Tag Archives: Morse Code

Pushing Through QRM: Low-Profile, Low-Impact POTA with the Elecraft AX3 and New Clamp Mount

I’ve mentioned my good buddy Mike (KE8PTX) in previous posts—he’s designed some very cool 3D-printed accessories for portable operators.

Just a day before our family left on our multi-week trip to Québec, Mike sent me two brand-new mounts he designed for the Elecraft AX3 antenna: a strap mount (which I used in this activation) and a clamp mount, similar to the one he previously created for the AX1 (used here).

The included AX3 tripod legs make for a stable antenna base in calmer conditions–of course the legs can be pinned down to provide extra stability if needed.

While the AX3 has built-in tripod legs that work quite well, having a mount that can handle gusty conditions is a big plus when you’re operating outdoors.

On Monday, June 23, 2025, I decided to take Mike’s new AX3 clamp mount to the field at my favorite local park.

Reserve Nationale de Faune du Cap‑Tourmente (CA-0012)

According to historical records, explorer Samuel de Champlain first used the name “Cap Tourmente” in 1608 to describe how the Saint Lawrence River’s currents and winds caused the waters to churn or surge at that location—hence, the “Cape of turbulence.”

It’s rare that I visit Cap Tourmente and don’t encounter gusty winds, so I figured this would be the perfect spot to test Mike’s new clamp mount.

I arrived shortly after noon and scoped out the area near the park’s interpretive center, searching for a picnic table to set up my station. There were plenty of options, but I was looking for something a little off the beaten path—away from foot traffic and, ideally, not too close to the interpretive center (to avoid QRM).

Entrance to the interpretive center.

I found a table that checked most of the boxes: it was off-path, a good distance from the center, and near a utility shed used by park staff.

That said, I immediately noticed overhead power lines in the area. After scouting around more, it became clear that all of the picnic tables were located near power lines, so I simply hoped they wouldn’t generate too much RF noise.

To be clear: there were no safety concerns—the AX3 is only about four feet tall, and the power lines were well above that. I also wasn’t setting up directly underneath them. Still, it’s worth stating: power lines are a serious concern in the field, well beyond potential QRM. It’s critical to always look up, assess the area, and plan accordingly. Here’s a recent reminder of why that’s so important.

Setting Up

Deploying the AX3 (like the AX2 or AX1) is super quick and easy—which is one of the reasons I love these antennas so much. Less setup time means more time on the air.

The clamp mount simply screws into the bottom of the AX3. I connected the antenna to my Elecraft KX2 and plugged in my UMPP-1 key, mounted on a jeweler’s block. A tidy, portable, low-impact station!

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I powered on the KX2 and scanned the 20-meter band. I didn’t hear any strong stations at first—a bad sign, possibly pointing to poor propagation.

I also noticed a noise floor around S4–S5, likely due to QRM from the interpretive center.

When QRM pushes the noise floor up a few S-units, it can mask weaker signals that would otherwise be workable.

Still, the only way to find out was to start calling CQ POTA! Continue reading Pushing Through QRM: Low-Profile, Low-Impact POTA with the Elecraft AX3 and New Clamp Mount

Short on Time, Yet Loads of Fun: Gusty QRP POTA at Cap Tourmente!

On Sunday, June 22, we spent the day in Québec City enjoying a local farmer’s market, visiting a café, catching up with friends, and taking a long walk in the woods. Somehow, we managed to return to our condo in St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Québec, by 3:30 in the afternoon.

My wife and daughters decided to spend some quality time reading and doing art—and frankly, I was tempted to do the same. A friend had recently prompted me to dive into the world of Three Pines, so I was working on Louise Penny’s first book, Still Life [yes, QRPer affiliate link].

But then I looked outside, checked the time, and realized I just might have enough daylight to squeeze in a quick POTA activation! My only viable site nearby was Cap Tourmente, just a short 15-minute drive from the condo.

However, Cap Tourmente closes at 5:00 PM, and with propagation having been so poor lately, I knew I had to make haste.

Cap Tourmente Réserve Nationale de Faune (CA-0012)

In my last activation video at Cap Tourmente, I mentioned that park entry would be free under the Canada Strong Pass program. Unfortunately, I was mistaken—national wildlife refuges are not included in that program; it’s geared more toward national parks and historic sites.

No worries—I was still happy to pay the entry fee as I typically drop a donation at parks I frequent anyway.

By the time I reached the park entrance, it was about 3:45 PM. That left me just over an hour to deploy gear, hop on the air, and complete an activation.

It was a blustery Sunday afternoon. Looking out over the St. Lawrence River, I saw nothing but white caps. The upside to all that wind? Fewer mosquitoes!

I pulled into the same large parking area where I’d activated the previous day. I backed up to a tree line, which offered some wind protection and a natural spot to deploy my antenna.

For this activation, I wanted some frequency agility, so I opted to deploy my Tufteln end-fed random wire (EFRW) with a 31’ radiator and 17’ counterpoise.

I backed my car toward the sun so that the open hatch would provide some welcome shade. I then set up my Moonlander table and Helinox Chair Zero for a comfy operating position.

With everything deployed, it was time to get on the air!

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I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters, hoping I could log at least ten stations in the ~40 minutes I had left before packing up. Continue reading Short on Time, Yet Loads of Fun: Gusty QRP POTA at Cap Tourmente!

K3ES: A Hot and Humid Walk with a No-Frills Activation

by Brian (K3ES)

Sometimes life gets in the way of putting Parks on the Air (POTA). But sometimes, you just need to find a way to fit it in. In northwest Pennsylvania, spring and early summer have been damp, with April showers seeming to extend through May, June, and into July. The middle week of July seemed ready to bring more of the same, so when expected sunshine on Tuesday aligned with a break from other responsibilities, Molly the POTA dog and I took the opportunity to fit in a combined walk and activation.

Earlier in the day my Code Buddy, Al – KC4M, and I had cut short our periodic QSO as the 40m band took a dive. Molly and I would activate anyway. As we prepared to leave, the temperature was rising quickly through the upper 70s on its way toward 90F, and the humidity was high. Molly and I would activate anyway.

The Plan

It takes almost 100 miles of hiking on the North Country Trail to cross Allegheny National Forest. For this activation, Molly and I covered one mile in each direction, and our section of trail was located very close to where it enters the park from the west.

I held two things in mind as I considered my activation options. First, Molly likes her walks. Unless it is raining, we take a daily half-mile walk to, and around, our pond. That suits her well, but she does like longer walks. Recently we had done far too many parking lot activations, so that we had a quick out in case of rain. I, too, needed a some exercise, so this activation needed to include a longer walk. Second, I have set a goal to collect 1000 CW activator contacts from the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) to finish a POTA Kilo Award from US-4239. Since nearly all of my activations are done with QRP CW, getting 1000 contacts takes quite a while. To date, I had completed 27 activations of the NCT, taking me to 833 contacts. In pursuit of my goal, I wanted to increase my tally by again activating the NCT. So, the plan had to include a decent walk to a location where I could activate the NCT.

The NCT crosses through the northwest corner of Pennsylvania, and there are many good locations for activating that are also close to our home. This time I picked a spot in Allegheny National Forest (ANF, US-0619) with parking and access to a sedate stretch of the NCT. So, we would try for a modest walk along the trail, stopping for a 2-fer activation, before returning again to the truck.

Onward!

A 20 minute drive (well, 35 minutes if you count the detour for unexpected roadwork) took us to our starting point. I parked my truck in an ANF parking lot located about ¼ mile from the NCT. As I suited up (In deference to today’s sun and previous days’ rain, I pulled on a brimmed hat and my muck boots, while Molly went barefoot with a basic leash), collected our gear (more on that later), and prepared for our walk, I realized that I had not picked up my DEET insect repellent on the way out the door. I would just have to hope that my treated clothing (more on that later) would keep the mosquitoes at bay, so we left the parking lot by following a gated forest road that would join up with the NCT.

The forest road gave us the opportunity to ease into the afternoon’s walking experience. As we passed along its well-drained gravel surface, trees provided shade, but most foliage was kept back by the roadbed, and the mosquitoes and gnats were a bit tentative.

Once we turned off onto the narrow track of the NCT, vegetation closed in, the humidity spiked upward, and the flying insects came looking for an easy meal. Fortunately, despite my lack of DEET repellent, we were not defenseless. Molly wears a collar that keeps fleas and ticks at bay, and it also seems to discourage mosquitoes. I dressed in clothing from Insect Shield: their long-sleeved fishing shirt, cargo pants, and socks had been pre-treated with a long-lasting permethrin formula (advertised to be effective for 70 washings). I also wore a brimmed hat that I had sprayed with permethrin. Permethrin seemed to discourage mosquitoes and gnats from biting, but they still had an annoying tendency to fly around near my face.

I wore these articles of permethrin-treated clothing, which helped to keep mosquitoes and gnats (and hopefully ticks) at bay during the walk and activation. The shirt, pants, and socks came from Insect Shield. I treated my brimmed hat with permethrin spray.
My KX2 kit is entirely contained in the canvas satchel. One of my water bottles and my padded seat were attached to anchor points on the outside. Overall I appreciated the light load for walking on a hot and humid day.
Molly clearly does not appreciate my gear, she just wants to get walking…

The temperature and humidity made for a steamy walk. I was glad I had prepared by bringing the light-weight kit built around my Elecraft KX2. It allowed me to bring along plenty of water to keep both me and Molly hydrated (her collapsible travel bowl fit nicely in the side pocket of my cargo pants) for the walk and the activation. After about a mile of walking, I found a reasonable spot to set up my shack. This was to be a rustic affair, because I brought a seat cushion rather than a full chair. I found a flat rock, just to the side of the trail, that was a comfortable height for a seat. There were also several overhanging trees, with promising branches to support my wire antenna.

The Activation

Molly shows off her POTA form. She enjoyed her nap on the damp ground on this hot afternoon.

I attached Molly’s leash to a nearby sapling, and got busy with the setting up. Molly generally watches me for a bit, then takes a nap while I activate. This day was no exception. She particularly seemed to enjoy the damp ground as a refuge from the heat. Fortunately for both of us, she did not find it necessary to roll around and get muddy while enjoying the coolness. As a POTA dog, Molly is quite patient, but she is not shy about letting me know when it looks like we might stay beyond her dinner time. Continue reading K3ES: A Hot and Humid Walk with a No-Frills Activation

Portable Radio Perseverance at Réserve nationale de faune du Cap-Tourmente

I woke up on the morning of June 19, 2025, expecting to see rain when I opened the door to our balcony at the condo in St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Québec.

Instead, it was a bit overcast, but quite dry. I checked my weather app and saw that the forecast had pushed the rain—which I expected to begin around 6:00—to 9:00.

The forecast then showed rain throughout the rest of the day and the next. Being the POTA fellow I am, I wanted to squeeze in an activation before nearly two days of wet weather properly moved in.

Fortunately, one of my favorite POTA spots local to our condo is Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area (Réserve nationale de faune)—a site I’ve activated during our past stays in the area.

I double-checked my field radio backpack, grabbed a bite of breakfast, then hit the road!

Bumps in the road

Photo from August 2022

My plan that morning was to activate CA-0012 from a spot outside of their main grounds in a marshy area with a wildlife viewing blind.

Photo from August 2022

I activated this very spot back in 2022 and loved it—[click here to read that report]—it was peaceful and easy to deploy a wire antenna there. It’s also a couple of minutes closer than the main reserve and I wouldn’t have to pay an admission fee to use it.

In truth, though, my main motivation was knowing that I would be under a heavy canopy of trees, so if it rained, I might get a bit of cover for a while.

I was fully aware, though, that the price I would pay for activating there was going to be mosquitoes. This site is surrounded by marsh areas, and that morning the air was still, warm, and humid. The perfect recipe for mosquitoes.

En route to the site, it dawned on me that I’d left the microSD card for my camera in my laptop back at the condo. As my buddy Vince (VE6LK) says, “Potty mouth made an appearance”—indeed, quite spontaneously!

I knew if I took the time to turn back and fetch the card from the condo, it would likely start raining by the time I set up my station. Then I remembered that I packed my old OSMO camera in my pack as a spare—of course! I could use the spare camera’s SD card. That problem was solved.

I parked my car in the little parking area across from the wildlife viewing area, grabbed my pack, and walked across the road.

The first thing I noticed was that the area under the trees had not been mowed. There was a path to walk, but all around it was tall grass flanked by trees. Did I mention that mosquitoes love tall grass?

I walked into the site and passed a wildlife photographer. He was the only person on-site, and I figured he also knew rain was incoming. I found a spot where I could deploy my antenna with ease and mostly stay off of the path.

Then I made the mistake of looking down at my legs.

Despite the fact I had Permethrin-treated trousers and had even applied a bit of DEET repellent, there was a swarm—likely 50+ mosquitoes—around my legs. There was no way in the world I could cope with that many mosquitoes sitting so close to the ground during my activation.

Time to “pivot,” as folks like to say these days.

I wasn’t going to give up, so I headed to the main park area and paid my entry fee at the gate.

Réserve nationale de faune du Cap-Tourmente (CA-0012)

Since I didn’t want to hunt for a location, I picked one I knew well—again, one I had previously activated [click here to read that report].

The site is basically a large, open parking area close to the front gate and the “petite ferme” portion of the site.

The mosquitoes weren’t bad at all in this open area, so I backed the car up to some trees I could use to support my antenna.

Turns out, I discovered later on, that this particular part of the site is also a twofer with The Trans Canada Trail National Scenic Trail (CA-5082), since the entry to the parkway is actually a part of the trail system.

I was in a bit of a hurry to beat the rain and actually almost forgot to start my video rolling. I made one throw line attempt and wasn’t pleased with the branch I snagged. It was only when I started my second attempt that I realized I’d forgotten to start the camera!

I decided to deploy my MW0SAW homebrew end-fed half-wave, knowing/hoping that either 20 or 40 meters should carry me through the activation.

I set up my Helinox chair and the KX2 on my Tufteln/N0RNM kneeboard.

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I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters—with my Canadian callsign, VY2SW—and was rewarded with seven hunters logged in about nine minutes. Continue reading Portable Radio Perseverance at Réserve nationale de faune du Cap-Tourmente

Mindful POTA: N4MJL Activates the Oklahoma City National Memorial

by Micah (N4MJL)

March 18th, 2025, I successfully activated the Oklahoma City National Memorial (US-8115). I typically get a few activation photos and post them to the POTA Facebook group, so that hunters get the chance to see the other side of the hobby. I have always enjoyed seeing other activators’ radio setups in the parks that I just hunted. So I was very surprised when I received some very negative comments/private messages from several different individuals about my activating this park. Growing up in southeast Missouri, I am very aware of the seriousness of this memorial to many people!

I often overnight in Oklahoma City for work trips. I have walked through this park without activating it on many occasions. On my last trip through OKC, I was up early out walking, and as per my habit, I had my Elecraft KH1 in my backpack. It was an early morning weekday, and it was still chilly out.

On one of my previous trips through OKC, I had already researched the park website to see if there was anything forbidding the use of radios in the park. The park’s website states that it is open 24 hours, and it did not list any rules different from any other national park/memorial. As you can see from my photos, I was the only “civilian” in the park during my activation. I was the 11th successful activator of this park.

Since the park website rules listed nothing that would forbid use of radios in the park, I decided to check out the park.

As a responsible operator, I understand the importance of using common sense and showing courtesy to those around me. I also recognize the importance as an activator to leave a good relationship with park authorities so that I do not ruin it for the activators that will come after me.

I was the only person in this park for the entire 59 minutes that I was on the air, except for three people who I will talk about in a moment.

Let me be clear: if there had been other visitors in this park, I would have been sensitive to the situation and probably not activated.

Even though I had researched the rules for activating this park, I still activate under the premise that it is better to ask forgiveness than permission. What that means is, if rules don’t specifically say I can’t, then I am not going to be going around asking for permission. I will, however, still use common sense and NOT be sticking stakes in the ground or trying to throw wires up in the trees.

I chose the pedestrian mobile configuration for my KH-1 because other than a short counterpoise wire and my notebook, all radio gear was held in my hands.

As always, I use earbuds so that I am not making any noise with my setup.

As the contacts started trickling in, I noticed a park ranger walk out to the reflection pool in front of me. He would glance over at me, then he would stare up at the sky. He would turn, look over at me again, then stare up at the sky a while longer. The park ranger was one of the three individuals I saw in the park during my activation.

After a few minutes, I noticed that the ranger had left, but I began to feel like someone was standing behind me just out of my field of view. Sure enough, it was the same ranger now standing behind me. I thought about saying something, but I was busy as the contacts slowly kept coming. Eventually, the park ranger broke the silence coming into my field of view saying, “Good morning sir, do you have any questions for me about the park?” I replied with a polite, “No thank you sir, I appreciate it!” He replied, “Okay, by the way, what are you doing?” I explained the basics of POTA/ham radio/Morse code, and also added that “If I was doing anything wrong, I would be glad to leave immediately.” The park ranger quickly said, “No, you’re fine. Looks like fun. Have a great morning.” After the park ranger left, I did not see him again.

A few minutes later… the second person came into my field of view. This person was a uniformed armed security guard. He was wearing a gray uniform shirt and black tactical-style pants, along with the usual duty belt load-out. I believe he came over from the federal courthouse just across the street. His approach was a lot more direct. “Hey bud, you’re not flying a drone here, right?” I assured him that I wasn’t and explained POTA to him. He was actually genuinely very interested in ham radio.

During this conversation, N7MEB was calling me. I was still a little flustered by the armed officer showing up. I had to ask Beth at least five repeats before I got her call sign correct. The security guard was impressed that I was currently working an operator in Utah with my tiny radio. I politely apologized to him that I was actively getting called at that moment and was busy. He responded with a friendly, “Good luck and have fun.

Fourteen of my contacts were on the 20M band, but after a few minutes of no responses I moved to 17M. As soon as my first caller began transmitting on the 17M band, an Oklahoma City Police officer suddenly walked up to me and said, “Good! You’re not flying a drone! Have a good day!” He was gone as suddenly as he appeared. I never even had a chance to say anything. Haha

I am guessing that someone at the federal courthouse across the street was watching me on their security cameras, and they were the ones all concerned about me flying a drone.

There are signs posted on both sides of the park entrances forbidding the use of drones over this memorial. I genuinely believe if I had asked permission to do an activation, that I would have been flatly refused. The very sound of asking to set up a “radio station” inside a small memorial park sounds ridiculous, even to me.

Each authority figure who approached me was completely fine with what I was doing as long as I was not flying a drone. Now that I have been vetted by a federal park ranger, federal armed security guard, and city police, hopefully, after seeing my low-profile rig in action, the idea of a ham setting up a radio station in their park will no longer sound as crazy to them.

One good impression at a time with local authorities builds the goodwill for the next op. Let’s be respectful and get out there and activate. We don’t need big antennas/1000Qs in the log, and POTA banners blowing in the breeze for a successful activation.

72 thanks for hunting
~ N4MJL

Tough Bands, Tiny Antenna: An AX1 Activation at Fort Wellington NHS

Note: This first field report from my 2025 trip to Canada happens to coincide with Canada Day (today, July 1, 2025). Happy Canada Day!

by Thomas (VY2SW / K4SWL)

In a previous post, I mentioned that my family was heading north into Canada for a few weeks this summer. This trip wasn’t easy to carve out of our schedule, but we were looking for a bit of escape from all of the Hurricane Helene clean-up—and, frankly, we were craving some family time.

We arrived in Canada (via the Thousand Islands Bridge) on Saturday, June 14, 2025, in the late afternoon. Had it not been such a tiring drive that day, I would have activated Thousand Islands National Park (CA-0099), but honestly? We were all ready to check into our hotel in Brockville, Ontario, take a stroll along the waterfront, and grab some dinner.

Brockville waterfront

The next morning (June 15, 2025), I took a look at the POTA map and determined that we had plenty of time for a park activation before heading into Québec. Several options lay along our route, but one, in particular, caught my attention:

Fort Wellington National Historic Site (CA-4868)

Fort Wellington is a Parks Canada site situated right along the St. Lawrence River, which we were traveling beside. Even better, it was only about a 15-minute drive from our hotel.

We arrived on-site around 10:15 AM local time and immediately noticed the parking area in front of Fort Wellington was barricaded for an event. I saw two Parks Canada rangers standing out front, so I asked them about the event and whether it was okay to park on the street in front of the property. They couldn’t have been kinder.

Turns out, the town was hosting an outdoor BBQ ribs event that Sunday. It’s as if they expected a ham from North Carolina to pick their site for POTA! It was a pretty big event for a town as small as Prescott—there were loads of entertainers, food trucks serving all forms of BBQ, and tours of Fort Wellington.

I asked the rangers if they were familiar with Parks On The Air (they were!) and if I could set up on the NHS property closer to the river and away from all the festivities. They gave me permission.

I should add here that I volunteered not to put any antennas in trees or place stakes in the ground to mount my telescoping carbon fiber pole. As a rule of thumb, I default to my lowest-impact setups when at archaeological or historic sites. I feel it’s not only respectful but also leaves a good impression of ham radio operators for park staff who may encounter activators after me.

My wife and daughters were encouraged to take a free trolley tour of Prescott—how could they resist? They told me later that it was a hoot.

I made my way down to a shady spot under a tree by the river.

To keep things low-impact, I set up my Nemo portable table and Helinox chair, then deployed my KX2/AX1 field kit.

I’ll be honest here…

Propagation had been very rough the previous day, and numbers were indicating challenging conditions during my activation as well. This wasn’t a day I’d normally opt for my most compromised antenna, but here we were. My hope was that I could call CQ on every band possible using the AX1 and somehow gather enough contacts (10 total) to validate the activation.

Backpocket strategy

So here’s the deal: most of us activators aim to get the minimum number of contacts in order to complete a valid activation (10 for POTA, 4 for SOTA).

When I’m activating a park I’ve done numerous times before? I honestly don’t care if I don’t reach 10. I’m just happy to get outdoors and play radio. I try not to let the threat of poor propagation stop me.

However, when I’m activating a new-to-me park, I really want to validate it. I want those 10 contacts—and I’m willing to spend more time on the air to get them.

Technically, since I’m traveling with three other licensed hams (my wife and daughters) and we have two dual-band HTs in the car, I really only need to make four HF contacts. I could make three FM contacts on 2 meters, then three more on 70 cm with my family. That gives me 10 total.

In fact, I also have multiple HF radios and dummy loads in the car, so I could get away with never deploying an antenna at all—I could just log 10 park-to-park contacts with my family.

But where’s the fun in that, right?

Actually, I say that, but it can be fun—in situations where you’re left with no other options—to do P2P contacts with your own crew, as my buddy Vince proves here.

Still, I was determined to log “my ten” all on the HF bands, using five watts into my 4’ AX1 antenna.

The only way to find out if I could? Hit the air!

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As expected, propagation was rough.

I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters—the band I knew would likely give me the best chance. Continue reading Tough Bands, Tiny Antenna: An AX1 Activation at Fort Wellington NHS

Mud, Mosquitoes, and Morse: A KH1 Pedestrian Portable Activation on the Yadkin River Trail

by Micah N4MJL

Recently, I examined the POTA app map and discovered a new yellow dot along my work commute that I had not yet activated. I have activated most of the POTA parks between Charlotte, NC and my home in Virginia that are not too far off my route of travel.

Upon further investigation, I learned that the new yellow dot belonged to the Yadkin River State Trail (US-12320). It is over 200 miles long. I chose to attempt activating from the Yadkin River Park on the Davidson County side of the river, just off I-85.

There is a nice walking bridge over the river with benches and historical signs along the walking trail. I thought about activating from one of the benches on the bridge, but there are some large power lines going over the bridge, making some heavy RFI noise on my KH-1.

After exploring the established walking trail, I found some makeshift chairs down by the riverside. It was pretty muddy, and I didn’t feel like wallowing in the mud while throwing a wire in a tree. I decided to use my Elecraft KH-1 whip antenna in the pedestrian mobile configuration.

As soon as I started calling CQ, a swarm of mosquitoes started feasting upon me. It didn’t help that I was wearing shorts and flip-flops.

I had just finished flying a four-day trip in Charlotte (CLT) and was on my way home. I had changed out of my uniform at a rest stop right before this activation. I was supposed to fly three flights today, but because of a maintenance delay, crew scheduling had already re-crewed my last two flights. I was getting home six hours early and getting paid! It usually doesn’t turn out this well for me. Normally, I’m getting junior manned into flying into my day off.

My first couple of contacts on the 20M band came quickly. I logged 8 contacts on the 20M band before they petered out. I noticed that there was a lot of QSB fading occurring. I tried tuning in other activators throughout the country who I should have been hearing just fine on 20M with no success.

My first two contacts on 20M were from Colorado and Arizona. After the 20M band died a silent death, I put on the AXE1 40M loaded coil antenna extender and threw out the longer counterpoise. I was able to log 5 more contacts on the 40M band and 1 contact on the 30M band.

After just over one hour calling CQ, I was able to get 14 contacts with two P2P.

Some people on the POTA Facebook page have commented on my activation photos that the KH-1 whip antenna is “garbage.” I do not think this is the case.

I have lost count of the number of POTA parks that I have successfully activated using the KH-1 whip antenna. Obviously, I would prefer to get a wire up in a tree when possible instead of using the whip antenna. However, many of the parks that I have activated would not have allowed a wire to be hung in a tree. I like using a very small stealth setup that does not attract much attention. I am always surprised when stations start calling me back.

I have also failed to activate many parks due to current band conditions/choice in whip antenna. But these are the things that make ham radio fun.

Small Success Story:

Before I started the activation, I noticed this sign for Davidson County. I took a picture of it so that I would remember to give credit for specific counties in the Logbook of the World for my hunters.

During the activation, after my second contact on 20M, I started getting QRM from close-by stations. The KH1 doesn’t have great filters, and the QSB from stations fading in/out was starting to get confusing. When I finally realized that a station was calling me, sending very slowly with repeats, I realized this station was asking what county I was located in. I grabbed my phone to look at this picture and sent him “QTH Davidson County” twice. The other station responded back with “RR TU 73..”

I am pretty sure it was one of the two stations I had already finished with who was calling me back. Unfortunately, the band conditions were getting bad. The RBN had not picked me up for a bit, and another POTA station started calling CQ right on top of me. The joys of activating QRP during the current solar conditions.

As you all know, I am a very green op! Anything outside of the canned POTA QSO does get difficult for me to copy. I can run my POTA exchanges at 18–20 WPM, but in order to keep up with a ragchew, I’m operating at about the 10–12 WPM range. So for me to copy a message outside of the canned CW POTA exchange during an activation is a small victory for me on my CW journey.

Since the bands have been in pretty rough shape lately, I have been practicing more CW copying with ARRL QST Bulletins from the W1AW archives. It is an awesome resource for new CW ops like myself. You can listen to parts of QST magazine sent in CW, ranging in speeds as slow as 5 WPM up to 40 WPM. After you listen to the message, you can click on the text file to read/grade yourself on what was sent.

13 WPM Code Archive

I give myself an 80%–90% accuracy score at 13 WPM copy. Unfortunately, my copy accuracy takes a giant nosedive when I go up to the next speed of 15 WPM.

In addition to listening to W1AW, I have been playing a lot of MorseRunner. It is a free program that simulates running a contesting station with or without a simulated pile-up. I have been practicing receiving stations from 18–26 WPM. I enjoy trying to break my previous scores copying international and domestic callsigns.

During my long drives commuting to/from work, I have been using Morse Code Ninja.

Practice · Morse Code Ninja

This has been instrumental in my pursuit of head copy. There are numerous exercises, with hyperlinks to many different speeds. The hyperlinks’ default setting opens YouTube, where you can listen to the sessions.

I recommend doing the bulk downloads. This gives you the option to do a bulk download at your chosen speed to your media player of choice. I have downloaded all of the 20 WPM lessons into my iPhone podcast app for offline use. This allows me to access them without being connected to cell or Wi-Fi. I have been working my way through all of the 20 WPM lessons.

The 5-letter word lesson that I am currently working through is just over 5 hours of riveting CW material! I’m definitely not near the land of head copying, but I’m slowly working my way there!

72 and thanks for hunting!
~ N4MJL

Moonlander to the Rescue: A Tabletop FT-818 POTA Activation on the Blue Ridge Parkway

On Friday, May 23, 2025, I had a good 90 or so minutes to play radio, and the Blue Ridge Parkway (as always) is the easiest hit for me when running around in the Asheville, NC area.

I was in the western part of Asheville, though, so I needed to find a site to set up. I’d packed my Yaesu FT-818, which is very much a tabletop radio (compared with, say, my Elecraft KX2 or KH1). A picnic table would have been ideal, but there are no sites on the BRP with picnic tables in the western part of town.

I could have driven a bit further to Lake Powhatan, but it would have cut 20 or so minutes out of my activation and I’d rather opt for more time on the air than the convenience of a picnic table.

Fortunately, I packed a secret weapon—one I’d taken to Hamvention weekend and was still in the car…

The Nemo Moonlander Portable Table

Moonlander with extension legs (Photo by Nemo)

There’s a story behind this table.

Back in November 2023, when we were recording the “Holiday Shopping Show” on the Ham Radio Workbench Podcast, my dear friend George (KJ6VU)—who shares a passion for quality gear—suggested that I invest in a Nemo Moonlander portable table [note: QRPer Amazon affiliate link].

I’ll be honest: I had some credit either on Amazon or REI (I can’t remember) and decided to make the purchase based solely on George’s recommendation.

This was a splurge since the Moonlander costs around $150–180 US (!!!), depending on the color variation. When I purchased mine, I believe I paid about $160. In my book, that’s a lot of money for a portable table.

Moonlander top (Photo by Nemo)

George’s selling point was that it’s the only portable table he’d used that was actually super sturdy and functional. The table surface is strong, the table has two heights (with and without the legs installed), and it folds flat. It’s not super lightweight like some portable table options on the market, but it is adaptable and useful.

When I received the Moonlander, I was very pleased with the design: it was everything George had described. The surface is so strong I could put a heavy object on it and the table wouldn’t buckle. The table, if anything, feels over-engineered. I like that.

The hinges and leg storage is beefy (Photo by Nemo)

Thing is, though, I hardly ever thought about taking this little table out to the field with me with POTA or SOTA in mind. We used it a bit for family picnics, but I tended to default to my smaller portable radios combined with a kneeboard to play radio in the field where there are no picnic tables or benches to set up.

In fact, I believe the first time I used this little table in a field radio outing was this past December (one full year after I’d purchased it) for this Christmas Eve video.

During that outing, I only used the table to hold my coffee and some Christmas cookies. I still used my kneeboard to hold my KX2.

I realized during that outing, though, that the height of the Moonlander table—with the legs installed—was about perfect for the height of my much-loved Helinox backpack chair. With it set up next to the chair, it was a great ergonomic height for me to reach things on the table.

Two months later, in early February, I took the Nemo Moonlander to the field and thought I’d experiment with using it to hold my radio and key. For some reason, I can’t find this field report or video in my archives (I’ll need to check my hard drive once I’m back from my Canada travels). Here’s a photo from that activation:

This activation taught me that the Moonlander is actually incredibly functional and gives me the flexibility to use my larger portables like the TR-45L, Argonaut V or VI, K2, RGO One, or my FT-818 (the subject of this field report) a proper place to operate.

I had not recommended the Nemo Moonlander up to this point on QRPer.com because I felt like it was just too pricey for something that had limited utility for field radio operating. My mind has completely changed on this point, though! Yes, it’s very pricey and, yes, I’m sure there are cheaper third-party knock-offs of this design already, but I’m very pleased with this purchase. I feel like the Moonlander will last me the rest of my days. The folding design is so clever. Check out this from Nemo showing the components and how it can be set up:

In short, I’ve really done a 180 here: the Moonlander—very much an impulse purchase at the time with a touch of buyer’s remorse—has become one of my favorite field accessories.

Back to our field report…

I drove to a site on the Blue Ridge Parkway near the bridge that crosses I-26 where there’s an easy pull-off and parking spot for a few cars. I’ve activated this particular site at least once before.

I walked into the woods perhaps 10 meters and started setting up my table and radio gear.

I was in a bit of pain that day, and I mention this in the video because I was a little concerned I might have difficulty sitting in my hiking chair so close to the ground. The previous evening, when walking to my neighbor’s house on a path in the woods, I slipped on a large white oak trunk. I landed on the right side of my chest on the log. The pain was significant enough earlier the next morning (the day of this activation) I set up an appointment at my doctor’s office and they made a few chest x-rays. Fortunately, it was just bruised ribs. Also fortunately, it didn’t cause me too many problems during this activation—I just had to be careful how I moved about.

I set up the Yaesu FT-818 in short order and deployed my end-fed half-wave antenna knowing that it would give me good coverage sans ATU on the 20 and 40 meter bands.

Band conditions had been so crappy, I wasn’t sure what to expect once I hopped on the air.

Fortunately, it turned out that propagation was pretty solid that day…

Gear

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Radio and Battery System

Antenna & Cable Assembly

Arborist Throw Line

Key and Accessories

Other Gear

Camera and Audio

On The Air

I started calling CQ POTA on the 20 meter band and was rewarded with a nice stream of adept POTA hunters calling. Continue reading Moonlander to the Rescue: A Tabletop FT-818 POTA Activation on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Putting the New Radioddity HF-009 Portable Vertical Antenna on the Air — QRP Style!

by Thomas (K4SWL)

The day before I left on my week-long FDIM/Hamvention trip, I received a package in the mail from Radioddity containing their soon-to-be-released HF-009 vertical antenna.

In the spirit of full disclosure: Radioddity is not only a sponsor of QRPer, but we’re also an affiliate—meaning that if you purchase items via our affiliate link, we receive a small percentage of the sale, and you get a small discount. Radioddity sent this antenna to me free of charge. I don’t know yet if they want it back after I evaluate it, but let’s assume (for future transparency) that they don’t.

My Bias

When I evaluate gear, I like to take you along for the ride—and that means actually using the gear in the field.

It took me a few weeks to get around to evaluating the HF-009. Not only was I swamped post-Hamvention, but honestly, a part of me wasn’t looking forward to tinkering with this antenna.

The HF-009 is a multi-band vertical that uses a slide‑and‑tap center coil system. I know many operators who love sliding-coil verticals, but I’m just not one of them.

Early on in my POTA days, based on reader recommendations, I purchased the venerable Wolf River Coils vertical antenna. It uses a sliding coil system—like the HF-009—though its coil is located at the base of the antenna.

I immediately saw why these antennas are so popular: they deliver multi-band performance without needing an ATU, and they’re surprisingly effective. I had some fantastic activations with my WRC TIA.

My Wolf River Coils “TIA” vertical antenna on Mount Mitchell

But I eventually sold the TIA after discovering the Chelegance MC-750, which I found much easier to deploy and use.

Sliding coil antennas can be a pain to tune. Most friends who use them also carry an antenna analyzer to help dial in the best SWR before hitting the airwaves. While I eventually learned the “sweet spots” on the WRC coil, I often had to tweak it—especially on lower bands like 30, 40, and 80 meters. The more coil you use, the higher the Q—and the narrower the bandwidth.

Personally, I prefer antennas I can just set and forget (like the MC-750), or those that are non-resonant and rely on an ATU for matching (like the Chameleon MPAS Lite).

To be clear, this is just my preference. Center- and base-loaded coil verticals are very popular for good reason: they work. The more you use them, the easier they get. They’re just not my default go-to.

Getting Started

Normally, I film the “discovery” phase of a new antenna or radio in the field—experiencing the full unboxing and set-up for the first time on video, in real time.

But with the HF-009, I wasn’t comfortable doing that. Given my previous experience and bias, I decided to first test the antenna at the QTH, identify good match points for 40, 30, 20, and 17 meters, and then take it to the field.

I set up the HF-009 at home, grabbed my RigExpert analyzer, and spent about 15 minutes finding match points on the coil. Honestly? It wasn’t as tedious as I’d expected.

Because the coil is mounted at a comfortable height—not at the base like the WRC—adjustments were easier. The coil itself is smooth to adjust; I suspect it uses a finer gauge wire than the WRC, which has a clickier feel. The HF-009 is much more fluid.

To remember the coil positions, I took photos of the slider settings and saved them in the Notes app on my iPhone for quick field reference. That turned out to be a very good idea.

Very First Impressions

Before I get ahead of myself, here are a few things I immediately liked about the HF-009:

  • It comes with everything you need, including a coax cable and an SO-239 to BNC adapter.
  • The included carrying case is well-organized and feels solid.
  • When broken down, it’s compact and easy to pack, with shorter segment sections that fit nicely into a backpack.
  • The slider mechanism is smooth, responsive, and placed at a comfortable height.
  • The loading coil is sealed—unlike my WRC vertical, whose exposed coil was affected by moisture.
  • Overall, build quality feels excellent.

On The Air: Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378)

Of course, the best way to put the HF-009 through its paces was to take it to a park and put it on the air.

On Monday, June 9, 2025, I dropped my daughter off at a class and had well over an hour to play radio, so the HF-009 came with me to the Folk Art Center picnic area on the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Since I’d set up the HF-009 once before, it came together very quickly. In fact, I think it’s right there with the MC-750 in deployment time, which is very much a good thing.

I decided to pair the HF-009 with my Penntek TR-45L Skinny. Why? To be honest, I didn’t fully trust the SWR to be acceptable using only the photos I’d taken for the coil slider placement. The TR-45L has a beautiful analog SWR meter, which I find much easier to read in situations where I might need to fine-tune an antenna.

I also packed my RigExpert analyzer because it allows me to make adjustments as I read the SWR.

Turns out, though? It wasn’t an issue at all. During the activation (spoiler alert), I moved from band to band and—solely based on the photos I took of the slider switch position—the SWR was spot-on each time!

Gear

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Radio

  • Penntek TR-45L “Skinny”

Antenna System

Key/Cable

Pack/Cover

Battery

Logging

Camera and Audio

On The Air

I positioned the slider switch to the 20-meter position I had noted using this photo from back home.

My 20 meter setting photo

When I checked the SWR on the TR-45L’s analog meter, it was nearly perfect. I was surprised.

I then hopped on 20 meters and started calling CQ POTA. Continue reading Putting the New Radioddity HF-009 Portable Vertical Antenna on the Air — QRP Style!

A Peaceful POTA Stop at Lake James with the Penntek TR-45L

by Thomas (K4SWL)

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, I was on the final leg of my trip back home from Dayton. After spending some time with my father—who was in the hospital at the time (happy to report he’s now home and doing much better!)—I performed a pedestrian mobile activation of Tuttle Educational State Forest (US-4861). Here’s the field report.

After wrapping up that activation, I realized I could likely squeeze in another hour of POTA on the way home. Without a doubt, the best nearby site was Lake James State Park, so I made the 25-minute drive from Tuttle to the Catawba River Access.

Lake James State Park (US-2739)

When I arrived, the park was blissfully quiet—I was one of the only people there. That meant I had my pick of activation sites!

I grabbed my Red Oxx Micro Manager pack, which contained my Penntek TR-45L Skinny, specifically packed for Hamvention.

Inside the bag, I also had my 40-meter end-fed half-wave antenna—homebrewed years ago by my friend Steve (MW0SAW).

I made my way down to one of the lakeside picnic tables. These sites can be hit or miss: they’re close to the boat dock, and when the boats show up, some of them have brutal inverters that wipe out the bands.

But being a quiet Tuesday, I wasn’t too concerned about heavy traffic.

I deployed the antenna quickly, fired up the TR-45L, crossed my fingers that propagation would hold—and hit the air!

Gear

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

Radio

  • Penntek TR-45L “Skinny”

Antenna System and Throw Line

Key/Cable

Pack/Cover

Battery

Logging

Camera and Audio

On The Air

I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters and was quickly rewarded with a string of friendly hunters.
Continue reading A Peaceful POTA Stop at Lake James with the Penntek TR-45L