December Bike Ride

It’s hard to believe, but this was the second weekend in a row with unseasonably warm temperatures.  So, I loaded up my bike and went for a ride.  I rode about 2 miles along the Schuylkill River Trail and another mile or so on the Perkiomen Trail.  I stopped in Lower Perkiomen Valley Park to do a little QRP portable.

I found a picnic table near a nice stand of trees.  I tossed a line up in one of the trees and pulled up an experimental 42-foot end-fed wire.  I used the handlebars of my bike to secure the 4:1 unun I was using.  I laid out a couple of radials on the ground.

I fired up my trusty YouKits HB-1B and checked 20 meters.  I didn’t hear much going on there.  After a few unanswered CQs, I tried 30 meters.  My Elecraft T1 tuner couldn’t get the SWR as low as I would like it, so I went down to 40 meters.  I called CQ a couple of times and Keith, KB8FE, answered from the Akron, Ohio, area.

After a short QSO with Keith, I called “QRZ?” and Chuck KY3P gave me a call from New York.  I had a nice two-way QRP ragchew with Chuck, despite some fading on the band.

After signing with Chuck, I did a few quick experiments with my antenna.  By that time, the sun was starting to go down and I could feel the temperatures starting to drop.  So, I loaded up my bike and headed back.  I got back to the trailhead just as the sun was setting over the trees.

When December days like this show up here in Pennsylvania, you just have to take advantage of them.

73, Craig WB3GCK