Tag Archives: Eric (WD8RIF)

Antennas, Field Radio Kits, Homebrew, Portable, POTA, QRP, Radio Field Craft

Eric’s Go-To Low-Cost, Self-Supporting Antenna System for POTA

February 10, 2025 Thomas Witherspoon 16 Comments

Recently, @JasonMartinRF left a comment on my YouTube channel mentioning his excitement about getting on the air with CW but also his concern about the high cost of antennas—especially self-supporting options that don’t require trees. His comment resonated with me because many operators face the same challenge when setting up a portable station, particularly for POTA or other field operations.

I immediately thought of my friend Eric McFadden (WD8RIF), who has extensive experience with lightweight, affordable wire antennas that don’t rely on trees for support. Eric has long used a homemade end-fed random wire (EFRW) antenna paired with cost-effective mast solutions, making it a great choice for portable activations. I asked him if he’d be willing to share the details of his setup, and he generously wrote up the following guide.

A Budget-Friendly Self-Supporting Antenna System for POTA

by Eric (WD8RIF)

Because I’ve long used low-cost homemade wire antennas for POTA, and since I usually don’t rely on trees to support these antennas, Thomas asked me to describe an antenna and support systems I often use for my POTA activations.

My “Go-To” antenna for POTA is a 28½’ end-fed random wire (EFRW) antenna with three 17’ counterpoise wires. This antenna covers 40m through 6m (and sometimes 80m) and is constructed from inexpensive speaker wire which can be purchased at big box stores in 50’ and 100’ spools. This two-conductor cable can easily be split into two conductors and the thick insulation helps prevent the finished antenna from tangling.

The idea behind the EFRW antenna is that the length of the antenna is not close to a ½-wavelength on any frequency for which it will be used. The EFRW is not resonant on any band of interest and, thus, it requires the use of an antenna tuner (ATU).

The benefit of the EFRW is that it can be stealthy and lightweight, it can be relatively short when compared to simple resonant antennas, and it can support operation on multiple bands. It is true that this antenna requires the use of an ATU, but even an inexpensive manual tuner can be used for this purpose.

To construct my version of the EFRW, split the speaker wire into two separate conductors. Cut one conductor to a length between 28½’ and 29’ to create the radiator. Cut three more conductors approximately 17’ long. Strip a ½” or so of insulation off of one end of each of the four wires. If you wish, install banana-plugs on the stripped end; I put a green, red, or orange banana plug on the radiator and “stackable” black banana plugs on the three 17’ counterpoise wires so I can easily attach all three of them to a single “ground” post. Install an insulator of some sort on the far end of the radiator wire, or create a small loop on the far end of the wire using a knot or a nylon wire-tie for hanging the antenna. (I use military buttons as insulators on my field antennas, and I often use large paper clips to hang the wire to the top of my mast.)

The speaker-wire end-fed random wire antenna — The speaker-wire end-fed random (EFRW) wire antenna. The three 17′ counterpoise wires are on the left; the 28½’ radiator is on the right.

You can connect the radiator and counterpoise wires directly to your ATU-equipped transceiver or external ATU using a simple binding-post adapter or, preferably, a 4:1 unun. No coaxial feedline is needed or, in fact, recommended.

LDG 4 to 1 unun and simple binding-post adapter — An LDG 4:1 unun (left) and a simple binding-post adapter (right).

I regularly use a simple binding-post adapter when I’m in the field with my Elecraft KH1 or KX2 field kits. I use a homebrew 4:1 unun when I’m in the field with with my Elecraft KX3 field kit. I use a commercial LDG 4:1 unun (link) when I’m in the field with my Yaesu FT-817ND field kit. (I should note that my KH1, KX2, and KX3 are each equipped with internal ATUs. The FT-817ND doesn’t have an internal ATU but I use a no-longer-available LDG Z-11 ATU with it when I deploy a non-resonant antenna.)

In the field, I suspend the 28½’ radiator as a vertical, as a sloper, or as an inverted-vee, and I lay the three 17’ counterpoise wires directly on the ground, arranged as symmetrically as possible while trying to avoid trip-hazards. (If space is limited, I might lay down only two counterpoise wires or, maybe, even just a single counterpoise wire.)

I usually support the EFRW with a 31’ Jackite telescoping fiberglass mast (affiliate link) or an inexpensive Goture Red Fox Super Hard 720 carbon-fiber fishing pole (available from multiple sellers on Amazon) from which I’ve removed the top three sections to create a sturdy 18’ pole that collapses to less that 30″. (If you order a Goture 720, be sure to order the “7.2m” version because the top three sections are far too whippy to support a wire.)

I’ve supported the 31’ Jackite mast using a drive-on base (more on this below), bungied to a fence-post or sign-post found on-site, and bungied to my folding camp-chair.

I’ve supported the Goture Red Fox 720 on a custom stake (more on this below) and bungied to my bicycle.

Goture Red Fox 720 bungied to a bicycle and supporting a wire antenna — The Goture Red Fox 720 mast bungied to my bicycle and supporting a wire antenna as a sloper; the KH1 station is on the picnic table.

a loop bungie — The sort of bungie I use to strap a mast to a post, my bicycle, or a folding chair.

I often support my 31’ Jackite mast using a homemade drive-on base. This base is constructed from a scrap of 2”x10” pine about 23” long, a 4″ black plastic toilet flange, a 2’ length of white PVC chosen to provide a friction-fit in the toilet flange, and a PVC reducer at the top. The photos below should provide enough information for you to build your own. I don’t glue any of the plastic items together; I rely on friction to hold the pieces together and I slip the 2’ pipe out of the toilet flange for easier transport in my car. (Disclaimer: I drive a small Honda Fit; I don’t know how well a 2”x10” pine board would survive repeated abuse by a large SUV or pick-up truck.)

Components of the drive-on mast support — The components of the drive-on mast support: a piece of wood, a toilet flange, and some PVC.

drive-on mast base assembled — The drive-on mast base, assembled.

The drive-on mast base in use at Burr Oak State Park. The 31′ Jackite mast is supporting the 28½’ EFRW as a vertical and three 17′ counterpoise wires extend out from the bottom of the front passenger door. The station is inside the car.

The spike for the Goture Red Fox 720 is simply a 7” length of white PCV just big enough to slip the large end of the mast into, with a matching PVC cap on one end drilled to accept a 3/8” diameter, 8” long spike. Originally, I tried using epoxy to secure the spike in the cap, but this failed, and now I’m using an appropriately-sized push-nut to hold the spike in place. (The PVC and the 8” spike were found at the local big-box store; the push-nut was found at a local well-equipped hardware store.)

Goture Red Fox 720 and custom spike — The Goture Red Fox 720 and the custom spike.

A close-up view of the push-on nut securing the metal spike to the PVC cap.

I hope this article gives you some ideas for your own field operations!

73,
Eric McFadden, WD8RIF
https://wd8rif.com/radio.htm

A huge thanks to Eric (WD8RIF) for taking the time to document his antenna setup in such detail! His approach demonstrates that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get on the air with an effective self-supporting antenna system.

Personally, I believe that using an arborist throw line, a tree, and a simple wire antenna is often the most affordable and effective way to get on the air. However, depending on where you live or where you activate, trees may not always be an option. That’s why having a self-supporting antenna system in your toolkit is always a good idea—it gives you the flexibility to operate anywhere.

If you’ve built an affordable self-supporting antenna system that works well for your field operations, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to share your experiences, designs, or recommendations in the comments or in a guest post. The more we exchange ideas, the more we can help fellow operators—especially those just getting started—find practical, budget-friendly solutions for getting on the air.

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

From Hamvention to History: A POTA Excursion with friends through Indiana’s Past

June 11, 2024 Thomas Witherspoon 1 Comment

You might recall that my friends Eric (WD8RIF), Miles (KD8KNC), Brian (K3ES), Kyle (AA0Z), Charlie (NJ7V), and Joshua (N5FY) all played hooky on the final day of the 2024 Hamvention (Sunday, May 19) and instead activated a couple of POTA sites.

I wrote a short field report about our first activation at Pater State Wildlife Area (US-9492). It was a lot of fun despite the rough bands.

Our next stop was Whitewater Canal State Historic Site in Metamora, Indiana, about an hour’s drive from the first park.

Only four of us continued to the next park; Kyle and Charlie needed to head to the airport, and Joshua needed to start his drive back to Georgia.

Whitewater Canal State Historic Site (US-6977)

I was excited about visiting Whitewater Canal because it would be my first official POTA activation in Indiana.

We arrived around 1:00 PM and opted to grab lunch at a nearby pizzeria before activating.

Around 2:00 PM, we grabbed our gear from the car and walked across the road to the park grounds.

The Whitewater Canal State Historic Site offers a glimpse into the 19th-century canal era.

Built between 1836 and 1847, the Whitewater Canal was a 76-mile waterway that connected the Ohio River to Hagerstown, facilitating the transport of goods and agricultural products.

This engineering feat played a vital role in the economic development of the region, contributing to the growth of towns and industries along its path.

Today, the preserved section of the canal, along with the historic grist mill and other structures, stands as a testament to Indiana’s rich industrial and transportation heritage.

I’ve always been fond of railroads and canals, so this site was brilliant as it featured both running parallel to each other!

Eric, Brian, and I (Miles didn’t activate) were careful to set up within the actual park boundaries.

In this case, it was a little difficult to determine the exact boundaries because the town and park blend together.

I used the Parceled app on my phone to confirm our location.

Eric set up his Elecraft KH1 station at a picnic table under a large tree.

Brian set up his KX2 on a covered bench next to Eric, using his Elecraft AX1 antenna mounted on a clamp secured to the bench.

Brian’s site was super stealthy behind the sign–since he operated with earphones, you couldn’t hear him and barely could see him!

I wanted to put some space between my station and theirs, so I set up under the shade of a tree (it was blazing hot that Sunday) and deployed my Helinox camping chair.

Local ducks enjoying the shade–I picked a different tree.

I then deployed my Chelegance MC-750 vertical for 20-meter operation since Brian and Eric were on other bands.

I connected the MC-750 to my Elecraft KX2, which I mounted on my kneeboard, and was ready to play radio! My hope was that band conditions would be decent. Continue reading From Hamvention to History: A POTA Excursion with friends through Indiana’s Past →

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

Overcoming Band Conditions: A Challenging (But Rewarding) POTA Activation at Scioto Trail State Park!

June 7, 2024 Thomas Witherspoon 5 Comments

On the morning of Wednesday, May 15, 2024, I woke up, grabbed breakfast, and headed to Strouds Run State Park in Athens, Ohio. (You can read about that activation in my previous field report.)

Once I returned to Eric’s (WD8RIF) QTH, Eric, his son Miles (KD8KNC), and I packed up the car for the drive to Dayton—roughly 2.5 hours from Athens. En route, we decided on an activation of Scioto Trail State Park (US-1990) which also happens to be a two-fer with Scioto Trail State Forest (US-5448).

I’d hoped band conditions would remain as favorable as they were in the morning, but the sun had other plans! (Indeed, this would become a recurring theme throughout the following week.)

Scioto Trail State Park (US-1990) and Forest (US-5448)

We arrived at Scioto Trail around 2:00 PM, under scattered clouds and after passing through some rain. We hoped the weather would hold!

I’d never been to Scioto before and was pleased to see a small island on the lake accessible by a footbridge. It had a gazebo, perfect for a POTA station.

Reunited

A highlight of this trip was giving Eric a chance to operate my Index Labs QRP Plus. Eric had owned one for 13 years as his first field radio. In fact, as I’ve mentioned before, when I first met Eric in 1997, it was while he was operating a QRP Plus during FYBO!

Since the QRP Plus is better suited for tabletop use, I recommended Eric set up in the gazebo.

I provided my Chelegance MC-750 for him to operate on 20M.

POTA in the Shade

I set up under a tree at the edge of the island—as far from Eric as possible to minimize interference. In reality, the island is small, so I was only about 15 meters away—not ideal!

The tree offered some shade and potential rain protection. I deployed my Helinox Chair, my “no-transformer, no feedline” Tufteln random wire antenna, the Elecraft KX2, and my Tufteln/N0RNM kneeboard.

When I turned on the radio, I could hear Eric’s signal bleeding through on 30 meters (a band I chose to avoid harmonic interference with 20M).

The KX2 is sensitive, so this wasn’t unexpected. Eric never experienced interference from my station, likely due to the QRP Plus’s less sensitive receiver.

Gear:

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

On the air

This turned out to be an activation where I’d really put my KX2 ATU to work! Continue reading Overcoming Band Conditions: A Challenging (But Rewarding) POTA Activation at Scioto Trail State Park! →

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

POTA Activation at Strouds Run State Park: A Rainy Morning and Ham Radio Memories!

June 2, 2024 Thomas Witherspoon 6 Comments

On Tuesday morning, May 14, 2024, I hopped in my car and headed north to Athens, Ohio. It was in Athens, back in 1997, that my ham radio journey truly began, and where I met my friends Eric (WD8RIF) and Mike (K8RAT).

For over 14 years, Eric, his son Miles (KD8KNC), and I have made the annual pilgrimage to Hamvention and FDIM, with few interruptions. My routine is to drive to Athens, catch up with Eric and his wife, Vickie, stay overnight, and then head to Dayton the next day with Eric and Miles. I enjoy this because it breaks up my travels and usually allows for some POTA activating along the way.

This Wednesday morning, Eric had an appointment and a meeting, so our plan was to leave for Dayton around noon. This gave me the morning free to play radio!

Breakfast at Miller’s Chicken

I left the house around 8:00 AM with the goal of activating Strouds Run State Park, conveniently located near downtown Athens. But first, breakfast!

I try to avoid chain restaurants when traveling, preferring local spots. I was delighted to discover that Miller’s Chicken, an Athens institution, served breakfast. I had no idea!

Miller’s Chicken holds fond memories for me. When my wife was a graduate student at Ohio University, for a brief period of time, she lived within walking distance and we often ate there. She even acted in a student film shot at the restaurant!

Walking in, I realized it had been 23+ years since my last visit. I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit with coffee as a group of students left, leaving me with the place almost to myself.

POTA at Strouds Run State Park (US-1994)

I arrived at the park around 9:15 AM. It had been raining all morning, so I sought cover under a picnic Shelter. Eric, a frequent activator of Strouds Run, had told me where to find all of Strouds’ shelters.

Check out Eric’s standing on the park’s POTA page:

You can also read all of Eric’s hundreds of field reports on his website.

I found an empty shelter by the lakeshore (no surprise given the weather). I brought several radios with me on the Dayton trip: my Elecraft KX2, KH1, Index Labs QRP Plus, Venus SW-3B (always in the car), and my Yaesu FT-818.

Propagation has been a hot mess lately. I figured 40 meters and 20 meters would be the best bands to try, and the EFHW is resonant on both, eliminating the need for an antenna tuner.

Setup was easy, with trees near the shelter providing ideal suspension points for the EFHW.

(Note about audio: As I prepared this activation video, I discovered that my wireless mic wasn’t connected, so you won’t hear me when I walk away from the camera. My apologies! There’s also more wind noise than usual. However, you’ll hear plenty of waterfowl and other birds enjoying the park.)

Jeweler’s Bench Block

Only a couple of days prior, I received a Jeweler’s Bench Block that I purchased on Amazon.com (affiliate link). Several friends had recommended I pick up one to pair with my lightweight, portable keys that have embedded rare-earth magnets.

The key I paired with it was my BamaKey TP-III. You’ll hear me rave about this combo in the activation video.

It weighs 13.7 ounces and has a silicon base: I found that with the TP-III (which has a light action), it was rock-solid on the picnic table.

I wish I would have purchased one of these ages ago!

Gear:

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

On The Air

I started calling CQ and, fortunately, hunters started replying! Continue reading POTA Activation at Strouds Run State Park: A Rainy Morning and Ham Radio Memories! →

Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, QRP Radios, Travel

Elecraft KH1 in Motion: Proper Pedestrian Mobile Activation in an Ohio State Nature Preserve

May 22, 2024 Thomas Witherspoon 6 Comments

I arrived back at the QTH late yesterday afternoon after an amazing week of travels.

I’ve got (no kidding) more than 100 emails in the inbox that require attention, so if you’ve written to me recently, my apologies in advance for the late reply. I’m spending the next few days catching up with my family.

I did, however, want to take a moment and share a short field report from a pretty extraordinary activation (for me) that took place on Monday, May 20, 2024.

Hamvention Decompression Day

I learned a few years ago that I need a full day post-Hamvention to wind down and relax before starting my travels back home. Fortunately, my FDIM/Hamvention travel companions Eric (WD8RIF) and Miles (KD8KNC) feel the same way. Nearly a decade ago, we started adding a Monday on to our travels.

Typically, we spend most of Monday at the USAF Museum in Dayton – it’s a brilliant, relaxing way to chill out.

This year, however, we decided to shake things up since I’d just spent a full day at the USAF museum in April with my family during our 2024 Total Solar Eclipse trip.

Eric suggested that we check out the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, then activate nearby Gross Memorial Woods State Nature Preserve (US-9410). We all agreed that sounded ideal.

In the BX and Commissary Complex on WPAFB

We packed up and left the hotel around 9:00 AM, then made our way to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Miles and Eric wanted to pop by the Commissary, BX, and Clothing Sales to pick up a few items (I purchased two more Rite in the Rain notepads, too!).

We then drove one hour north to the Armstrong museum where we enjoyed nearly two hours browsing all of the displays and reading about the amazing life and adventures of Neil Armstrong – the first person to set foot on the moon.

After leaving the museum, we popped by a local deli and ate lunch – we were served possibly the largest portions of food I think I’ve ever seen. I could only eat half of my pork sandwich! (Al Woody’s Diner, in case you’re interested.)

Gross Memorial Woods State Nature Preserve (US-9410)

Gross Memorial Woods SNP was a short 15 minute drive from Wapakoneta.

We arrived on-site to find a small gravel parking area and a large, older-growth wooded area.

This is a nature preserve, so there was no shortage of “do nots” on the welcome sign.

The preserve consists of a 0.6 mile loop boardwalk trail with two or so wooden benches. There are no tables and you’re not supposed to step foot off of the trail.

Eric and I, of course, opted for low-impact radio gear.

Eric set up his KX2 field kit and used a small telescoping fiberglass pole to suspend his random wire antenna.

I’d initially planned to use my KX2 and a wire antenna, but I didn’t want to put a wire in a tree and I had no separate pole to suspend my antenna like Eric did.

Instead, I thought this might be a wonderful opportunity to test something new: pedestrian mobile with my Elecraft KH1 as I walked the loop trail.

Four Miles of Radio Goodness

Keep in mind that, while I got a fair amount of walking in during Hamvention, I’d also spent most of the day in the car on Sunday as we activated parks in Ohio and Indiana, so I was eager to stretch my legs.

I, once again, used my Tufteln angle adapter on the KH1 (you can see it as the red adapter on the antenna port in the photos). This adapter makes the operating angle a little more pleasant while pedestrian mobile.

Photo of the Tufteln angle adapter from the previous day’s activation.

The 13’ counterpoise wire simply trailed behind me as I walked. Being a boardwalk, it did have a tendency to very slightly pull the end of the counterpoise wire when it would slip between boards. Hypothetically, the wire could slip between boards and get pinched, but that never really happened. Since the end of the counterpoise was bare wire though, there was nothing to easily catch in the boards.

I’ve been thinking about building in a fail-safe mini banana plug connection/link near the top of my counterpoise that would simply pull away from the radio if the counterpoise were to ever grab something (or I trip on it). Since I hadn’t made this mod yet, I wrapped the counterpoise twice around a finger on my left hand as I held the radio. This provided a bit of strain relief. Again, there was never a problem with the counterpoise grabbing, but I wasn’t going to take my chances!

Also, I should note that I wouldn’t attempt operating the KH1 while, say, hiking up a summit trail. While that sounds like fun, I’m quite prone to trip on rocks and roots which is why I use two hiking poles.

I would limit my activations-in-motion to roads and paths that are smooth and have no exposed tree roots or steep inclines/declines.

The path at Gross Memorial was smooth and had no trip hazards (trust me, I would have found them!).

I prefer my new Zebra pencil!

As a gift, my wife purchased a Zebra Mini Mechanical Pencil [affiliate link]which is identical to the Zebra Space Pen supplied in the KH1 Edgewood Package (you can see it between my fingers in the image above).

This was the second activation where I used the pencil and I must say that I, personally, prefer it to the pen. The reason why is I find that the pencil requires a little less pressure to write which is perfect for pedestrian mobile logging on the KH1 logging tray.

If you have a KH1 Edgewood Package, I’d recommend giving the Zebra pencil a try: it’s affordable at roughly $6.50 US and a nice option for the KH1.

Horrible Band Conditions

Propagation? Yeah, it was in the dumps. Conditions were very unstable and the numbers were not in favor of an easy activation.

Eric and I knew this activation would take some time.

Part of me felt like using the KH1 and its 4’ whip would be fairly futile, but I started out of the gate with a little promise.

As I turned on the KH1 and searched for a free spot on 20 meters, I happened upon Eric (VA2IDX) activating Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park (CA-0508) near Montréal. It only took one or two calls to work him. We were both pretty weak, but I was so pleased to start out this pedestrian mobile activation with a P2P from across our northern border. Continue reading Elecraft KH1 in Motion: Proper Pedestrian Mobile Activation in an Ohio State Nature Preserve →

Field Reports, Hams, New Products, News, People, Portable, POTA, QRP, QRP Radios, QRPers, Travel

Post-Hamvention Activation with Friends

May 20, 2024 Thomas Witherspoon 4 Comments

The 2024 Dayton Hamvention is in the books!

This morning, I’m still at our hotel in Dayton, Ohio, but about to pack up and head out. Eric (WD8RIF), Miles (KD8KNC), and I are heading for a day at the Armstrong Aerospace Museum, then, hopefully, a POTA activation on the way back to Athens, Ohio, where I’ll spend the night.

Tuesday morning, I’ll be up early and hit the road for North Carolina. Really looking forward to seeing my wife, daughters, and Hazel.

I thought I’d share a very brief POTA activation I enjoyed yesterday with friends.

Pater State Wildlife Area (US-9492)

Yesterday morning (May 19, 2024), Eric, Miles and I met up with Kyle (AA0Z), Brian (K3ES), Joshua (N5FY), and Charlie (NJ7V) at our hotel.

Eric, Miles, Brian, and I had planned to activate a park in nearby Indiana that afternoon, as Brian and I had never activated in that state. Joshua, Charlie, and Kyle were planning to join us on an activation in southwest Ohio en route. Unfortunately, Joshua was driving back to his home in Georgia, and Kyle was dropping off Charlie at the airport on his way home, so they couldn’t join us in Indiana.

Eric’s first POTA activation with his Elecraft KH1!

We arrived on-site a little after 10:00 AM local. Eric immediately set up his Elecraft KH1 in desktop mode using his new Tufteln KH1 Right-Angle adapter.

Brian set up under a tree with his Elecraft KX2 and a Tufteln random wire antenna.

I grabbed my Elecraft KH1 and we coordinated frequencies. Brian took 30 meters, Eric took 40 meters, and I took 17 meters (thinking either Joshua or Eric might move to 20 meters).

This was another instance where having a fully handheld, pedestrian mobile station truly offered a level of activation freedom.

The bands were in rough shape, but I kept my KH1 in hand and walked around the entire site with the CW Message memory sending out my “CQ POTA DE K4SWL.”

Over the course of 13 minutes, I worked five stations. All the while, I was holding the KH1, chatting with my friends, and petting a sweet local dog that instantly made friends with us.

This pup was a hoot!

This activation also gave me an excuse to try out the new Tufteln KH1 Antenna Angle Adapter which makes it a breeze to keep the antenna nearly vertical while holding the KH1 at a more comfortable angle. Thanks, Joshua!

Eventually, I moved to 20 meters and we all started working each other to help with our QSO count and to simply get each other in the logs. I logged two more stations, plus Charlie, Brian, and Joshua to make my 10.

Kyle (AA0Z) and his brilliant Toyota Tacoma POTA machine.

The idea was to hop off the air quickly so that Kyle and Charlie could use Kyle’s KX3 station to activate the park as well.

Conditions deteriorated further, so we did rely on a few P2Ps with each other to help Charlie and Kyle finish and hit the road.

Here’s my QSO Map, but keep in mind that several of the pins are incorrect as Charlie, Kyle, Brian, and Joshua were all on-site:

All in all, we had an amazing time and it was a nice, relaxed way to wind down after an incredibly active 2024 Hamvention and FDIM conference.

Joshua working us P2P with his KH1 and the the most compromised–yet completely effective–antenna of all: a dummy load!

I will report more on Hamvention and share a few photos later this week.

For now, I need to wrap up this post and hit the road! There’s an aviation museum and POTA in my future today!

Heartfelt Thank You

I will add this one extra note: I’m simply overwhelmed with the kind comments and conversations I had with so many of you who took the time to catch up with me these past few days. Thank you so much!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)

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

From the Activation Archives: Pairing the Elecraft KX2 and MPAS Lite at Little Beaver State Park

May 16, 2024 Thomas Witherspoon 2 Comments

In May 2022, my buddy Eric (WD8RIF), his son Miles (KD8KNC), and I opted to skip Hamvention that year and, instead, plan an extended weekend POTA campout in West Virginia.

Although attending the 2022 Hamvention was a tempting idea, I had already committed to a two-month family camping trip to Québec, Canada, scheduled to begin just a week later. Fortunately, the camping trip provided us with ample opportunities for field radio and was a more budget-friendly alternative.

During a recent review of my videos, I uncovered two videos from my West Virginia journey that had previously remained unpublished.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of FDIM and Hamvention 2024 (happening now), I’ve decided to shake things up by publishing these two videos. With my schedule packed to the brim during Hamvention weekend, I’ve arranged for these posts to go live automatically.

Abbreviated field report

Indeed, as I prepare this report (and the following one), I’m only two days away from heading to Ohio and I’m pressed for time. In lieu of my regular in-depth field report, I’m keeping these two reports simple and short so that I can fit them in my tight schedule.

Little Beaver State Park (US-1815)

My first archived field report is from Little Beaver State Park.

We activated this park on Saturday, May 21, 2022.

I didn’t take a lot of photos at Little Beaver–I find that when I activate with others, I often simply forget to take photos.

The site was very pleasant. In fact, it was ideal for POTA on a hot sunny day since there were so many trees and some well-spaced picnic tables flanking a disc golf course.

I set up my Elecraft KX2 and paired it with my Chameleon MPAS Lite.

Gear:

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

Elecraft KX2 & KXPD2 Paddles
Elecraft KXBT2 Li-Ion Battery Pack
Elecraft ES60 Pack (Note that mine is a discontinued LowePro CS60 pack, the ES60 is identical and Elecraft branded)
Chameleon CHA MPAS Lite
Chameleon 50′ RG-58C/U cable
Spec-Ops Brand T.H.E. Pack EDC
Tom Bihn Large Travel Tray
Moleskine Cahier Journal
GraphGear 0.9mm 1000 Automatic Drafting Pencil
‎HEROCLIP Carabiner Clip (attached to my backpack–affiliate link)
Camera: OSMO Action Camera with Joby tripod (Note that I have since upgraded to the DJI OSMO 4 action camera with Joby Telepod Sport Tripod)

QSO Map

Here’s what this five-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map:

Activation Video

Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation. As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have monetization turned off on YouTube, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.

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.

Post Activation

Of course, it’s been two years since Eric, Mile, and I performed these activation, but it’s funny what details I do remember.

For one thing, I remember enjoying a brilliant meal and ice cream at Dixie’s Drive-In post-activation.

I also remember taking this photo of Eric and Theo:

Good times!

If you’re interested in reading Eric’s field reports from this camping trip, please visit his website using this link.

Thank you!

Thank you for joining us during this 2022 activation!

Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.

As I mentioned before, the Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)

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

WD8RIF takes his dog and his KX2 on a bicycle-portable POTA activation

January 17, 2024 WD8RIF 3 Comments

Many thanks to Eric (WD8RIF), who shares the following field report via his website WD8RIF.com:

by Eric (WD8RIF)

On Saturday, November 4, 2023, I performed a successful bicycle-portable two-fer activation of Lake Hope State Park (K-1968) and Zaleski State Forest (K-5455) in Ohio as part of the Parks on the Air (POTA) program.

On a beautiful and warm early November afternoon, I bicycled the Moonville Rail Trail, on what used to the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad (wikipedia article) right-of-way, from the tiny village of Mineral, through Zaleski State Forest, diverting from the rail trail near Lake Hope to ride to the Mountain Bike Trailhead overlooking Lake Hope within the state park, for my two-fer activation of the state park and state forest. I was carrying my KX2 Mini Travel Kit on the bicycle, and I was pulling my little dog Theo in a trailer behind the bicycle.

From the Moonville Rail Trail website:

This 10-mile rail trail takes visitors through the beautiful woodlands of southeast Ohio, including Zaleski State Forest; the communities of Zaleski and Mineral; and the Lake Hope State Park wetland areas. The corridor holds water on both sides of the trail, creating a wetland area that is home to numerous species of flora and fauna.

Additional points of interest along this trail are two unique and historic tunnels. King’s Hollow Tunnel (also known as King Switch Tunnel) is a 120-foot structure carved through the rock and lined by a series of 12×12 wooden beams. The Moonville Tunnel is brick-lined and has a long history of train accidents, earning the tunnel a reputation for being haunted.

After parking my car at Mineral, I began my ride on the leaf-covered Moonville Rail Trail at 1645 UTC and soon encountered the first landmark of the ride: the 120′ long, timber-lined King’s Hollow Tunnel.

King's Hollow Tunnel — Entering King’s Hollow Tunnel

Riding through the very dark tunnel and continuing west on the Moonville Rail Trail, I soon came to a succession of ponds. Rumor has it that a pair of nesting bald eagles fish these ponds, but I have yet to see them.

A small bit of railroad history along the Moonville Rail Trail.

Continuing west, and now being well inside Zaleski State Forest, I soon came upon the brick-lined Moonville Tunnel.

After passing through the Moonville Tunnel, I was forced to divert from the Moonville Rail Trail and follow a gravel road before re-joining the Moonville Rail Trail about a mile further on. (When CSX abandoned the rail line in the early 1990s, they took everything: rails, ties, ballast, and all the bridges. Two of the bridges west of Moonville Tunnel have yet to be replaced.) I was pleased that my new narrow knobby bicycle tires were reassuring on the rough gravel road, but I can’t say Theo in the trailer enjoyed this portion of the ride much.

Back on the Moonville Rail Trail, and continuing west, the rail trail was almost 100% leaf-covered. Continue reading WD8RIF takes his dog and his KX2 on a bicycle-portable POTA activation →

Antennas, Guest Posts, News, Portable, QRP, Radio Field Craft

Comparing Coaxial Loss in RG-58 and RG-316

December 6, 2023 WD8RIF 40 Comments

by Eric, WD8RIF

I recently decided that I would operate portable during the upcoming ARRL 10 Meter Contest and would combine this operation with a pair of Parks on the Air (POTA) activations, one on the Saturday of the contest and one on Sunday. While putting together my field station for this, I realized I wanted to see how lossy my RG-58 and RG-316 feedline cables were on 10m. Yes, I could have resorted to online charts of feedline losses, and I know that the RG-316 is lossier than the RG-58, but I thought it would be fun and more enlightening to make actual measurements, to empirically determine the losses in my particular coaxial cables.

The two coaxial cables in question are both 25′ in length and both are equipped with BNC male connectors on each end. The RG-58 cable is a high-quality cable that was originally manufactured to be a 10Base2 ethernet cable, but it’s probably now over twenty years old. The RG-316 cable was recently purchased from Tufteln (link) and includes an RF choke near one end.

To make my measurements, I used my Elecraft KX2 (link) to generate RF into an Elecraft DL1 dummy load with RF detector (link), using a digital multimeter to measure the voltage at the DL1’s measurement points. I used the formula that came with my DL1 assembly instructions to calculate the measured wattage:
P = (((V x 1.414) + 0.15))^2)/50

I made measurements in the CW portion of the 10, 15, 20, 40, and 80m bands, with the KX2 set at 5 Watts output.

My first set of measurements was made with the DL1 connected directly to the KX2’s antenna jack using a BNC union:

	Direct (no feedline)
Band	Volts	Watts
10	11.62	5.498
15	11.59	5.470
20	11.61	5.489
40	11.63	5.508
80	11.63	5.508

My immediate observation was that the KX2 appears to be generating more than 5w when it is set to be producing 5w but also that the KX2 output is essentially same from 10m through 80m.

My second set of measurements was made with the DL1 connected to the KX2 through the RG-58 cable:

	Direct	RG-58
Band	Watts	Watts
10	5.498	4.809
15	5.470	4.844
20	5.489	5.004
40	5.508	5.184
80	5.508	5.276

My third set of measurements was made with the DL1 connected to the KX2 through the RG-316 cable:

	Direct	RG-316
Band	Watts	Watts
10	5.498	4.190
15	5.470	4.322
20	5.489	4.507
40	5.508	4.774
80	5.508	4.959

I was pleased to see to see that both the RG-58 and RG-316 behaved as I expected them to: the loss increased with increasing frequency.

Using the magic of MS-Excel, I created a table of Loss in Watts for both cables, relative to direct connection and to each other:

	Direct	Difference (Loss) (Watts)
Band	Watts	RG-58 vs direct	RG-316 vs direct	RG-316 vs RG-58
10	5.498	0.690	1.309	0.619
15	5.470	0.626	1.148	0.522
20	5.489	0.485	0.982	0.497
40	5.508	0.324	0.734	0.410
80	5.508	0.232	0.549	0.317

In looking at this table, it was immediately obvious that RG-316 is much lossier than the RG-58, particularly on 10m. By looking at the row for 10m, one can see that I am losing nearly 0.7 watts in the RG-58 but I am losing over 1.3 watts in the RG-316.

For completeness, I added columns for Loss in dB to the spreadsheet:

	Difference (Loss) (dB)
Band	RG-58 vs direct	RG-316 vs direct	RG-316 vs RG-58
10	0.582	1.180	0.598
15	0.528	1.023	0.495
20	0.402	0.856	0.454
40	0.263	0.621	0.358
80	0.187	0.456	0.269

This exercise showed me that for my upcoming ARRL 10 Meter Contest POTA outings, I would do best by connecting my antenna directly to my transceiver, if possible, without using either coaxial feedline. If conditions at the operating site require me to use feedline, I will chose the RG-58 over the RG-316.

The tables also tell me that RG-316 is pretty lossy regardless of the band; for my regular field operating, unless I’m planning to do bicycle- or pedestrian-portable operations where weight and bulk is a consideration, I’ll carry RG-58 instead of RG-316. (I purchased the RG-316 specifically for bicycle- and pedestrian-portable operations, and I plan to continue to use the RG-316 for those applications.)

At some point, I will repeat this exercise with RG-8X, a feedline that is very close in size to RG-58, is less lossy, but is also heavier and stiffer.

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

From the Archives: A 2022 Postcard Field Report and Activation Video from New River Gorge National Park

August 18, 2023 Thomas Witherspoon 3 Comments

These are busy days for K4SWL

These past few weeks have been absolutely crazy for me in terms of activity–I’ve been traveling a lot, doing (involved) DIY projects on the house, searching for a new car, planning a PV system for the QTH, fixing well pumps, helping friends, and doing caregiving for my folks.

It’s all kept me very busy!

I have a sizable backlog of emails that have accumulated during this time. If you’ve sent me a message, I likely haven’t read it yet. Apologies for that. I simply haven’t had time to read and reply.

I thought about skipping a field report this morning, then I remembered an amazing West Virginia camping trip and draft videos I’d already uploaded to YouTube.

In lieu of writing a full field report (and so that I can share a video today) I thought I’d simply share this activation video with a Postcard type field report.

2022 West Virginia POTA Camping Trip

Last year (2022), in lieu of going to the Dayton Hamvention, my buddies Eric (WD8RIF), his son Miles (KD8KNC), and I spent a long weekend activating parks and camping in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia. Click here to read more about that trip.

The camping trip was absolutely amazing and we activated a number of parks during that time.

I made activation videos at most of the parks we visited, but with my summer travels and activations in Canada last year, I skipped over several of the videos I’d uploaded so that I could publish my Canadian activations while I was still in Canada.