Skunked!

“Mama said there’d be days like this.” — The Shirelles

My week got off to a good start. I activated parks three days in a row with good success. With some nice Spring weather today, I thought I’d get the bike out for an activation. I drove out to Norristown Farm Park (US-4363, KFF-4363), since I’m one activation away from a Repeat Offender award there. My plan was to get in a bike ride, while completing my 20th activation.

Things didn’t go as well as I had hoped.

I last rode my bike there about eight years ago. A friend and I were doing some communications testing to prepare for a March of Dimes event. I rode all over the park with an HT, while my friend listened for me at the proposed Net Control location. I remembered seeing a picnic table just off the road, so I headed out in that direction. About a mile out, I found a covered picnic table. It wasn’t the one I remembered, but it seemed to be a better location.

The view from the covered picnic table I was using.
The view from the covered picnic table I was using.

My setup was similar to the last time I used the bike. I mounted a Gabil GRA-7350TC vertical on my handlebars and used a 33-ft elevated radial. I easily adjusted the antenna for a 1.3:1 SWR on 40M. Then, I ran 20-ft of RG-316 over to the picnic table where I set up my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and Elecraft T1 tuner.  

You have to look closely to see the Gabil GRA-7350TC on my handlebars.
You have to look closely to see the Gabil GRA-7350TC on my handlebars.

The 40M band seemed a little weak. I heard very little activity, and my hits on the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) weren’t all that strong. After 10 minutes or or so of futile CQing, I reconfigured the radials and tuned up the antenna for 20M. This time I used three 17-ft radials.

Despite getting double-digit Signal-to-Noise readings on RBN, 20M wasn’t producing any takers. I tried calling a couple of activators, but I wasn’t getting through the pile-ups. I didn’t have much time this morning, so I gave up after 30 minutes with an empty log. After packing up my gear, I rode back to the parking lot.

This empty cage was located in the back of the clearing I was in. I have no idea what kind of critter it might have been used for.
This empty cage was located in the back of the clearing I was in. I have no idea why it was there or what kind of critter it might have been used for.

On the ride back, I tried to figure out what the problem was today. Was it propagation, my location, or was it just one of those days? Who knows?

Radio-wise, today was a bust. I did, however, get in a pleasant bike ride and a little exercise.

72, Craig WB3GCK

One thought on “Skunked!”

Leave a comment