I haven’t been posting much here lately. The COVID-19 pandemic and other family obligations have been cutting into my ham radio activities. Nevertheless, I do have a few projects in the works.
A few weeks ago, I started another project in my ongoing series of speaker wire antennas. This one will be a variant of the bi-square antenna. This antenna has the potential to be a little more field-friendly than the delta loop I tested last month. It’s all built; I just need to get out somewhere to set it up and see how it works.
I’ll file my next project under the category of Old Dogs/New Tricks. Back in December, I bought a Kenwood TH-D74a HT. That gave me the ability to reach a nearby D-Star repeater. This week, I purchased an MMDVM hotspot to go along with it. I plan to spend some time in the coming days getting it set up. I’m hoping to be able to eventually connect to the DMR talk groups used by my ARRL section and local ARES-RACES groups. Fortunately, my local group has some experienced hotspot users I can consult if I run into any snags. Wish me luck.
Sadly, our camping season with our little QRP Camper is off to a late start. State park campgrounds in our area have been closed due to pandemic. We have reservations at a state park in Maryland next month, however, and it looks that might be our first trip of the year. I’m looking forward to a little QRP-portable operating from the camper.
My local QRP club has started making plans for Field Day. We have a set of social-distancing guidelines we’ll be following this year. We’ll be limiting the number of participants, keeping our tents at least 10 feet apart, and eliminating common eating areas. Also, we won’t be sharing stations and equipment. This year’s Field Day will be different, for sure.
Other than that, I’ve been active on our local ARES-RACES nets, and I have been checking into the Pennsylvania NBEMS Net on Sunday mornings.
You can also find me on 40M or 80M CW in the evening. I usually hang out around the SKCC watering holes.
I’ll be posting more on all of this stuff in the coming weeks. Until then, stay safe, and I’ll see you on the air.
73, Craig WB3GCK
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 
I’ll be watching for info about your speaker wire antenna. I’ve been mulling around a scrap antenna/tuner setup that can be built with nothing more than 20 feet of ethernet cable and an old AM radio, with a goal of it costing less than $10. WITH dollar store assitance, of course 😉
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I love antenna tuner projects.I’m looking forward to seeing yours.
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Likewise waiting with great anticipation 🙂. I have an 80 metre ish (260 foot) length of speaker wire. Always looking for new ideas and inspirations. I’m happy with my 28.4m (93 ft) doublet but I’m also considering a 40m delta loop and a balanced 300 ohm feedline, all for portable ops. Love the blog!
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Thanks for the kind words, Andrew. Hopefully, I’ll get the new antenna tested in the next week or so. Take care. 73, Craig WB3GCK
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