September 2021 – WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio

POTA at William Penn State Forest

We had some beautiful Fall weather here in southeastern Pennsylvania today. It was a great day for a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation. This time I drove up to William Penn State Forest’s Hopewell Tract near Elverson, PA.

I have operated here many times over the years. However, this was my first POTA activation from here. The area around the Hopewell Fire Tower has good elevation, and I have always had good luck there.

The Hopewell Fire Tower in William Penn State Forest, Hopewell Tract (POTA K-5481)

The parking lot was empty when I arrived. Except for some occasional hikers passing through, I had the place to myself. I mounted my 19-foot vertical on the back of my truck and set up my KX3 in the cab. I ran my usual 5 watts.

I spotted myself and started calling CQ. It took me about 20 minutes on 40M to make the required ten contacts. I logged 19 contacts on 40M, including three park-to-park QSOs.

I had mixed results on 20M. I got very few Reverse Beacon Network spots, but I worked two Oregon stations and one in Nevada. I had no more takers after that. I moved down to 30M and picked up five more there.

I packed up after an hour and a half. In all, I made 27 contacts in about 13 states and two Canadian provinces.

Before heading out, I walked back to the Fire Tower to get a picture. Years ago, you could climb the tower, but it’s been closed now for some time. I’m not big on heights, so it’s not a big loss for me.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Outer Banks Round 2

I was back down in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a few days this week. Since I was there for a family function, there wasn’t much time for ham radio. I did, however, get on the air for a bit one morning with a haphazard antenna.

We were staying with family in a rental house just down the road from the one we were in last month. Like the previous house, it had a beautiful view of Currituck Sound.

One morning, everyone went over to the beach for some surf fishing. Since I’m still dealing with my knee issues, I stayed behind and broke out the radio.

I took my KX3 out to a small, 3rd story deck and broke out two 25-foot pieces of speaker wire for an antenna. I wrapped one around the deck railing for the radiator. For a counterpose, I tossed the other wire off the deck. I used a BNC-to-binding post adapter to connect up to the KX3.

Operating from the deck in Corolla, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks

Frankly, I wasn’t expecting much from this antenna with 5 watts. When I turned on the rig, though, I heard some very loud signals on the 40M band. After calling CQ a few times, I saw a dozen spots on the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN).

Over the next forty-five minutes, I had a couple of rag chews with stations in New York and New Jersey. I also logged a Parks of the Air (POTA) station in Connecticut.

My KX3 out on the deck. You can see the two pieces of speaker I used for an antenna. — My KX3 out on the deck. You can see the two pieces of speaker wire I used for an antenna.

Before packing up, I moved up to 20M and heard a French station calling CQ. I threw out my call and heard, “WB3?.” My 5 watts and the thrown-together antenna made it to France. Unfortunately, a loud, low-pitched version of my CW was coming from somewhere down below. As it turns out, the wire hanging off the deck was right next to an outdoor speaker. I didn’t complete the contact for fear of creating too much of a racket.

By this time, I was losing my shade anyway, and it was getting hot out there. So, I took down my makeshift antenna and packed up the radio. This brief—but fun—session was the only opportunity I had on this trip for ham radio.

It never ceases to amaze me what you can do with 5 watts and a couple of pieces of wire.

72, Craig WB3GCK

September Weekend Sprintathon

I haven’t made too many Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) contacts lately, so I took some time today to participate in the Weekend Sprintathon (WES). I drove up to my daughter’s property and operated from one of the fields.

To keep things simple, I used my usual 19-ft vertical mounted on the truck. I took advantage of the beautiful weather and set up a table and chair under a shady tree. I used my KX3 at 5 watts, along with my little MS2 straight key.

My operating location for the September 2021 Weekend Sprintathon (WES)

I started on 40M and only heard a few WES stations to work. I called CQ for a while and bagged a few more contacts. Based on my Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) spots, the band was in good shape. Before changing bands, I found two Parks on the Air (POTA) activators and worked them.

I switched to 20M and found that the two loudest stations were from France. I had back-to-back WES contacts with Bob F6EJN and Bert F6HKA. Bob and Bert gave me RSTs of 559 and 569, respectively. I tried a few stateside stations, but I wasn’t getting through—go figure. I did log two more POTA stations, though.

I gave 40M another try and found WA3GM doing a POTA activation in the next county over. Greg gave me a 339, but he was able to pull me out. After working three more WES stations, I started packing up.

I ended up with a dozen WES contacts and five POTA stations. Regardless of the number of QSOs, it was a great day to take the radio outside.

73, Craig WB3GCK

POTA at PA State Game Lands 234

I did another brief Parks on the Air (POTA) activation today. My target this time was PA State Game Lands 234 (K-8931). This one was close by, as a section of it is only 15 minutes from home. It was certainly quieter than my last activation.

The parking area is right across the street from a residential area. Also, there were powerlines directly across from me. There was a steady stream of hunters coming and going, so the parking area was crowded. It’s dove season here in Pennsylvania.

Entrance to PA State Game Lands 234 near Royersford, PA.

With all the hunting going on, I didn’t venture into the gated area. Instead, I operated from the parking area. I used my usual setup—my 19-foot vertical on the back of the truck and my KX3 (5 watts) inside.

I started off on 40M with a park-to-park (P2P) contact with VE2VIA in Quebec. After spotting myself, things picked up. I soon had my required ten contacts. After 30 minutes, the 40M activity began to slow down. I moved up to 20M and had 4 QSOs, including a P2P contact with KØBWR in Idaho. Despite some powerline noise, the 30M band produced another ten QSOs.

On four occasions, I stopped to answer questions from curious hunters. They were fascinated with my antenna and the fact that I was using Morse Code to communicate. I’m always happy to stop and give ham radio a plug.

I packed up after an hour and fifteen minutes. I ended with 29 QSOs, including the two P2P contacts. Thanks to WD9IGY, who worked me on both 20M and 30M.

This outing was a fitting wrap-up for a long holiday weekend here in the U.S. I hope my fellow U.S. hams had a safe and happy Labor Day.

73, Craig WB3GCK

A Different Kind of QRM

I did a brief Parks on the Air (POTA) activation today. My destination was Pennsylvania State Game Lands 043 (K-8742) in Elverson, PA. While it was successful, I ran into something I hadn’t encountered before: loud gunfire.

Before heading out, I took a look at the area using Google Earth. I found a public shooting range in the Game Lands with a large parking lot. It looked like an easy place to set up. As it turns out, it was not without some challenges.

Pennsylvania State Game Lands 043 (POTA K-8742) entrance

When I got there, the parking lot was bustling with shooters out for some target practice. I parked away from the shooting range and set up my antenna on the truck. My rig was my trusty KX3 at 5 watts running CW.

The cell coverage wasn’t great, but I managed to spot myself on 40M. Almost immediately, I got a call from WA8ERJ, who gave me a park-to-park contact. I had a bit of a pile-up and logged ten contacts in the first twelve minutes. I logged a park-to-park contact with K8DRT before changing bands.

My setup in the public shooting range parking lot in Pennsylvania State Game Lands 043

Up on the 20M band, the activity was somewhat sparse, and there was some noise from nearby powerlines. I managed to log two contacts before moving down to 30M. The 30M band was more productive, producing eight more for the log.

The whole time I was operating, there was quite a bit of audio frequency QRM from the shooting range. My earbuds don’t provide much sound isolation. For the most part, though, the noise was intermittent and manageable. When necessary, I turned the volume up on the rig and rolled up the window.

The last contact was a bit difficult. The signal was weak and hard to hear over the noise from the range. He had to repeat his callsign five or six times before I got the whole thing. My apologies to that operator.

After an hour, I packed up and headed home. I ended up with 22 contacts, including the two park-to-park QSOs. Also, K9IS worked me on both 40M and 30M from Wisconsin.

According to the POTA website, I was only the second person to activate this entity. It was also the first time I had to deal with loud gunfire during an activation. Of course, I was the one who picked this location. I should have anticipated the noise and brought some over-the-ear headphones.

On the drive out, I found another parking area further down the road from the shooting range. Next time, I’ll give that a shot—no pun intended.

73, Craig WB3GCK