January 2026 – WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio

Keeping My CW Fist Warm

My old, arthritic fingers aren’t what they used to be, especially when sending CW in colder weather. I’ve tried a variety of gloves over the years, but they have each had their drawbacks. Recently, my (far) better half stumbled across an inexpensive pair of gloves that seem to be just what I’ve been looking for.

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I mentioned my cold weather CW dilemma to my (far) better half in passing, and she found an interesting pair of gloves on Amazon a few minutes later. They are the Glider Touch Screen gloves for $8.99 (USD). At that price, I took a chance and fired off an order to try them. After measuring my hand and using their sizing guide, I went with the large size. Glider Gloves is a Canadian company, and our friends to the north certainly know a thing or two about cold weather.

Some reviewers on Amazon complained about these gloves having a snug fit, but that’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. I use iambic (squeeze) keying and paddles with a light touch, so bulky gloves can make accurate sending difficult.

This is how I normally send while holding a pencil. These touchscreen gloves allow me to do that with no problems.

I tried my new gloves during a recent POTA/WWFF activation. They definitely have a snug fit, but they conform nicely to the shape of my fingers. There’s no excess material in the fingertips to interfere with keying. Normally, I use the paddles while holding a pencil, so I can quickly alternate between keying and logging. I found I could still do that with no issues. My log’s legibility was no worse than my normal chicken scratch.

My Glider Gloves. (See the Amazon website for better pictures) — The Glider Gloves. (See the Amazon website for much better pictures.)

They also worked great when I entered my spotting information using my cell phone. To facilitate use with touch screens, they have some copper woven right into the material. My typing on the phone was about the same as my normal “fat-fingering.”

Since they are thin and form-fitting and have some non-slip material on the palms, they are good for other tasks requiring manual dexterity. Normally, I have to take my gloves off at some point when installing the antenna on my truck. This time, however, I had the Glider gloves on and had no problems screwing the parts together.

The temperature in the truck during my brief activation was about 45° F (7° C), and my hands stayed reasonably warm. The manufacturer says they’re good for “moderate temperatures,” so I probably wouldn’t wear them on an Artic expedition. Regardless, they are a whole lot better than no gloves at all—which is how I sometimes operated in the cold. I can also put my regular gloves on over them if I need to take a break from sending.

I had hoped to use them during Winter Field Day this year, but some personal obligations and a snowstorm forced me to sit this one out. According to the weather forecasts, we have a lot more winter weather ahead of us here in Pennsylvania, so I’m sure these gloves will still get plenty of use.

There are lots of similar gloves on the market, so there may be better options out there. Since I tend to avoid operating in extremely low temperatures anyway, I think these should do the job for me.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Boschveldt QRP Winter Outing 2026

For the third year in a row, the Boschveldt QRP Club (W3BQC) held its annual winter outing in a cabin in French Creek State Park. For a variety of reasons, we had a smaller than usual group this year. Regardless, it was a fun weekend of catching up with old friends, eating some good food, and playing radio in the park.

When I arrived Friday afternoon, Ed K3YTR was already in the cabin. After unloading my gear and settling in, I wanted to squeeze in a quick POTA/WWFF activation (US-1355, KFF-1355) before the rest of the crew arrived. I operated from the truck using my Penntek TR-35 and 12-foot loaded whip. After 14 quick contacts on 20M and 17M, I headed back inside the cabin to warm up.

ED K3YTR with his KX3 station in a box — Ed K3YTR with his KX3 station in a box (Photo credit: NK1N)

Glen NK1N rolled in from New Jersey later in the day. He put up an 85-foot inverted vee and used his Elecraft KX2 from inside the cabin. Over the course of the weekend, Glen activated the park using our club’s callsign, W3BQC. We wrapped up the first day with a lasagna dinner and some socializing.

Walt KB3SBC also stopped by on Friday and stayed for dinner. Special thanks to Walt for making sure we had a coffee maker and plenty of coffee for the weekend—a crucial part of every Boschveldt QRP Club gathering.

On Saturday morning, we had some snow starting. I drove over to the Hopewell Lake boat launch for another quick activation before the roads got too bad. Using the same setup as the day before, I hopped on 40M. The activity was fast and furious. After about 30 minutes, I had an inch of snow in the bed of the truck, and it was coming in through the window I fed my coax through. I wrapped up with 28 contacts in my log, including an ear-shattering park-to-park QSO with W3BQC (NK1N operating) less than a mile away back at the cabin.

WB3GCK operating at the boat launch in the snow

Snow piling up on my homebrew loading coil

Later on Saturday, Ed K3BVQ joined us and set up his MFJ travel loop antenna inside the cabin. With his indoor antenna, Ed was busy making contacts with a four-watt YouKits rig and a straight key. Chris W3CJW also stopped by for a visit.

Ed K3BVQ operating from the cabin with his indoor loop antenna

Saturday evening we drove into town for dinner at a local restaurant. We capped off the night by watching an old science fiction movie projected onto a screen hung on the wall.

We woke up Sunday morning to another round of snow. After breakfast, NK1N and K3BVQ got back on their radios to make some more contacts.

During the weekend, we noticed that Ken N3CU was doing a POTA activation somewhere in the park. It turned out that Ken was in a cabin just down the road from us, and he stopped by for a visit. Ken and I had worked each other many times over the years, so it was a pleasure to finally meet him in person. Ken had a successful weekend, completing his POTA Kilo award at French Creek. By virtue of his visit, Ken also became our newest Boschveldt QRP Club member.

Ken N3CU and his XYL (and future ham), Stephanie, stopped by to visit on Sunday morning. — Ken N3CU and (and future ham), Stephanie, stopped by to visit on Sunday morning.

K3BVQ and I packed up to head out on Sunday afternoon, while NK1N and K3YTR stayed over for one more night. According to the POTA website, W3BQC had close to 80 contacts over the weekend.

In true Boschveldt QRP Club fashion, our weekend get-togethers are as much about socializing as getting on the radio. Although illness and competing obligations prevented some of our regulars from attending, it was great to spend the weekend hanging out with some old ham radio friends.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Testing a New Mag Mount

On those occasions when I do an activation with my (far) better half’s car, I have been using my Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna on an old magnetic mount. Because of a recent issue with the mag mount I’ve had for 20+ years, I finally had to replace it. Today was the first opportunity I’ve had to use the new one.

While visiting my daughter and her family over the Christmas holiday, I headed out to activate the Captain John Smith Historic Trail (US-4567). Normally, when using the GRA-7350TC and mag mount on my (far) better half’s car, I can easily get the SWR down less than 1.5:1 on 40M. This time was different; the tuning seemed very finicky. I eventually got it close enough to use with the KH1 and completed my activation. As I was packing up, I noticed some damage to the coax where it enters the mount.

This old mag mount has seen many years of service with a VHF/UHF antenna on my truck before being pressed into service with the Gabil antenna. It’s amazing it lasted as long as it did. I decided that trying to disassemble and repair it was more trouble than it was worth.

I ended up buying a Tram magnetic mount on Amazon. This one is a real beast. It’s five inches in diameter and weighs a whopping 2.6 pounds. It’s probably overkill for my intended use, but I figured the larger diameter would provide better coupling to the vehicle. (Spoiler Alert: It does.)

My new five-inch magnetic mount — Tram magnetic mount

To try it out, I headed out to Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380) and set it up on my truck. The attached coax is 17 feet long. That’s way more than I need, so after feeding it through the passenger-side window to my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW), I coiled up the excess.

The Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna and magnetic mount on my truck

I started out on 40M and was surprised to see I could tune‌ the Gabil antenna down to 1.3:1 SWR. That’s better than I could ever get using the old mag mount on my truck. It was slow going on 40M this morning with a lot of fading. I could only manage about nine contacts before moving up to 30M.

Up on 30M, things picked up dramatically, but the most productive band was 20M. My contacts on 20M included Germany, France, and two from Finland. After logging 42 contacts, I pulled the plug and headed home for lunch.

So, the new mag mount should work great on my (far) better half’s car. Sadly, my old mount is now destined for the trash. I certainly got my money’s worth out of it, though.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Farewell 2025, Hello 2026

Going out for back-to-back park activations on the first and last days of the year has become something of a tradition for me. Since my (far) better half and I had no special plans, I happily carried on that tradition. Plus, my New Year’s Day activation had a special significance this year.

New Year’s Eve

I wrapped up 2025 with a trip to French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355). As with my last visit to French Creek, the weather was unpleasantly cold. Here in southeastern Pennsylvania, we’re in the midst of a stretch of days with temperatures below or near the freezing point.

The antenna project I tested last time was ready for another round of measurements. With the temperatures forecasted to remain below freezing all day, however, I didn’t bother to bring it along.

So, I hunkered down in the truck with my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) with my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil on the back of the truck. When I powered up the radio, I was pleased to see I wasn’t the only early-morning station on the air. My log quickly started filling with familiar hunter callsigns. In fact, it took only nine minutes to make my first 10 contacts. I spent most of my time on 40M, but also worked several stations on both 30M and 17M.

My truck and antenna at French Creek State Park near Hopewell Lake — New Year’s Eve at French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355)

With my supply of hot coffee running out, I made my last contact of the year. That was a park-to-park contact with G0UUU/M. It took about a dozen tries before Phil correctly copied the last two letters of my callsign. Mine isn’t the most CW-friendly callsign, so I appreciate his patience in digging my QRP signal out of the noise. After that, I quickly packed up, cranked up the heater in the truck, and headed home. I ended my activation with 42 contacts, including five that were park-to-park.

Looking back, 2025 was a pretty good year for me. I earned my first-ever Kilo Award early in the year and earned Kilo Awards at four more local parks after that. Plus, a DX park-to-park contact was a pretty good way to wrap up the year.

New Year’s Day

On this day back in 2016, ARRL kicked off its wildly successful National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program. This one-year program led to the massive popularity the Parks on the Air (POTA) program enjoys today.

So, 10 years ago, I headed out early on New Year’s Day for my first-ever formal park activation from Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761). That was far from my first time operating from a park (and Valley Forge in particular), but it was my first time activating in a formal parks program. To recognize the ten-year anniversary of my first park activation, I headed back to Valley Forge. This time, though, I was about a mile away from where I parked back then.

I still have the old Yaesu FT-817 I used 10 years ago, but I went with a more modern rig: my Penntek TR-35. This rig lets me keep both paddles and a straight key connected at the same time. January is Straight Key Month for the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC), so I would be ready if I heard any K3Y special event stations.

Mother Nature welcomed in the new year with freezing temperatures and a coating of snow from an overnight snow squall. Traveling on the back roads was a little tricky, but I arrived without incident. The trailhead parking lot I was in was fairly busy with hikers and dog walkers.

New Year's Day at Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761) — New Year’s Day at Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761)

Using the same equipment as the day before, I quickly set up and got on the air. Boy, the bands sure were busy. I split my time between the 40M, 20M, and 17M bands, and there were lots of early-risers out there hunting.

I was feeling a little under the weather, so I packed it in after about an hour. I ended up with 42 contacts, with a couple of park-to-park contacts. Some highlights included:

W6LEN in California on 40M. (Forty seemed long this morning)
F1BLL on 20M
IK2XDF, IK1GPG, and DL1AX on 17M

So, 2026 is off to a good start for me, and I hope it’s a good one for you, too. Here’s wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

73, Craig WB3GCK