Tag Archives: SOTA

Field Radio Kits, Guest Posts, Kits, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, QRP Radios, SOTA, Videos

A Strong Case for the (tr)uSDX: Jamie’s Perspective

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Readers, there’s a bit of a backstory to this guest post by my friend Jamie (AA4K). During the W4SOTA campout in October 2023, Jamie showed me his favorite field radio: the (tr)uSDX. I’ve used the (tr)uSDX for a couple of activations, but I’ll be honest—I haven’t exactly shown it a lot of love. I’ve even complained about its audio and receiver performance in the past. Jamie, on the other hand, really enjoys using his and makes a solid case for it as a field radio.

Jamie showing me his (tr)uSDX during the W4SOTA campout.

I asked if he’d be willing to write a guest post for QRPer, and he agreed (eventually!). When I saw him at Hamvention this year, he told me the article was ready—and in true form, he sent it to me via Winlink… using his (tr)uSDX.

A Case for the (tr)USDX

by Jamie (AA4K)

Introduction

There are many factors that must be considered when choosing a field radio. How big and heavy is the radio? How hard is it to repair or replace the radio if it becomes damaged or lost? How hard is the radio to operate? How power-efficient is the radio? Does the radio have the desired/required modes and features? Of course, the most fundamental question is, “Does the radio work?” I will try to answer these questions as I lay out… a case for the (tr)USDX as perhaps an almost perfect field radio.

The last two contacts on this page were with my friends Carlos (KB4CO, now AE2W) and Thomas (K4SWL).

How big and heavy is it?

The first question is an easy one. Aside from small home-brew radios such as K6ARK’s “Choking Hazard”, there isn’t a smaller or lighter commercially available radio out there that I am aware of. The (tr)USDX measures 112 x 61 x 50 mm (I trimmed the encoder post and used a lower profile knob), and weighs 5.3 oz, or 151 g. The next closest currently available commercial radio is perhaps the QRP Labs QMX. This radio is very comparable in size (110 x 64 x 38 mm) and cost, but it does weigh more at 7.3 oz, or 207 g. The more rugged metal case probably plays a big part in the weight difference.

(tr)USDX with a modified case I designed to use the radio as the antenna winder.

How hard is it to replace or repair it?

The (tr)USDX is often sold as a kit for about US$86 (+$20 for the case) [QRPer affiliate links]. Any repairs should simply involve desoldering affected components and replacing, or possibly just updating the firmware. I am a relative noob when it comes to kit building and this kit is honestly not very difficult to build… about one day. The instructions and support videos provided by the hardware developer, Manuel DL2MAN, are very thorough. I learned a lot about radios from building the kit. If you have no interest in kit building, the assembled radio can currently be purchased from Amazon for US$138, complete with a case. Whether purchased as a kit, or already built, the band pass filters on the radio board will need to be tweaked to get the most out of your radio.

How hard is it to operate?

The (tr)USDX only has 4 buttons including the rotary encoder: Menu, Encoder, Enter, and PTT. The Menu and Encoder cover the majority of the adjustments, and most of the time I don’t use the Enter and PTT buttons. The PTT functions only as a ptt or cw key depending on the mode (yes, if your key breaks mid activation, you have a built-in backup key). The single-layer menu system is simple to scroll through, and the most commonly used items are near the front of the menu.

The most challenging aspect of operation for some people is the tiny OLED screen which gets obliterated in bright light. Reading glasses do help, although when you become familiar with the menu are not as important. I would love to see a version with an e-ink display and, more importantly, a push-button wheel rotary encoder (to remove the protruding knob).

How power-efficient is it?

This radio sips power. I tested the radio I built using a LiFePO4 battery that supplied 13.56v. The current draw on receive is 66.1 mA, and 570 mA on CW keydown into a dummy load. A properly tuned (tr)USDX delivers about 5w on each of the five bands when fed ~12v. A set of three 18650s in series will provide the proper voltage and power the radio through many activations.

Does the radio have the desired/required modes and features?

The (tr)USDX is not for princesses. It is a minimalist’s radio. But if you start from the perspective of an ultralight backpacker who has to justify every gram in their kit, this radio checks all of the boxes. It is a five band radio (Low, Classic, and High band models available). It is capable of doing voice, cw and digital modes. Thanks to a beta update from the firmware developer, Guido PE1NNZ, this radio will interface with a computer without requiring a soundcard. One of my favorite features of the radio is the built-in SWR meter. With the SWR feature enabled in the menu, just put the radio in CW mode and press the PTT to find out if your radio is happy with the current antenna arrangement.

This photo was taken while sending the text of this article via Winlink to Thomas, K4SWL.

Does the radio work?

Although my total activation count is nowhere near as high as many of you, I have used the (tr)USDX for a majority of my successful POTA (156 as of this writing) and SOTA (72 as of this writing) activations. My confidence in this little radio was demonstrated when I used it on an ATNO activation of Admiralty Island National Monument (US-4537) in Alaska.

Conclusion

One reason why I like to participate in SOTA and POTA is that it gives me an opportunity to practice field radio deployment and operation with the goal of being ready to communicate anywhere and anytime. This level of readiness means that I have the necessary equipment with me all the time. For me, the (tr)USDX is my EDC (every day carry) radio. It can bounce around in my backpack (in its protective case, of course) and be ready to deploy if needed. If it were to get lost or broken, I can fix or replace it easily. And I find it to be easy enough to use with the understanding that it isn’t a luxury radio.

The author at ~11,000’ in Uncompahgre National Forest.

Video

Click here to view on YouTube.

(tr)uSDX Winder Case:

Click here to download the print file for Jamie’s the modified (tr)uSDX case.

Antennas, Field Reports, Guest Posts, Homebrew, How To, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA

Experimenting My Way to the POTA Kilo Award

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by Thomas (DM1TBE)

Some time before Easter I noticed that I am close to 1000 QSOs at my favourite place at the “Kalte Feld”, a POTA and SOTA activation zone and would soon qualify for the POTA Kilo Award. I like the Kalte Feld for the quiet, spacious area with a hut that is vending traditional basic food and beverages – which in Germany usually means good beer and different sausage types (and other stuff – to be fair). I already wrote some articles about the history of the area and my activations.

The conditions at the activation zone are quite good. I have made 2 activations there with more than 100 QSOs (and many smaller), so I thought it should not be too difficult to complete the required QSOs in one day.

DAY 1

The weather for the Easter weekend was expected to be one of the first warm and sunny days this year. So, on Easter Sunday, I headed to the area to get the last missing 49 QSOs for my POTA Kilo Award. Easter hiking has a centuries long history in Germany. This and the nice weather made the area quite crowded. The close airfield for gliders was busy and the whole time while operating there they were in the air above.

The barbecue places and outdoor seating around the mountain hut were busy but happily the bench some meters away that I am normally using, was still available.

I wanted to start with an end-fed half-wave antenna for the 20m band, tied to a 10 meter (33 ft) fiberglass mast. This is a very easy and quick to deploy antenna and I like it, especially if there is not too much space for antennas with a larger footprint. Since it’s a straight vertical, it also has a higher chance for DX contacts – when the conditions allow that. The antenna is Open Hardware and you can find further details on GitHub.

The mast was tied to the bench and the antenna was raised. Besides the comfort, the possibility to tie a mast to it is the second reason why I am always looking for benches.

The conditions were far from being perfect, and it took me 40 minutes to get 18 CW QSOs on the 20-meter band. Switching to SSB wasn’t a big help either, and I soon gave up with only 3 additional SSB QSOs in the log.

I had brought another antenna with me that I wanted to try. The 10 meter (33 Ft) fiberglass mast also has the perfect height for a ¼ wave vertical on the 40-meter band. So I cut 5 wires to a length of about 10 meters (33 ft) and connected 4 of them together at one end with a cable lug and attached another cable lug to the vertical element.

I then used the basis of the JPC-7 antenna for the coax plug and for connecting the vertical element and the radials. There are a lot of articles and videos about ¼ wave vertical antennas. But the information is usually about either elevated and resonant radials or random length ground radials. I wanted to have resonant radials, but I could not be bothered with carrying all the stuff nearly 2 miles to a summit for elevating 4 x 10m (33 ft) wires, so I simply left them on the ground.

My idea was to try a full size vertical for the 40 meters band with resonant radials that still is portable and fits to my existing equipment.

The SWR was quite nice being close to 1.0 : 1 at the CW portion of the band, so I started operating.

The conditions were similarly difficult as on the 20-meter band. It took me 25 minutes for another 18 QSOs.

As it became increasingly cloudy, I checked on my mobile and saw that rain was approaching fast. Since I had roughly 2km or 1.5 miles descent ahead of me, I stopped abruptly with just 10 QSOs short of the POTA Kilo Award.

A bit disappointed, I called it a day.

DAY 2

I could not leave the missing 10 QSOs for long. The very next day, Easter Monday, was a public holiday in Germany. And as the weather started nice, I again made my way to the activation zone. Continue reading Experimenting My Way to the POTA Kilo Award →

Funny, News

My Most Embarrassing Field Radio Fail (What’s Yours?)

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Many thanks to Dale (N3HXZ) who writes:

“Thomas, Great response to your post [regarding the toughest CW paddles for field use]. What if we consider another idea: collecting the “Greatest Bloopers while Activating” shared by your readers?

I can think of several I did, but what takes the cake is a buddy of mine who forgot to attach his 50′ coax to the antenna. He worked for over an hour trying to make contacts with the coax just lying on the ground radiating. He ended up with three before he realized his setup error! But in those three contacts was Cristopher (F4WBN) from France.”

That’s funny, Dale! I remember not so long ago, I did something very similar. In my case, I forgot to attach the coax to my radio! I can’t remember if this was captured in an activation video or not.

One blooper, in particular, that stands out in my mind happened during the 2021 W4 SOTA campout.

While I didn’t make a video of that SOTA activation, I did document this mishap in a field report. Here’s the excerpt, starting from when our hiking party finally reached the summit of Standing Indian after a long, exhausting hike:

“By the time we reached the summit, it was about 14:30 local and I didn’t want to hang around for long. We had a decent hike back to the campground on a new-to-us trail.

My hiking friends (Christie and Patricia) wanted to hear me play a little Morse Code, so instead of taking the (much easier) VHF path to activating the summit, I pulled out the Discovery TX-500, Elecraft T1, and my Chameleon CHA TDL.

I’d packed the Chameleon Tactical Delta loop believing we’d be hitting a bald summit and I wanted to test the TDL on 20 meters to see if it could achieve a DX take-off angle.

The true summit, however, was not a bald so I had to set up the TDL among trees.

As I deployed all of my radio gear, I attracted a mini crowd of hikers: three more day hikers, and two AT tru-hikers. I was distracted and made a big error: I assembled the CHA TDL components, and tried to drive the steel spike into the ground while talking with a hiker. But turns out I wasn’t driving the spike into the ground at all, I was driving one of the telescoping antennas into the ground!

I pulled the telescoping antenna out of the ground and discovered the tip broke and the top three sections were damaged–I couldn’t extend them. I was forcing it into rocky ground after all.

Undeterred, I deployed the lop-sided TDL, hit “TUNE” on the T1 ATU and got a 1:1 match on 20 meters.

The 20 band was incredibly quiet. I thought for sure I wasn’t receiving a thing since one side of my loop was completely compromised.

I started calling CQ and within a minute EA2IF answered with a 559 report (bless you, Guru!).

Spain. With a broken antenna and 5 watts of power.

I worked four more stations in rapid succession all in the 1 region of the US, then I powered off the radio before I could hear anyone else calling me. I had achieved a valid activation and packed up quickly: we had more miles to log before sunset!

We hit the return trail…”

Reading through my field notes, though, I’d forgotten that my first contact was my friend Guru (EA2IF). Guru was an amazing member of the SOTA community and a friend to all. He passed away a couple years ago from cancer complications, and our community felt his loss in no small way. It brightened my day to remember that he was the first contact I made that day with my mangled antenna.

Good times. We miss you, Guru!

How about your field bloopers?

What is it they say — “misery loves company?” Let’s all share our mishaps and bloopers in the field!

Please comment!

Articles, News, POTA, PSK, QRP, SOTA

2025 Plans: Less About Goals, More About the Journey

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Last week, we recorded an episode of the Ham Radio Workbench podcast. Our main topic was Winter Field Day, but we also discussed our plans for 2025—not just workbench projects but our overall goals and what’s on the calendar.

Lately, I’ve been so focused on the present and immediate future (sorting out post-storm property repairs, etc.) that I hadn’t really taken the time to think about our bigger plans.

I may tweak this list over time, but here’s what’s on my mind so far:

Projects:

  • A proper, thorough shack purge: I really need to cut a lot of the detritus out of my QTH radio space.
  • Attend at least four hamfests with N3CZ as vendors to help accomplish the first point!
  • Use PSK-31 and other digital modes more frequently.
  • Finally build that QCX+!
  • Develop our Swannanoa Valley GMRS network and grow the user base through public information sessions.
  • Spend more time QRPp and experiment with antenna choices: I do love playing radio with one watt or less!

Where I plan to go:

  • The Charlotte Hamfest 
  • RARSfest (timing for this one is always tricky for me, but I’ll do my best!)
  • Four Days in May
  • Hamvention 2025 (I’ll be at the Ham Radio Workbench table with the crew)
  • A multi-week family trip this summer (possibly a road trip or something further afield by air—it all depends on my daughters’ summer studies schedule).
  • WCARS Hamfest (if we’re in the country)
  • The W4 SOTA Fall Campout

I’d love to attend Ozarkcon, but that weekend is a tough one—perhaps if I skip RARSfest, I could make it. I’d also love to attend the Huntsville Hamfest, but I suspect it’ll conflict with university move-in dates for my daughters.

A true bucket list item is Messe Friedrichshafen, but unfortunately, the date this year conflicts with another commitment.

What I’m looking forward to:

  • Checking out the new Yaesu FTX-1F (I paid to reserve one with DX Engineering)
  • Ham Radio Workbenches On The Air (coming in March—details will be announced soon on the HRWB website).
  • Getting back into SOTA (Hurricane Helene really set me back here)
  • Taking my vintage Swiss Army Rucksack to the field!
  • More camping! Depending on the car we choose to replace the Subaru Forester, I may or may not get to use my awesome C6 rooftop tent

I may add more to this list, but you might notice there are no numerical goals—for example, specific targets for POTA or SOTA activations. This year, we’re still focusing on getting back on our feet. Maybe next year, I’ll set goals in that regard.

You might also notice that I don’t have any active goal of growing my YouTube channel’s subscriber base. Indeed, I never have. Honestly, my philosophy has always been that people who enjoy my channel will find it organically. What makes my channel so fun for me is not worrying about subscriber numbers, channel metrics, or stats.

Following the YouTube algorithm often leads to stress, clickbait, and compromising one’s vision. It also creates a certain sameness among channels, which I’m just not interested in. I love the community around my channel and am happy to let it grow naturally.

Thank you for making this QRPer community such an amazing one!

How About You?

I’d love to hear what your plans and projects are for this year. Please comment below!

Field Radio Kits, Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA, Travel

Snow, Sand, and Solar Storms: Tim’s New Year’s Eve Radio Adventure

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New Year’s Eve Sand Dune SOTA & POTA

by Tim (W8TMI)

My wife and I head to Northern Michigan over the New Year’s holiday almost every year. It’s a nice way to wrap up the year and the busy holiday season. Most of our friends and family obligations are met, and we can spend time unwinding and exploring the wonderful things that Michigan has to offer.

This year was no exception. We found a nice place to stay in Frankfort, Michigan. Several breweries, eateries, coffee houses, hiking trails, miles of shoreline, and a local bookstore made this an ideal location for a few days with nothing pressing to accomplish.

Being a ham, I always take a peek around to see what POTA and SOTA entities may be nearby wherever we end up staying. I was in luck, there was a SOTA within a POTA just north of where we were staying. Along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (US-0767) is Empire Bluffs sand dunes (W8M/LP-019). This was too much to resist.

Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore

As the plans firmed up around our timeline and bookings, my mind began to imagine the activation. I am well versed in POTA activations and have many tricks to overcome beaches, snow, lack of picnic tables, lack of trees, and many other things that can come my way. My mind began to question if I had the right gear to make this happen and I began to plan for a setup that could be deployed and operated in harsh conditions with little assistance from the environment around me.

I have learned from my previous experiences on the sand dunes of the Great Lakes that  conditions can be challenging. I knew I would more than likely face snow on the ground, new snow in the air, wind, cold temps, sand, narrow dune peaks, local vegetation, and the challenge to hike all of my gear to the spot. Now it was time to take what I had and turn it into the SOTA/POTA setup that could get the job done.

The antenna would be the GabilGRA-7350  [QRPer.com affiliate link] with three 13’ radials deployed out as far as I could get them. Gabil recommends setting the antenna to the general resonance area marked on the coil and using a wide range tuner to finish the job. I have found this to be true, especially analyzing the antenna on the soil in my backyard where I can get a 1:1 SWR match versus the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan.

Gabil GRA-7350, spare whip, and three 13′ counterpoises attached via 2mm banana plugs

I chose the CFT1 as my radio. It covers the bands that I would more than likely operate and with the Tufteln face cover it weighs around 8 oz.

20 meters being the primary band because with the wind and cold, I knew speed would be paramount. For the tuner and battery, I chose the mAT-10 ATU and the Talentcell 3000 mA Li-Ion [QRPer.com affiliate link]. Finally, the N0SA M7 iambic paddle.

CFT1, mAT-10 tuner, Talentcell battery, N0SA M7, Rite in the Rain book and pencil

To bring this kit together in a way that I could operate standing up, I needed some kind of bag or pouch to wear that would allow access to the tune button on the tuner, the volume and VFO on the radio, ability to log, and key without having to hold on to the paddle. As a fly fisherman I thought about a sling pack or a chest pack, but neither would work with any of my backpacks I planned to haul the antenna.

My friend Erik (WS3D) recommended a waist pack. At first glance I wasn’t sure this could meet my needs. Off to the local shopping center I went to see if I could find some options that could accommodate my SOTA kit. After going into five different stores that had some forms of waist packs, my local athletics sporting goods store had one that I thought might work with some minor modifications.

It was small, which meant it could easily fit into the backpack I planned to use. Once I got home, I was able to stuff each component into one of the several pockets provided on the pack. The question remained: how do I key without holding the paddle?

Following the tip provided by N0SA who designed and made the M7, Velcro attached to the bottom of the key would allow adhesion to the pack. I was able to purchase some of the “loop” material from JoAnn and got to work with my sewing machine. A small 2”x3” portion on the right side of the pack would allow for right hand keying while I kept the logger in my left hand. Keeping my right hand free to operate the message functions, volume, and VFO of the radio if needed.

Outdoor Gear fanny pack with sewn on hook and loop patch

I had a kit and a plan, now to get to it. Continue reading Snow, Sand, and Solar Storms: Tim’s New Year’s Eve Radio Adventure →

Accessories, Antennas, Articles, Field Radio Kits, Field Reports, Grab And Go, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA, Travel

Flying High and Keying Low: A Pilot’s QRP Adventures Across the USA

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Many thanks to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the following guest post:

Elecraft KH1 Anytime and Anywhere Adventures

by Micah (N4MJL)

Anywhere and anytime—that’s how I like to describe my Elecraft KH1. This radio goes everywhere I go. As an airline pilot, I bounce from coast to coast and everywhere in between almost daily. Since I’m constantly on the move, my radio gear has to be small and compact.

I’m a third-generation ham radio CW operator. Anyone who’s heard me on the air knows I’m still quite new to CW. I only started running CW activations with POTA/SOTA in the spring of 2024. Here’s the gear that’s been working well for me, along with a few photos from the locations I’ve had the pleasure of activating.

I’ve found that the Pelican M50 micro case is the perfect “shack in a box” for my KH1. This setup goes everywhere with me. Here’s what fits perfectly in the M50:

  • Packtenna 9:1 random wire
  • 20 ft BNC coax
  • Panasonic ErgoFit earbuds
  • SP4 paddles from CW Morse
  • KH1 (fully loaded with internal battery and tuner)
  • 30 ft throw line
  • Write-in-the-Rain notebook
  • High Visibility Orange Cap-O-Matic Fisher Space Pen (with lanyard)
  • Desiccant silica gel pack

In pedestrian mobile configuration, the KH1 is a solid system. I’ve done several activations this way. That said, after 45 minutes of holding the KH1 in this setup, I’m ready to wrap up! Having a portable shack that lets me deploy a random wire that tunes 40-15m and a more ergonomically designed key drastically improves my capabilities.

In many urban environments where I activate POTA, pedestrian mobile is essential. Unfortunately, the security in urban parks can be unpredictable, and the KH1 allows me to operate on the go and quickly move if needed.

Some of you may be wondering what I did to the inside of my M50 case. Well, in my defense, it’s my wife’s fault. She left me unsupervised with a glue gun and a bit of alcohol. When my KH1 arrived this spring, solar conditions were poor, so I had a few days to think and decided to turn the case into a makeshift Faraday box. I used Polyken aluminum tape, cardboard, and a glue gun to line it. Now, I know what you’re thinking: there’s no electrical bonding between the lid and lower box due to the rubber seal, so will this really work as a Faraday cage? Maybe, maybe not—but it sure looks cool! What do you think?

In addition to the M50 case, I carry a support pouch (Magpul DAKA, size small). This heavy-duty, water-resistant pouch contains:

  • 31 ft counterpoise wire
  • AXE1 40m antenna extender
  • Bioenno battery 12V 3Ah (backup battery—“1 is none, and 2 is 1” if you know, you know!)
  • KH1 power cable
  • KH1 right-angle antenna mount

These items aren’t essential but are nice to have for longer activations.

When I’m done flying and ready to play radio, I pack all this gear into my Flash 22 day pack. This compact, minimalist pack takes up almost no room in my flight bag and even has a built-in whistle on the chest strap, which is perfect for California!

When conditions allow, I enjoy using the full five watts of power. My go-to antenna is the SOTAbeams Band Hopper III, which is a versatile half-wave linked dipole:

  • Rated 125 watts
  • Center-fed with 33 ft RG174 coax
  • Guying system included
  • Resonant on 20m, 30m, and 40m (no tuner needed, though the KH1 tuner will also tune up 17m and 15m)
  • Built-in balun
  • Weighs only 14 oz

The wire/guying winders are excellent, and I’ve used this system in all kinds of environments, from sandy beaches to mountain tops above the treeline. I replaced the aluminum tent pegs with plastic ones to keep TSA happier.

The SOTAbeams Tactical Mini Mast fits diagonally in my 22″ roller board. I wrap heavy rubber-coated wire around it to secure it to posts or shrubs when needed.

Along with this radio gear, I also manage to pack a change of clothes—usually enough for a five-day trip. I typically fly three trips a month, each lasting four to five days. My roller board carries me and my radio gear from plane to plane all week long.

On a short backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail (June 3, 2024), I activated SOTA summit W4V/BR-007 Three Ridges and the Three Ridges Wilderness area (POTA US-9959). The mountain in the distance is The Priest (W4V/BR-002), which I activated earlier this year with my LNR Precision MTR4B.

The summit of Three Ridges is a densely wooded area, so I stopped below the summit to enjoy the view, grab a quick snack, and play some radio. I snagged two POTA-only QSOs with W8WZ in Louisiana and KU8T in Indiana using the KH1’s whip antenna. Once I reached the summit, I used the Packtenna 9:1 random wire for my activation. Continue reading Flying High and Keying Low: A Pilot’s QRP Adventures Across the USA →

Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA

SOTA, POTA & Lessons Learned: John and Zach Activate Grassy Mountain

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Many thanks to John Hartzell (W3HN) and Zach Hartzell (NI4K) who share the following guest post:

Activating Grassy Mountain, GA for SOTA and two POTA parks at the same time (all while figuring out what not to do next time)

by John (W3HN) and Zach (NI4K)

Sometime in early 2024, my son Zach contacted me and said, “Dad, the Georgia SOTA and POTA folks are having a campout in October.  Why don’t you visit us in Atlanta and we can go camping, meet some fellow hams, and activate a SOTA peak or two?”  It made sense, as Zach had become the most active ham in the family, had taught himself CW, loved an excuse to go camping, was a natural organizer, and had been the impetus for my handful of POTA activations. And it was all easier now that I had retired in December 2023.

The “campout” was the W4SOTA campout, planned for Wednesday, October 2 through Sunday, October 6, 2024, at the Lake Rabun Beach Campground at the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.  Zach got his camping vehicle, Thor the Taco truck, ready for the jaunt.  A Taco truck (for the handful of folks out there that don’t know this), is a Toyota Tacoma pick-up.

“Thor” is the name the truck acquired because of its imposing demeanor.

Thor at Wind Cave National Park

It has four-wheel drive, a three-inch lift, the metric equivalent of 33” tires, a Go Fast Camper pop-up camper over the bed, an electric winch, a silly number of extra lights up front, and is equipped for some of Zach’s hobbies.  Air compressor for mountain biking?  Check.  Back-up battery with separate charging system for ham radio and a 12-volt refrigerator?  Check.  A pullout kitchen with a sink and two-burner stove?  Check.

Winter Field Day in Northern New Mexico

Both 2-meter FM and GMRS radios in the cab for communicating with your mountain biking and camping buddies on those weekends on western Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands?  Check.

Thor in North Georgia

It even has 12-volt DC available via Anderson power connectors in the cab, because you never know when you might be driving cross country and come to a lonely park in serious need of a POTA activation.

Zach emailed me spreadsheets with gear lists and options.  I ignored them, scribbled unintelligible notes on my yellow pads, and ended up bringing everything that might arguably be used for SOTA, POTA, Winter and Summer Field Days, or to run a 1970s era government emergency communications center.  Truthfully, that is an exaggeration – I didn’t pack the warm clothes required for a Winter Field Day.

Zach paid for a campsite, and our trip south from Pennsylvania was planned, when everything came to a screeching halt on September 30, 2024.  Hurricane Helene had severely damaged areas of Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.  Zach soon learned the original campout was cancelled when he received an electronic refund for the campsite.  Some of the original attendees were unable to make it, including Thomas (K4SWL) who was reporting regularly on the devastation and challenges to his family and neighbors from his QTH outside of Swannanoa, North Carolina, just east of Asheville.

We couldn’t confirm if there was a substitute campout.  Despite this, we decided to push on with a modified weekend.  My wife and I drove south to Atlanta, Zach organized his gear, he helped me “sort” (i.e., drastically cut back) my gear from multiple plastic tubs, and we had use of a cabin near Ellijay, Georgia, within a short drive to the summit and parks Zach had mapped out.  We decided we could pull this off, and on Friday, October 4, Zach and I loaded Thor and were soon booming north from Atlanta on US-575.

View from overlook on forest road leading to Conasuaga Lake, GA

Ellijay, Georgia is a nice town.  After a lovely rooftop dinner, a good night’s sleep in a cabin in the woods, and a great breakfast at a local restaurant, Zach had Thor headed to our destination, Grassy Mountain, summit W4G/HC-007.  In addition to having two hams activating this SOTA summit, Zach had determined that Grassy Mountain was located within two POTA parks, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest (US-4473), and Cohutta Wildlife Management Area (US-7446).  So, if we were organized, we could provide a double-triple – two operators and three locations (a SOTA summit and two POTA parks).

In about 45 minutes Thor led us to a parking spot deep in the forest near the locked gate to the Grassy Mountain access trail.  We donned our GORUCK rucksacks filled with radios, antennas, coax, water, sundry accessories, and a snack or two (we left the steel plates at home).  The route up to the top of the summit was a mile and a half hike on rutted double-track, with a switchback a little over half way to the summit.

View from John’s operating position

Once atop the summit Zach and I assessed the site.  It consisted of about one acre of cleared land, with what looked like a former fire watch tower in the corner of the cleared area.  Zach and I broke out our KX2 Elecraft transceivers.  Zach hooked his to a Tufteln 40-10 EFRW, mounted to a SOTA Beams carbon fiber telescopic mast.  I deployed a EndFedz EFT-MTR 20/30/40 antenna in a sloper configuration, and tuned it up using the internal Elecraft tuner.  Those were the bands I intended to use. I also had my Mountain Topper MTR-3B QRP transceiver, which might get some use, too.  We also used some untested QRP bandpass filters found on eBay.  They seemed to work, but will undergo more scientific testing to confirm their functionality.

Trying the Tufteln Kneeboard for the activation

Zach was racking up contacts on CW, but I was having difficulty on SSB.  I had been trying to operate the antenna on 20 and 40 meters when it was configured for 30 meters – which we only realized when we took a gander at the antenna manual back at the cabin after we regained cell service.  The SMA connector is removed to enable 30-meter operation, not installed.  Bing!  It is a testament to Elecraft that their antenna tuner is robust enough to handle that mismatch.  It is also an excellent example of why you should read the equipment manuals for gear you don’t operate very often before your field effort!

Elevation is our friend to reach 42.5 miles (Grassy Mountain, GA to Blood Mountain, GA) on 2m FM

Zach had suggested we use 2 meter FM for the SOTA activation, in addition to HF, so we climbed the tower as far as we could and called on the 2-meter simplex calling frequency, 146.520 MHz.  We each got two or three contacts on this frequency, as there were enough folks activating summits from the original plan for the W4SOTA weekend.  Interestingly, they included N5FY, the owner of Tufteln, the manufacturer of Zach’s HF Antenna.

John (W3HN) and Zach (NI4K) at Grassy Mountain, GA Summit

Zach was able to use FT8 for a QSO using an Android Application called FT8 Radio on his phone, which was linked to his KX2 through a Digirig Mobile.  My CW was still rusty despite some recent practice, so I stayed on HF SSB.  We enjoyed the excellent weather, some good radio conditions, and had satisfied the requirements for all three activations after 90 minutes or so.  We soon packed up, hiked down, and were soon buckled into Thor and navigating the dirt roads of the national forest.

Lessons Learned:

  1. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, in discussing World War II, is alleged to have said “plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”  Ike was a smart man.  A bit more planning (at least on my part) would have made things more efficient.
  2. It was a nice day for not just hams, and we had some visitors to the summit.  Zach put on his public relations hat and adroitly educated these folks while I continued to try to contact folks on SSB with a 30-meter antenna tuned to 20 meters.  We should have foreseen this and been better prepared (note: see item
  3. Zach thought a good approach would be to contact folks on the 2-meter simplex calling frequency (146.520 MHz), and then to QSY to the 2-meter adventure frequency (which is 146.580 MHz).  We did not try this, as we quickly had many QSOs on the calling frequency.  It was a good idea, as it would keep the calling frequency from being over used for routine communications.  However, I think there are two possible bugs in this ointment: (a) I am not sure hams know of the adventure frequency so that they have it in their 2-meter memory bank; and (b) if not in their memory bank, could hams quickly QSY to the frequency?  It is not intuitive to change frequency for me on my HT, and I carry a laminated cheat sheet to help me with frequency changes (note: Zach will attest that radios more complicated than an HealthKit HW-16 cause me challenges, including many with dropdown menus, so this could be a personal hardship and not one shared with other hams).
  4. Logging is important, evidence of the adage: “if you didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen.”  I was a bit flustered when we got started, and my log soon looked like a Bletchley Park cipher sheet.  A few more minutes at the beginning would have saved a lot of time at the end when piecing together the logs for upload to our friends at SOTA and POTA.
  5. We were without cell coverage on the summit.  We prospectively scheduled the activation with SOTA and POTA sites the night before, but we were off by a few hours when we started operating.  Would it have been better to not spot ourselves, and then just start operating?  I am not sure.  Probably the best solution would have been to provide enough lead time in our plan to ensure the times included in our spots aligned with the actual operating times, even if it meant we had to wait on site before starting our activation.
  6. This was the first time we used some of the gear, predominantly the 20/30/40 antenna.  We recommend a practice assembly of all the gear with SWR meters, manuals (cell service to access missing manuals), culminating in QSOs using the equipment and modes desired for the activation (note: see again our friend, item 1).  This occurred the day after the activation for the HF kits through “trouble shooting,” but we were able to program our 2 meter radios prior to departure which saved some time and frustration at the summit.
  7. We had fun.  Pushing yourself in a new direction can cause a touch of anxiety, but it also develops new ideas on how to handle things in the future and provides a sense of satisfaction once you’ve done it.  I’m glad Zach had this idea.  Perhaps we’ll try it again next year with all the regional SOTA and POTA folks!
Articles, Field Radio Kits, Guest Posts, Kits, Morse Code, POTA, QRP, SOTA

The Design Philosophy of the CFT1: From concept to product

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Many thanks to Jonathan KM4CFT who shares this article with us.  If you have an article in your head and want to have it posted here, let’s keep this community going while our friend Thomas continues to help his neighbours. Draft up your story in an email with reference points to the pictures you want embedded and their captions, attach photos to the note and send it my way to vincedeon at gmail dot com and note QRPer in the subject line to get my attention.

By: Jonathan Kayne, KM4CFT

About 10 months ago, I took the plunge to design my own Morse Code transceiver. It was a crazy idea, and this was certainly a massive undertaking, but somehow, I managed to pull off this monumental task. The result of the project was the CFT1, a 5 Band CW Field Transceiver specifically tailored for POTA and SOTA operations. Doing this project was a great learning experience and despite the monumental effort and work I put into it, I really enjoyed getting to design a new product. There is something special when you see something you love and put effort into appear in the hands of others and seeing them enjoy using said product.

The purpose of this article is to outline some of the thoughts I put into when I designed the CFT1. It is not meant to go into the meat and potatoes of RF design work as there are plenty of resources out there that go over that stuff. I have yet to see much discussed on design philosophy of a transceiver so I thought it prudent to document these things. That is; what I took into consideration when putting together the radio. And as I learned in this project, when pulled off correctly, can result in a great product.

Continue reading The Design Philosophy of the CFT1: From concept to product →

Field Reports, Funny, Guest Posts, News, SOTA

Seven Summit road trip with Canada’s first Double Goat

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Many thanks to Malen (VE6VID) – Canada’s first SOTA Double Mountain Goat – who shares the following article about his trip in Alberta, British Columbia, Washington and Montana. Malen and I work together and I can read this in his voice – including his laid-back “Oh well…” – Vince.

As a SOTA activator I challenge myself for certain goals every year. This year was SOTA completes where I chase and activate a summit. I had time off work so I figured, why not a short roadtrip from Alberta to BC to WA, then MT and back home? After some searching I figured 5-7 Completes in W7W land and at least 2 more in W7M lands as well as numerous points in VE7 land along the way. Was I ever wrong…..

Day One

After a trip to the post office, I departed Strathmore heading for PlumBob Mountain VE7/EK-026, a 6 point drive-up summit. Google told me 4 hrs, 42 minutes, I planned for 5 hours. It took closer to 8 hours due to traffic.

I setup my HF station (KX2, EFHW) and got 4 contacts, packed up and onto another 6 point drive-up summit, VE7/EK-040 Peak 23-35. This peak I landed 6 contacts between 20 and 40 metres, packing up as the sun started to go down. I had planned to spend the night here, so I had a late supper, made my bed and crashed for the night. Sleeping like an old over the hill baby I woke as the sun was coming up.

I awoke to this broken window on my truck cap

Day Two

However I had woken up to a broken window on my canopy. I’m not sure what happened but it was open for the night. After many curse words I made breakfast and coffee, then I relaxed slightly while Googling auto glass places in Cranbrook. After packing up and a quick phone call, I am off for repairs. Estimate was 2 hours for the repairs, it took just 1.5 hours with tinted plexiglass installed. I had planned for a 3 summit day, so I lost 1, Mount Baker, a 8 point drive-up, oh well.

The view from Eagle Hill was nice

Off to hike Eager Hill VE7/EK-048 4 points. Straight to setting up and getting the required 4 contacts before packing up and charging on with my day. After a Timmies pit stop and topping of the truck with diesel, I am off to the next summit.

Continue reading Seven Summit road trip with Canada’s first Double Goat →

Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, SOTA

Climbing Grandeur Peak: Micah’s SOTA Adventure in Utah’s Wasatch Range

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Many thanks to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the following guest post:

Activating Grandeur Peak (W7U/NU-065)

by Micah (N4MJL)

Emboldened by my successful activation of W7U/SL-022 (7,500ft MSL) a week earlier, I decided to up my SOTA game and try to activate Grandeur Peak (W7U/NU-065).

Grandeur Peak is located in the Wasatch Range (POTA Entity US-4398) just to the east of Salt Lake City. It is approximately three ridges south of my last weeks SOTA activation. Which you can read about here.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, that should be true for climbing a mountain right?……

After conducting an area study, I decided to take the “West Ridge Route” it is a short 2.2 mile trail to the top of Grandeur Peak. Some of the comments on the hiker forums described this route as “undoubtedly one of the steepest hikes on the Wasatch Front.” Another commenter said, “this short but brutally-steep hike gains over 3,300ft elevation in a mere 2.2 miles to reach the summit. Adding up to just a 4.4-mile round trip, this is a quick jaunt for the most accomplished climbers.”

Reading in between the lines I deduced that this was a short 2.2 mile jaunt to the top, with a bit of elevation gain. After all, we know how these drama queens…I mean hikers…sometimes embellish hiking stories. Either way, this looked like a good way to stretch my legs after flying almost 8 hours the day before. There was a significantly longer trail with lots of switchbacks and more gentle elevation gain, that I could take, but I’m a millennial and delayed gratification is apparently not a strong suit for me. Looking at the SOTA page for this summit, it had only one QSO logged this year, even though this summit had been activated 14 times since April 2011.

On the morning of 25 August 2024 I got up at 0700 and packed up my REI Flash 22 day pack. I was taking with me a full 2 liter hydration pack along with 2 more 1 liter water bottles (4L water total), along with assorted snacks and electrolyte additives. Based on my last SOTA activation in the area, I decided I should bring some emergency gear just in case. I brought my trusty Surefire EdCL2-t flashlight [QRPer affiliate link], a few raps of duck-tape around a stick of chapstick, a box of matches, and a few feet of toilet paper. After all some things just happen, like the effects of coffee on an empty stomach. Don’t leave without toilet paper.

Since the temperature in Salt Lake City was projected to be around 85F, I decided to bring a flannel shirt and wool cap for the summit. There is virtually no humidity in UT and the temperature at 8,300ft could easily be 15 degrees cooler with possible wind chill. I’m bad enough sending CW without being chilled.

My radio gear consisted of the following:

During my 15 minute Uber ride from the hotel to grandeur Peak West face parking lot my driver was incredulous that anyone of sound mind would ever voluntarily climb such a mountain. He was convinced that I was going to be eaten by mountain lions.

After my first 5 minutes on the trail I started to question whether or not I actually was of sound mind.

After 15 minutes on the trail I began to think that there may have been some truth to what was written on the hiker forums about this trail.

After 30 minute on the trail I was definitely working through the five stages of grief!

1) Denial: how was I sooo stupid to be hiking straight up a mountain
2)Anger: I’m an idiot for NOT listening to those hiker forums
3)Bargaining: if I can just make it ten more feet further I’ll take another selfie
4)Depression: if I don’t get to the top, I won’t have a selfie at the summit and I’ll never get a dopamine rush from public accolades.

Seriously, the first 0.8 mile was brutal. The trail was completely straight up the ridge, and it was all loose gravel with little to no vegetation to stabilize the trail. If I started to slide down, I would be sliding aloooong way down. My plan if I tripped or started to slide was to go flat on my stomach like a star fish In hopes of stopping my down hill slide. I tried to get pictures to show how “brutal” this section of the climb really was. Unfortunately, pictures really don’t do justice.

It’s a 3,346 ft elevation gain in 2.2 miles; what more needs to be said? Looking ahead, I realized that if I could make it a bit further up, the mountain started to look more green indicating some shrubbery. I hoped this meant the trail would stabilize for me. Being young and bullet proof, I pushed on. Continue reading Climbing Grandeur Peak: Micah’s SOTA Adventure in Utah’s Wasatch Range →