I made a run up to French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355) for a quick, early-morning activation. While my activation was successful, it was not without a self-inflicted issue or two.
It was a beautiful, brisk fall morning here in southeastern Pennsylvania, so I set up at a picnic table. I used my Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna on top of the table, like I did a few weeks ago. As in the earlier activation, I used two 17-foot radials and no additional coax besides the Gabil RF choke. Using an antenna analyzer, I quickly found a good match on 40M.
I connected the KH1 and started calling CQ. When I picked up my phone to spot myself, I had no cell service. My cellphone carrier’s coverage is hit or miss in this park. The hotspot in my truck uses a different carrier, so I usually spot myself from the truck—something I neglected to do. Doh! Despite my oversight, I worked two stations that just happened to hear my CQs. After that…nothing. So, I headed back to the truck to post spots for POTA and WWFF.
Having overcome the spotting issue, things quickly picked up. I worked 16 stations before the activity on 40M slowed down. While tuning the antenna for 20M, I had some trouble getting a good match for some reason. Eventually, I got it down to about 2.3:1 and let the KH1’s ATU do its magic. I logged four more contacts on 20M before the QSOs dried up. I called it quits after an hour with 20 QSOs in my log.
But the fun didn’t end there. As I was taking the antenna down, I inadvertently manhandled the skinny top section of the Gabil whip and bent it over. Doh! I carefully straightened it out as best I could and managed to collapse it. At home, I checked it out, and the whip seems usable—albeit an inch or two shorter. I decided to order a Gabil GRA-CFP2600 carbon fiber whip and save the slightly damaged telescopic whip as a backup. Hopefully, that will be a bit more rugged.
While I was at it, I also ordered an exact replacement for the damaged telescopic whip. It wasn’t very expensive, and the smaller form factor when it’s collapsed is handy sometimes. I’ll just need to be more careful with it in the future.
72, Craig WB3GCK
