Many thanks to Tom (VA2NW) for this report on Chillycon, aka Chilicon – Vince.
Canada’s capital, Ottawa, is the home of the Ottawa Valley QRP Society. The group holds an annual weekend camp-out at the Rideau River Provincial Park (POTA CA-0365) in early fall and it’s affectionately called Chillycon (also known as Chillicon). This year’s camp-out ran from September 20th through 22nd with some folks arriving a few days earlier. It’s a low key gathering which largely consists of casual operating, socializing, sharing tips and tricks, and checking out everyone’s portable radio gear.
On Friday morning I packed up my van with radio gear, camping equipment, and enough batteries to get me through a weekend of operating and cell phone recharging. Rather than tent camping, I decided to set up a sleeping pad in my minivan. The trip from Gatineau Quebec took a little under an hour, and I arrived just after 2:00pm local time.
Entrance to Rideau Provincial Park in Kemptville Ontario Canada
I brought my new toy with me, the Venus SW-6B (metal case + internal battery configuration). In just a few minutes I was on the air with the radio, an AlexLoop Hampack antenna, American Morse Equipment Mini-B paddle, and Apple EarPod wired headphones. I made several POTA contacts before it was time to start my shift as the Straight Key Century Club’s Canadian Straight Key Month special event station VC3Y/VE3. Conditions weren’t great and there wasn’t a lot of SKCC activity in the middle of a work day, so I only made one SKCC contact that day. After SKCC hour, I joined in on the weekly K1USN Slow Speed Test (SST). I contacted a few regulars, and then I returned to POTA and made another dozen or so contacts to bring the total up to 17 QSOs.
Reading ‘The CW Way of Life’ by Chris Rutkowski by the (citronella) candlelight
Many thanks to Conrad (N2YCH) who shares the following field report:
Activating Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
August 21, 2024
By: Conrad Trautmann, N2YCH
I recently took an overnight trip from Connecticut to Philadelphia via Amtrak and before I left, I checked to see what parks in Philly I might be able to activate. Conveniently, Independence National Historical Park (US-0738) was a short 15 minute walk from the hotel. So, along with a change of clothes and my toothbrush, my Elecraft KX2 transceiver and AX1 antenna went into the backpack. This is my preferred equipment when I need to travel light.
Samsung Galaxy Book Flex2 Alpha 2 in 1 Laptop with Outdoor mode
Independence National Historical Park is actually a series of attractions that are managed and run by the National Park Service, including Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell Center, The Benjamin Franklin Museum and Washington Square. Looking at the map of the location I decided to use a bench in Washington Square to activate from. The yellow highlight in the map below is where I set up.
I was able to set my AX1 up using the tripod on the grass behind the bench, keeping the RF wire and counterpoise out of the path of traffic.
I got all set up, spotted myself on the POTA page and pressed “Enable TX” on WSJT-X and the radio would not transmit. I checked everything…the CIV cable, the audio cables, the settings in WSJT-X, the windows audio settings, the com port…and I still couldn’t transmit. It was decoding fine.
I went to the Elecraft KX groups.io and searched, I searched Google and tried things people suggested and still, no transmit. I changed the CIV cable and the audio cables and interface, since I had spares and even that didn’t work. Thirty minutes later, ready to give up, I tried turning the KX2 off and then back on again and yes, you guessed it, a reboot solved the problem. I’ll try that first next time. I’ve never had that happen before, but you live and learn.
So, I re-spotted myself, got on the air and knocked out 10 contacts pretty fast once I could transmit. I made two additional QSO’s for good measure for a total of 12. Here’s my coverage map…I was running FT8 on 20 meters and I was surprised to make it to Florida to get Matthew, N4MRD. Clint, W9AV also hunted me…that should be a familiar call sign to many activators.
Once I was done and packed up, I took some extra time and checked off a bucket list item. I walked another block North past Independence Hall and visited the Liberty Bell Center to see the historic bell in person. Admission to see the Liberty Bell is free.
Independence Hall
Conrad, N2YCH at the Liberty Bell Center
The Liberty Bell
If you ever head to Philadelphia, this is an easy city site to activate so I recommend bringing your radio to activate the park.
Many thanks to Bill (KG4FXG) who shares the following guest post:
Return to the Office: Operating portable during coffee breaks (Atlanta to England)
by Bill Carter (KG4FXG)
Have you ever thought about operating from your work location? Perhaps during lunch or a coffee break? What if that location was downtown in a big city?
In my case, I work in a 17 floor Skyscraper.
The building has several large outside balconies on the 5th, 10th, and 17 floors. There is also a green space on the 5th floor that is a grassy area with a lawn and trees. What are all the possibilities here for portable operation? Let’s find out!
Amateur Radio is about learning, and to that end we may build antennas, perhaps QRP Rigs, and other things. I’ve been building many QRPGuys and Tufteln antennas. I also use a few that I’ve purchased, such as the Chelegance MC-750, AX1, Gabil Vertical Antenna GRA-7350TC [gear links below].
Sometimes, the weather does not play nice and I’m forced to try operating indoors. Here I am using the Chelegance MC-750 on the 16th floor where I have clearance all the way to the top of the 17th floor.
The antenna almost touches the ceiling on the 17th floor. I was able to make a contact in England: John G4RCG. His location was in Kirkhamgate, Wakefield–about 11 miles from Leeds. We were able to exchange names but that was about it on 20M.
This antenna is amazing, I can’t wait to try it outside in our green space.
I was using the Elecraft KX2 but I have several QRP Rigs that I have brought to the office. Such as the Norcal 40, Elecraft K1, both of which were kits I built. I started QRP back in 1999 before there was POTA. Back then, you had to build your radio. Most did back then.
Learning about propagation has been interesting. It is not ideal to operate indoors. One simple way I test conditions is to see if I can hit the reverse beacon network.
Here’s a screenshot of the Reverse Beacon (below) while I was using the Chelegance MC-750 on 20 meters:
(Click to enlarge)
Simple Office Setup
I work for the railroad. You will notice my mug says Taggart. Some humor here, but that is from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Story about a railroad and so much more.
Here is the Green Space on the 5th floor. Could you use this space for portable operations?
Here is pictured where I operated off the 10th floor balcony. The view is amazing!
For the balcony, I just throw a wire over the glass railing. The balcony is huge with many tables and chairs for lunch. I have used K4SWL’s Speaker Wire antenna build here.
My hours are very unusual. I normally work from 2AM to 5PM and I leave to drive home at 11AM. I love telecommuting for work these days. So, when I operate, it is around 3AM or 4AM. Not ideal times for POTA, but a great time of day to work DX!
I have so much more to try. I have a Spiderbeam Pole and SOTABEAMS Pole that I am playing with as well. I also have the Alex Loop Antenna that I will try from work.
Another operating position: here I am inside running RG-316 through the door to the 10th Floor Balcony. I am using Thomas’s Speaker Wire antenna here.
One of the challenges that I face at 3AM is cold temperatures and wind. There can be wind around these large buildings that can make operating difficult. In cases of cold weather, I just opt for the little table and chair next to the door. Besides, the coffee stays warmer longer inside!
New buildings make it very difficult if not impossible to get an RF signal out. Getting an antenna outside is key. And even then, that does not guarantee success. The building’s corners have glass conference rooms. You feel like you are outside, but I haven’t found a really good location for QRP. That said, there are many more options to try.
Have you tried operating from your work location, perhaps at lunch? Maybe as a POTA chaser? What is your go-to method and set up? Check out more of my shack on QRZ.
Bill KG4FXG
Gear:
Note: All Amazon, CW Morse, ABR, Chelegance, eBay, and Radioddity links are affiliate links that support QRPer.com at no cost to you.
(As is Vince’s usual, this article has a bunch of links – click on as many as you wish for the full experience)
Before I go too far into this topic, I wish to first offer hearty congratulations to Thomas Witherspoon for having one thousand posts on QRPer.com! Woo-Hoo!
Do you pack a Radio Field First Aid kit?
On my recent trip to VE3-land I had a few opportunities to practice set-up with my gear–away from the safe place that is my truck–to ensure I’d brought everything for my trip to Hamvention and activations along the way. I did forget an audio cable, however a visit to a local dollar store solved that problem inexpensively.
So, unless you pack two of everything -because two is one and one is none– you should expect that something’s going to fail or break along the way. What you never know is when or how that’s going to happen. I wouldn’t be writing this story if it had not happened to me before.
This time it was on a Sunday outing to VE-1512, the McLaughlin Bay Reserve Wildlife Area in Oshawa Ontario and far away from the comforts of my shop at home. Tucked away not far off of the 401 Highway, this nature reserve is a calm and peaceful oasis just minutes from urban life. I saw kayakers, hikers and trail runners during my visit.
Setting up my Comet HFJ-350M, I added the jumper cable to set the antenna for 20m and then I started to push the antenna down into the ground onto the stake. And that’s when my hand slipped and I broke the jumper cable connector, busted off in the hole.
Many thanks to Skip (K4EAK) who shares the following guest post:
The QRPguys DS-1 Portable Antenna Kit
by Skip (K4EAK)
There have been several videos and extended comments lately about the Elecraft AX1 and AX2 antennas, both of which function remarkably well for a small, highly compromised antenna.
For those interested in other, similar designs, especially those hams who find that building the equipment is half the fun, another option to consider is the QRPguys DS-1 antenna.
The DS-1 is similar in concept and design to the AX2. It consists of a base-loading coil, a 46.5-inch collapsible whip, and a plate to attach the antenna to a small tripod. One can also purchase an add-on 40-meter coil. The can be deployed in just a couple minutes and, when collapsed, the longest portion is only 6.5” long, easily fitting in the palm of one’s hand. QRPguys recommends a 16.5′ counterpoise; I use two such wires, usually spread out at a 180-degree angle. I’ve also used it with a clamp-on mount and a car window mount.
Building the antenna is simple and took me less than an hour. After installing a BNC connector into a brass plug and inserting the plug onto a length of PEX tubing, one simply runs the supplied 22AWG wire from inside the tubing, out and around making 22 turns, and then sealing it with a length of heat shrink tubing.
There are really only two aspects of assembly that are slightly more difficult. The first is that it’s necessary to drill and tap two holes for 4-40 screws, which obviously means that (1) one needs a 4-40 tap and (2) one needs to be careful tapping the threads to assure a clean cut. The second is that the heat shrink tubing, at least as supplied in my kit, was grossly oversized, which required some finesse in getting a final product that was at least reasonably aesthetic, to say nothing of accomplishing that without dry roasting my fingertips.
Field testing of the DS-1 shows that it works surprisingly well. The SWR is well below 2.0 across almost all of the 20-meter band and where it is higher than that (the upper end of the voice portion), the KX2 internal tuner can tune it easily. As one would expect, on 40 meters the antenna has a somewhat narrower range, although the KX2 tuner has handled it on all of the frequencies I’ve tested so far (all CW). And it appears to be efficient enough.
I have used it on numerous activations and consistently get to the requisite 10 contacts within 20 minutes or so after getting spotted. After that, the number of contacts depends on the time available, but for those occasions when I have only a 30-minute window for an activation, the antenna is a convenient and practical alternative.
I keep the antenna, the tabletop tripod, and the counterpoise wires in the water bottle pocket of my pack, ready for use whenever I have a few moments for a quick activation.
If you’re planning to attend the Charlotte, NC hamfest (March 8th and 9th), make a point to join the SOTA (Summits On The Air) forum. Christian (KF4LXB), provided me with details:
The forum itself is from 11:45am-12:45pm [Saturday March 9th] in the Cabarrus Room B. There will be total of five of us “SOTAteers” KF4LXB, W4ZV, KI4SVM, WH6LE, and W4ZTM with our kits. We hope to be able to set up a table outside of the conference room so we can have some extra “show and tell” time with our rigs for those interested. We want to get the word out to as many people as possible so we can share about something we all love.
I found an almost perfect bag for carrying a small QRP transceiver, simple antenna, and accessories yesterday in our local Aldi grocery store. The bag (photo) is manufactured by “Adventure Essentials”, is described as an insulated lunch bag, is available in several color-schemes, and cost all of $3.99 plus sales tax. I purchased the grey-and-black version, product number 41991. The bag looks to be very rugged, is covered by a two-year warranty, and the tag even includes a toll-free telephone number for customer service.
As can be seen in the photos, the bag is almost ideally sized for carrying any of the current crop of trail-friendly-radios such as the Elecraft KX1 or KX3, the Ten-Tec 40×0 two-band or 4040 four-band rigs, the Youkits HB-1A three-band or HB-1B four-band rigs, or the MFJ 92xx single-band rigs.
If I didn’t already have a Pelican Case for my KX1 Mini Travel Kit, I could probably be very happy carrying the station in this insulated lunch bag!
Standard disclaimer: I have no relationship with Aldi other than being a satisfied customer.
Connecting an international community through low-power field radio adventures.
Please support QRPer by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us stay online. All of our ads are ham radio related--no junk, we promise! Thank you!
