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.
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.
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.
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 and his XYL, Stephanie, were in a cabin just down the road from us, and they 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.
K3BVQ and I packed up to head out on Saturday 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
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 