Tag Archives: Ham Radio

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

The POTA Babe Checks In

8 Comments
By Teri KO4WFP

Glenn W4YES and I headed to Camden, SC the first week of April for some much needed rest and relaxation. Usually when I travel, I schedule a POTA activation or two. However, this trip I decided to try something new – getting on the air QRP at our Airbnb.

Camden is the oldest inland community in South Carolina. According to the town’s website, the earliest permanent settlers arrived in 1750. They experienced a crushing defeat during the Revolutionary War when the Patriots were defeated in the Battle of Camden. After the Civil War, the town “evolved into a tourist mecca for Northeners and Midwesterners seeking a warmer winter climate.” Those tourists brought money and an equine culture developed around racing and polo.

Our first day in Camden, we visited the Revolutionary War Museum. Though small in size, the museum’s exhibits are of excellent quality. They do a great job explaining who lived in the area, the quandary they faced as to whether to be a Loyalist or Patriot (it wasn’t as easy a choice as it might appear), and battles fought there.

Our second day, we explored the National Steeplechase Museum. This museum explores the history of steeplechasing and the personalities involved – owners, trainers, jockeys as well as those who care for the horses. The museum pays homage to Marion duPont Scott who developed the Springdale Race Course where the museum is located. This race course hosts two prominent annual competitions – the Carolina Cup and the Colonial Cup.

National Steeplechase Museum

an old scale used to weigh jockeys
trophy room

We also spent some time driving through and walking in the historic neighborhoods of the city. The weather was gorgeous! Everywhere we looked, there were flowers – azaleas, wisteria, viburnum, and dogwoods (including the pink variety we do not see in Savannah).

a dogwood in full splendor
azaleas at the corner of a home
viburnum
pink dogwood

After exploring the area, it was time to explore the airwaves QRP at our Airbnb. To do this, I brought Craig, my KX2, and a home-brew linked dipole antenna. This is an antenna I built three years ago, when I first got into ham radio. At that time, I had no home station but wanted to get on the air portable for POTA. Despite knowing almost nothing about antennas, I built a usable dipole that became my main POTA antenna for quite a while.

the homebrew linked dipole (photo from GA State Parks on the Air event)

Why did I bring this antenna to Camden? I have the opportunity this month to try the CFT1, a QRP transceiver, by Jonathan KM4CFT. Because the rig does not have an internal antenna tuner, I am reacquainting myself with the subject of resonance and why it matters in antennas.

I set up a home-brew linked dipole Wednesday evening under some trees in a space between the Airbnb and a small lake on the property. The antenna was roughly 20 feet in the air.

the lake from the Airbnb
2nd location for antenna by lake

 My RigExpert Stick analyzer gave me 2.1 at 7.040 –

Thinking I could do better, I moved the antenna (a real pain to do with a dipole) to a different tree with a limb 30 feet high. (Frankly, Glenn and I were amazed I could snag that limb.) This setup generated better a SWR reading – 1.61 at 7.040 MHz.

Now the true test – how well would I be heard?

the bench at which I operated Wednesday evening
RBN picking me up Wednesday evening

On Wednesday evenings, I check into the OMIK CW net. OMIK is a ham radio club founded in 1952 by “Black amateur radio operators from the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky to deal with discrimination” at that time. Though the club membership today is primarily African-American, others like myself are welcome.

CW nets are a great place to get on-the-air experience with morse code. It was my code buddy Caryn KD2GUT who first introduced me to the OMIK net. I found those who participate in this CW net to be welcoming and accepting of CW operators of all levels of proficiency. Over the past several years, the ops in this net have watched my skills grow and become friends.

Dennis NT4U and Steve W0SJS split net control station (NCS) duties. This evening, it was Dennis’ turn as NCS. As he is located in northern Georgia, I figured he would hear my QRP signal. He did and checked me into the net with a RST of 589. The icing on the cake was that I heard a station he was unable to hear – Charles AI4OT in Virginia – due to the S9 noise at Dennis’ location this evening. I notified Dennis of Charles’ check in so he was added to the check-in list for that evening. Way to go homebrew linked dipole and Craig!

The next day, Glenn did some exploring and found a better location on the property – a hill behind the Airbnb and some sheds. Several large oaks in this relatively open area offered prime limbs to snag with an arbor line. I installed the antenna on a limb roughly 25 feet up in the air.

open area at back of Airbnb property
looking up into canopy at limb I used Thursday evening

Before attempting to check into another net, I spotted myself on QSO Finder, a new website and spotting tool by Mike N4FFF and Becky N4BKY of Ham Radio Duo. I had three exchanges, one each with Joel KE8WIC, Tom NG4S, and James KJ3D.

Spotting myself on CW QSO Finder

On Thursday evenings I check into the Sideswiper Net, a wonderful group of guys who meet on 40 or 30 meters (depending on propagation). Most of those who check in use a sideswiper (also known as a cootie) key but, like the OMIK CW net, they are welcoming of anyone who wants to participate no matter the level of proficiency or key. I’ve asked lots of questions of the members and appreciate their patience schooling me about CW nets.

The NCS this evening was Darrell AA7FV who is located in Arizona. The noise on 40 meters was rough but Darrel did copy me with a RST of 349. Two other stations – Bill WA4FAT in Alabama and Steve W1SFR – also copied me at 559 on this band.

When the net moved to 30 meters, my signal was worse. However, I expected that, as by this time it was dark and I didn’t want to mess with lowering the antenna to disconnect the link between the 40 and 30 meter wires. Darrel in Arizona could barely hear me (he gave me a RST of 129) but Bill could still copy me and acted as relay between our signals. I was thrilled that I had now checked into both nets QRP this week!

the RBN picked me up again

Even better, after the Sideswiper net, my code buddy Caryn KD2GUT and I were able to have our weekly code buddy QSO. We managed a 20 minute QSO on 40 meters before being swallowed up by noise and QRN on her end. Caryn is located on Long Island, NY. The previous night in the OMIK net, my signal was a 229 at her QTH. But tonight, we were both 599 and rocking it on the airwaves.

operating in the dark

During the Sideswiper net and my code buddy QSO, I sat head copying in the dark under the moon and thought, “It doesn’t get any better than this, right?”

Before we left the Airbnb Friday morning, Glenn spied several pitchforks sitting by the sheds. We picked one up and decided to have some fun, with our version of the famous piece “American Gothic” by Grant Wood. I had a difficult time keeping a straight face (watch the video linked down below) but eventually we got the shot.

“American Gothic” by Grant Wood    source: Wikipedia
us goofing off creating a version of the piece before checking out

QRP has its limits; however, I was sufficiently impressed by my experience on this trip that I will travel with a rig from now on. I’d like a better antenna and have ordered an EFHW as that is probably my best bet for a resonant antenna. This hobby NEVER becomes boring because there is always something to learn.

I look forward to trying the CFT1 and my new EFHW antenna when it arrives. How will that turn out? Stay tuned…

Equipment Used

[Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.]

Antennas, Field Reports, FT8, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Reviews

Field Report: N2YCH’s POTA Activation with a Magnetic Loop Antenna

17 Comments

By Conrad Trautmann (N2YCH)

I tried using an Alpha Antenna 100w 10-40m mag-loop antenna for a POTA activation. I operated on FT8 so I could monitor where my signal was being received by using the PSKreporter.info real-time signal reports from stations that spotted my transmission. I really didn’t know what to expect or how a loop antenna would perform in the park compared to a vertical or wire antenna. Did it work? You bet. Would I recommend it? I’ll share my observations and results below and let you know at the end.

I bought this antenna used on QRZ.com’s swapmeet. It was clear to me upon receiving it that the prior owner had taken very good care of the antenna. I set it up on my patio for a quick test before heading to a park.

Mag Loop Test from the N2YCH QTH

It sets up quickly. The tuning is a little challenging to learn at first but there’s no doubt when you get it right, since the received signal is easy to peak once you find resonance. The tuning knob has three turns from 40m up to 10m. Moving it slowly from the bottom of the HF band up to the top, you’ll find the sweet spot and you can peak the received signal on your radio’s S-meter. I checked it with my RigExpert antenna analyzer and as you’d expect, the bandwidth was very narrow, but it was resonant and the SWR was 1.4:1.

The Alpha mag loop can do 100 watts SSB but only 5 watts on digital modes. I fired up my KX3, set it for 5 watts and called CQ. I made three quick contacts and was satisfied that the antenna was working. I checked the spots on pskreporter,info and found it interesting to see a narrow band of stations from Minnesota and Wisconsin down to Florida spotting me.

Pskreporter.info map of spots from Mag Loop

On to the park: Indian Well, US-1684 in Shelton, Connecticut

Knowing that the antenna was working, I brought it out to one of my favorite places to activate, Indian Well State Park (US-1684). Again, set up was fast and I was able to tune up on 20 meters pretty easily.

Alpha Magnetic Loop Antenna at Indian Well State Park in Connecticut

The antenna was receiving the FT8 signals at S-9 with the KX3’s pre-amp off and you can see below that I was decoding nearly 50 stations per FT8 cycle. If you look closely at the JTAlert screenshot below, you can see I was receiving stations from all over the US as well as Canada, South America and Europe. There’s no doubt the mag-loop can hear very well.

Forty-seven stations are being received and decoded. POTA stations in the bottom right pane

I called CQ and had a few responses right away. However, I was finding it challenging to get stations to reply. It took almost an hour for me to get my 10 contacts to activate the park, which is unusual. I should mention that the space weather was acceptable, sitting just below Kp3, so that wasn’t the reason.

Once again, I checked Pskreporter.info. Interestingly, it had the same pattern of spots that I saw when testing the antenna at home, a band from Minnesota to Georgia. Of the first 10 contacts I made, four were in North Carolina, two in Florida and the rest were coming from within that narrow band who could hear me.

Spots from US-1684 using the Mag Loop

I understand that a mag loop is directional, so I tried moving it 90 degrees to see if it made a difference. Not really. The spot map looked the same after the change in direction. I was able to receive a few more EU stations after I moved it. I did have to re-tune the antenna after I turned it, the SWR had gone through the roof.

For comparison, after struggling to make contacts on the loop, I decided to set up my “go-to” antenna of a 17’ telescoping whip on a 10’ mast with a counterpoise.

Buddipole with 17’ telescoping whip and elevated counterpoise

I unplugged the mag loop and plugged in the vertical using the same transceiver set at 5 watts. Take a look at the stations who could spot me on PSKreporter now…

PSKReporter Spots with vertical antenna on 20m QRP

Clearly, that same 5 watts from the KX3 had better coverage on the vertical than using the mag loop.

Here’s a screenshot of WSJT-X on the vertical (click image to enlarge):

WSJT-X and JTAlert reception using 17’ vertical with counterpoise

Once I switched to the vertical, I knocked out 10 more contacts in just 20 minutes.

So, after all that, what do I think?

The Mag Loop sets up quickly, uses very little space and finding resonance isn’t difficult to do. It receives very well, of course this is one of the true advantages of mag loops, is their inherent ability to receive well in noisy environments.

As an antenna to use for transmission? Well, I think this is where the challenge lies, for me anyway. It was certainly hearing stations way down in the noise from far away. However, as you can see by my real-time reception reports, it did not give me the wide transmission coverage that I’m used to with the vertical. Maybe this would be different on SSB with 100 watts, but it’s a difficult to measure SSB reception like you can with digital.

Can you activate a park with it?  Yes, indeed. Would it be my first choice for POTA? Probably not. If you were using this on SSB, the antenna itself (not the radio) would need to be re-tuned for every frequency change (if you were hunting), which is not convenient. If you are the activator, then you could tune up for the frequency you selected and it would be good to go.

My next test with this antenna is to try tuning it to a WSPR frequency and comparing spots it receives to my other antennas. I suspect this it where it will shine.

Stay tuned!

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

The POTA Babe Reconnects With Her Past

12 Comments
By Teri KO4WFP

Fall weather has finally returned to Savannah, Georgia so it is time to get out for more Parks on the Air. Monday, November 18, I headed to a park I had yet to activate – the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (US-0522).

This park and I have history together prior to my involvement in ham radio. In my 20’s, I volunteered for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and spent time at this refuge in various capacities. I was also employed by a gentleman who owned Fife Plantation, property adjoining this refuge. I was his “eyes and ears” at meetings held to discuss deepening the Savannah harbor and study/assess the environmental impacts of that effort. Those meetings taught me much about the refuge and its relationship with industry across the Savannah River. To return to this park as a ham added yet another chapter for the refuge and me.

refuge map. Source: US Fish & Wildlife Service
the impoundments & the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive (noted in purple). I set up on the oak hammock with the Cistern Trail/Photo Blind

As much of the refuge is wetland accessible only by boat, the easiest way to experience this park is to drive the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, accessible from SC Highway 170. This drive is a loop through the southern impoundments that are managed for resident as well as migratory bird populations.

egrets feeding

After you turn onto the wildlife drive, there is an information kiosk to the left with maps and an informative display regarding the history of the site.

wildlife drive entrance
information kiosk with maps
Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive

The land on which the refuge sits was originally occupied by the Yamacraw Indians. Later it was used for rice cultivation, being built and maintained by enslaved African Americans as well as immigrant Irish laborers. The rice culture in the area collapsed after the end of slavery and increasing competition. The 2,352 acre refuge was established by President Calvin Coolidge in 1927. Today, the land is managed to provide habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife and is the largest federally protected tract of land on the Georgia coast.

Tomochichi, chief of the Yamacraw Indians.  source: New Georgia Encyclopedia
rice trunk used to control flow of water in and out of impoundments

This particular morning, the air was crisp (in the lower 50’s) and I had the park (for the time-being) to myself. As I prefer to use a wire antenna and had brought with me the Tufteln EFRW, I needed to find a tree in which to install that antenna. As you can see from the photos, there are not many trees to be found here. However, dotting the wildlife drive are what are known as oak hammocks.

spider web bejeweled with water droplets

Oak hammocks are little islands of high ground amongst the wetlands and they are populated by hardwoods such as oaks. There are quite a few along the western section of the wildlife drive. I decided to use the first sizable one I encountered. Utilizing this as my QTH allowed me to park and set up well off the drive. At most parks I visit for POTA, I rarely see anyone. That is not the case here since the park is located not far from downtown Savannah, a popular tourist destination, and it is easily accessible by car.

an oak hammock ahead
parking at an oak hammock. The tree I used is the oak leaning to the right of my car.

Even though my Marlow arbor line typically doesn’t hang up in trees, I think oak trees present lots of opportunity for that to happen with their myriad twisty twigs and Spanish moss so I prefer to avoid them. But, if I want to put a wire up in this park, oak trees are about my only option. The particular tree I considered would allow me to run my antenna northwest and away from the drive. That location would also provide shade from the sun through most of the morning.

antenna and arbor line in oak

Once my antenna was installed and I was comfortably settled, I got down to business – the reason I was here: an activation!

Forty meters was not an option due to RFI. That was not surprising given the industry across the river and the presence of monitoring equipment, etc. in the refuge. So I began with 30 meters. Not long after I called CQ, Sean N3RTW answered and the fun began! Continue reading The POTA Babe Reconnects With Her Past →

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

The POTA Babe Donates Blood at Congaree Bluffs Park

2 Comments
By Teri KO4WFP

In my last article, I activated Hanging Rock Battleground State Historic Site and then Glenn and I spent the evening at an Airbnb in Camden, South Carolina. Monday, October 14th was the last day of our trip. There was no way this POTA Babe was missing out on an activation on the trip home.

Sunday evening, after the Hanging Rock activation, I searched for a nearby park on the POTA website and settled on Wateree River Heritage Preserve Wildlife Management Area (WMA) (US-10414) as it looked interesting and was on the drive home. However, I didn’t pay attention to the fact a lottery deer hunt would be held on Monday and the park closed to anyone not involved in the hunt. I discovered this fact that morning upon arriving at the site. It was time for a Plan B ASAP.

entrance to Wateree Heritage Preserve WMA

Looking on the POTA website, both Congaree National Park (US-0017) and Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve WMA (US-3916) were nearby. I recall reading that some of the boardwalks/trails in the national park were impacted from Hurricane Helene.  So I opted to visit Congaree Bluffs instead.

Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve is owned by the State of South Carolina. The property was purchased in 2001 with the express purpose of protecting the bluffs and flood plain on the south side of the Congaree River. The high bluffs in this area are not common because central South Carolina is mostly flat. The 201 acres of the park contain significant stands of American beech, oak-hickory, and bottomland hardwood forest. There were also stands of loblolly pines at the time of purchase that management planned to convert to longleaf pine stands over time.

The road into Congaree Bluffs is dirt but appears well maintained. There is a kiosk and signage just as you enter the park.

dirt access road – Turkey Track Lane (what a great name!)

We drove to the parking lot just down the road from the education center. I didn’t have much familiarity with this park since it was a last minute choice. A hasty glance at hiking sites showed the Bluff-River Walk that left from this parking lot down to the Congaree River.  How difficult could that be?

entrance for Bluff-River Walk

Glenn and I walked around the trail gate and began our descent. The first thing we noticed was how many trees were down across the trail as well as vines and other foliage making passage difficult. As we continued our descent, we began to notice the mosquitos. I was wearing long sleeves and pants and had brought bug spray but these mosquitos were not easily deterred. By the time we reached the river, it was obvious we’d be nothing but blood donors there and an activation needed to happen elsewhere.

a tree downed across the trail
on the hike to the river
neat lichens on one of the downed trees
our quick view of the Congaree River

Arriving back at the car, I opted to activate in the parking lot. A stand of pines nearby provided shade (though I augmented that with my Mountain Laurel Designs tarp) and a fairly steady breeze kept the bugs at bay.

a pine stand near the car providing shade
the tarp lazily draped to provide extra shade

As both Glenn and I had CW Innovations classes to coach later that evening, I didn’t have much time for an activation. I opted for the Chelegance MC-750 and, once it was set up, hopped onto 20 meters figuring that band would give me the best chance at a successful activation in a short time-frame. It did! I had 23 QSOs with two park-to-park QSOs in 30 minutes. (Note: One park-to-park didn’t count after the fact as I entered it incorrectly in my log.)

QSO Map for Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve WMA (US-3916) 10-14-2024                               source: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/

The only fly in the ointment for my time on 20 meters was the QSB and noise which increased later in the activation. Usually I encounter noise on 40 meters, not 20, but the KX2 filters were a huge help in countering that issue. (I love that little rig!) As for the QSB, well, the best counter for that is plenty of time on the air to gain experience in dealing with it.

If you’d like to see footage of the park as well as get Glenn’s and my take as to whether or not we’d return to Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve, check out the video on my Youtube channel.

This activation places me at 44 activations toward my goal of 60 new, valid park activations for 2024. I’m not sure I’ll be able to complete this goal; however, I will see how far I can get. Where will I show up for park #45? Stay tuned…

Equipment Used

[Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.]

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

Testing the HF Waters: A High Band Bust During this Parkway POTA?

2 Comments

Gorgeous weather and a bit of free time? Perfect chance for a POTA activation!

On Thursday, April 18, 2024, I was enjoying a break before picking up my daughter from French class – why not grab my rig and head for the Parkway?

No picnic tables today–I wanted a simple setup under the trees with my camping chair, kneeboard, and the KX2.

I drove to one of my favorite spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378).

This site’s always a winner: unoccupied, plenty of trees for hanging wire antennas, and right on the Mountains to Sea Trail (one of my favorite local hikes!). Unlike some of the pull-offs along the BRP, this site allows a bit more distance from the passing cars.

Sadly, I found trash scattered around my operating spot–even a shoe! I picked the trash up to dispose of after the activation.

I quickly deployed one of my Tufteln “no-transformer” random wire antennas in a tall tree. This antenna’s just a 28.5-foot wire attached to my BNC’s center pin, and a 17-foot wire on the shield. Simple, but effective, and my Elecraft KX2’s built-in ATU tunes it right up. This type of antenna–one that lacks a transformer–relies heavily on an internal ATU’s ability to match the impedance.

While some folks think this antenna type isn’t efficient, I haven’t found that to be true. Any losses are probably offset by the direct connection to the radio–no coax run in the way for the ATU to match.

Time to set up my radio.

I unfolded my Helinox chair, got out my N0RNM/Tufteln kneeboard, set up the KX2, connected the antenna and my KXPD2 paddles, then prepared my logs.

Gear:

Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

On The Air

Propagation has been pretty rough the past few weeks. There have been moments with excellent DX openings, but also times when the higher bands were wiped out or quite unstable.

I thought I’d test the waters during this activation by starting on 10 meters, then working my way down the bands. Continue reading Testing the HF Waters: A High Band Bust During this Parkway POTA? →

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

Pairing the KX2 & AX1 for my first POTA activation in weeks!

3 Comments

On Thursday, February 1, 2024, I managed my first POTA activation in weeks.

As I mentioned here on QRPer, January was a crazy month. Not only did I lack the time to activate parks, but I also wasn’t in the right frame of mind to make activation videos.

However, on February 1, things were looking up, and a nice little POTA activation was just what the doctor ordered!

I grabbed my KX2/AX1 pack as I headed out the door.

On the way into Asheville, I stopped by the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway (K-3378)–my go-to site for convenient activations. I had a one-hour window of time to fit in an activation.

BRP & MST Two-Fer

You might recall that in my last field report (from January 5, 2024), Hazel and I hiked the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (K-8313) and found a trailside spot that was also within the Blue Ridge Parkway (K-3378) property boundary. The activation counted as a two-fer!

You don’t have to hike the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST), however, in order to activate it and the parkway at the same time.

In the activation video, below, I show where one of the picnic tables at the Folk Art Center is close enough to where the MST passes that it counts. Makes for an easy drive-up, two-fer activation.

New Tufteln Cover!

A few weeks ago, my friend Joshua (N5FY) sent me a new protective cover for my Elecraft KX2. He’s now made these covers a part of his product line at Tufteln.com.

Like my Tufteln KX1 cover, the KX2 cover locks onto the front of the radio with rare earth magnets. It only requires that you replace the stock screws around the KX2 display with the ones Joshua provides. His replacement screws have a slightly higher profile, which allows the cover to attach magnetically.

What I love about Joshua’s covers is that they do a brilliant job of protecting all of the controls of the KX2 without taking up as much space as, say, the stock clear cover that came with my side panels.

Also, it fits the KX2 perfectly whether you have side panels or not!

Setting up

Of course, the glory of the KX2/AX1 combo is that it takes almost no time to set up in the field.

Within a minute or two, my gear was deployed, and I was on the air seeking a clear frequency.

I opted to use my Begali Traveler (over my KXPD2) key since it was also packed in my GoRuck GR1.

Gear:

Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.

On The Air

On this occasion, I decided to work the lower bands of the Elecraft AX1 antenna.

I started calling CQ POTA on 40 meters and, fortunately, the band was alive. Continue reading Pairing the KX2 & AX1 for my first POTA activation in weeks! →

Articles, Morse Code, NPOTA, People

BBC Radio 4 – Lights Out: Call Signs

8 Comments


My dear friend, Volodymyr Gurtovy (US7IGN), has been featured in another brilliant documentary on BBC Radio 4 called Call Signs.

This documentary was produced by the talented Cicely Fell with Falling Tree productions for BBC Radio 4. Note that Cicely also produced a BBC Radio 4 Short Cuts earlier this year featuring Vlad as well. Enjoy:

BBC Radio 4 Lights Out: Call Signs

A man, a Mouse and a morse key: the story of a radio amateur in Kyiv as the Russian invasion unfolds.

When his wife and two children flee Kyiv to escape the war, Volodymyr Gurtovy (call sign US7IGN) stays behind in their apartment with only his radios and the family hamster, Mouse, for company.

Before the war, he used to go deep into the pine forests, spinning intricate webs of treetop antennas using a fishing rod, catching signals from radio amateurs in distant countries.

Prohibited by martial law from sending messages, he becomes a listener, intercepting conversations of Russian pilots and warning his neighbours to hide in shelters well before the sirens sound. After three months of silence, he begins transmitting again. Switching his lawyer’s suit for a soldering iron, he runs a radio surgery for his friends and neighbours, dusting off old shortwave receivers and bringing them back to life.

During air raids, he hides behind the thickest wall in his apartment, close to his radios, their flickering amber lights opening a window to another world. A story of sending and receiving signals from within the darkness of the Kyiv blackout.

Music: Ollie Chubb (8ctavius)
Producer: Cicely Fell
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

Listen to Call Signs on BBC Sounds by clicking here, or via the embedded player below:

Audio Player

 

News

HRWB 2002 Holiday Shopping Show

Leave a comment

The Ham Radio Workbench podcast has just published their 2022 Holiday Shopping Show episode. I had the honor of being a guest in this episode and…well…it was essentially a license to release my inner enabler which–in the best of times–I have a difficult time containing.

Seriously, though, it’s always so much fun to hang with George, Vince, Mike, Rod, and Mark–they’re great guys.

I would suggest freezing your credit card in a block of ice before listening to this episode.

You’ve been warned!

If you’d like to see “how the sausage is made” check out this unedited video of the entire episode including before/after the podcast recording:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Or, if you’d rather hear the podcast–which is trimmed and formatted–you can listen via the embedded player below, or on the Ham Radio Workbench podcast website.

Click here to check out the Ham Radio Workbench website.

Hams, Morse Code, News, Portable, QRP

Treetop Antennas: Featured with my friend Wlodek (US7IGN) on BBC Radio 4 Short Cuts

6 Comments

I’m very honored to be featured with my good friend Wlodek (US7IGN) in a short radio documentary on BBC Radio 4 today.

Wlodek is long-time reader and subscriber here on QRPer.com and the SWLing Post. Wlodek lives in Kiev, Ukraine and we keep in touch these days over email. Like me, he is passionate about field radio work and before the Russian invasion, you’d often find him in nearby forests experimenting with some pretty impressive field antennas.

Sadly, when Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, it very quickly brought an end to all of that for Wlod. Not only were amateur radio operators not allowed to transmit under the state of emergency, but it’s no longer safe to venture into nearby forests.

Radio producer, Cicely Fell, learned about our love of all things field radio and put together an audio piece that airs today on BBC Radio 4:

BBC Radio 4 Short Cuts

From the forests of North Carolina, USA to the city of Kyiv, Ukraine – two ham radio enthusiasts seek each other out and a voice from the past prompts a dialogue on listening between a rabbi and a radio producer.

Click here to listen via the BBC Radio 4 website (note that the audio can be streamed shortly after the program airs today).

Many thanks to Cicely and her talented team at Falling Tree Productions for spending a little time with us in the forest and on the air! Truly an honor.

Articles, Hacks and Hints, News

Getting to know you: Take a radio manual deep-dive!

10 Comments

We hams have a tendency to unbox our new radios, toss the manual to the side, and get on the air. We sort out radio functions by playing with the radio and using it.

By “we” I’m certainly including myself…

Typically, there’s no harm in doing this. Experienced ham radio operators know how to hook up their radios, and know what common functions and features they must identify. In fact, when I review a radio, I rarely read the manual for this very reason: I’m curious how intuitive the controls are.

With that said, I’ve had no less than three emails from readers this past week asking questions about their radios–questions that all could have easily be answered by even skimming over the manual.

Sure, I’ve had this happen to me before. Subscribers to my YouTube channel have watched my activation videos and pointed out shortcuts and features I hadn’t yet used on a radio. Many times, I was aware of the function/feature, but while on the air couldn’t remember how to engage it. (This is where a printed cheat sheet come in handy!)

Truth is, modern  rigs are simply chock-full of features. Many of these features are incredibly useful, but not obvious on the front panel.

Case in point: MTR-3B Direct Frequency Entry

The venerable Mountain Topper MTR-3B

In the past, you may have heard me mention that that the MTR-3B “isn’t a good transceiver for hunting stations” because it has no rotary encoder to quickly move from frequency to frequency. There’s no number pad for direct frequency entry either.

Instead, the user has up and down arrow buttons that you push and hold until eventually you reach the desired frequency. If the frequency is 50 kHz away? Yeah, you’re going to be holding that button down for a while (there is a fast tune option, but it’s still slower than an encoder).

Early this year, I pulled out the MTR-3B manual to give it another thorough read-through–from cover to cover. It’s not a large manual. My goal was to refresh my memory about recording and playing back CW message memories. In the process, I also discovered that the MTR-3B has a clever (and quite unconventional) direct frequency entry method.

Via the DFE function, you simply enter four digits of the desired frequency, 0 to 9 via Morse Code, starting with the 100 kHz digit. It’s a little quirky, but it works quite well!

This doesn’t make band-scanning any easier, but it does help me while hunting since I can directly enter the frequency I find on the POTA or SOTA spots page.

This one function made my MTR-3B that much more usable. Somehow, I missed this part of the manual when I first purchased the MTR-3B–I’m so happy I took a deep dive later.

Getting to know you…

Advice from Julie Andrews:

Audio Player

If it’s a rainy day, or you’re simply trying to stay awake during a mandatory remote meeting for work, or like today there’s a radio blackout, use that time to get to know your radio by taking a deep dive in its manual.

Read it from cover to cover: I guarantee you”ll learn something new about an old friend.