Tag Archives: QRP

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

The POTA Babe Checks In

8 Comments
By Teri KO4WFP

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

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

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

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

National Steeplechase Museum

an old scale used to weigh jockeys
trophy room

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 My RigExpert Stick analyzer gave me 2.1 at 7.040 –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spotting myself on CW QSO Finder

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

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

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

the RBN picked me up again

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

operating in the dark

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

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

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

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

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

Equipment Used

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

First Field Outing with My New-to-Me Elecraft K1!

4 Comments

In the chaos of the past two months, I managed to post a few field reports out of chronological order. I’m probably the only one who notices—these aren’t sequential stories, after all—but since I was there for each activation, it feels odd when the timeline’s off.

Case in point: you might recall this recent post where I shared how I finally landed an Elecraft K1 field-portable transceiver. I’d been hunting for a K1 for years, so I was thrilled when this one popped up locally in North Carolina.

Last month, I published this field report where I paired the K1 with my AX1 antenna for a low-profile (but high-performance) activation in Pisgah National Forest.

But here’s the thing: that was actually my second activation with the venerable K1. The first one? It took place along the Blue Ridge Parkway on February 24, 2025.

Taking the K1 to the Field!

It’s always exciting to take a new radio to the field—especially one I’d been chasing for so long. I purchased the K1 back in August of last year. As soon as it arrived, I tested it and realized it was in serious need of alignment.

I brought it over to my friend Vlado (N3CZ), hoping to use his signal generator to sort it out. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time that day, so I left the rig at his QTH. Then Hurricane Helene hit, and… well, suddenly it was 2025.

We finally got around to the alignment in February. As soon as it was dialed in, I hit the field.

Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378)

I made my way to a familiar spot along the Blue Ridge Parkway—the Folk Art Center—and set up the K1.

Mine is a four-bander (40, 30, 20, and 15 meters) with both the optional internal ATU and AA battery pack. To give the internal tuner a little workout, I paired it with my trusty Tufteln 9:1 End-Fed Random Wire antenna.

Once deployed, I hit the ATU button, and the K1 quickly found a solid 1:1 match. With logs at the ready, it was time to hit the airwaves!

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

  • Elecraft K1 (four band version with optional ATU and internal AA battery pack)

Key

Antenna

Pack and Case

Logging Supplies

Battery

Camera/Audio Gear

On The Air

I started calling CQ POTA on 20 meters, thinking I’d eventually migrate to 30 meters if things slowed down. Continue reading First Field Outing with My New-to-Me Elecraft K1! →

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

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

17 Comments

By Conrad Trautmann (N2YCH)

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

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

Mag Loop Test from the N2YCH QTH

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

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

Pskreporter.info map of spots from Mag Loop

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

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

Alpha Magnetic Loop Antenna at Indian Well State Park in Connecticut

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

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

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

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

Spots from US-1684 using the Mag Loop

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

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

Buddipole with 17’ telescoping whip and elevated counterpoise

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

PSKReporter Spots with vertical antenna on 20m QRP

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

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

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

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

So, after all that, what do I think?

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned!

Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

The POTA Babe Loses Weight

9 Comments
By Teri KO4WFP

I love living in the state of Georgia. The state contains diverse natural spaces – mountains and valleys in the north, rolling hills and forests in the middle, and a plain extending to the coast with wetlands, marshes, and forests.

source: Georgia DNR
source: GA DNR

The Georgia State Parks on the Air event celebrates and draws attention to state parks scattered throughout these spaces. For this year’s event (April 5th and 6th), I signed up to activate George L. Smith State Park (US-2179), a park located a little over an hour from my home. I’ve activated this park several times in the past – for POTA as well as the K2D special event.

To do something different and to qualify for the hike-in bonus (100 points) for the event, I planned to hike the Deer Run Trail. This trail runs past the historic mill on site and through a wooded area on the southeast corner of the park. To qualify for the bonus, I had to hike at least 1 mile from my vehicle so I walked a section of the outer loop trail.

water released under the mill on the lake
iris blooming

The hike was pleasant. Daisy and I walked through a forested area bordered by cypress bottomlands and farmland. Several benches along the path offered hikers a quiet place to relax. I was surprised by how many people we encountered.

the path leading from the mill – somewhere I’ve wanted to explore
the trail is well marked
a spot to relax on the trail

We finally reached the junction of the loop and .7 mile trail, the latter having a power line running along it. Here was another bench set admist a mixture of pines and hardwoods. A tall pine directly across from the bench had a branch about 30 feet high, just perfect for the dipole antenna I brought, that is if I could reach it.

the junction of the .7 mile trail and 3 mile loop trail
pine tree I spied for my dipole antenna

I removed my throw bag, arbor line, and throw weight, and tossed the line to see how close I could come to that branch. My line and weight ran over a broken branch forming a notch about 10 feet lower. I tugged to remove them and stared in amazement when the line abruptly broke free and fell at my feet…WITHOUT the weight attached. Oh crap! I was so gung-ho to nail that branch that I forgot to securely tie the weight to the line. (doh!)

my throw weight lodged in the notch

I stared in amazement, my mind slowly processing my situation. I did not bring an additional weight because I stopped carrying it since I never needed it (until now that is) and wanted to travel light for today’s hike. Shoot! Now what?

I spent the next 15 minutes trying to find a branch long enough to reach that spot as well as throw sticks at the weight. Nothing came close to dislodging it.

Well, I could just throw in the towel. But POTA Babes don’t give up that easily. I had an obligation to the event as I signed up to activate this park and hunters would be looking for me.

The only items in my pack I could attach to the arbor line and throw were an insect repellant bottle and my Nalgene water bottle. The insect repellant bottle I rejected because of its spray trigger which could definitely get stuck on a branch. But the Nalgene bottle might work. Daisy and I drank some water to lighten it. I tied the arbor line to the lid, found a branch about 15 feet up in the air, and tossed the bottle. Would this even work?

Nalgene bottle

It did! I know you antenna purists out there are shuddering. However, I figured a lower antenna was better than no antenna at this point. I brought two antennas with me for this activation: the Tufteln EFRW and a home-brew linked dipole I built roughly three years ago. A dipole is an amazing antenna, even if homebrewed. I figured my signal needed all the help it could get with the lower height and power lines nearby so I chose to use the dipole.

homebrew linked dipole antenna (40-30-20 meters)

Daisy and I settled across the trail in the understory to shade ourselves from the sun. One leg of the dipole ran across the hiking trail. To give the antenna as much help as I could, I secured both ends of the dipole roughly 6 feet up in foliage. Where it crossed the trail, it was high enough anyone would pass easily underneath it.

I took a breath, pressed the ATU button to activate the internal antenna tuner, cleared a frequency, and began calling CQ. I had no idea what to expect. Continue reading The POTA Babe Loses Weight →

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

Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air Field Report: Part 2

1 Comment

As promised, here’s Part 2 of my extended HRWBOTA activation report from March 16, 2025!

(US-6856)

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this activation, I’d planned to operate for the full four-hour window of the March 16th Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air (HRWBOTA) event—a rare luxury for me. Most of my field activations typically last anywhere from 30 to maybe 90 minutes at most. So, sitting in one spot and operating for four full hours definitely stretched me a bit—but in a good way!

After two hours of non-stop CW with the Elecraft KX3, I took a brief break, swapped radios, and continued the activation with my Penntek TR-45L.

This portable rig is one of my favorite minimalist CW transceivers, and I thought it was a perfect fit for the second half of the HRWBOTA event. I used it to work 20, 30, and 40 meters in CW (in that order).

One nice bonus of using the TR-45L is that mine has a built-in Z-match ATU, which allowed me to easily find a match on 30 meters, even though the Spooltenna EFHW isn’t resonant on that band. The antenna was the same excellent 40-meter EFHW prototype from Rob (KO4HUI) that I featured in Part 1.

The only other minor change during this segment of the activation was behind the camera. Since I was filming in real-time for four straight hours, I had to pause at one point to connect my action camera to a portable battery pack which then limited my ability to use wireless microphones with wind screens. The gusty wind will be more noticeable in this portion of the activation video as a result—but, hey, it’s all part of the field experience!

Now, let’s dive into Part 2 of the gear and activation details…

Gear

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Radio

  • Penntek TR-45L with built-in rechargeable battery and Z-Match antenna tuner (discontinued)

Antenna System

Battery

Key and Accessories

Logging

Packs/Cases

Camera and Audio Gear

On the Air

As I mentioned in Part 1, this was a longer activation, and since I needed to submit electronic logs to HRWBOTA admin Mark (N6MTS), I skipped paper logging—a true rarity for me.

Instead, I logged directly into AC Log on my Microsoft Surface Go, just as I would during Field Day.

During this second part of the event, I started on 20 meters and spent a little over an hour working a steady stream of contacts. Continue reading Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air Field Report: Part 2 →

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

Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air Field Report: Part 1

6 Comments

Many of you likely know that I’m on the crew of the Ham Radio Workbench podcast and that, in December 2023, we hosted the first Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air (HRWBOTA) event.

Unfortunately, I had one scheduling conflict I couldn’t change, which meant starting the event with my KH1 in a downtown Asheville parking lot before heading to Lake James State Park for a couple of hours of solid pileups with my Icom IC-705. I posted a field report and video of the event—it was a blast! Click here to check it out.

On March 16, 2025, we held our second HRWBOTA event, and this time, I was better prepared with a clear schedule and a plan to operate for the full four hours!

Zebulon Vance Birthplace (US-6856)

Of course, even the best-laid plans can run into hiccups, and mine did. I was delayed due to some chainsaw work I wanted to complete before leaving home. As a result, I arrived at US-6856 just as the event was starting (14:00 local).

No worries, though! I turned on the camera and wasted no time deploying my antenna and setting up my radio gear.

The Spooltenna!

For this activation, I used a prototype of the Spooltenna, designed by Rob (KO4HUI).

Rob, a fellow North Carolinian, had been in touch with me about his antenna idea for months. Back in February, when my daughter interviewed for a scholarship at NC State University (which she was later awarded!), I met up with Rob on campus, and he handed me an early prototype of the Spooltenna. He had just completed the build that very morning.

It’s a unique design based on his own needs for a field antenna. From his website:

SPOOLTENNA is a compact, lightweight antenna designed for portable amateur radio operations like Parks on the Air® (POTA) and Summits on the Air™ (SOTA). Its innovative spool form factor is intended to ensure efficient deployment, teardown, and storage, providing a frustration-free operating experience that doesn’t compromise performance.

The design is also Open Source under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The Spooltenna he gave me is a 40-meter end-fed half-wave (EFHW). Before this activation, I had only set it up at home to check resonance on 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. I deployed it as a sloper, with the transformer at the highest point.

The Spooltenna is quick to deploy–by placing a pencil, tent stake, or screwdriver in the center hole–and the spool design ensures a tangle-free wind-up. The components feel very high-quality. Rob is also producing high-quality cable assemblies, which were included in the package he gave me.

Rob has rapidly turned this idea into a side business involving his whole family. In just two months, his wife Christi has launched a website, ordered inventory, and—just a week ago—even set up an affiliate program and coupon code offering free shipping to QRPer.com readers.

Rob will be at the Raleigh Amateur Radio Society hamfest this weekend. He plans to attend FDIM and Hamvention in Dayton next month with inventory.

UPDATE: Rob tells me that he will have some inventory at RARSfest this weekend and will even temporarily open up his website for Spooltenna orders tomorrow (Saturday, April 4, 2025) during the RARSfest. 

Again, I’m most impressed with all that he and his wife have accomplished in a few months.

Deploying the Spooltenna was easy, though I had to adjust my setup. I originally planned to support the transformer with a tree next to the picnic shelter, but that tree had been blown down during Hurricane Helene.

No worries! I set it up as a sloper with the transformer close to the ground—similar to many of my EFHW deployments.

My HRWBOTA Activation Plan

I planned to use two radios during this activation—first my Elecraft KX3, then my Penntek TR-45L on the lower bands.

To maximize the chance for HRWB listeners to work me:

  • I did not spot myself on POTA.app, even though I was giving all contacts POTA credit. I knew that if I spotted myself, the normal weekend POTA pileups might make it harder for HRWBOTA participants to contact me.
  • I started on 10 meters and slowly worked my way down.
  • If time allowed, I planned to work SSB on at least one band (spoiler alert: CW kept me too busy!).

First up was the Elecraft KX3! I set up the radio and wasted no time getting on the air.

Gear:

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

Radio

Antenna System

Battery

Key and Accessories

Logging

Packs/Cases

Camera and Audio Gear

On the Air

Since this was a long activation and I needed to submit electronic logs to HRWBOTA admin (Mark, N6MTS), I skipped paper logging. Instead, I logged directly to AC Log on my Microsoft Surface Go, just as I would during Field Day. Continue reading Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air Field Report: Part 1 →

News

More Dogs for the POTA Babe

10 Comments
By Teri KO4WFP

Spring has arrived in Savannah bringing great POTA weather. There are still parks within a two-hour drive of my home QTH that I have yet to activate.  To check one more off the list, Daisy and I headed to Di-Lane Wildlife Management Area (WMA) this past Wednesday, March 26th.

Di-Lane WMA (US-3744) is located just south of Waynesboro, Georgia. You may recall this town because I mentioned it in a previous article. It is known as the Bird Dog Capital of the World. Why? The town hosts the Georgia Field Trials – a competition that evaluates a bird dog’s ability to find and point flocks of quail. Waynesboro is well suited to the sport given the layout of land and large numbers of quail in the area.

Waynesboro water tower     source: thetruecitizen.com

By now you are probably wondering what the heck bird dogs have to do with POTA. The land Di-Lane WMA occupies was formerly owned by Henry Berol, heir to the Eagle Pencil Company in New York. (A side note: he named the plantation for his two daughters Diane and Elaine.) Mr. Berol was an avid bird dog supporter and developed the plantation to host the trials. After Mr. Berol’s death, the land was eventually purchased by the Army Corps of Engineers as wetland mitigation for Lake Richard B. Russell. It is currently managed by the  Georgia Department of Natural Resources with a focus on bobwhite quail.

There are several entrances to the Di-Lane WMA. The one I chose off Herndon Road is flanked by a brick wall and iron bird dogs atop the two pillars which pay homage to the plantation’s past. Just inside the gate is a large barn and check station for hunters.

entrance to Di-Lane WMA
barn by check station inside entrance
WMA map Source: GA DNR

I drove past this area and found a quiet spot at the edge of Dove Field 1. Despite sunny skies, the temperature was quite comfortable in the mid-seventies.

driving in the WMA
our road along dove field #1

Everywhere I looked, spring was evident. Flowers were prevalent – bluish and yellow wildflowers, white flowers on wild blackberry vines, and big clusters of flowers on a large bush. Not to be outdone, the sides of the roads were edged with lush, bright-green grass.

There were several trees beside this road of a sufficient height for the end-fed random wire I prefer to use. What I didn’t realize is that instead of a POTA activation, I was actually here to practice throwing my arbor line as it took me ten or so tries to snag a branch at the height I preferred.

tree for EFRW antenna
feed-end of the EFRW antenna

I posted on the CW channel of the Discord POTA server the day prior that I would activate this park. I received a request from Cainan N9FZ that I use a frequency to assist regional hams working to hunt all the Georgia parks. Hence it wasn’t a surprise that Cainan was the first to work me when I called CQ on 40 meters. He was followed by five ops before I moved to 20 meters. Continue reading More Dogs for the POTA Babe →

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

Pairing the Elecraft K1 and AX1 for low-profile, low-impact portable POTA!

10 Comments

Friday, February 28, 2025, felt like another “rinse and repeat” day—a pattern I’ve grown used to over the past few weeks.

That morning, I woke up early, published a post on QRPer.com, and by 7:30 AM I was outside with my chainsaw, preparing piles of tree debris for the skid steer operator we hired to move it to the roadside.

As you might imagine, he can collect debris much faster than I can cut and prepare it, so my goal has been to stay ahead of him. I worked steadily all morning and, combined with what I had cut the previous day, managed to prepare enough to keep him busy for the rest of the day. That was fortunate because I needed to help my daughters with activities in town all afternoon.

Finding POTA time

I’ll be honest—after grabbing a quick lunch and a shower, I was pretty worn out. Part of me wanted to use any spare time to sneak in a nap. But I also knew I could use a little POTA therapy, and the weather was unseasonably gorgeous—almost spring-like.

Looking at my schedule, I realized I had about an hour to spare, enough time to detour and activate Pisgah National Forest (US-4510) at the Sycamore Flats Picnic Area. It was the most convenient spot along my route that afternoon.

As for radio gear, I already had my Elecraft K1 packed from an earlier activation that week (which I also recorded and will post soon—obviously, out of chronological order!).

For variety, I didn’t want to use the same antenna as the previous activation. Instead, I grabbed one of my favorite compact antennas to see how well it would pair with the K1: the Elecraft AX1.

If you’ve followed QRPer for long, you’ll know I often use the AX1 during both POTA and SOTA activations. Despite its extreme size compromise, it has always performed well for me.

Loaded verticals like the AX1 typically have a high Q (narrow bandwidth) and benefit from an ATU or capacity hat to help with impedance matching. Luckily, my new-to-me Elecraft K1 has the optional built-in ATU, meaning I could attach the AX1 directly to the back of the radio.

I’ll save the full story of how I acquired this particular K1 for my next field report, but let’s just say I’d been hunting one for a long time—and this one showed up locally. It’s a four-band version (40, 30, 20, and 15 meters) with both the ATU and internal AA battery pack options.

Sycamore Flats Picnic Area

I arrived on site around 13:35 local time and had about 45 minutes to play radio.

I started the activation video and walked through the picnic area until I found a good table. Truthfully, though, the beauty of using the AX1 is that almost any flat surface will do—it’s that low-profile and low-impact.

Once I found a table, setup was super quick: I placed the K1 on the table, connected a battery, attached my Palm Mini paddle (its maiden POTA voyage!), and plugged the AX1 directly into the back of the radio. I wasn’t in a hurry–and it truly shows in the video–but I’m confident I could have deployed the entire station in about 60-90 seconds if required. That’s the magic of the AX1—minimal setup time.

With everything connected, it was time to hit the airwaves!

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

  • Elecraft K1 (four band version with optional ATU and internal AA battery pack)

Key

  • Palm Mini Paddle with new connection cord

Antenna

Pack and Case

Logging Supplies

Battery

Camera/Audio Gear

On The Air

Once on the air, I was thrilled to have no problem collecting hunters for the logs. Continue reading Pairing the Elecraft K1 and AX1 for low-profile, low-impact portable POTA! →

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

QRP POTA with Vlado: Penntek TR-45L “Skinny” in Pisgah National Forest (Part 2)

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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.

This is Part 2 of our activation — if you missed Part 1, you can check it out here!

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.

Radio

  • Penntek TR-45L “Skinny”

Antenna System and Throw Line

Key

Battery

Camera and Audio

QSO Map

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.

Note that Patreon supporters can watch and even download this video 100% ad-free through Vimeo on my Patreon page:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Thank you

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)

PS: Consider joining our QRPer.net discussion board! It’s an active community of radio operators who enjoy helping and supporting each other. It’s also the best place to ask any questions you might have about radios, field activities, antennas, or pretty much anything amateur radio. Click here to join.

News

Join Me for Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air — Sunday, March 16th!

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Tomorrow (Sunday, March 16th, 2025), I’ll be participating in the Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air (HRWBOTA) event from 1800 to 2200 UTC (2 PM to 6 PM Eastern).

I’ll be operating QRP and portable, weather permitting, from a POTA site. I’ll mostly be using CW from 10 to 40 meters.

If you’re learning CW and feeling a little shy about getting on the air, this is an absolutely wonderful opportunity! As long as you can send your callsign, and recognize your callsign when I call you back, just send me a signal report, and we’ll be all set! I’ll happily adjust my pace to match yours, giving you all the time you need. It’s totally okay if you want to pre-program your CW message memories with your call and signal report. The key thing is to give it a try! I truly believe you can do it!

Note that I may not share my POTA location on the POTA.app spots page so that Ham Radio Workbench listeners don’t have to compete with the weekend POTA hunters. Plus, if my plans change, I might operate from a site that isn’t POTA, so there’s that too.

HRWBOTA on December 3, 2023

The HRWBOTA exchange is a little unconventional (and fun):

  • Hosts give a serial number or standard POTA-style exchange.
  • Listeners can optionally share the number and brand of their favorite soldering iron, plus their state/province/country.

For example: “0 Weller, North Carolina”

That said, again, it’s perfectly fine to simply give a short exchange with signal report and state, province or country. This is all about the fun factor, so a simple contact is fine (in fact, you’l find we hosts often forget to give the serial number in our part of the exchange!).

You can find all event details — including a live host tracker showing frequencies and modes — at https://hrwbota.com/