Tag Archives: MM0OPX QRP EFHW

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

No Table, No Problem: TGIF Activation in Pisgah National Forest!

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On Friday, November 8, 2024, my wife and I ran errands while one of our daughters attended a Shakespeare rehearsal.

Since these rehearsals typically last 2–3 hours, I try to make the most of the time by completing errands and squeezing in a POTA activation when possible.

That day, my wife encouraged me to fit in a quick activation, provided we could also handle a few errands in town.

Fortunately, one of our stops was near the Sycamore Flats picnic area in Pisgah National Forest (K-4510). I’ve been activating this site almost weekly since Hurricane Helene swept through North Carolina, as it has been one of the few accessible parks. (Thankfully, as of today, a few more sites have reopened!)

When we arrived, we saw a large group of volunteers working to clean up the area. They were filling holes in the road and repairing picnic table pads damaged by flooding.

To avoid getting in their way, I set up under the trees by the river, away from the main picnic area where they were working.

Sadly, none of the picnic tables near the river remained—they were likely swept away by the floodwaters. This wasn’t an issue, as my POTA/SOTA pack always has everything I need for a fully self-contained activation.

Two of my favorite field accessories

Two pieces of gear make it incredibly easy for me to activate anywhere: my Helinox Chair Zero and my Tufteln N0RNM Folding Knee Board.

While I’ve activated sitting on logs, large rocks, or the ground, I increasingly appreciate the comfort of a proper chair. The Helinox Chair Zero is a game-changer: lightweight, sturdy, and easy to pack. It’s pricey, but I’ve never regretted the investment.

The Helinox chair is quick to deploy and stable on the ground, unlike the three-legged trail stools I used to carry!
My KX2 on the Tufteln kneeboard earlier this year at Lake James.

The Tufteln kneeboard is another essential. It’s just large enough to hold portable radios (KX1, KX2, KX3, TR-35, TX-500, MTR-3B, QMX, QCX, CFT1, etc.) and my Rite in the Rain notepad. Strapped to my leg, it provides a stable surface for logging and operating.

This is exactly how I set up my station that day at Sycamore Flats.

Next, I deployed my MM0OPX 40 meter end-fed half-wave, connected it to the KX2 (double-checking that the ATU was in bypass mode) and hopped on the air!

Gear:

My entire station is in this Nemo Resolve pack.

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Radio

Antenna & Supports

Cable Assembly

Throw Line and Accessories

Other Field Gear and Accessories

Packs & Cases

Logging Supplies

Camera/Audio Gear

On The Air

As I mention in the activation video (below), setup and pack-up took longer than my actual on-air time. My wife waited in the car, catching up on post-Hurricane Helene financial tasks. Continue reading No Table, No Problem: TGIF Activation in Pisgah National Forest! →

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

Morning on the Trail and On the Air: A Relaxing K2 QRP POTA Activation from the Campsite

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I woke up around 6:45 on Saturday, August 24, 2024. That’s late for me, but I tend to sleep well when camping and it must have helped that the previous evening POTA activation by the campfire was pure bliss.

There were some noises in the campground that woke me up during the night (probably other campers scaring off raccoons), but aside from that, I slept peacefully in my rooftop tent.

As I lay there Saturday morning, I couldn’t decide whether to make breakfast and hit the air for an early morning POTA activation, or to take a nice hike before everyone else in the campground woke up.

I chose the latter option!

At 7:00 AM, I headed to the nearby trailhead for the Lake Shore trail. It was a very pleasant and quiet hike—roughly 5 miles in total.

Afterwards, I made some blueberry oatmeal and a cup of French-pressed coffee. It really hit the spot!

Next, I grabbed my Elecraft K2 and connected it to the MM0OPX 40M EFHW that I had set up the previous evening.

I realized it had been a while since I’d taken the K2 out into the field, which was why I packed it for this trip. I use the K2 quite often in the shack, but it needed some outdoor time. All radios (and their operators!) need outdoor therapy!

New Tufteln TP-III Protective Cover

My friend Joshua (N5FY) at Tufteln sent me this protective cover, at no cost to me, for the BamaKey TP-III.  Joshua has almost become a specialist in making bespoke protective covers for radios and accessories.

This cover is great. You insert four rare earth magnets (included) into four holes in the bottom of the cover. These work with the rare earth magnets on the TP-III to mag-lock the cover in place.

If you buy one of these for your TP-III, I would advice that you check the polarity of the magnets on the TP-III before inserting the magnets in the cover’s holes. I didn’t do this and found that I’d aligned a couple of the magnets in opposition, thus they repelled the magnets in the case. I had to dig the magnets out and reverse them–not a complicated procedure, but one I could have avoided had I simply thought about this in advance!

Anyway, I do like this cover! Thanks, Joshua!

Gear

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On The Air

I hopped on the air and started calling CQ POTA on the 40-meter band. I figured that at this time of morning, 40 meters should be in decent shape.

I was right! Continue reading Morning on the Trail and On the Air: A Relaxing K2 QRP POTA Activation from the Campsite →

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overnight camping trip

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

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

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

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

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

Lake Norman State Park (US-2740)

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

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

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

The C6 Rev Tent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fireside POTA

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

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

Gear

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On The Air

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

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

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

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

POTA Activation at Strouds Run State Park: A Rainy Morning and Ham Radio Memories!

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On Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, I hopped in my car and headed north to Athens, Ohio. It was in Athens, back in 1997, that my ham radio journey truly began, and where I met my friends Eric (WD8RIF) and Mike (K8RAT).

For over 14 years, Eric, his son Miles (KD8KNC), and I have made the annual pilgrimage to Hamvention and FDIM, with few interruptions. My routine is to drive to Athens, catch up with Eric and his wife, Vickie, stay overnight, and then head to Dayton the next day with Eric and Miles. I enjoy this because it breaks up my travels and usually allows for some POTA activating along the way.

This Wednesday morning, Eric had an appointment and a meeting, so our plan was to leave for Dayton around noon. This gave me the morning free to play radio!

Breakfast at Miller’s Chicken

I left the house around 8:00 AM with the goal of activating Strouds Run State Park, conveniently located near downtown Athens. But first, breakfast!

I try to avoid chain restaurants when traveling, preferring local spots. I was delighted to discover that Miller’s Chicken, an Athens institution, served breakfast. I had no idea!

Miller’s Chicken holds fond memories for me. When my wife was a graduate student at Ohio University, for a brief period of time, she lived within walking distance and we often ate there. She even acted in a student film shot at the restaurant!

Walking in, I realized it had been 23+ years since my last visit. I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit with coffee as a group of students left, leaving me with the place almost to myself.

POTA at Strouds Run State Park (US-1994)

I arrived at the park around 9:15 AM. It had been raining all morning, so I sought cover under a picnic Shelter.  Eric, a frequent activator of Strouds Run, had told me where to find all of Strouds’ shelters.

Check out Eric’s standing on the park’s POTA page:

You can also read all of Eric’s hundreds of field reports on his website.

I found an empty shelter by the lakeshore (no surprise given the weather). I brought several radios with me on the Dayton trip: my Elecraft KX2, KH1, Index Labs QRP Plus, Venus SW-3B (always in the car), and my Yaesu FT-818.

Propagation has been a hot mess lately. I figured 40 meters and 20 meters would be the best bands to try, and the EFHW is resonant on both, eliminating the need for an antenna tuner.

Setup was easy, with trees near the shelter providing ideal suspension points for the EFHW.

(Note about audio: As I prepared this activation video, I discovered that my wireless mic wasn’t connected, so you won’t hear me when I walk away from the camera. My apologies! There’s also more wind noise than usual. However, you’ll hear plenty of waterfowl and other birds enjoying the park.)

Jeweler’s Bench Block

Only a couple of days prior, I received a Jeweler’s Bench Block that I purchased on Amazon.com (affiliate link). Several friends had recommended I pick up one to pair with my lightweight, portable keys that have embedded rare-earth magnets.

The key I paired with it was my BamaKey TP-III. You’ll hear me rave about this combo in the activation video.

It weighs 13.7 ounces and has a silicon base: I found that with the TP-III (which has a light action), it was rock-solid on the picnic table.

I wish I would have purchased one of these ages ago!

Gear:

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On The Air

I started calling CQ and, fortunately, hunters started replying! Continue reading POTA Activation at Strouds Run State Park: A Rainy Morning and Ham Radio Memories! →

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

Caregiving and QSOs: Returning to a Favorite POTA Site

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Those of you who’ve been following my field reports for a few years might have noticed something different:  I haven’t been activating some of my favorite POTA sites as often.  Here’s the reason why, and how I’m working to get back on the air at these special locations:

Most notably:

  • Lake James SP (US-2739),
  • South Mountains SP (US-2753),
  • Lake Norman (US-2740),
  • Fort Dobbs (US-6839),
  • and Tuttle Educational State Forest (US-4861)

These parks are all in or around Hickory, NC, where I used to travel weekly to care for my mom and take her to oncology appointments.

Sadly, she passed away in January. Since my sister has moved in with my dad, my trips to Hickory are now often day trips with the family, squeezed into busy afternoons.  Unfortunately, that hasn’t left much time for radio activations.

I’ve been longing to return to these parks! As an activator, you get attached to familiar spots–at least, I do–they become a home-away-from-home. These parks have definitely been calling me.

Two weeks ago, however, I started driving to Hickory again daily. My father was hospitalized, and I needed to be there for him. Thankfully, he’s much more stable now, in physical therapy rehab, and making progress.

These trips back to Hickory have allowed me to fit in some “radio therapy” at my favorite POTA sites.

On Thursday, April 25, 2024, I finally returned to the one I miss most: Tuttle Educational State Forest (US-4861).

Tuttle is an ideal POTA site: plenty of setup spots, a two-mile loop trail, and incredibly supportive staff. They’ve encouraged me to put up any antenna I want, as long as it doesn’t interfere with other visitors. Plus, Tuttle is usually quiet, which I also love.

It was nice to see Tuttle’s entrance sign again!

Once on-site, I picked out a picnic site with shade. It was a sunny spring day and I forgot to bring my wide-brimmed hat (it was in the other car!).

It wasn’t a problem, though, as most of the picnic area at Tuttle is shaded.

That morning, I loaded one of my radio packs with gear and packed my Index Labs QRP Plus.

I was eager to put my Index Labs QRP Plus back on the air at a park. This radio holds sentimental value, taking me back to visiting my first amateur radio field activity in 1997! I paired it with my MM0OPX End-Fed Half-Wave for multi-band operation (40, 20, 15, and 10 meters).

You can almost see the MM0OPX EFHW in this photo!

I decided to pair the QRP Plus with an End-Fed Half-Wave which would give me 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters without needing an external ATU (I had packed my Elecraft T1 as well, but I really didn’t need it).

I had a little over an hour to perform this activation, then head back to the QTH to be with my wife and daughters. It was “Star Trek” night, so I couldn’t be late (priorities–!).

Gear

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On The Air

Even though propagation has been very unstable lately, I’ve gotten some surprising openings on the higher bands, so I decided to start this activation on 10 meters, then work my way down the band until I hit activity. Continue reading Caregiving and QSOs: Returning to a Favorite POTA Site →

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

My first POTA Activation with the Index Labs QRP Plus Field Transceiver

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Sometimes, we do things for the pure nostalgia of it all!

I mentioned in a previous post that I recently acquired a circa 1995 Index Labs QRP Plus transceiver. Being transparent here, this was an impulse purchase fueled by pure, unadulterated nostalgia.

The QRP Plus was the first QRP transceiver that I’d ever laid my eyes on only a month or so before obtaining my ham radio ticket in 1997. I’ll write about this in more detail in the future–and I speak to this in my video below–but let’s just say that this little cube of a radio made a big impression on me at the very beginning of my ham radio journey.

I thought it might be fun to take it to the field and compare this 1995 state-of-the-art radio with so many of my other field radios. The QRP Plus wasn’t a perfect radio, but it was a marvel at the time it was produced. I can’t think of a smaller, more battery-efficient general coverage 160-10M QRP transceiver at the time.

I was eager to introduce this little radio to the world of POTA so on the morning of Thursday March 21, 2024, I grabbed it and hit the field!

Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace (US-6856)

I called the Vance site that morning and learned that a large school group would be arriving around noon. Since I was planning to leave around that time anyway, it was perfect timing for me.

Since I hadn’t created a field kit specifically for the QRP Plus yet, I brought my watertight stackable Husky brand box that basically contains everything I need to set up a field radio station, save the radio.

I unpacked everything I needed: a key, key cable, battery, power cord, cable assembly, antenna, logbook and pencil.

Since the QRP Plus has no internal tuner, I paired it with my MM0OPX 40M EFHW antenna which would give me 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. Note that Index Labs used to make an external manual ATU for this radio called the QRP Companion–I’ve never seen one in person, though.

Even though the Vance staff told me that the school group would not be using the picnic shelter, thus I could have free reign, I still deployed my antenna in a way that it would not become a trip hazard–keeping it close to the shelter and as conspicuous as I could (I do wish I would have brought along my flagging tape, but I left it at home).

Setting up the QRP Plus station was quick and easy. Time to hit the air!

Gear:

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On The Air

I started calling CQ POTA on the 40 meter band, hoping it would be a little productive while we were still in the latter part of the morning. Continue reading My first POTA Activation with the Index Labs QRP Plus Field Transceiver →

Accessories, Antennas, Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Videos

POTA by Lantern Light: One Activation in Two Days with Two Antennas!

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On Friday, February 9, 2024, I had an opportunity to do an extended Late-Shift POTA activation in Pisgah National Forest. I couldn’t pass that up!

Once again, one of my daughters had a casting call and a Shakespeare performance that opened up an activation window from about 17:00 – 20:00 local (22:00 UTC – 01:00 UTC).

If you’ve followed my POTA activities for a while, you’ll note that multi-hour activation windows are very much a rarity. More often than not, I’m squeezing activations into 30-60 minute windows of time as I go about my work and family duties.

Pisgah National Forest and Game Lands

The closest POTA site, once again, was Pisgah National Forest (K-4510) and Pisgah Game Lands (K-6937). There are so many sites to choose from within Pisgah; it’s always a difficult decision in terms of picking a location.

In this case, I decided to stay a little closer to mobile phone service just in case my family needed to reach me during that time. I chose the Sycamore Flats picnic area and was happy to see that the picnic shelter was available.

I thought it might be fun to set up two antennas since I had so much time. For the first part of the activation, on 20 meters, I would deploy the Chameleon MPAS Lite vertical.

For the second part (the following UTC day), I would deploy my MM0OPX 40-meter end-fed half-wave as I knew 40 meters would be much more active after sunset.

EFHW Deployment

Since sunset was approaching, I deployed my MM0OPX EFHW first because it’s much easier to deploy a wire antenna in a tree when it’s still light outside.

Side note: I mention in the activation video that a good headlamp (like my Fenix) makes working in the dark quite easy. I’ve deployed wire antennas after sunset with headlamps before–it’s quite doable–but I still prefer using a throw line when there’s still sunlight. It’s just easier (for me, at least) to judge distance.

I deployed the EFHW in a tree and in the brush between two pathways. While it would have been easier to deploy it on a path, I always try to deploy my wire antennas in a way that hikers and other park guests wouldn’t easily walk into them–especially at dusk when even high-visibility line colors are difficult to see.

Chameleon Carbon Fiber Tripod

The second antenna deployment was my Chameleon MPAS Lite vertical, and this activation gave me an excuse to test the new Chameleon carbon fiber portable tripod.

In January, Chameleon sent me a box with a few of their smaller accessories/promotional items. I plan to give away everything, save the tripod, in an upcoming QRPer giveaway.

I’ve been eager to test the tripod because it’s lighter and easier to transport (in my SOTA pack) than the stainless spike that comes with the MPAS Lite antenna system. This tripod will also come in handy when operating at parks that don’t allow stakes in the ground. Continue reading POTA by Lantern Light: One Activation in Two Days with Two Antennas! →

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

One Watt, Low-Profile QRP: A Labor Day POTA Activation at Lake James State Park

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I realize that I’m fortunate, in many ways, that I perform POTA activations at times when parks are relatively quiet: weekdays, mostly, and during that 9-5 window when many are at work. On the flip side, I’m also activating when there are fewer hunters out there.

The upshot, for me, is that I rarely have any competition for picnic tables or activation spots at state and national parks. In general, as you’ll see in my activation videos, the park is quiet and sometimes I literally have the place to myself.

I actually take this for granted until I activate on a busy weekend or a holiday. Something like…

Labor Day!

While traveling back to the QTH on Monday, September 4, 2023, I decided to pop by Lake James State Park (K-2739) for a quick POTA activation.

Lake James State Park spans about 3,743 acres and is divided into two areas: the Catawba River Access and Paddy’s Creek Area.

Typically, I play radio at the smaller Catawba River area because there are so many excellent picnic sites with loads of trees.

The Paddy’s Creek area is much larger and (big bonus) has many more trails.

Paddy’s Creek also has a large beach and swimming/boating area with a huge parking lot and large covered picnic shelter (that is often occupied or reserved).

On Labor Day, the weather was gorgeous and, as you might imagine, the park was packed!

So why did I choose Paddy’s Creek on such a busy day?

I might have mentioned in a previous video that we recently purchased a used Volvo C40 Recharge EV (Electric Vehicle). While I normally charge it up at home, I’m trying to familiarize myself with charging on the go as well.

I’d read that Lake James has two (free!) convenience chargers at the Paddy’s Creek area. I drove to the site mainly to see where the were located. On such a busy day, I didn’t assume either of the chargers would be available–my plan was to find them, then head to the Catawba River access.

But turns out, the only available parking spot I could find at the Paddy’s Creek lot was one EV charging spot right there at the beach access and shelter! What!?! That’s an omen, I told myself, so I pulled into the spot, plugged in, and by golly, the car started charging.

I’m still new at this stuff, so it’s all a bit of magic to me. Forgive my excitement.

But where to activate?

The park was teeming with people all out enjoying the weather, the water, and the food and drinks. Truth is, I love seeing parks being enjoyed on this scale. Continue reading One Watt, Low-Profile QRP: A Labor Day POTA Activation at Lake James State Park →

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

QRP POTA: Breaking in an Elecraft KX1 and setting up message memories in the field

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If you’ve been reading QRPer.com for long, you’ll no doubt have gathered that I’m [understatement alert] a big fan of the Elecraft KX1.

A couple months ago, a good friend and supporter of this site/channel, reached out to me because he planned to sell his pristine Elecraft KX1. He’s in the process of downsizing his radio inventory in preparation of a move.

He wanted me to have first dibs at his KX1 and I couldn’t refuse. I knew it would be a great unit and I wanted two fully-functioning KX1s.

You might ask, “But wait Thomas, don’t you have three KX1s???”

Yes, this is true.

With this latest addition, I have now have two fully-functioning KX1s (a 3 and a 4 band version) and one other in need of repair. After I make the repair, I plan to give this radio to a friend (one who doesn’t read QRPer regularly) so will be back to two KX1s.

Since Elecraft has discontinued the KX1, they’ve become difficult to find on the market and when they do appear, they often demand a very high price.

That said, if you’ve been looking for a KX1, you will eventually find one. All of my friends who’ve wanted one have put out word and found willing sellers in due time. Elecraft sold quite a few of these back in the day, so there are units floating around out there.

Tuttle Educational State Forest (K-4861)

On Sunday, August 27, 2023, I had an opening to play a little radio and fit in a hike at Tuttle Educational State Forest.

At the time, I needed a little radio therapy and outdoor break: my mom had been admitted to the hospital the previous day (they released her a few days later and at time of posting she’s doing much better).

Tuttle was only a 30 minute drive from the hospital and, as I suspected, I was the only visitor there that Sunday–educational forests aren’t nearly as busy as other NC state parks.

After a nice 3-ish mile hike, I grabbed my radio backpack from the car and started recording an activation video.

My goal was to test this new KX1 and to set up CW message memories.

First, though, I needed to deploy an antenna. I chose my MM0OPX EFHW because it was in my pack from a previous activation. This antenna has never let me down. Continue reading QRP POTA: Breaking in an Elecraft KX1 and setting up message memories in the field →

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

Getting To Know You Series: The Icom IC-705 – My thoughts, notes, and a POTA activation!

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I’m very fortunate in that over the past few years I’ve accumulated a number of QRP radios that I use in rotation when I do park and summit activations.

I’m often asked for advice on choosing radios, and as I’ve mentioned in the past, I feel like the decision is a very personal one–everything is based on an operator’s own particular preferences.

I’ve written formal reviews about most of the field radios in my collection over the years. In those reviews, I try to take a wide angle view of a radio–I try to see how it might appeal to a number of types of operators: field operators, DXers, summit activators, contesters, rag-chewers, casual operators, SWLs, travelers, outdoor adventurers, mobile operators, etc. I highlight the pros and cons, but I don’t focus on my own particular take because, again, my style of operating might not match that of readers. I try to present the full picture as clearly as I can and let the reader decide.

On that note, I thought it might be fun to take a radio out for a field activation and spend a bit of time explaining why I enjoy using that particular radio and why it’s a part of my permanent field radio collection. Instead of taking that wide-angle view of a radio like I do in magazine reviews, I share my own personal thoughts based on long-term experience.

Getting To Know You

Each new video in the Getting To Know You series will highlight one of the field radios from my field radio collection.  I’ll spend time in each video explaining what I personally appreciate about each radio, then we’ll do a park or summit activation with the radio.

I’ll release these every few weeks or so–when the notion strikes me.  They will not be on a regular schedule, but I hope to include each of my radios in this series over the the next year.

The Icom IC-705

The second radio in the Getting To Know You series is my Icom IC-705.

From the moment I first unboxed my Icom IC-705, I’ve been incredibly pleased with it. It’s a proper 21st century radio. Not only does it have a very wide frequency range, multimode operation, and an incredibly deep feature set, but it also sports proper wireless connectivity.

The IC-705 has become one of the most popular QRP rigs on the market despite it’s nearly $1,400 US price tag.

I originally purchased and reviewed the Icom IC-705 in 2020 (click here to read my review).

In the activation video (below) I’ll tell you about how I acquired my IC-705, why I think it’s so unique, and why I’ve no intention of ever selling it. Then, we’ll perform a POTA activation.

Keep in mind that my perspective will primarily focus on HF operating even though the IC-705 also sports multimode VHF and UHF.

South Mountains State Park (K-2753)

While driving back to the QTH on July 6, 2023, I stopped by the Clear Creek Access of South Mountains State Park–it was the perfect location to play radio on a hot and very humid day.

South Mountains’ only picnic table is located under the shade of a large oak tree. Continue reading Getting To Know You Series: The Icom IC-705 – My thoughts, notes, and a POTA activation! →