Things are still busy around here, so I haven’t had much time for ham radio lately. I did, however, manage to squeeze in a short outing this afternoon.
I planned to head out to my daughter’s property and play around with an antenna I built a few months ago. As I was loading my equipment into my truck, I discovered my antenna had gone missing. After a brief but frantic search, I gave up. In the interest of time, I ended up taking my Alexloop antenna instead. (Note to self: The shack is seriously overdue for some straightening up.)
I set up at my usual spot atop a hill and tuned up the loop on 40M. I heard KC5F doing a POTA activation in South Carolina and quickly logged a contact with him. Further down the band, I heard Stan WB2LQF in New York and gave him a call. I’ve worked Stan a few times before; like me, he is a former Navy Radioman.
While I was chatting with Stan, the wind started gusting and almost blew the Alexloop over. I finished the QSO with one hand on the key and the other hanging on to the tripod. I took a few minutes to rig up a tent stake and a bungee cord to keep the antenna steady.
I moved up to 30M and called CQ near the SKCC watering hole. I immediately received an ear-splitting call from K1NIE in Ohio. Dick was using an attic dipole and was booming into Pennsylvania. I chatted with Dick for a while before changing bands.
The 20M band was full of contesters, so I gave 17M a try instead. It only took a couple of CQs to get an answer from WBØAUQ in Arkansas. By the time I finished with Bob, my fingers were starting to get stiff from the cold, and it was time to pack up.
It was great to get out, even just for an hour or so. Now, I need to find that missing antenna.
73, Craig WB3GCK
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 