Sunrise Activation in the Windy City

by Tim (W8TMI)

I was recently traveling for work to Chicago, IL. I wouldn’t think of a big city as the first place for one of my radios to go, but the KH1 doesn’t take up much room and it’s a new toy I’ve been wanting to play with. I took a train from my home in Michigan to Union Station in Chicago where I was staying downtown. Taking a look at the POTA map there aren’t many opportunities to activate a park.

The map feature on the POTA.app

I don’t always sleep well away from home and Illinois is one hour behind Michigan. I woke around 5:30 AM local time which fits my normal routine. I was wide awake and I didn’t have any appointments until much later in the morning. Time to take a look at the local train system.

METRA Electric Line

I found the METRA Electric Line that ran from Millennium Station downtown to well past the stop I was looking for, 111th St Pullman.This stop brought me to a former factory that built train cars from 1881-1968 and was turned into a national monument. Pullman National Monument (US-7917) which is owned and operated by the National Parks Service.

Finding this route I suited up, packed my bag, and headed out into the early morning dark. I was aiming to make Millennium Station by 6:35 and it was about a mile from my hotel. The sun wasn’t providing much light once I ventured out and the temp was around 23° F°/-5° C°. I stopped a few times to snap some quick pics while trying to make it to the station on time. The color from the sunrise appears much better in the pictures than to the naked eye.

The Chicago river from the Michigan Ave bridge

I made it to the station by 6:25. Plenty of time to buy my ticket and make it to the train. The 6:35 train would make it to 111th St around 7:04 depending on how late it ran. My plan was to make the 8:24 return train giving me an hour and twenty minutes to operate and secure the activation. There was an earlier departure from 111th at 7:34, but that seemed ambitious. If I made a later train at 9:36 I would be delayed an additional 30 minutes due to construction on the line. 7:04-8:24 sounded like plenty of time to activate the park.

Pullman National Monument at 7:08 AM

Given the time in the morning I decided to give the AXE a try on 40m. My KH1 field kit contains a 20’ counterpoise extender of 26 awg silicone wire to add to the 13’ standard counterpoise that I use for 15m-20m. Deployment took under a minute and I was able to find a frequency and lock my VFO in so I don’t bump it while operating pedestrian mobile.

The Elecraft KH1 with AXE operating pedestrian Mobile on 40m

I had the activation scheduled and began calling CQ. I noticed the RBN picked my station up almost immediately based on the POTA spotting page. My PoLo app (Portable Logger) was set up and ready to copy. I do a hybrid method of logging, I copy callsigns via the paper sheets in the logging tray and then enter them with my free hand into the app. This keeps the time sync easier when going to upload the log.

According to the app my first contact was in the log at 7:14 and the final (13th) was logged at 7:31. I had walked into the park 23 minutes prior and had 13 contacts after setting up my station. This also meant that I didn’t need to wait for the 8:24 train, the 7:34 train should work. I packed my gear up and dashed to the station. Thankfully trains have a tendency to run a little later than scheduled and I was easily able to make it. Back to the hotel where a hot breakfast waited.

I don’t believe this activation would have been possible if it weren’t for the KH1. Which is exactly why I have it. Easy to always have on me and bring pretty much anywhere. The deployment speed coupled with the activation speed is unmatched in my experience. The radio is a premium niche product that I am glad I don’t have to live without. I’m looking forward to many more activations with it.

Here are a few other photos from the trip down south.

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.

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.