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
MW0SAW’s Homebrew 40M EFHW built on a SOTAbeams Winder
This field report picks up where we left off after my last post earlier this week at Lake Alma State Park (May 14, 2025).
Eric and I planned to hit two parks en route to Dayton, Ohio. Lake Alma was a successful park number one. The next park we planned to activate—another new-to-me park—was Great Seal State Park.
The skies opened up beautifully during our Lake Alma activation, so the drive to Great Seal was under clear, sunny skies.
Great Seal State Park (US-1954)
We arrived at the park around 11:45 AM EDT.
Great Seal State Park is tucked away in the hills just outside of Chillicothe, Ohio, and it’s steeped in early state history. In fact, the park gets its name from the Great Seal of the State of Ohio, which was inspired by this very landscape. Back in 1803, when Ohio was becoming a state, early leaders—including Thomas Worthington—looked out over the sunrise from Mount Logan and used that iconic view as the backdrop for the state seal: rolling hills, a rising sun, a bundle of arrows, and a sheaf of wheat symbolizing Ohio’s natural beauty and agricultural roots.
This area also has deep Indigenous history. Before statehood, the Scioto River Valley was home to the Shawnee, with several towns named Chillicothe located nearby. Later, Chillicothe became Ohio’s first state capital. These hills have seen a lot of history, and today I’m sure they make for some incredibly scenic and rewarding hikes.
Eric and I didn’t have enough time in our schedule for a hike that afternoon, but if I pass by here again, I’ll make time for one.
We first made our way to the main picnic area of the park but quickly discovered a large outdoor gathering for local utility workers. They absolutely filled that part of the park, so we checked out the campground area instead.
The campground was completely void of campers, so we felt it would be safe to set up without any issues. It was a beautiful site with numerous options for station setup.
I found a camping spot and parked there.
We decided I would set up at the picnic table at the site while Eric would use his folding chair and my Chelegance MC-750 antenna in the central island of the campground.
Poor Eric, though. When I started filming my activation video, I realized just how close we were to each other—and how much interference that could cause. I walked over to him (camera in hand) and helped him move a bit farther away.
As I was setting up my gear, Eric came back to my site and said the fellow doing the lawn mowing was about to work in the area where he had originally set up. So, Eric moved—again—a few campsites down from me. This time, he decided to use his fiberglass Jackite pole to support a random wire antenna.
This actually worked out quite well—the distance between us was just enough that we didn’t interfere with each other at all.
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
MW0SAW’s Homebrew 40M EFHW built on a SOTAbeams Winder
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, my good friend Eric (WD8RIF) and I started our drive from Athens to Dayton, Ohio. We left Eric’s QTH early that morning—not because it’s a long drive (it’s only about 2.5 hours)—but because we wanted to activate at least two new-to-me parks en route and still arrive early enough to stop by the Commissary at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, check into our hotel, and meet up with friends for dinner.
The day before, I wasn’t able to activate a park in West Virginia as planned due to thunderstorms in the area. I also heard that propagation was incredibly poor—something we’ve seen off and on lately—so if you’re planning to validate an activation, be sure to budget extra time to reach your ten contacts.
That Wednesday morning started off foggy and misty, but the clouds quickly burned away and gave way to a beautiful day.
Amish farmers are not an uncommon site in rural Ohio.
Since I was firmly in WD8RIF’s activation territory, I let him do all of the planning for us that day. (Let’s be honest—I tend to let Eric do all of the planning no matter where we’re roving! Don’t tell him that, though.)
Lake Alma State Park (US-1967)
Our first stop was Lake Alma State Park near Hamden, Ohio.
Lake Alma is a beautiful park with large parking areas, great lake access, and numerous ideal spots for a POTA activator to set up.
Eric suggested we check out the gazebo, but I was keen to use one of the picnic shelters because it sat right beside an old-growth hardwood tree—just the kind I like to use to support my antennas!
Often when Eric and I do joint POTA activations, we activate at the same time to save time. In this case, we decided to take turns—me first at the key.
I knew Eric had never used a Penntek TR-45L, so I brought along my “skinny” version of this magnificent little rig. Paired with a 40-meter EFHW deployed next to the shelter, I figured we’d have nearly ideal conditions—even if propagation wasn’t.
MW0SAW’s 40M EFHW ready for action!
Setup was quick and easy!
My Red Oxx Micro Manager has become the TR-45L Skinny’s pack of choice!
Somehow, I managed to go first, so I prepped my log and aimed to get ten contacts to validate this new park.
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
MW0SAW’s Homebrew 40M EFHW built on a SOTAbeams Winder
In the spirit of full disclosure, my friend Mike (N2HTT) recently sent me one of his latest creations—a 3D-printed transport cover for the Penntek TR-45L—to evaluate at no cost. I’m happy to report that it’s a solid and thoughtful accessory for TR-45L users.
Mike designed this cover not for use during operation, but rather for safe transport of the TR-45L—especially protecting those protruding knobs, buttons, and switches that can easily snag or get damaged in the field or while bouncing around in a go-bag.
And it fits the TR-45L very nicely. It includes a cover for the front panel and one for the back (since my TR-45L has the ATU option), held together by a Velcro strap.
Yes, it does add a little bulk, but I appreciate that—it’s sturdy, and it cradles the front and back of the rig securely.
In fact, during our recent wildfire threat here at the QTH, I had my TR-45L stored in this cover. It was incredibly convenient to simply grab the protected radio and toss it in the car without giving it a second thought.
Here are a few photos of the cover in use with my TR-45L (Note that the TR-45L “Skinny” only needs one cover and Mike provides a shorter Velcro strap):
Mike offers a number of great customization options: your callsign or name on the front panel and a choice of colors (black, orange, olive green, and red). There’s also an optional rear cover available if your TR-45L has the internal tuner.
Mike is one of many makers and mom-and-pop businesses who help make the ham radio world so much better. I love seeing field-ready accessories like this coming from experienced hams who understand the gear and the way we use it.
Thanks again, Mike, for letting me give this one a spin!
On February 9, 2025, my good friend Vlado (N3CZ) and I headed out to Pisgah National Forest (US-4510) near Looking Glass Falls for a joint POTA activation.
While I typically write much longer field reports, I’m still in the final days of Hurricane Helene debris removal around our property, which has been my main focus.
As with Part 1, I’ll keep this one short and sweet–a postcard-style field report. I truly appreciate everyone’s understanding!
Pisgah National Forest (US-4510)
After wrapping up Part 1 with the Elecraft KX1, we decided to switch things up for the second half of our activation.
We swapped the KX1 for the Penntek TR-45L skinny and replaced my paddles with the TouchPaddles Model P1. The antenna setup remained the same: the QRPGuys Portable No Tune End Fed Half Wave, which continued to perform like a champ.
The weather, again, was amazing — sunshine, cool air, and the peaceful sounds of the forest surrounding us.
Vlado added more QSOs to his log, making the most of the lively bands.
When it was my turn to jump back in, I logged 18 contacts in 19 minutes before we had to call QRT for the day.
It felt like one of those activations you never want to end. As always, the TR-45L was a pure pleasure to operate.
Gear:
Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
Here’s what this five-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map. Please note that all of the orange lines are the QSOs from this part of the activation on 30 meters.Click on the map image to enlarge.
Activation Video
Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation. As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have YouTube monetization turned off, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.
Thank you for joining us during this activation and for understanding why I’m keeping the field report portion on the short side!
Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.
As I mentioned before, the Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.
Thanks for spending part of your day with us! Have a wonderful weekend!
Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)
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On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, I planned to drive to Hickory, NC to spend part of the morning helping my father with a few tasks. I planned to stay for only three hours, leaving the afternoon open for a SOTA (Summits On The Air) activation of Bakers Mountain.
Bakers Mountain is one of the most accessible one-point SOTA summits in the area. Still, it requires about 2 hours of hiking, and I always allow an hour for activating as well. Herein lies the challenge of SOTA for me this year: finding those windows of time that are open enough to fit in an activation and hike is difficult.
I ended up spending all morning in Hickory helping my father—time well spent. However, by the time I left, my SOTA window had closed. I still had some time for an activation, but only a maximum of two hours.
Although disappointed about missing the SOTA opportunity, I decided to make the most of the remaining time and visit Table Rock Fish Hatchery (US-8012) en route home. I hadn’t been to that particular site in many months, so it would be a nice revisit. I knew I could fit in the detour and activation and still be home on time. A good consolation prize!
Table Rock Fish Hatchery (US-8012)
Upon arrival, I immediately noticed that a new bridge had been built over the creek. It’s funny how you get so used to some POTA sites that you feel a real connection to them and notice even small changes.
I had brought along my Elecraft KH1 with the idea of doing the SOTA activation (it’s with me all the time anyway), but earlier, I noticed that I still had the Penntek TR-45L Skinny in the back of my car, so I opted to use it for this POTA activation.
I quickly deployed my PackTenna 20M EFHW, connected it to the TR-45L, and hopped on the air, hoping 20 meters would serve me well.
Since the “Skinny” version of the TR-45L has no built-in ATU (Antenna Tuning Unit), and since I hadn’t brought along the Elecraft T1, I had no way of operating outside of the 20M band (the TR-45L’s coverage is 80, 40, 30, 20, and 17 meters).
I’d hoped I’d packed a 40M EFHW so that I would have two usable bands and that I could work my buddy Mike (K8RAT), but 20 meters it was! I hoped the band had a little life in it!
Gear:
Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
The more I use my Penntek TR-45L “Skinny” the more I love it.
Although, in truth, I loved it from day one because it’s just a flatter, more portable version of my original TR-45L.
The audio is wonderful, the controls are simple, and the receiver is top-shelf. Any excuse to take it to the field!
On Sunday, April 28, 2024, I made a quick trip to visit my father in Hickory. He was still in the hospital at that point and I wanted to spend the morning with him and get updates from his specialists and doctor. He was improving which was a very good thing indeed.
After spending a few hours with my dad, I could tell he wanted to take a nap, so I thought it a good time to head back home, with a short detour at Lake James.
Lake James State Park (US-2739)
It was an absolutely beautiful day to be outdoors. I expected Lake James to be packed on a Sunday, but the Catawba River Access wasn’t too terribly busy. I imagine the more popular Paddy’s Creek Access was much busier.
I decided to set up at a picnic table close to the parking area–one I’ve used before and one that makes it easy to deploy an end-fed half-wave without creating a tripping hazard for others.
My EFHW simply disappears among the trees which is why it’s important to deploy it in a space where other park visitors won’t walk.
I deployed the 40 meter EFHW that Steve (MW0SAW) made for me a couple years ago.
Setting up the TR-45L was easy enough especially since the padded bag Penntek sells so easily accommodates all of the items needed for an activation. In fact, it is spacious enough I could easily put an antenna and feed line inside, too, but I opt to simply carry those in my backpack.
With everything set up, it was time to 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.
With band conditions having been so unpredictable lately, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My schedule only allowed for a short activation, so I hoped to wrap things up within 30 minutes.
Twenty meters seemed like the most promising band, and thankfully, it was in decent shape. I started calling CQ POTA, and to my delight, the first ten stations were logged in a mere ten minutes! It doesn’t get much better than that.
I continued making contacts for a few more minutes, logging four additional stations. Then, with the band quieting down, I decided to call it a day.
I would have loved to spend more time on the air, but I was also eager to get back home to my wife and daughters. Sometimes, a short activation is all you need.
QSO Map
Here’s what this five-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map:
Activation Video
Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation. As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have monetization turned off on YouTube, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.
On a bittersweet note, I mentioned previously that John (WA3RNC) is closing down the Penntek shop this year and will no longer manufacture transceivers. If you haven’t already placed an order for a Penntek transceiver, you might not be able to snag one at this point. I would check the updates on the Penntek site for more information. I felt John’s radios were so unique and packed with proper field performance.
The original TR-45L pictured here at Lake Norman
Then again, at 77 years old, John deserves to enjoy his retirement to the max, so I’m happy for him.
My Penntek TR-35
I know I’ll never sell my Penntek radios and I’ll do all I can to take care of them so they serve me over the long haul! I’ve no doubt that they will.
Thank you
Thank you for joining me during this short POTA activation!
I hope you enjoyed the field report and my activation video as much as I enjoyed creating them!
Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.
As I mentioned before, the Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me! Have an amazing Memorial Day weekend!
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, I had a bit of time in the middle of the day to perform a park activation, but I couldn’t go too far afield because I needed to pick up my daughters from school around 3:00 PM.
Where to go?
I didn’t want to activate the same spots I’ve been activating a lot lately; I wanted to find a new spot, but my window of time limited my options.
Here in the Asheville area, we only have a few POTA entities within, say, a 25-30 minute drive of downtown, but a few of the sites we do have are vast. The Blue Ridge Parkway, Pisgah National Forest, and Pisgah Game Land are massive and it would be easy to activate every day of your life and set up at a different site each time if you’re willing to bring your own chair and table/kneeboard..
It was such a beautiful day, I ideally wanted to find a spot with a picnic table under the shade of a tree. I know of a couple sites on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I’d activated them recently. Also there was the Vance Birthplace, but again, I’d been there a lot lately.
Then it dawned on me that Lake Powhatan, in Pisgah National Forest (US-4510), might be a good option. It’s close to Asheville, a beautiful site, and I was almost certain I remembered seeing picnic tables there when I camped there with friends some two years ago. I made a quick call to the park office and confirmed.
Lake Powhatan requires a day use permit of $5 per person–you pay at the entrance and then have access to the lake and beach area for the full day. I didn’t mind paying this fee at all because I will typically leave that same amount in the donation box of many of the state parks I frequent anyway.
It’s a really short walk from the parking area to the lake and picnic sites.
I grabbed my TR-45L Skinny (in its padded camera pack) and my GoRuck GR1 backpack that had all of my antenna supplies and even my Elecraft KX2 inside.
Had this been a summer day, the lake would have been packed with families!
Why bring two radios? I really wanted to use the TR-45L, but I also thought about testing the waters on the 15, 12, and 10 meter bands. Since the TR-45L only covers 80, 40, 30, 20, and 17 meters, I needed another option.
Lots of picnic table options around the lake.
Turns out, the higher bands weren’t in great shape, so I didn’t need to use the KX2 after all.
I didn’t pair the TR-45L Skinny with an ATU, thus I needed an antenna option that would be resonant or matched on each of the bands I planned to operate. I decided to deploy my KM4CFT EFHW that I’d cut as a 30 meter end-fed half-wave with a 40 meter extension. This antenna would give me all of the bands of the TR-45L (save 80M). As a 30M EFHW, I’d have 30 and 17 meters, then by adding the 40M extension, I’d have both 40 and 20 meters as well.
Setup was quick and easy (even though it took several tries with my throw line to hit the branches I wanted).
Gear:
Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
I deployed the antenna as a 30 meter EFHW and started calling CQ POTA on the 17 meter band.
I quickly found out that 17 meters was not in great shape. I did work N5PJ after a few minutes (thanks, Perry!) but didn’t hang around 17 meters much longer.
The poor state of 17 meters was likely a good indicator of what the higher bands might be like, so I abandoned the idea of going up to 10 meters. Instead, I QSY’d to the 30 meter band.
30 meters was in better shape. I worked five more stations in short order, then there was a lull in activity for several minutes. My thinking was that the bulk of the POTA activity would be on 20 meters, so I lowered part of my antenna, connected the 40M link, and raised it again.
Turns out, 20 meters was pretty active.
I ended up adding 16 stations to the logs including at least one Park-to-Park with AC9OT (thank you!).
All-in-all, I logged 22 stations on three bands. Propagation was a bit rough for sure, but the activation was a lot of fun!
Here are my logs:
QSO Map
Here’s what this five-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map (click image to enlarge):
Activation Video
Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation. As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have monetization turned off on YouTube, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.
I’m so glad I decided to give Lake Powhatan a try. I’m very tempted to pay $40 for an annual pass.
There are several other picnic sites in/around the lake that I’d like to try and, frankly, next time I think I’ll bring my mountain bike! There are loads of trails on-site that also connect up to the (very popular) Bent Creek network.
Thank you
Thank you for joining me during this peaceful activation!
I hope you enjoyed the field report and my activation video as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.
As I mentioned before, the Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me! Have a brilliant week!
Once a year, I meet up with my friends Monty and Mike for a weekend of camping. We’ve been friends for over 30 years, so it’s always brilliant hanging out with them, hiking, and just enjoying the break in our busy family lives.
This year, we planned our weekend campout for March 15-17, which is slightly earlier in the year than we usually do, but all of us have complicated schedules in April, May, June, and July. So March it was!
We chose to camp at Gorges State Park (US-2732) in Sapphire, North Carolina.
We also decided to opt for one of the park’s five cabins instead of tent camping. The park ranger I spoke with on the phone prior to making the reservation convinced me that we should reserve one of their newly built cabins. The cabins can sleep six, have electricity, and even have heating and air conditioning.
Mid-March in the mountains of western North Carolina is a fickle part of the year. It can be cold, hot, dry, or wet–all easily within one weekend. Choosing a cabin would mean packing in a lot less gear. Done!
Unfortunately, only a few days prior to the camping trip, Monty had to duck out to attend a funeral. We really missed hanging out with him.
Gorges State Park
To my knowledge, I had never been to Gorges State Park. It’s one of the newer parks in the NC system and, frankly, it’s located in a part of WNC that I rarely travel through these days.
The park is vast, and there are a number of trails that lead to waterfalls.
The visitor’s center was built in 2012 and is really impressive. We stopped by there and spoke with staff about some of the hiking options.
I’ve always preferred state and national park camping facilities over private campgrounds. They’re typically well-maintained, and the sites are spaced apart (so I can easily set up an antenna!).
Cabin #5
The camping area at Gorges is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen. It’s all very new. The cabins and shower/bathroom building are only two years old.
The weekend, overall, was warm during the day and cool at night with periods of rain. We both felt pretty happy we’d picked a cabin for the weekend–packing up wet camping gear is never all that fun!
Saturday morning, Mike and I planned to do a bit of hiking, and I wanted to fit in a short activation.
Picnic Shelter Activation
At one of the trailheads for a short hike, we found a spacious picnic shelter. Despite the amazing weather that morning, there was no one else at the shelter.
I scoped out the trees around the perimeter of the shelter, and most were pretty small trees with larger trees behind them. I decided that it would be easier to simply deploy my Chelgence MC-750 vertical.
Many thanks to Davey (KU9L) who shares a link to this news from John (WA3RN), owner, and designer of Penntek radios. John writes:
I have been considering for some time the future of the Penntek Instruments amateur radio products. This old man isn’t getting any younger and is in fact beginning to get tired. With the current production run of the TR-45L QRP transceiver getting close to being complete, I decided that this is a good time to finally retire at 77 years of age and maybe catch a breath. I have therefore chosen not to order parts for another run of these radios. As of late-March 2024, in-house parts remain for about 45 of the standard TR-45L units and about 70 of the “Skinny” version. The remaining TR-35 parts will allow for an additional 65 units, either kits or built radios. As I heard on a radio commercial, “Once they’re gone, they’re gone”. After these remaining radios are sold, I will remain available for repair and service of the Penntek transceivers. Thanks to all those who have purchased and enjoyed WA3RNC products over the years…
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Penntek transceivers, so this is sad news. But, I am also very happy for John to make this decision about retiring.
That said, if you’ve been on the fence about buying a TR-45L, TR-45L Skinny, or TR-35, I suggest you do so while John has new units!
These are brilliant radios with excellent audio characteristics, robust front-ends, and some of the best ergonomics you’ll find out there. Keying is smooth and provides proper QSK.
Plus, I think they’re one of the best-looking radios on the market (the TR-45L series especially).
Since all of the Penntek radios started out life as kits, they’re also easy to open and modify/repair.
I don’t have a crystal ball, but I’m willing to bet that once John’s inventory has been depleted, these radios will hold their own on the used market much like other beloved radio models (I’m thinking specifically of the KX1 and MTR-3B). It’ll be interesting to see where used pricing is in, say, 2026.
Again, if you’ve been on the fence, now is the time to make a decision, in my opinion. It looks like John will continue to provide support after his retirement, which is great news as well.
Here’s wishing John all the best in his retirement! Thanks for creating radios that bring so much QRP joy!
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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!
Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters and was quickly rewarded with a string of friendly hunters.
