I’ve been a little under the weather this week, but I managed to get out and make a some Winter Field Day contacts. I was on the air for a couple of hours each day, operating in the new “Mobile” category.
My location this year was on some land owned by my daughter and her husband. I operated from my truck on top of a hill, which has always been an excellent location for me. (Thanks to my son-in-law for clearing out the area for me.)
On Saturday, I operated during the first hour or so of the contest, using my KX3 and homebrew vertical. I spent all of my time on 40M, and the band was in great shape. I logged 23 CW contacts. Among those, were three SSB contacts I made for the extra multiplier. Winter Field Day is usually the only time I use a microphone on HF, so it always feels awkward for me.
I went back out there on Sunday morning, but this time things got off to a rough start. After I set up my antenna, I got in the truck to set up my KX3 only to find I left it at home. Fortunately, I had my TR-35 in the truck as a backup. (I guess I need to go back and read my old post on checklists.) There was also a protracted search for an adapter I dropped. Eventually, I got my act together and got on the air.
The setup this time out was my TR-35, Elecraft T1 ATU, and a Rybakov vertical. The antenna was simply a 25-foot (7.6M) vertical wire fed through a 4:1 unun that I built recently. I used another 25-foot (7.6M) wire on the ground for a radial. Since I only worked 40M the day before, I planned to concentrate on 20M, 15M, and 10M. With the TR-35, however, 20M was as high as I could go for Winter Field Day.
Most of my contacts this time around were on 20M. The band was in good shape, and the Rybakov vertical performed well for me. I was able to work just about every station I could hear including a couple of west coast stations.
I ended the weekend with a total of 46 WFD contacts in 25 sections. While I never set any records, WFD is always one of my favorite events.
73, Craig WB3GCK
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 
Not bad at all for a /m WFD Craig. And I see you have no snow in Pennsylvania. Up here in Grey County Ontario we’ve had a total of around 10 inches over the last few days. The plows have blocked access to some of the areas I had planned to go this weekend. I may have to snowshoe my way into a park for the PBMME next weekend.
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We haven’t had any measurable snow yet this winter. It’s been a very mild winter so far. The next PBMME will be a cold one, though. It’s supposed to be about -8 C on Saturday. Hope to hear ya!
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Good morning, well all have had a memory lapse regarding radio gear at one time or another. At least you had a spare rig to get on the air. I took part for the first time this year and had a nice time. For me it was an “H” (home) station. Here in New Brunswick, the temps were hitting -27C and I am not inclined to venture outdoors for radio in that weather.
73 and great post about your setup,
Mike
VE9KK
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Hi Mike: I’m usually meticulous about packing up. I guess I got overly confident, since I was going to the same place as the day before. Stay warm up there!
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Good job! I also operated from my truck as noted at https://kr8l.wordpress.com/. I only spent a couple of hours but had fun! I operated my KX2 on four bands and pretty much covered the whole country.
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Thanks! I love the picture of Boris in your blog post.
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Thanks, he in a rescue cat. When we found him he was so tiny he could walk through a chain link fence! He’s a big “cuddle bunny” now.
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