On Sunday July 28 I needed some shortwave therapy. I headed west from Longview Alberta to find a location on Highway 541 where I could have the perfect convergence of having cell service and be within a POTA entity and near to the mountains. This would allow me to receive any updates about a family member (none happened) while getting a break from home and to play radio.
Along the drive I took time to listen to the IARU beacons and was pleased to hear bits of VK and ZL on 15m so I was hopeful that my plan for two QRP activations -one CW and one SSB- would be successful.
I would discover just how difficult it was at the second activation … but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Activation One: Sentinel PRA
After some driving around and testing cell service at a few roadside points, I landed up at the Sentinel Provincial Recreation Area which is just inside the boundary of Kananaskis Country. This would offer me the luxuries of a bench or table along with a stunning view. While it’s not a unique entity itself in the POTA system, it is part of the larger CA-6112 that is K-Country.
Sentinel PRA is at the confluence of the Highwood River and Cataract Creek and is, like many in this area, an equestrian-focused facility. Unlike many, it’s mixed-use so day-users like me are also welcome here. Upon my arrival I was fortunate to see a few equestrian users heading out of the backcountry. What was unusual to this city-raised kid was the covered wagon a small team was pulling. Perhaps the team was training for a future cattle drive?
I set up my cameras and my radio gear and got to work at a park bench overlooking the river. I released a video of the river suitable for background white noise and to practise your Zen and/or Yoga.
I secured my carbon-fibre mast to the bench, used a small weight to hold down the 17′ counterpoise, and deployed the 41′ main segment out to a 10′ fishing pole lashed to a sign nearby. I used my carrying totes (sometimes used for groceries) as a makeshift desk. It all worked out well enough. I began my CW activation at 5 watts.
Thirteen contacts and about 20 minutes later at 1930UTC, I called it a wrap and packed everything down to head to my next site. I wouldn’t say that conditions were stunningly good or anything, and some were downright hard to copy while others were incredibly loud. Given what I heard of the IARU Beacons on 20, 17 and 15m I wasn’t too surprised. I would later on learn that meant some solar action had happened as you’ll see in this chart.
Activation Two: Bar-U Ranch NHS
About an hour’s drive from my last stop and just south of Longview is the Bar-U Ranch National Historic Site (CA-4774). It’s a working ranch and it takes you back to the late 1800s once you set foot beyond the gate. As I’m fairly certain the Ranch would take a dim view to radio technology beyond the gate, I operated in the visitor parking lot. Once again, I set up my cameras and gear and got to work. Continue reading A tale of two back to back activations→
Monday, July 15, the second day of my North Carolina camping trip for POTA and SOTA, started chilly with overcast skies. Today I would attempt my first SOTA activations. I chose two easy summits – Black Balsam Knob and Richland Balsam.
Daisy and I headed out after a simple breakfast up US Highway 276 through the Pisgah National Forest toward the Blue Ridge Parkway. Along the route, we encountered Looking Glass waterfall. The last time I visited this waterfall, it was packed with spectators. Today, I shared it with only one other person. It was a nice way to begin what turned out to be a very long day (spoiler alert).
Looking Glass Waterfall
If you haven’t driven the Blue Ridge Parkway, put it on your bucket list! I’ve been on the parkway more times than I can remember. I relish driving it. Surprisingly, I encountered very little traffic this day so I could move at my own pace along the banked turns and stunning vistas.
The parking area for Black Balsam was already full when I arrived; however, several other cars were making use of the side of the road and I pulled in behind a couple who were suiting up for their hike. It turns out the husband of the couple had a father who was a ham and learned CW during World War II. It is a small world indeed.
Lots of cars already at parking area.
The hike to Black Balsam Knob is not one I’d consider easy, especially scrambling over the rocky surfaces. Before the trip, I was concerned as to how Daisy would handle hiking given she’s done nothing like this before. It became obvious why she is a POTA pup – the terrain didn’t bother her in the least!
Part of the trail to Black Balsam summit
On the hike up, we saw Carolina lilies growing wild along the trail. There were also bees everywhere, especially in some yellow wildflowers I could not identify.
Carolina LillyYellow flowers in which the bees were active
I was grateful the skies were overcast and the temps on the cooler side (upper 60s). There was a light breeze when we arrived at what I thought was the summit and the tall grasses stirred in it. You could see for miles! The hike was worth the view.
Overcast skies from the top of Black Balsam
I originally thought I would use my EFRW mounted on a fishing pole for my SOTA activations. However, cleaning, stripping, and re-waterproofing the tent/rainfly took so much time, I didn’t follow through with a solution to support it on a summit with no woody vegetation. I opted to use the AX1 instead with the configuration Thomas has had the most success – mounted to the side of the KX2. I also took with me the counterpoises (20 and 40 meters) that came with the antenna.
Once on the air, I called CQ SOTA to make sure I worked those ops first given they are fewer in number than POTA hunters. Since the activation would count for both SOTA (Black Balsam Knob W4C/CM-003) and POTA (Pisgah National Forest US-4510), I gave my location (NC) for all exchanges. (I think SOTA just requires an RST.) I worked seven stations in ten minutes, a good rate.
Operating
I moved down one Hertz as I began faintly hearing someone else on the frequency. (Yes, I cleared it first; however, given I was operating QRP, fighting for the frequency was probably a losing battle.) It was at this point I began calling CQ POTA and the callers dried up. I did have cell service here and worked one park-to-park with Kenneth NS1C at US-11632 in Massachusetts. I continued to call CQ both on 20 and 17 meters with no luck. I didn’t opt to try 40 meters as I figured it wouldn’t be any better.
QSO map for Black Balsam Knob/Pisgah Nat’l Forest source: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/
About the time I had packed up my gear, Gary W5GDW contacted me asking about 40 meters. I was loathe to pull my equipment back out. He also advised me there was a solar flare. (Maybe that was why I suddenly didn’t hear anyone.)
At this point, I had a valid SOTA activation but not for POTA. I figured the campground at which I was staying – Davidson River Campground – is in Pisgah National Forest so I could finish my activation at my campsite later in the afternoon.
As I headed down the mountain, I began questioning whether I had actually reached the summit. Something didn’t feel right. I checked the map at the trailhead and noticed Black Balsam Knob has a plaque honoring Art Loeb and I didn’t recall seeing any such thing. Uh oh. Maybe I hadn’t had my first SOTA activation. My heart sank.
Map at trailhead for Black Balsam Knob
First of all, it was demoralizing I had botched my very first SOTA. Second, how humiliating because of how public it would be. Honesty is one of my values and I’d have to admit the mistake. I almost scrapped the remainder of the day I was so bummed. However, I didn’t drive all the way to North Carolina to scrap activations so onward I went to the next one – Richland Balsam – which would give me a SOTA activation and two POTA parks. Did I redeem myself? Stay tuned…
Equipment Used
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Many thanks to Anthony (M7TAW) who shares the following guest post:
A first timer’s POTA activation at the Devil’s Punch Bowl!
Anthony (M7TAW)
Introduction
Let me start with the confession that I am an amateur radio operator born out of the Covid lockdown. With the switch to remote examinations by the RSGB in 2020, and a lot of free time on my hands, I thought why not get myself on the air! However, it wasn’t until this year, and a nice birthday gift from the fiancée, that I finally managed to reach into the HF bands with a (tr)uSDX.
This 5W QRP multiband and multi(ish) mode transceiver was going to be my first serious foray into what I deemed “proper radio”. So, I endeavoured to try and learn and maximise every bit of usage I could out of it. Like many newcomers to radio, I started with getting an EFHW strung out my window and got onto digital modes with FT8 on 20m just to confirm that I could in fact be heard. I also managed to SSB over to Italy at one point, though the in-built microphone gave me a 337 RST. At this point though, I was buzzing to be heard!
That’s USB covered, but what is this CW mode I can select?
As a graduate in history, there’s something about “old timey” technology and methods that intrigue me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a technophile at heart (you kind of have to be a data scientist), but there’s something about post-industrial mechanical and electrical advancements that amazes me still!
Of course, morse code was going to be next on the list of things to explore then it seemed!
I ordered a cheap but decent key from our favourite Chinese marketplace, and started cramming LCWO, Morse Mania, and Morsle as much as I could, and getting that muscle memory rhythm with practicing sending the alphabet and my name. Luckily, the (tr)uSDX has a practice mode and a decent decoder in-built so I can just power the radio from a USB connection and practice away!
No better setup than practicing on the sofa in your pyjamas.
Naturally, the YouTube algorithm decided that if you’re learning about CW, you might also be interested in this POTA thing. A few K4SWL videos, a dash of K2EJT, and a splash of newcomer-encouraging KI7QCF, I was hooked. I could combine what I’d started learning, with equipment in the field, and also a slight competitive (I’m eyeing that top spot) and award-based activity.
I started obsessively watching POTA spots on Gridtracker to make sure I could hunt FT8 contacts, and also kept my eye on the spots for any CW contacts that I thought I’d be able to hear. Finally I did it; about 25 days after I seriously started learning CW, and with a bit of a crutch with the morse decoder on the radio, I finally made a POTA hunter CW QSO – DC5LY (pota.app) thank you very much.
As fun as hunting is, I had to follow the YouTubers I’d been watching and actually get out there for an activation. However, actually getting out there – shudders – in public and getting my antenna up seemed a daunting task. Add in the fact that I was determined to not rely on digital only to get an activation, but also CW.
I started to plan…
Firstly, I looked for sites that had decent parking, but were also probably big enough that I could tuck away uninterrupted (something to take the nerves away). Luckily for me, about 20 minutes up the road is a large stunning National Trust area known as The Devil’s Punch Bowl – the legend has it that the Devil scooped up a handful of earth and hurled it at Thor, God of Thunder, the depression that remained is the Devil’s Punch Bowl. Also, unluckily for me, I had to take a day off work to visit the dentist, so why not mitigate that by trying out my first activation!
Wealden Heaths SPA – Devil’s Punch Bowl Site of Significant Scientific Interest (GB-0243)
When planning for this little adventure, I thought to myself that I’d likely panic if I had to combine putting up a mast for an EFHW or trying to throw a wire in the tree for the first time. Coupled with the fact that the (tr)uSDX doesn’t come with an ATU, I thought why not invest in a quick and easy vertical. After a bit of research, and another visit to our favourite Chinese marketplace, I opted for a JPC-12 vertical antenna along with an investment in a NanoVNA.
The (tr)uSDX comes with an inbuilt SWR meter but I wasn’t sure how reliable it was, and I’d have a hard time tuning with it. I grabbed some 18650 batteries and the stage was set! Helpfully, the JPC-12 antenna comes with a nice little carry case with supplementary space, and the compact size of the (tr)uSDX means I could just throw everything in there.
I was up bright and early on a Friday morning, and headed over to the park slightly nervous, but also excited!
As a nervy POTA first timer, my original plan was to maybe just activate from the car park and hide my antenna behind my car. However, when I got there, it became very clear that there was nowhere to hide, and frankly there weren’t many great spots to plant a vertical in the ground.
I’d have to suck it up, and venture deeper into the park! After grabbing my backpack, and trotting down a marked route, I chose to go left onto a track that bikes weren’t allowed in the hope that it’d be quieter. Albeit the path was quite dense with overgrown bushes and plants. I was beginning to think I’d not have a clearing to even sit in, let alone mount the antenna.
What a view.
However, a couple of minutes later I chanced up a bench and table that was nestled slightly into the trees with a bit of a clearing! It was like the POTA gods had answered my calls for a perfect location. I quickly plonked my backpack on the table, claimed the spot, and started unpacking the gear. You can see below how efficient I’d been in packing, and I was surprised myself how I could get this antenna and all the equipment I’d need neatly into my bag.
Can’t recommend this antenna enough (with my limited experience)
A few minutes later, the vertical was up, and I’d got it tuned to 40m like I’d practiced at home. Helpfully, the loading coil has marked points which correspond to the bands, and all I had to do was slightly adjust the length of the whip whilst keeping an eye on the NanoVNA. I got it down to 1:1.18 around the CW bands for 40m in Europe (7000-7040MHz) – couldn’t be happier!
What a find for a first-time location!
On The Air
Part 1 – A job half done
Now came the exciting part! Finally getting on the air portable for the first time and POTA for the first time! I thought I’d settle my nerves by starting with the familiar FT8. I booted up FT8CN, and plugged the (tr)uSDX into the phone. A few firmware updates ago, the (tr)uSDX got audio over USB, and being able to plug it directly into the phone with a single cable and receive and send FT8 seems like magic to me. Continue reading Code, Contacts, and a Stunning View: A POTA First-Timer’s Experience at the Devil’s Punch Bowl→
Sunday, July 14 finally arrived, a day for which I prepared the past five weeks. It was time for Daisy and the POTA Babe to head to North Carolina for a week of POTA, SOTA, and camping. The drive was straight-forward and easy – Interstate 95 to Interstate 26.
About four hours after leaving Savannah, we arrived at my first POTA location: the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site (US-0804) in Flat Rock, NC.
map source: GIS Geography
I LOVE visiting North Carolina. Nearly everywhere you look in the countryside you see green, green, GREEN. There are ferns (one of my favorite plants) in the understory. There are wildflowers in the fields I don’t see back home. There is a certain earthy smell when one walks trails. And the roads! Don’t get me started on how much fun I have driving the winding mountain roads with their banked curves! (Can you tell I love visiting North Carolina?)
Ferns in the woods of the Carl Sandburg site
Back to the story at hand, the Carl Sandburg National Historic Site is 264 acres and contains the home of Carl Sandburg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and poet. He and his family moved to the site in 1945. It suited his need for seclusion and his wife’s needs for raising her prize-winning goats. In fact, the park service actually maintains roughly fifteen goats in a historic herd on site today.
Property map with my notes
The Sandburg home sits atop a hill and one gets glimpses of the house as you walk along the lengthy driveway winding up the hill toward it. The drive is shaded and benches dot the pathway beckoning one to sit and enjoy the quiet. I longingly looked at them as an activation site but the intermittent presence of pedestrians nixed that idea.
Daisy is ready to go!The trail around the lake was necessary as a pedestrian bridge was under constructionView of the house from the driveway looking up the hillPath along the driveway
Both Daisy and I were surprised by the heat of the day. The temperature was 91 degrees! Thankfully, outside the house I spied some trees with shade beneath them. Their orientation would allow me to run my antenna toward the northwest and their shade was a welcome respite from the heat.
The Sandburg homeOur QTH in the shade
Given I saw no restrictions on antennas in the trees when reading the rules of using the property, I promptly set about getting the EFRW up. Trust this hobby to keep you humble, though. On my last activation at Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area, it took just one perfect throw to snag the branch I wanted. Today, it took four! Some days you have it and others you don’t.
Creatively displaying the POTA flag!
The activation proceeded slowly, I think mostly due to the inconsistent band conditions. It took an hour to log twelve stations. There were several stations I heard but they were too faint or they disappeared on me. Continue reading The POTA Babe Goes North – Day 1→
Many thanks to Christian (IX1CKN) who shares the following field report:
A Breathtaking “Support Your Parks” Weekend in IT-0120
by Christian (IX1CKN)
…Day 1
The goal I had in mind was to take advantage of early morning greyline from a POTA reference, combining the appeal of an activating station with the propagation opportunities at that time of day. In this part of the season it means being active around 3/3:30 UTC, and although I didn’t manage it on day one, Saturday 20th July 2024, I went out much earlier than usual and had a few surprises, confirming the idea’s potential.
I chose IT-0120, the Tsatelet Nature Reserve, my “home reference”, because a short trip is needed to be active quickly. I was happy to go, both curious about how it would turn out and because it was the “Support Your Parks” weekend. If there’s pride in being part of this program, these are the two days to show it. The setup was as usual: Xiegu G90 with a ground-mounted 1/4 wave vertical antenna. Given the lighter battery (I had to walk to the top of the reserve), I lowered the power to 10 watts for a longer duration.
With these thoughts in mind, at 6:44 UTC, I powered up on 20 meters. After a “park to park” with a colleague in Lithuania, which I took as a good omen, I moved to a clear frequency and started calling. The first 2-3 minutes were silent, but then I got a response that changed the day: “…KL7TC.” Alaska, for the third time! Bill in Fairbanks was coming in at 5/7-8 with that unmistakable transpolar signal fluctuation. He gave me a 5/1, and when I told him I was running 10 watts, he congratulated me. I grabbed my phone and filmed part of the QSO, so expect a video. From here on, every QSO was a bonus.
Five minutes later, as the skip started to Europe, KZ4CP, Brandon from Kentucky, answered. He came in strong (another 5/8 from me), and on the second over, he said my signal jumped to 5/8. It was 6:56z, I logged it, filled with gratitude, and moved on, thinking that this project should be realized as soon as possible. From Europe’s perspective, things were slower, but responses continued, albeit at a low rate. I also managed another “park to park,” the second (and last of this activation), with LA7TN. I couldn’t hear the others on the cluster.
Don G0RQL joined in, making it the 10th QSO. The activation was valid. However, I regretted not exploring other bands. After checking and hearing a few decent signals, I switched to 15 meters, calling for five minutes with no luck. Then, I moved to 17 meters: no response to my CQ, but I heard VK3IO, Ron, near Melbourne. It was 7:33z, and although he wasn’t very strong, he was still a solid 5/7. I waited for him to finish his QSO and called. After some persistence, he got my call. The report was 4/3, but even if it were lower, the joy of covering over 16,000 km with 10 watts is incomparable (there will be a video portion for this too).
At this point, it was close to 10 local time (8 UTC). The sun was starting to heat things up (including the G90 chassis, which has a known issue with heat dissipation), but I had one more experiment. The Chinese multiband vertical is designed for 20 to 10 meters, but with a coil I bought earlier, it can do 40 meters too. I added the component, found a clear frequency (7130), and started calling.
I had noticed a couple of times that this solution is a compromise, not very effective. However, it brought in another 5 QSOs: with Piedmont, Tuscany, Lazio, and France. So, it did something and was better than nothing. I wrapped up after 68 minutes of activation with 17 contacts logged. The slow rate indicates conditions aren’t ideal yet, but with Alaska, Kentucky, and Australia (for the first time from a park) in the log, and a breathtaking view of Aosta, there’s no room for complaints. See you next time, and thanks to everyone!
Video – Alaska and Australia:
…Day 2
A thunderstorm hit Aosta at 5 AM. No thunder, just a continuous rumble like an engine, with flashes of lightning every few seconds. Enough to wake me up, though sleep is always welcome (especially on a Sunday). Once it stopped, I didn’t curse the rain but seized the opportunity to get closer to my original project. So here I am, in the car, arriving at IT-0120, the Tsatelet Nature Reserve, at 6:44 local time, 4:44 UTC, on Sunday 21st July 2024, for a POTA activation not exactly at greyline, but still early morning.
Clearly, I couldn’t use Saturday’s setup. The storm had created puddles and stagnant water, making it impossible to set up outside. So, I decided to operate from the car, with the Xiegu G90 remaining the core of the portable shack, but swapping the ground-mounted 1/4 wave vertical antenna for the Outback Falcon HF-1899 on the car roof. Definitely less efficient, but if we wanted to do this today, this is how it had to be done.
Also, I had a less capable battery than the day before, so I lowered the output power to 10 watts to ensure longer operation. As soon as I turned the radio on 20 meters, I was amazed by the number of American accents I heard. I listened to VE3GXT calling CQ POTA from Ontario with a solid signal, but despite my responses, he couldn’t hear me. So, I found a free frequency and started calling. The pace was slow, as seen the day before, but something happened.
First, Joe WB2WKJ replied, explaining that it was his first time “hunting” a park from Italy. However, he only gave me a 3/3 in New Jersey, making it clear that receiving is one thing, and transmitting (and being heard) is another. I kept my spirits up, and soon W3MJB, Mike from Pennsylvania, responded. This time, the report was 5/2, which sounded more in line with a QRP station. The “park to park” call that followed was thrilling.
It took a moment because the signal wasn’t strong, but it came from VK3YV Tony, activating in Victoria, Australia. I got no more than 3/1, but the noteworthy part was that 10 watts and a vertical on a car were reaching the other side of the world (a first for me with POTA). Feeling encouraged, I searched for another activating station from “Down Under,” VK2USH in New South Wales.
Again, I was heard with difficulty (which was to be expected), but we completed the contact, and I felt that even if I didn’t reach 10 QSOs, the activation was worth the day. Before the skip shortened, I heard a station from New Zealand and, out of curiosity, on 15 MHz, the WWVH time signal from Hawaii, which, in a surreal twist, arrived simultaneously with WWV (from Colorado).
You’d expect to hear only one of them (the one from the Pacific) at that time of morning, but there are propagation theories, and then you turn on the radio and hear what actually comes in. The calls continued, and I logged KZ4CP, Brandon from Kentucky, for the second day in a row, and KN4DY Randy from Georgia. From him, I even got a 5/3, the highest signal report of the day from across the Pond.
It was 6:50 UTC, and Europe started responding. The activation, previously an uphill battle, leveled out. Many Spanish friends and other familiar POTA faces enriched the log. When I reached a good 20 contacts, I tried moving to 40 meters. Again, the antenna wasn’t very effective on that band, but I managed about ten contacts, including Belgium, the UK, and Austria.
In the end, I made 31 contacts in 3 hours. The rate remained slow, but today, more than ever, I saw firsthand how greyline phases or signal enhancements on shortwave can hold surprises. Sure, with more power, much more could have been achieved (besides Canada, even KD9VVS Nick activating from Indiana couldn’t hear me). I thought about “only” 100 watts, but there will be time to keep testing. Low power is a philosophy, but it shouldn’t become a dogma, because the beauty of radio is giving meaning to what we do.
Today, no activation pictures to accompany the post (also because IT-0120 has been featured on QRPer a few times now), but a video. Apologies if it’s not strictly about hamradio, but the two signals from Hawaii (the one with the female voice) and Colorado (male voice), rarely received so clearly here, demonstrate better than many examples how shortwaves are made to travel far, how thrilling it is to chase them, and how intense this “Support Your Parks” weekend has been.
Many thanks to Conrad (N2YCH) who shares the following field report:
QRPppppp….WSPR
By: Conrad Trautmann (N2YCH)
WSPR, or Weak Signal Propagation Reporter, is a digital mode you can select within WSJT-X. You can use the data that’s generated by the WSPR network to check your own antenna’s performance for transmitting and receiving and also to see what paths are open by band at a particular time of day from your QTH. Recently, I’ve been using WSPR to improve my own antenna systems and to help reduce local noise sources.
Originally developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT, an approximately two minute QRP transmission contains the originating station’s call sign, the maidenhead grid locator and the transmit power level being used. Stations typically use 250mw up to 5watts when they send these signals. WSJT-X allows you to select how often you want to send this transmission and what bands to transmit on. There’s an embedded schedule in WSJT-X that allows “band-hopping” for stations using a multiband antenna to transmit on different bands. When not transmitting, it listens for and decodes other stations transmitting and can post “spots” of those stations to the WSPR network database.
WSJT-X WSPR modeWSPR Band Hopping Schedule (click to enlarge)
Here on QRPer.com, Thomas, K4SWL posted in this field report what the various flavors of QRP power levels are…
QRP: 5 watts to 1 watt (for some contest 10 watts = SSB QRP)
QRPp: Less than 1 watt to 100 mw
QRPpp: Less than 100mw
Did you know that there are more than 3,000 WSPR HF beacons running on all of the amateur bands all over the world at QRP power or less? Many are running 250mw or less. If you open up WSJT-X and select the WSPR mode, you’ll see that the pull down for power levels give you these options:
37dbm = 5w
33dbm = 2w
30dbm = 1w
27dbm = 500mw
23dbm = 200mw
20dbm = 100mw
17dbm = 50mw
13dbm = 20mw
10dbm = 10mw
7dbm = 5mw
3dbm = 2mw
0dbm = 1mw
You could transmit your own beacon if you choose to using WSJT-X. You can also receive many of the 3,000+ beacons that are on the air right now if you wanted.
Why, you ask?
Let me tell you about the WSPR journey I’ve taken over the past few months and how what I’ve learned has benefitted me, my station and my antennas. Here’s how extreme QRPpp signals can help all of us.
I’m an avid digital operator, and I’ve tested many of the digital modes that WSJT-X, FLDigi, VarAC and others have to offer.
WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) is a program embedded as a mode in WSJT-X and you can set it to transmit at the various power levels I listed above and band hop to different bands if your antenna can support those frequencies. When it’s not transmitting, it will receive and post the beacons it hears to the WSPRnet.org web site. For anyone familiar with pskreporter.info, WSPRnet.org is similar in that it provides maps of where and when “spots” are received and the relative signal strength the signals were when received by station, the mode and frequency.
After setting my station to transmit and receive on WSPR and looking at my spots on WSPRnet.org that were reported by receiving stations over the previous day, it was a thrill to see my 250mw signal making it out all over the world. Amazing actually, that such a small amount of power could travel that far. 250mw to Antarctica? That’s pretty good.
I bought a QRP-Labs QCX transceiver and the external companion GPS clock, which supports running WSPR transmission stand alone, without tying up a computer. Then I learned about the Sotabeams WSPRLite Antenna Tester (a 250mw WSPR transmitter) and the various WSPR transmitters offered by ZachTek which can also run without needing a computer.
My goal was to have WSPR beacons transmitting on as many bands as possible. Combining them into a single, multiband antenna posed its own problems, which is a topic for another article. However, all of these solutions just transmitted. I was hoping to also be able to receive and post spots as well.
Then, QRP-Labs (shout out to Hans Summers) came out with the QDX and then the QMX, both of which connect to a PC and are controlled by WSJT-X to do the band hopping transmitting and receiving. Like FT8, WSPR does depend on timing to work best, so using an external GPS clock for the QCX or connecting a QDX or QMX to a computer that can get it’s time from the internet can help keep the transmission cycles in sync with the receiver sites for best reception results.
Various WSPR transmitters and transceivers
This is cool stuff, but still, what’s the point? That’s when a friend I made in the WSPR community, Tom, WA2TP pointed out how to use all of these beacons to improve my station’s receiving capabilities. I have a good HF receiver and a dipole antenna and a hexbeam on a rotor and I figured I was good to go. I was making contacts without any problems. Tom told me this: “It’s all about the noise.”
He recommended using a wideband SDR called a Kiwi that can view the entire HF spectrum from 0 -30MHz on a waterfall at one time. My ICOM IC-7610 can connect to a PC and work with HDSDR software which has a waterfall, but it will only show you the spectrum of the particular band you’re on, not the entire HF spectrum at once. The Kiwi shows the entire spectrum from 0 to 30 MHz and when set up just right, you can see noise in there…a lot of noise, emanating from all sorts of things.
If you’re trying to receive a 250mw WSPR beacon signal transmitting from Australia, the noise from the after-market, wall-wart switching power supply connected to your cell phone charger a few feet away from your antenna could be way noisier and will blank that VK beacon right out. Your antenna and ability to hear distant signals is only as good as how low or quiet the local QRM is that we all have to deal with.
Many thanks to Karl (K5KHK) for sharing this guest post, which originally appeared on his blog, Karl Heinz Kremer’s Ramblings:
A Digital Station in Your Pocket
by Karl Heinz (K5KHK)
How small can a complete station to work FT4/8 be? With the QRP-Labs QMX, we have a transceiver that certainly fits the bill for a small station. By itself it can only be used for CW, to use the digital modes, one has to combine it with a computer. Even the smallest laptop is too big the fit into the pockets of my cargo pants – we are trying a pocket sized station after all 😉
In this article, I will describe how to use a QMX transceiver and an iPhone to activate a POTA park with FT8.
The Components
My QMX is the original that was released at FDIM 2023, so it covers 80m to 20m. Mine is serial number #20.
My iPhone is small enough, but unlike Android based phones, the QMX cannot be connected directly to the phone. Apple sells a “camera adapter”, which plugs into the phones Lightning port on one side and provides a USB connection on the other end. $29 for the original Apple part was a bit hard to swallow, so I opted for something cheaper straight from China’s “we clone everything” factories: https://amzn.to/3WDSfUc
[Please note: All Amazon links are affiliate that support QRPer.com.]
The picture shows both a USB and a lightning port on the adapter. This should allow the phone to be powered/charged while the adapter is being used – more about that later.
Another limitation is the antenna: The QMX does not have a built-in antenna tuner, and even my QRP sized ZM-2 would have to live in a different pocket 🙂 My plan is to use a resonant antenna so that I would not need a tuner.
The easiest antenna with a good match is a dipole, but that is a bit more challenging to deploy in the field, so I opted for an end-fed halfway (or EFHW) antenna with a 49:1 transformer. I 3D printed a winder that allowed a BNC connector and the transformer to be mounted on the wire winder:
Because I am using a different toroid for the transformer, I had to remove the “bump” that is holding the toroid in place. Going forward, I may change the design a bit more to have so that I can fit more wire on the winder.
For those familiar with the transformers usually used for EFHW antennas, the picture shows two things that are different: As I’ve already mentioned, I am using a different toroid (the Fair-Rite 2661102002 core, which is a type 61), and a different winding pattern. More about that in a future post.
To power my station, I am using a TalentCell rechargeable 12V power bank: https://amzn.to/3snTyr8
First Test
With everything in place, I tried to make a quick FT8 contact from home with this setup, but with my “big” EFHW antenna in my backyard. Because it was just a quick test, I did not even bother to hook up the charging cable for my phone (more on that later).
I connected the phone to the adapter from above, connected the adapter via a USB cable to the QMX, and connected the QMX to a 12V power supply (unlike anywhere else in ham radio, 12V here means 12.0V and not the usual 13.8V), and hooked up the antenna to an antenna tuner and then to the EFHW in my back yard.
I answered an FT8 CQ call and successfully completed the FT8 exchange. The software does the automatic sequencing of the different messages, so it is very straight forward to use. With this first contact, I verified that the iPhone/adapter/QMX setup does work.
The Real Test
The next attempt was while camping at Hamlin Beach State Park (US-2068). I set up everything just like at home, but because I was planning on being on the air for a while. I also hooked up the cable to charge my phone while I was operating.
I was able to receive stations, but could not transmit. What made the troubleshooting more complex is that during setup, I created some sparks (that is why I do not like the barrel connector for power). I was pretty sure that the QMX was not involved, but not being able to transmit kind of suggested that I killed the finals. So I put everything away and used my KX2 instead.
Back home, I did some troubleshooting and hooked up a straight key to the QMX and it worked: I was able to finish a few CW QSOS without a problem, so the finals were definitely OK. I then set up the system again for FT8, and sure enough, I was able to make a contact. Because it was a quick test, I did not bother to use the power cable for the phone. By now, most of you probably know what the culprit was, but because I did not spell things out like this, I was still in the dark.
Success At Last
Fast forward a few more days… We went back to Hamlin Beach State Park – but this time to the picnic area – and I set up my station again. And sure enough, once everything was set up, the QMX did not transmit. This is when I took a step back and reviewed everything I had done so far, and slowly I came to the realization that when I provide power through the adapter to the phone, the QMX would not transmit.
I was able to finish my FT8 activation with my pocket sized digital station. I did run into one problem however: iFTx allows to automatically determine one’s grid square – which of course is important for FT8. When I enabled that, it correctly put me into FT13 at first, but a few QSOs later it switched me to JJ00aa – I reported this as a bug to the developer.
Using iFTx with the iPhone
The connection from the phone to the QMX is audio only. iOS does not allow an application to open a serial port connection (unlike Android). This means that the QMX will not receive any frequency information from the phone, and also no PTT signal. For this setup to work, the operator has to make sure that the QMX is tuned to the correct frequency that the correct band is selected in iFTx, and that the QMX is set to VOX mode (this is in the Digi Interface menu).
When configuring iFTx, it is possible to select a “Special Interest Activity” like POTA. This is then added to the CQ call as in “CQ POTA K5KHK FN13”.
As I’ve mentioned before, the application will automatically sequence the correct messages when a station answers the call.
Once the QSO is completed, it will be logged to the iFTx internal log, which can be exported via the usual “send to” methods available in iOS (e.g. email the log, save as a file, …).
When exporting the log, there is a choice of exporting everything, or only the new QSOs since the last export. This will create an ADIF file, which can be submitted to the POTA program, or imported into any other logging program.
At the end, I was successful in building a “pocket sized” digital station based on the QMX, I just need a fully charged phone and cannot depend on charging it while operating.
Black-A-Tor Copse National Nature ReserveMany thanks to Lee (M0VKR) who shares the following field report and video:
A QRP CW POTA Adventure on Black-a-Tor
by Lee (M0VKR)
It was another sunny morning when my wife Joanne and I set off for a new mini adventure. Our destination was Black-a-Tor on Dartmoor, Devon, a scenic location ideal for a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation. We had not activated this park before so didn’t know what to expect. With excitement abound and a bit of nervous anticipation after looking at the propagation figures, we parked their car at Meldon Dam Reservoir car park, the starting point of our trek.
The weather was pleasantly warm as we began the journey, following a meandering river that gently led us towards our destination. The path was relatively easy, allowing us to enjoy the natural beauty surrounding us. At one point a horse fly latched onto my arm, and although I indicated my displeasure it continued to harass me for a good 10 minutes or so, before eventually giving up.
As we hiked, the silhouette of Black-a-Tor gradually appeared on the horizon, beckoning us closer. A short climb later, we found ourselves at the summit, ready to set up for our POTA activation.
After a delicious boil in the bag meal of Chicken curry and a pot noodle heated on the jet boil stove (and of course a mug of tea!), we started proceedings with the trusty Elecraft KH1 hooked up to the MPAS, calling out into the ether for about 45 minutes.
Despite best efforts, the airwaves remained silent, and no contacts were made. Relatively unfazed but a little dejected, I decided to bring out the backup—the Elecraft KX3. This radio, with its extra power, held the promise of better luck. I think in hindsight if I had just stuck with the KH1 a little longer the RF gods would swing things in our favour, or perhaps the extra little bit of power helped? Now I know you need to quadruple your power to make a single S unit of difference at the receiving station, but maybe, just maybe the extra 5 watts or so might have helped us just break over the noise threshold?
After setting up the KX3, we managed to make a very scratchy CW contact with my son, Daniel, who was back at home on 40 meters, around 70 miles away. I must admit at this point enthusiasm was depleted a little and the poor propagation conditions continued to be a challenge on this activation, and I was struggling sending with the Bamatech key for some reason. I think I had been a bit over enthusiastic when setting it up and it felt a tight in operation. A couple of European stations faded out just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving me feeling a bit frustrated to be honest. Things are not normally this difficult! I think this is the point of these longer videos (se below) it’s important to show the struggles and the highlights.
With all this being said, as if by magic after calling again on 20m, the station K2UPD suddenly erupted out of the KX3’s speaker loud and clear, as if he was on the next hill. The sudden clarity of the signal was surprising and caught me off guard. I simply couldn’t believe I was hearing a letter K, and I struggled to comprehend the characters, once my brain had recalibrated itself. I couldn’t help but smile.
It was a gentle reminder of the CW innovations Comprehensive Instant Character recognition course that coach Jon KC1FUU has mentioned so many times, Ignore the scope, and ignore the propagation predictors, persevere, and just call, as you never know who will answer! In ham radio, sometimes it’s all or nothing. The contacts started to come in more steadily after that and it really woke me up. Suddenly we were back in the game, and eventually, we reached the 10 contacts required for a successful POTA activation.
As the summit grew busier with curious passersby, Joanne found herself fielding numerous questions about our intriguing setup. The interest from the public added an unexpected but enjoyable social element to our adventure. With our mission accomplished, we decided it was time to pack up.
On our way back down, we took a detour through the ancient woodland at Black-a-Tor. The old oak trees, with their branches draped in lichen, and the river running quite fast down the slope as it meandered through created an enchanting atmosphere. It felt as if we had stepped back in time. We lingered there for about 20 minutes, absorbing the serene beauty of the place.
It was an 8km round trip. The walk back to the car was under the blazing sun, and we were both getting a little tired from it. By the time we reached the car, we realised we had gotten sunburned on the back of our necks. It was a small price to pay for such a fulfilling day, and we made a mental note to remember the sunscreen next time, perhaps I will add a small travel tube to the admin pouch.
Reflecting on our adventure, and despite the sunburn, Joanne and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction that had overridden the previous frustration. Despite the challenges, we had successfully activated Black-a-Tor and enjoyed a day immersed in nature. The memory of this outing, like the lichen on the ancient oaks, would stay with us for a long time.
After a five week break from POTA, it was time to get back in the game! I leave for my North Carolina camping/POTA trip Sunday, July 14th and frankly miss being out on an activation. To remedy that situation, Monday, July 8th, I headed to Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area (WMA), POTA park US-1603.
source: Google maps
Tuckahoe WMA consists of 15,000 acres purchased by the State of Georgia in 1990. Hunting for deer, turkey, and coyotes is allowed on the property in season. The property has over 10 small ponds for fishing and three designated camping areas. It is located in Screven county and its eastern border is the Savannah River.
When researching Tuckahoe WMA for this article, I came across information regarding the Battle of Briar Creek which was fought on March 3, 1779. Much of the battle site lies within the boundaries of Tuckahoe WMA.
The attack that day in 1779 by the British was a surprise and 150 Americans lost their lives. The aftermath proved especially bloody because the British were enraged over the death of one of their sergeants – Hugh McAllister – whose body was found hacked to pieces. As a result, the American wounded were hunted down and bayonetted. According to an article in the Athens Banner-Herald, “the British victory was so decisive scholars believe it prolonged the American Revolution by a year, changing the course of U.S. history.”
Back in the present day, Daisy and I left Savannah early under grey and sprinkling skies. The drive to Tuckahoe was pleasant and took us through Sylvania, Georgia again. Along the route, I spied a rainbow with a slight double-bow on its left-hand side. I hoped that was a good omen.
Downtown Sylvania, Georgia
The map on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources website showed what looked like several entrances for the property. I opted to take the second entrance I found but that proved to be a mistake as a tree blocked the road. I backtracked to the first entrance (where the battlefield sign is) and found myself on a wide, gravel road.
Access denied!
The woods I encountered on the property were open, mostly pine, and, I think, managed for wildlife and hunting as evidenced by several turkeys I watched crossing the road in front of me. It wasn’t far before I saw the memorial for the Battle of Briar Creek.
Originally, I intended to reach one of the boat ramps on the Savannah River, deep inside the WMA, as my activation site. However, given the limited time I had for an activation and the availability of low branches in an open area, I opted for a place just past the memorial as my QTH. I set up the hitching system for Daisy so she could enjoy the outdoors while I worked with my equipment. I oriented the EFHW antenna toward the north running the coax back underneath it hoping that orientation would push my signal to the north and west. (The orientation worked as per my QSO map below.) It wasn’t long before I was ready to call CQ. I went to spot myself and discovered there was…
Hitch system set up between Kai’s roof rack and large pine tree
How I worked the #19 most wanted CW DXCC as a pedestrian mobile station
by Leo (DL2COM)
A couple of months ago, I started using the app HamAlert to keep track of interesting DXpeditions and rare call signs just to check if I would be able to copy their signal on my home-made WebSDR at a location outside of the city. This helped me a great deal in understanding propagation and pile-up dynamics as I began to develop a strong interest for expedition-like operating from exotic regions.
Mount Athos (2027m abt. 6650 feet high) and one of the monasteries (courtesy of Dave Proffer, CC-BY 2.0)
One of the stations I had tracked for a while is Monk Iakovos Kutlumusian SV2RSG/A – the only licensed operator in Mount Athos which is currently #19 most wanted CW DXCC according to Clublog. Mount Athos is an autonomous orthodox monk republic under Greek sovereignty and located on a peninsula in the North-East of Greece (locator KN20CG). More info on Mount Athos can be found here (Wikipedia) and a trailer for an upcoming documentary here (Youtube).
Koutloumousiou Holy Monastery (courtesy of Στάθης Κουτσιαύτης , CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia commons)
The priorities of the community in Mount Athos understandably lie on their theological work. So I think it is a big commitment that Monk Iakovos (QTH: Koutloumousiou Monastery one of 20 monasteries in Mount Athos) is able to make some contacts in his free time outside his monastic duties as he writes on his QRZ page.
Very experienced DXers from Berlin once told me how they worked Mount Athos many moons ago on 80m in the middle of the night only by chance and that it is almost impossible to log this super rare DXCC.
Impossible? Hold my beer.
I had noticed that during May and June 2024 Monk Iakovos was on the air more frequently but each time only working 4-5 stations in a couple of minutes before disappearing again for days. The only two consistencies I found was that he was active on 20m CW and most of the time during local evening hours.
Whoops there he is again – Hamalert notification on the Garmin Instinct 2 watch
I took the photo above a couple of days before to inform a friend that SV2RSG/A was active again (btw the HamAlert notification feature on my watch comes in very handy).
Then on Sunday, June 16th 2024, I was sitting on the couch reading when my watch vibrated and showed his call sign again on RBN at about 20:56 UTC (22:56 local time, 23:56 DX time).
I was in absolutely no position to make a QSO as I live in a very urban neighborhood in central Berlin City and I cannot have antennas at my QTH. Also the location brings along a high degree of man-made QRM and all the tall townhouses act as blockers for any kind of RF. Far from ideal for HF operation which is the reason 100% of me operating is portable or from the car.
In addition, we had just returned from a weekend trip to the countryside and I was enjoying the fact that our kids were sound asleep. So I only took out my phone and checked if I could hear this station again online.
To my surprise, this time it wasn’t the immediate and very intense “red ocean” simplex pile-up that I had witnessed multiple times during the weeks before. Maybe it was due to the fact that a big DX contest was coming to an end or most tired OPs were just off the air already on a late Sunday evening. Who knows? Or maybe it was just plain luck…..
Should I? Or should I not? I knew that I needed to be outside if I wanted to have the slightest chance to work this station. There is also a tiny park about 200 meters from our house which would improve my situation a little due to better “sky access” and takeoff angels towards Greece. But I thought by the time I could be set up the pile-up would already be too big for my QRP signal or the station would already be gone as it was the case each time before.
Still I ran over to our utility room, ripped open my backpack and got the KX-2 pouch out. I took the transceiver, slapped the AX-1 whip on, grabbed a key and dumped the counterpoise wire in my pocket.
Don’t let the shoe situation mess up your TTQ stats (time-to-QRV)
Have you ever wanted to take out the trash and then ran into a “shoe situation” at the front door with your hands full?
With my wife’s sneakers slipped half on I staggered out on the street all while trying to secure the end of the counterpoise to one of the bottom screws on the KX-2’s case and nearly falling down the stairs. Time-to-QRV (TTQ is that an official metric? if not it should be imho) maybe 80-100 seconds….no kidding.
Outside I dialed in 14.004 and immediately heard SV2RSG/A still calling CQ at a relaxed pace and then working a station. The signal in my “street canyon” was weak but a 100% copy.
Elecraft KX-2 and AX-1 whip antenna got me on the air in no time (I need to set the internal clock again)
I quickly send my call sign only to get a “QRZ?” back. OMG did he really just hear my signal? Apparently my field strength was too weak on his end because he started calling CQ again.
So I sprinted towards the park (dragging along the counterpoise behind me) and I noticed that his signal was coming on stronger and stronger. After about 100 meters I stopped and again called “DL2COM”. This time I heard “DL2?” but then a very loud OP blasting his signal right on top of me.
I repeated my call another two times and couldn’t believe my ears when SV2RSG/A came back with my true full call and a 599 report. With shaking hands I somehow managed to reply R 599 TU and then we exchanged 73s. I simply couldn’t believe what had just happened.
When I walked back to the front door one of my neighbors was standing there looking somewhat irritated. He paused his phone call for a second and asked “ARE WE SAFE?”.
“Oh yes! For now, very safe!” I told him that I had just communicated with a monk in Greece in morse code (“you know the stuff they used on ships back in the day”) and that this story probably needed more context over a beer.
I then noticed that I had pulled the counterpoise wire through a pile of dog droppings with everything happening so quickly. Of course I did! How can this not happen on the streets of Berlin. A sacrifice I was happy to make for this very special contact and btw cleaned easily in under 2 minutes.
Thanks to QSL manager SV1GRM I did not have to wait long for this card
How did this work? Being on the air so quickly and the fact that 20m was on fire that night certainly helped. But then again is it also the idea to just dare and get out there operating. If you don’t cast a line there won’t be any fish…right?
You never know which exciting DX station might be just around the corner during a special band opening.
While Greece isn’t particularly hard to reach from Germany it was more the overall circumstances (very rare, short and erratic operating times of this station, usage of callsign by pirates, urban QTH, compromised antenna, simplex pile-up with QRP signal) that made this contact highly unlikely but as I now know also totally possible. Blessings to Mt. Athos and their ongoing work for the DX-community! I am very grateful that I got the chance to log them.
– vy 73 de Leo DL2COM
p.s. as of the day of publishing this article, Monk Iakovos has not been active since I worked him on June 16th (according to RBN).
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