC coax
Panasonic ErgoFit earbuds
SP4 paddles from CW Morse
KH1 (fully loaded with internal battery and tuner)
30 ft throw line
Write-in-the-Rain notebook
High Visibility Orange Cap-O-Matic Fisher Space Pen (with lanyard)
Desiccant silica gel pack
In pedestrian mobile configuration, the KH1 is a solid system. I’ve done several activations this way. That said, after 45 minutes of holding the KH1 in this setup, I’m ready to wrap up! Having a portable shack that lets me deploy a random wire that tunes 40-15m and a more ergonomically designed key drastically improves my capabilities.
In many urban environments where I activate POTA, pedestrian mobile is essential. Unfortunately, the security in urban parks can be unpredictable, and the KH1 allows me to operate on the go and quickly move if needed.
Some of you may be wondering what I did to the inside of my M50 case. Well, in my defense, it’s my wife’s fault. She left me unsupervised with a glue gun and a bit of alcohol. When my KH1 arrived this spring, solar conditions were poor, so I had a few days to think and decided to turn the case into a makeshift Faraday box. I used Polyken aluminum tape, cardboard, and a glue gun to line it. Now, I know what you’re thinking: there’s no electrical bonding between the lid and lower box due to the rubber seal, so will this really work as a Faraday cage? Maybe, maybe not—but it sure looks cool! What do you think?
In addition to the M50 case, I carry a support pouch (Magpul DAKA, size small). This heavy-duty, water-resistant pouch contains:
31 ft counterpoise wire
AXE1 40m antenna extender
Bioenno battery 12V 3Ah (backup battery—“1 is none, and 2 is 1” if you know, you know!)
KH1 power cable
KH1 right-angle antenna mount
These items aren’t essential but are nice to have for longer activations.
When I’m done flying and ready to play radio, I pack all this gear into my Flash 22 day pack. This compact, minimalist pack takes up almost no room in my flight bag and even has a built-in whistle on the chest strap, which is perfect for California!
When conditions allow, I enjoy using the full five watts of power. My go-to antenna is the SOTAbeams Band Hopper III, which is a versatile half-wave linked dipole:
Rated 125 watts
Center-fed with 33 ft RG174 coax
Guying system included
Resonant on 20m, 30m, and 40m (no tuner needed, though the KH1 tuner will also tune up 17m and 15m)
Built-in balun
Weighs only 14 oz
The wire/guying winders are excellent, and I’ve used this system in all kinds of environments, from sandy beaches to mountain tops above the treeline. I replaced the aluminum tent pegs with plastic ones to keep TSA happier.
The SOTAbeams Tactical Mini Mast fits diagonally in my 22″ roller board. I wrap heavy rubber-coated wire around it to secure it to posts or shrubs when needed.
Along with this radio gear, I also manage to pack a change of clothes—usually enough for a five-day trip. I typically fly three trips a month, each lasting four to five days. My roller board carries me and my radio gear from plane to plane all week long.
On a short backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail (June 3, 2024), I activated SOTA summit W4V/BR-007 Three Ridges and the Three Ridges Wilderness area (POTA US-9959). The mountain in the distance is The Priest (W4V/BR-002), which I activated earlier this year with my LNR Precision MTR4B.
The summit of Three Ridges is a densely wooded area, so I stopped below the summit to enjoy the view, grab a quick snack, and play some radio. I snagged two POTA-only QSOs with W8WZ in Louisiana and KU8T in Indiana using the KH1’s whip antenna. Once I reached the summit, I used the Packtenna 9:1 random wire for my activation. Continue reading Flying High and Keying Low: A Pilot’s QRP Adventures Across the USA→
Cabot Trail Activations on Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia – August 2024
By Bob K4RLC & Alanna K4AAC
In August 2024, K4AAC, my YL Alanna and I took a trip to magical Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It was Alanna’s suggestion to celebrate my 74th birthday in July. She knew my “Bucket List” had a goal to visit and hopefully activate the two Marconi sites east of Sydney, the Parks Canada Marconi Memorial Site and the original 1905 Marconi House National Historic Site, both POTA sites. Thomas K4SWL kindly published the write up of this adventure a few weeks ago.
After initially activating the Marconi Park station at Glace Bay, we decided to drive the beautiful 300 kilometer Cabot Trail, which circles Cape Breton Island and parallels the rugged Sea coast on both the East and West sides, allowing you to have the steep mountains on your left and the Sea coast on your right – if you make the decision to drive the trail counter-clockwise.
As this was a last minute trip and we had complications with Air Canada delaying our trip by a day, we decided to follow the major points of a clock, and visit sites at the 3:00, 12:00, 9:00, and 6:00 PM positions. The major problem is that there are so many wonderful sites, it’s hard to decide where to visit.
The first day after we left Sydney (see Marconi write-up), we drove to Ingonish Beach Campground on the East, an easy drive from Sydney. You take the the Trans Canada Highway to pick up the northward Cabot Trail in South Haven. The Ingonish area has many places to visit. Alanna had done much Internet research and really wanted to visit Ingonish Beach at the campground. This is a very pleasant white sandy beach, bordered by smooth, rounded glaciated stones and views to the south of Cape Smokey Provincial Park.
As someone who lives part time in North Myrtle Beach SC, I was pleasantly surprised to see a lifeguard but even more surprised to see lots of people enjoying the very cold waters of the north Atlantic, with water temperature almost 20 degrees cooler than SC. It’s not even that cold when we do the Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s at North Myrtle!
Less than a mile north of the beach, you enter the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, an almost 1000 sq KM park that spans from the east side to the west side of the island and has some of the most pleasant hiking and camping possible, including 27 different hiking trails.
We decided to hike the Middle Head Trail starting near the historic Keltic Inn. The trail is on a mile plus long narrow finger of land that juts into Ingonish Bay, separating its North and South parts. Middle Head is a rocky, up and down trail, very similar to parts of the Appalachian Trail back home in North Carolina. (While the Scots settled in Cape Breton, many also settled in Western North Carolina, as both areas reminded them of their Scottish Highlands home).
The trail ended in a high rock outcropping. We spent time there enjoying the beautiful ocean view and seeing one lone seal, but it is very popular so we went off to the side and set up the radio on a flat-top boulder. The radio was again Rhett KB4HG’s KX2 (as mine was in the shop), with the modified MP1 base loaded coil Vertical on a camera tripod. Unfortunately, our timing was bad as there was another major solar flare. We only had a few contacts on 20 CW. Nevertheless, the beautiful view and hike was well worth it. We spent the night at a country inn there, overlooking the Bay, and enjoying fresh local lobster tacos.
Figure 1 Middle Head Trail Cape Breton Highlands National ParkFigure 2 K4AAC at Middle Head TrailFigure 3 Middle Head Trail End Ingonish Bay
The next morning, we resumed driving north toward Bay St. Lawrence with a few possible activation sites in mind. The first was in the very small fishing village of Neils’ Harbor, where the 1899 Lighthouse is both a POTA site (Neil’s Harbour Lighthouse National Heritage Site) and a Canadian Heritage Lighthouse. There is a small fenced in area around the Lighthouse, keeping you from falling over the cliff to the ocean below, and two picnic tables.
While picturesque, this area had the worst electrical noise I’ve ever heard, ranging from S 6-8. Consequently, I only made two 20CW contacts with Ontario, using the stock KH1. Some may consider this as “failed” activation but, to me, it’s a success to operate in a beautiful, historic site by the ocean. On the positive, inside the Lighthouse is an ice cream shop, selling local flavors, but Cash only.
Figure 4 K4RLC & KH1 Neils’ Lighthouse
Driving 10 KM north off the Trail, we stopped at another POTA site (CA-0454), Cabot’s Landing Provincial Park, on the shore of Aspy Bay. The park has a white sandy beach coastline, and a monument to John Cabot, who allegedly landed there in 1497. The location also marks the 1856 western terminus of the proposed Transatlantic Telegraph cable from Cape Breton to Newfoundland. It was another Kodachrome day by the ocean, with a scenic vista of the steep face of the Pollets Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area to the north of the coastline.
Having gotten there before lunch, I was really happy to see few beach-goers and several high posts around where I hoped to erect an EFHW for 20 meters. Unfortunately, just as we began setting up, the park became filled with sunbathers, of course walking through the planned antenna area. Thankfully, the trusty KX2 and Modified MP1 on the camera tripod by the picnic table did fine. Propagation was decent for a change, and I soon was working a pile-up of other Canadian stations and into the US on 20 CW. But the most amazing aspect was that there was absolutely no electrical noise to interfere with this activation. It was a wonderful experience to operate in a really quiet and picturesque area, so far off the electrical grid. Continue reading Bob and Alanna’s POTA Adventures Along the Cabot Trail!→
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.
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→
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.
Many thanks to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the following guest post:
Activating W7U/SL-022 on a Layover
by Micah (N4MJL)
As an airline pilot, I’m always on the lookout for POTA/SOTA sites that are near me when I have long layovers in different cities across the country. Salt Lake City, Utah is no exception. I always carry a modest assortment of ham radio gear with me when I travel.
I jumped at the chance to knock out a SOTA and POTA activation when a 23 hour layover showed up on my schedule for Salt Lake City. A month earlier, I was in Salt Lake City on a shorter overnight, and I had scouted out a SOTA activation for W7U/SL-022 which is located just to the east of Salt Lake City inside the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, which happens to be POTA US-4398.
I plotted my route on Gaia GPS–a free app that I highly recommend.
My route to the summit started at the Natural History Museum of Utah and would be a 5.6 mile one way ruck up to the summit with 2,800+ ft Ascent. I would leave the museum heading towards the Living Room trail head, but then branch off towards Mount Wire.
Mount Wire has an elevation of 7,110ft MSL and provides incredible views of Salt Lake City. Once you make it to the fire tower located at Mount Wire your ascent is almost over. However you still have another 3.1 miles traversing the ridge line before reaching the real summit located at 7,500ft MSL. The activation zone is very easy to determine since it is at the very end of the ridge line.
Sunday morning (11 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.
I scheduled an action for both SOTA and POTA on their websites. I knew from my previous trip here that I would have cell reception to at least Mount Wire, but I wasn’t taking any chances that I may not have cell reception on the summit. I would be depending on the reverse beacon network to get me spotted.
I also made sure I sent my wife and my captain my planned route, and when I should be back in contact with them. After all, this was going to be a solo 12 mile ish round trip with some modest elevation gain. I am an experienced backpacker, and I am not going to take unnecessary risks without a backup plan.
It was a beautiful day to go hiking. It was forecast to be 93F in Salt Lake City that afternoon. I live in Virginia where the humidity is absolutely gross when it’s 93F, but out here, there is essentially no humidity which makes it very pleasant.
Not to mention up in the mountains it’s typically about 15 degrees cooler. Rucking up the gully, there is some shade on the way up the Living Room trail, but once you get out of the gully heading up to Mount Wire you will be in direct sun for the majority of the ruck.
Mount Wire has amazing 360 view of the area at 7,110ft MSL. The fire watch tower is a favorite location for some “extra curricular activities” from the local college kids. It affords amazing views of the city. The tower also represents the end of the strenuous elevation gain for this hike. The picture above shows the ridge that I will now follow for the next 3.1 miles to the real summit of 7,500ft MSL. Continue reading Maximizing a Layover: From the cockpit to the summit of W7U/SL-022→
On Saturday, August 3, 2024, my wife and daughters drove to Edneyville, North Carolina, for an annual family get-together/reunion. It’s always a lot of fun catching up with my wife’s extended family. And, I must say, the food is always spectacular. I’m talking every amazing Southern dish you can dream of!
After the gathering, my wife and I dropped off our daughters with some of their friends for the afternoon. We’d planned to head back home and catch up on a few things, but I (fortunately) glanced at Google Maps and saw that I-40 was closed west-bound which meant that instead of a 30-minute drive home, we were staring at 70+ minutes. It was a busy weekend, with a lot of tourists in town, and traffic was at a standstill.
Lemons to Lemonade
I proposed to my wife that we go in the opposite direction of everyone else–up the very winding 151 to Mount Pisgah. She looked at me and knew I had activating on the brain. She happily agreed.
I knew hiking to the summit of Mount Pisgah for a SOTA (Summits on the Air) activation was unrealistic because we didn’t bring hiking gear and, frankly, the weather was a little too dodgy with pop-up thunderstorms forming.
Instead, I had the Mount Pisgah Picnic Area in mind. It’s a brilliant spot with numerous options for setting up a POTA station. It took us all of 35 minutes to drive there.
Hazel was happy to jump out of the car.
I’m sure she was on bear alert because the last time we were here, she spotted a black bear. She never forgets a bear but she always forgets how small she is compared to them.
There are numerous spots to set up a station at this particular parkway picnic site. We found a table off to the side where I had easy access to trees (i.e., wire antenna supports) if needed.
Based on all of the recent reports I’d been receiving from other POTA and SOTA activators, I knew such a modest antenna might make things challenging (foreshadowing alert), but by not deploying a wire antenna, I could pack up super quickly should we get caught in a downpour or thunderstorm.
I set up the KH1, prepared my logs, and got ready to hop on the air!
Gear:
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On Friday afternoon (August 16, 2024), after dropping off one daughter at her volunteer job and the other at Shakespeare class, my wife and I had about 90 minutes of free time before the next scheduled activity.
We opted to visit the Sycamore Flats Picnic Area in Pisgah National Forest (US-4510) so that I could fit in a POTA activation while my wife caught up on a project she’d been working on.
The picnic area was bustling with activity–the busiest I’d seen it in a while. No doubt, everyone was out enjoying the beautiful weather and the last hurrah before many local kids head back to school. Nevertheless, we found a nice picnic table to set up and play radio.
I did not have all of my camera gear with me, so opted not to film this activation with my phone.
Since there’d be no video, it meant that I could operate with earphones and a minimal amount of extra gear. It’s nice to do this every so often!
On the way out the door, earlier that day, I grabbed my Mountain Topper MTR-3B field kit. The goal was to put it on the air since it had been a few months since I last used it. I like rotating out radios regularly so I don’t forget nuances of operating them while in the field.
The previous day, I also charged the two Li-Ion rechargeable batteries[affiliate link] that are stored in the MTR-3B Pelican case. At least I thought I charged them!
When I checked the batteries, they were both completely dead. Turns out, the USB charging station I’d connected them to the previous day was not plugged into an AC outlet. Doh!
This presented a little problem because the only other battery I had in my GR1 rucksack was a 3Ah LiFePo4 battery which likely pushed about 13.2VDC. The MTR-3B doesn’t care for voltages much higher than 12VDC–at least, if you are higher than 12V, you need to make darn sure you’ve got a great SWR match.
I was a bit bummed because I hadn’t packed a backup radio in the GR1 and I wasn’t driving the Subaru which has a Venus SW3B headrest field kit.
Hang on…
Then it hit me…I’ve got my EDC (Everyday Carry) radio with me: the Elecraft KH1! Woo hoo!
I went back to the car and grabbed my Trakke EDC bag.
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I parked at the Folk Art Center, grabbed the KH1 from my EDC bag, and hiked a short stretch of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST). This lucky spot scored me and my hunters a 2-fer: US-8313 (MST) and US-3378 (Blue Ridge Parkway).
It was a gusty day, and unfortunately, my wireless mics (with wind screens) were still in my full radio bag at home. Without them to combat wind noise, I opted to record the video intro and summary from the relative calm of my car.
Ironically, setting up the camera took longer than setting up the KH1. The radio was ready in a breezy 15 seconds, while the camera setup stole a couple of precious minutes.
I hopped on the air and called CQ POTA. Fortunately, the RBN picked me up right away, and since I’d announced the activation just minutes before, I was spotted on POTA.app in no time. Continue reading Twofer: Impromptu Trail & Parkway Activation with the Elecraft KH1 
