WB3GCK

A Tool for Dual Activators

I was first bitten by the parks bug, taking part in ARRL’s National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program in 2016. When NPOTA ended, I started activating parks under the World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF) program. When Parks on the Air (POTA) came along, I started submitting my logs to both programs—and still do.

Since POTA and WWFF are separately administered, there are some significant differences between the two programs. One notable difference involves the park designators. In some cases the park numbers are the same, but often they’re different. For example, the designator for PA 246 State Game Land is KFF-5862 in WWFF and US-8941 in POTA. Sometimes a park will be in one program but not the other.

Fortunately, Al Zelna N3KAE has provided an online tool that makes it easy for “dual activators” to cross-reference the WWFF and POTA park designators in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the CQ Parks.net website to check it out.

Dual Parks North America

If you aren’t familiar with WWFF, it’s the original Amateur Radio parks program. In its current form, WWFF dates back to 2012, but it has roots going back to about 2008. While POTA has seen tremendous growth since its inception, WWFF is still very popular in Europe and other parts of the world. When band conditions are good, a spot on the WWFF site or a DX cluster will often generate a European pile-up. It sure is fun having a bunch of DX stations chasing my little QRP station.

Have fun out in the parks, however you activate!

73 & 44, Craig WB3GCK

April Showers at Marsh Creek State Park

Lately, most weekends have been rainy around here. The forecast for tomorrow is much better than the rain today. Unfortunately, family obligations gave me no choice than to activate today.

I headed over to Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380) early this morning, to avoid heavier rain later in the day. Despite the lousy weather, there were a lot of cars in the parking lot.

A rainy morning on Marsh Creek Reservoir

The rig today was my usual Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and my 12-foot loaded whip. As is my usual practice, I started on 40M. The band predictions forecasted poor daytime conditions on 40M, but that wasn’t my experience. Although some of the signal reports I received were lower than usual, I logged my first 10 contacts in about 13 minutes. My first contact was in Georgia, so that’s not too bad for 40M. The 30M band also seemed to be in decent shape.

When I moved up to 20M, I found some annoying broadband noise across the band. I’ve never encountered that here before, so I was wondering if there was a hybrid vehicle or something in the parking lot. I skipped 20M and moved up to 17M. The band was nearly devoid of activity, and 15 minutes of CQing failed to produce a single contact. While I was CQing, though, I passed the time by watching a large heron wading by. I went back to 40M to finish up.

This Heron was walking through the shallows looking for breakfast

My final tally was 32 contacts, three of which were park-to-park. I didn’t have any DX contacts this morning, but there were some highlights:

I had park-to-park contacts with KD8IE on two bands.
I worked my friend Frank N3FLL. I talked to Frank on a local repeater on my way to the park and gave him a heads-up. He found me on 40M.
I worked Al N3KAE on 40M. Al is the Regional Coordinator who uploads my WWFF logs for me. It was great to add him to the log.

Ready for the rain, with my patented coil protector (aka grocery store plastic bag) and some pipe insulation to seal the window opening

My setup withstood the rain pretty well this morning. I used a piece of pipe insulation on the passenger side window, where I fed the coax through. The fit could have been better, but it kept the rain out. Once again, I used a plastic bag to protect my homebrew coil. When I took the antenna down, I used a chamois cloth to dry the whip as I collapsed it. That worked pretty well.

Pipe insulation sealing the window where the coax enters. The fit wasn't great, but it was good enough. — Pipe insulation sealing the window where the coax enters. The fit wasn’t great, but it was good enough.

Hopefully, we’ll have a rain-free weekend one of these days.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Better but Not Great

I had another rare opportunity to activate a park on a weekday. After all the solar wackiness over the weekend, I checked the band conditions before I got started. The numbers looked better, but I still expected to encounter some flakey band conditions.

I rolled into Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) and started setting up. Once again, I used my 17-foot MFJ-1979 whip and homebrew loading coil. Thinking I would need all the help I could get, I went with the longer whip. The rig was my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW).

Using the MFJ-1979 17-ft whip with my homebrew loading coil

About a minute after spotting myself, I received a call on 40M from another activator. Another hunter called about a minute later. I was off to a good start, right? Not so fast! After those two calls, things really slowed down.

I split my time between 40M, 30M, and 20M, and it took me about 45 minutes to make my first 10 contacts. In fact, I thought number 10 would never happen.

An hour’s effort produced 15 contacts with 3 park-to-park contacts. Sadly, there were no DX contacts to be had. Happy to have salvaged the activation, I packed up and headed home.

Hopefully, the bands will get back in shape soon.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Drive-on Antenna Mount Article

Back in December, Becky Schoenfeld W1BXY, Editorial Director for ARRL’s On the Air magazine, asked me if I would be interested in writing a detailed set of step-by-step instructions for my Drive-on Portable Antenna Support. Naturally, I said I would.

I submitted my manuscript, along with an all-new set of pictures. The article was published in the current issue (May/June 2024) of On the Air (pages 20-22).

If you’re interested, have a look. ARRL members have access On the Air as part of their membership.

73, Craig WB3GCK

MFJ-1979 and the Junk Box Coil

I’ve been toying with buying a 17-foot telescopic whip for some time now. I didn’t really have a pressing need for it, since my 12-foot whip has been doing a great job for me. As a result, I kept talking myself out of buying it—until now. When I heard the news that MFJ was shutting down production, I figured I might as well buy one while they’re still available.

With no additional matching, you can adjust the MFJ-1979 to cover the 20M band and higher. I figured this whip coupled with my “Junk Box Coil” should easily cover 40M through 20M with the antenna fully extended. The four-foot height advantage over my 12-foot whip, should yield some performance improvement. With my older, larger coil, operation on 80M might be possible.

To test my assumptions, I made a trip to Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351), where I was one activation away from a POTA “Repeat Offender” award. Like my last visit, it was raining, and I seemed to be the only one in the park.

I set up the 17-foot whip and coil on the back of the truck and quickly identified the proper tap for 40M. I used a Sharpie pen to mark the tap location. (The coil now has two sets of marks.) Despite an impending geomagnetic storm, I made my first 10 contacts in about 12 minutes. Not too bad for an early activation on a Friday morning.

The MFJ-1979 17-foot whip mounted on my "Junk Box Coil." — The MFJ-1979 17-foot whip mounted on my “Junk Box Coil.”

After about 25 minutes, I switched to the 30M band and marked the tap location on the coil. I picked up eight contacts on 30M before giving 20M a try. It was no surprise that the SWR was a flat 1.5:1 with the entire coil bypassed. Although conditions on 20M seemed a little weak, I logged five more contacts before pulling the plug. I ended up with 25 contacts in the log. No DX or park-to-park contacts today, unfortunately.

For part of the activation, I used a plastic bag to keep the rain off the coil. When I got home, I brought the coil and the whip inside and dried everything off. While I had the whip extended, I measured the actual length. By my measurements, it’s 16 feet 11 inches long.

Based on this brief test, I made a few observations:

Compared to my older 12-foot MFJ whip, I don’t think the quality of the MFJ-1979 is as good. The older whip just seems to telescope more smoothly. Some online reviews mention problems keeping the antenna from collapsing after using it for a while. In an effort to avoid problems like that, I’ll be extremely careful when extending and collapsing the whip.
Performance on 40M, 30M, and 20M should be better than the 12-foot whip, given the additional length. A big difference? Given today’s band conditions, it was hard to tell.
With the 17-foot whip and my coil, I can cover 40M. 30M, and 20M without adjusting the length of the whip. However, the 12-foot whip gives me 40M, 30M, 20M, and 17M without adjusting the whip. This lines up perfectly with the bands on my TR-35.

I won’t be retiring my 12-foot whip anytime soon. I think for most POTA activations, I’ll stick with the 12-foot whip out of convenience. For contesting and activities like Winter Field Day, I will probably go with the 17-foot whip. I have an old 20M mono band QRP rig I want to put back on the air in the near future. The MFJ-1979 should be perfect for that.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Another Mixed Bag Weekend

This was another of those weekends that involved different aspects of ham radio. I was involved in a public service event on Saturday, and I got my QRP-portable fix on Sunday morning.

Northbrook Canoe Challenge

The public service event was the annual Northbrook Canoe Challenge. This event has participants traveling 9.5 miles down the Brandywine River by canoe. The event, which benefits the Cerebral Palsy Association of Chester County, Pennsylvania, is always one of my favorites.

Once again, I served as the net control operator for the event. Chester County ARES-RACES (CCAR) had 13 operators at nine locations along the course. Several local dive teams also took up positions along the course, to ensure the safety of the participants.

This year, I was set up at the Northbrook Canoe Company, which is the end point for the course. The weather was less than stellar, with on and off drizzle throughout the event. The CCAR team, along with a paramedic, hunkered down under a large overhang off of one of the buildings. Communications-wise, this is a straightforward event. CCAR’s repeater system provides excellent coverage in the area, so the entire course can be covered using HTs. I was able to run the net from my camp chair with my AnyTone HT.

The WB3GCKmobile parked along the Brandywine River for the Northbrook Canoe Challenge — I neglected to take pictures of the Canoe Challenge, but I did snap this one of the WB3GCKmobile next to the Brandywine River.

Fortunately, there were no serious issues to be dealt with, and judging by the cheers at the finish line, the participants had a great time, despite the weather.

Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351)

On Sunday morning, I wanted to get in a quick POTA activation. The weather was worse than the day before, with chillier temperatures and a more steady rainfall.

I rolled into Evansburg State Park and found the park completely empty—except for one crazy old ham. After setting up my 12-foot loaded whip, I draped a plastic bag over the loading coil to give it some protection from the elements. I used my trusty TR-35 (5 watts, CW) up in the cab.

My antenna and I sporting our raingear in Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351)

For as early as it was (0900 EDT), the number of callers surprised me on 40M. I had my first 10 contacts in about 13 minutes. I operated for exactly an hour and spent most of my time on 40M. Moving up to 30M, I picked up three contacts there before shutting down.

I ended up with 31 contacts, including one park-to-park contact that I’m aware of. No DX today, but the Canadian stations were really booming in.

Towards the end of my activation, I had some rain coming in the passenger-side window where I bring the coax in. Normally, I use a piece of pipe insulation to help seal things up a bit, but I couldn’t find it in the truck. I have some more in the basement, so I’ll have to cut a new piece to fit the window.

Now it’s time to dry off my antenna parts before putting them back in the truck for next time.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Activating and Visiting

I drove over to Norristown Farm State Park (US-4363, KFF-4363) for a quick activation. The bands weren’t very “QRP-friendly,” but I made the required 10 contacts plus another half-dozen for good measure.

I went with my usual setup: TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and my 12-foot loaded whip. After getting things setup, I tuned around the 40M band and heard Greg WA3GM booming in. Greg was operating from a POTA gathering at Evansburg State Park (US-1351). Since we were only about five miles apart, it was an easy park-to-park contact.

My antenna at Norristown Farm State Park (US-4363, KFF-4363)

After making 13 contacts on 40M, I moved up to 30M. My only QSO there was with W3WJ who was operating from Tyler State Park (US-1430, KFF-1430) about 20 miles away (as the crow flies). Our signals weren’t very strong, but we completed the park-to-park contact.

I finished up with 16 contacts, three of which were park-to-park. I made all but one of them on 40M.

Since I wasn’t too far away, I stopped by Evansburg State Park on my way home. The POTA gathering, sponsored by the Pottstown Area Amateur Radio Club (PAARC), was easy to find. The plethora of antennas was a dead giveaway. There were quite a few local hams there, and a good time was being had by all. After saying hello to WA3GM, KB3SBC, and a few others, I continued on my way home.

The PAARC in the Park POTA Event at Evansburg State Park (US-1351)

We’re finally getting some warm weather here in southeastern Pennsylvania, so it was a nice morning to be out in the parks.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Back in Business

The past few weeks have been crazy. I mentioned in the last post that I’ve been going through some medical issues. While I still have a few issues to resolve, I’m doing well—well enough to get in a long-overdue POTA activation.

I drove up to nearby Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351). I’m (slowly) closing in on a Repeat Offender award for this park, so Evansburg was an easy choice.

There was nothing special about my setup today. I went with my usual Penntek TR-35 (5 watts CW) and a 12-foot whip with my homebrew loading coil. This combination has always served me well, so why tamper with success?

WB3GCK - Alive and well at Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351) — WB3GCK – Alive and well at Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351)

The bands weren’t very “QRP-friendly” this morning. Starting off on 40M, it took longer than usual to make my first ten contacts. There was some static, which I assume was from some bad weather passing to the south. To make matters worse, a hybrid car parked a few spaces away, wiping out the 40M band, until the driver turned the engine off.

Despite the less-than-stellar band conditions, my 90 minute activation yielded 27 contacts. There were two park-to-park contacts that I’m aware of. Only one European station made it into my log today. IW2NXI called me on 20M, but didn’t come back after I sent his report. Fortunately, Graziano called again later on, and we completed the contact. I heard another station (Sweden?) calling, but I just couldn’t get the whole callsign. I hate when that happens.

It certainly felt good to get back out to a park again. I really needed that. Hopefully, I’ll get back to activating more regularly soon.

I also want to thank those who reached out to see how I was doing. Thanks for checking on me!

72, Craig WB3GCK

Easter Activation

I wasn’t planning to activate a park today, but my (far) better half suggested I might want to. I have some medical procedures coming up and a bunch of other obligations, so I probably won’t have many opportunities in April. It had been a while since I last activated Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380), so I tossed my radio gear in the truck and headed out.

For a holiday, there was a fair number of people in the park. I pulled into a spot overlooking the lake and started setting up. Once again, I used my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts CW) and my 12-foot loaded whip.

One of my favorite spots in Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380)

I spent an hour operating on 40M and 20M, and the hunters were out in full force. Although band conditions have been better, Craig sure was a busy boy. I ended up with 52 contacts. With the QRN, it was tough copying some of the DX stations. Despite that, I still logged nine of them:

St. Maarten
France (2)
Slovak Republic
Italy
Sweden (2)
Finland (2)

Hopefully, I’ll be able to get back out there in a few weeks.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Quick Holiday Weekend Outing

We have some family coming in, and I had some errands to run to get ready for them. Before I got started with all that, I drove to Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351) to squeeze in a short activation.

I went with a usual setup: my TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and 12-foot loaded whip. Although I was off to an early start, it didn’t take long to make my first 10 contacts on the 40M band. The 30M band was less productive, but it produced a handful of contacts.

WB3GCK at Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351)

I spent the rest of my time up on 17M. I spotted myself on the WWFF spotting page, and the European WWFF hunters did not disappoint. They contributed seven DX QSOs to my log:

Poland
Belgium (2)
Finland (2)
Germany
Italy

There were a few other notable highlights. I worked NL7V in Alaska (17M), and I also received a call from Thomas K4SWL from QRPer.com (30M). Right before I pulled the plug, I saw on the POTA spotting page that fellow Polar Bear QRPer, Michael VE3WMB was on 40M. I ended my activation with a Polar Bear park-to-park QSO with Michael. My activation wrapped up with 37 contacts, including six park-to-park QSOs.

And now it’s back to the holiday preparations, I’d like to wish all those who celebrate a very happy Easter.

72, Craig WB3GCK