Well, another Boschveldt QRP Club Field Day is in the books. We had a much smaller crew this year but a good time was had by all.
Once again, we were graciously hosted by a local businessman who allowed us to use his private property. Pennsylvania has had a lot of rain lately, so parts of our Field Day site were soggy, to say the least. (My poor truck needs a bath!) We adapted nicely, keeping our equipment on the higher parts of the property.
This year, we ran 2A (QRP and battery-powered) in the Eastern Pennsylvania section. We used the club’s callsign, W3BQC. A few of our regular attendees had other obligations this year. So, this was a scaled-back Field Day for us. The main participants were Ed K3YTR, Ed WA3WSJ and me. On Saturday, Paul KB3ZOH and Diane KC3AOA stopped by for a visit.
I operated CW on 40M and below from my tent. I was running my KX3 at 5 watts with a 53-foot inverted L antenna fed through a 9:1 unun. I used a tree to secure the far end of the horizontal part of the antenna. It only took me 3 tries to hit my target branch. That’s pretty good for me.
WA3WSJ operated CW on 20M and above using a minimalist set up under an umbrella. He was running his KX2 into a 50-foot inverted L. He also camped out in his hammock under a tarp.
K3YTR worked SSB on 6M, 2M and 440 from his car and slept in a slick little teardrop camper. We used the trailer’s rear kitchen for our cooking.
On the air, the bands were up and down. WA3WSJ and I both noted some deep fading on the HF bands. Nonetheless, we had no trouble making contacts. I had good luck on 40M, working stations all over the East Coast and out to the mid-West. WA3WSJ was working stations coast-to-coast, including the U.S. Virgin Islands. K3YTR, unfortunately, was plagued with equipment problems, so he didn’t have much luck on the VHF/UHF bands.
As always, the Boschveldt crew takes a lot of breaks for food and socializing. After dark, we gather around the campfire to roast marshmallow Peeps® and swap tall tales. We definitely are not hardcore contesters.
As always, no records were broken over the weekend. Still, it’s always a good time when our little band of QRPers gets together.
72, Craig WB3GCK
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 