WB3GCK

POTA with Repurposed Antenna Parts

While going through my stash of old parts, I came across a coil assembly I built over 20 years ago. Originally, it was part of a homebrew antenna inspired by the MFJ-1622 Apartment Antenna; but I used it over the years with a variety of whip antennas while “stationary-mobile.” As I moved on to other antennas for my portable operations, the coil was relegated to the junk box and forgotten—until now.

I also had an old MFJ-1956 12-foot telescopic whip that I haven’t used in years. It was stashed away in the basement waiting to become part of a new antenna project. Having just installed a ⅜-24 antenna mount in the bed of my pickup truck, I thought the coil and whip might work well with it.

The coil is a beast. It’s made from 1.5-inch PVC pipes and wound with bare copper wire—16 awg, I think. I used four strips of nylon grommet edging material to keep the turns evenly spaced. (I don’t remember where I got the grommet material, but it’s similar to this Panduit product.) The coil is about 5.4 inches long and 2 inches in diameter with 40 turns. Using an online calculator, I figured the coil is approximately 25.4 μH.

The homebrew coil I built more than 20 years ago.

The coil assembly weighs in at a hefty 14.1 ounces, and the overall length is 10.5 inches. The whip is 24 inches collapsed and weighs 9.6 ounces, so it wouldn’t be my choice for a backpacking antenna. However, on my truck, it should do fine.

Using another online calculator, I reckoned the coil should be more than enough to resonate the 12-foot whip on the 40M band and possibly the 60M band. Since the whip, coil, and mounting bracket all use ⅜-24 hardware; it was just a matter of slapping it all on the truck to see what how it would perform.

To test it out, I made a trip to Valley Forge National Historical Park (K-0761, KFF-0761) this morning. With a minor geomagnetic storm underway, the forecasted band conditions looked pretty dismal. I also got an early start, since we were expecting some severe storms around mid-day. So, I wasn’t expecting much, in the way of contacts.

I mounted the antenna on the back of the truck and broke out the antenna analyzer. It took a bit of fiddling to find resonance on 40M. The lowest SWR was around 3.8:1. That’s not great, but my little Elecraft T1 tuner handled it with no difficulties. On the air, I was getting some decent spots from the Reverse Beacon Network, and I made about 8 contacts before moving to 30M.

My homebrew coil and 12-foot whip mounted on the back of my truck.

The SWR on 30M was down to about 2:1. Again, the T1 made sure my TR-35’s finals stayed happy. I made one park-to-park contact on 30M before moving up to 20M

The SWR on 20M was about 1.3:1 across the band. I made another seven contacts here, before stopping to do some experimenting with the antenna.

I checked 17M and measured an SWR of about 1.2:1 across the band. I didn’t try to make contacts on 17M. Instead, I went back to 40M to pick up a few more contacts before shutting down.

I intended to bring a Sharpie® pen along to mark the coil for each band to speed up band changes. Of course, I forgot to bring one along. Oh well, I’ll do that next time. For 15M and above, I’ll need to bypass the entire coil and shorten the length of the whip accordingly.

The static crashes were getting louder, and I heard thunder off in the distance. So, I called it quits. Just as I shut the rig off, the heavy rains started. I quickly took down the antenna and packed up to leave.

Despite the lousy band conditions and heavy QRN, I ended up with 18 contacts. I had three park-to-park contacts today. And, as it turns out, this was my 20th POTA activation at Valley Forge, earning me a “Repeat Offender” award for this park.

It looks like this mash-up of antenna parts works pretty well. I’ll give it another shot in a few days. Hopefully, the weather and band conditions will be better.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Skeeter Hunt 2023 Announced

Larry W2LJ recently released the details for this year’s running of the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt. Of particular note is a slight change in the date; this year’s Skeeter Hunt has been moved to the 4th Sunday in August.

There’s also a new bonus point challenge for this year. Larry has asked me to be one of the 15 “Palindrome Skeeter” bonus stations (Nr. 66).

Here’s Larry’s announcement with all the details:

The long anticipated announcement for the 2023 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt – the 12th Annual, if you can believe that!

For all the details – please go to www.qsl.net/w2lj or go to the Skeeter Hunt page of this blog (the next to last tab on the right – located under the KX3 photo up at the top).

A few points to remember:

1) Due to a personal commitment, the Hunt has been moved to the 4th weekend of August – the 27th.

2) New Bonus Point Challenge for 2023:

Fifteen Skeeters have graciously consented to act as Bonus Skeeters. They have been issued numbers that are palindromes (numbers that are the same forward and backward) – Skeeters 11, 22, 33, 44 …… right through 151. When you work one, that QSO is worth 100 points – and you can work as many as you can up to 1,000 bonus points. The Bonus Skeeters are highlighted on the roster.

3) Skeeter numbers for the rest of you will be issued in the same way as they have since the beginning of this event. Send an e-mail to either w2lj@arrl.net, or w2ljqrp@gmail.com NO SOONER THAN June 21st, the First Day of Summer. You will receive an e-mail back with your sequential number, or you can check the roster, by clicking here. Please do not apply for a number via the Facebook page, as I may very well miss your request – and we wouldn’t want that to happen, would we? Numbers will be issued right up until the Midnight before the day of the event.

I hope you’ll have fun and enjoy the Hunt this year – good luck and happy QRP’ing!

72 de Larry W2LJ

Bracket for the GRA-7350TC Antenna

Regular readers of this blog know that my homebrew 19-ft vertical is my go-to antenna for “stationary-mobile” operations. I use a low-tech mounting system in the bed of my truck involving a plastic milk crate, a cargo bar, and some bungees. When we go on our annual vacation to North Carolina, unfortunately, I have to remove the crate to free up storage space. I plan to activate a park or two while on vacation this year, so I wanted to come up with an alternate antenna arrangement.

I bought the GRA-7350TC antenna with this specific scenario in mind. Previously, I tested this antenna with a magnetic mount that I had stashed away in the basement. Although a couple of successful POTA activations proved its viability, I wanted something better than my little mag mount.

Browsing around on Amazon, I found a stainless steel bracket with an SO-239 to ⅜-24 mount. I was reluctant to drill holes in my truck, but I thought a couple of small holes in the truck’s bed wouldn’t be too bad. So, I placed an order.

The Sirio stainless steel antenna mounting bracket I found on Amazon — The Sirio M1 stainless steel antenna mounting bracket I found on Amazon

The bracket arrived the next day. It’s really heavy-duty and possibly overkill for my application. My local hardware store had an excellent selection of stainless steel hardware. I bought some #12 x 1-inch sheet metal screws and some star washers.

The next step was figuring out exactly where to mount it. I had to make sure that I could still close the truck bed cover without hitting it. By dumb luck, I chose a spot where I could use one of the screws that fastens the truck’s bed liner. This placed the mount close to where I wanted it. Then, it was a quick task to drill pilot holes for the three additional screws. Mechanically, it felt solid, and an ohmmeter check confirmed continuity to the truck’s body.

The bracket installed in the bed of my truck with the antenna installed. The black screw is an existing screw I took advantage of.

I gave the new mount a trial run at Ridley Creek State Park (K-1414, KFF-1414). It took me about a minute to get the antenna set up on the mount, and it was a perfect fit. I ran an 18-foot length of RG-8x coax (much longer than I really needed) to the Penntek TR-35 inside my truck.

Using an antenna analyzer, I first tuned it up on the 40M band. I couldn’t get the SWR down below 2:1. This also happened when using the antenna on a magnetic mount, too. I’m guessing a different length of coax or a counterpoise wire might help. In any event, I tuned the antenna to resonance and used a tuner to keep the rig happy. The first QSO was a station in Georgia who gave me a decent signal report.

The SWR on 30M was a bit lower but still above 2:1. Again, I had no problems making contacts with the antenna. On 20M and 17M, the SWR was down to about 1.2:1 or thereabouts.

Despite the time spent fiddling with the antenna, I logged 13 contacts, with three park-to-park QSOs. I also worked W1HNJ on 40M and 30M. As part of Museum Ship Weekend, they were operating the radio console from the hospital ship, SS Hope. The radio console is now part of the Chatham Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

I still have some tinkering to do, but I think the mounting bracket will work just fine. I won’t be retiring my homebrew vertical anytime soon, but the GRA-7350TC gives me another option when the need arises.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Holiday Weekend Activities

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer here in the States. Although I had some family activities planned over the three-day weekend, I squeezed in some QRP-portable operations.

POTA at Marsh Creek State Park

On Friday, I drove over to Marsh Creek State Park (K-1380, KFF-1380) for an activation. I figured it wouldn’t be too crowded on a Friday, but I was wrong.

I wanted to operate from one of the picnic tables overlooking the lake. When I got there, folks getting a jump on their holiday picnics had already claimed them, so I ended up operating from the truck. I gave my newly acquired Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna another try, using the old magnetic mount I used last week. Like last week, I used my TR-35 transceiver at 5 watts.

My location at Marsh Creek State Park (K-1380, KFF-1380). The GRA-7350TC is mounted on the roof of my truck with a magnetic mount.

Band conditions were less than stellar on the lower bands, but a mini pile-up promptly greeted me on 40M. After logging a few quick contacts, things slowed down considerably. I spent most of my time on 30M, where band conditions seemed a little better. I also did some hunting on 20M before packing up. I finished up with 20 QSOs in the log, including five park-to-park contacts.

I don’t think the GRA-7350TC performs as well as my homebrew vertical, but it sure is easy to set up. Although I can set up my homebrew vertical in under three minutes, the Gabil antenna goes up even faster.

By the time I left, the parking lot was nearly full. I guess people were eager to get their long weekend started.

Bike-Portable in the Park

On Saturday, I went for a short bike ride on the Schuylkill River Trail. This was my first time on the bike since my latest round of knee issues sidelined me back in March. Before heading out, I threw in my TR-35, Elecraft AX1, and bike mount.

I started off from a trailhead parking lot close to Towpath Park—I didn’t want to overdo it with my knee. A mile and a half later, I was in the park setting up the radio. I set up the radio on a park bench near the remnants of the Schuylkill Canal and mounted my AX1 on the bike’s handlebars.

I planned to do some POTA hunting on 20M, but I found the band was wall-to-wall with contesters. I worked one contester in Wisconsin on 20M, but I had no success beyond that. My 5 watts and 40-inch whip was no match for the high-power contest stations in pile-ups. I checked 17M, but I didn’t hear much of anything there.

My view of the old Schuylkill Canal in Towpath Park

With one meager QSO in my log, I packed up and continued on my ride. It sure felt great to be back on the bike again. While I didn’t do so hot on the radio, my knee held up great on my short three-mile ride. I’m looking forward to longer rides.

Valley Forge POTA Activation

On Monday, I headed out early to get in a quick POTA activation at Valley Forge National Historical Park (K-0761, KFF-0761). I rolled into one of the picnic areas and found a nice shady parking spot.

My shady parking spot at Valley Forge National Historical Park (K-0761, KFF-0761)

As I was setting up, a gentleman walked up to ask about my antenna on the back of my truck. I gave him a quick explanation of ham radio and Parks on the Air. Normally, passersby would just thank me and move on. This fellow, however, tried to engage me in one of the most bizarre conversations I’ve ever heard. After a few minutes, I politely disengaged myself from his rambling and got on with my activation.

Today, I used my TR-35 and my 19-foot homebrew vertical. It took about 10 minutes to log my first 10 contacts on 40M. In a little more than an hour, I logged 23 contacts on 40M, 30M, and 20M. There were lots of activators out and about this morning; I made seven park-to-park contacts I know of.

All in all, I had a good weekend, and the weather was spectacular. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well and took some time to remember those who gave their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Palm Paddle Cable Repair

During a POTA activation a few days ago, I was in the middle of a QSO when my Palm Mini paddles started behaving erratically. I knew right where to look for the cause of the problem.

The Palm Mini paddles have been my go-to paddles in the field for many years. Although the German manufacturer, Palm Radio, is no longer in business, they are still the only paddles I take along for portable work. They are compact, have a great feel, and work perfectly with the clipboard arrangement I use in the field. I loved the first set I bought and later acquired a second set.

These great little paddles have one weakness: the cable connection. The three-pin connector is similar to standard header pins with a two-piece plastic backshell held together with a tiny screw. Once inserted into the paddles, there’s no locking mechanism to hold it in place. It’s definitely not the most rugged arrangement. After my first encounter with cable issues, I ordered a couple of replacement cables. Sadly, that’s no longer an option.

During my most recent episode of cable problems, the connector backshell had fallen apart, leaving the tiny wires exposed. I grabbed a spare cable and was back in business in short order.

Fortunately, after some searching, I found the two backshell pieces on the floor of my truck. The screw that holds the backshell together goes into a threaded boss, which had broken. I encountered an identical failure on another cable a couple of years ago, so I knew how to deal with it.

After I got home, I carefully checked the wire connections and confirmed that they were still intact. So this time, the fix was just to reassemble the backshell. Since I could no longer screw the two halves back together, I had to resort to drastic measures. I call this the “final fix.” Once implemented, it can’t be undone.

This photo shows the rear of the Palm Mini Paddles (left). On the right is the connector I repaired by gluing back together. In my haste to repair the cable, I neglected to take pictures of the inside of the connector. — This photo shows the rear of the Palm Mini Paddles (left). On the right is the connector I repaired by gluing it back together. In my haste to repair the cable, I neglected to take pictures of the inside of the connector.

I positioned the connector in the bottom half of the backshell and re-checked the connections. Then, I applied a dollop of Goop™ adhesive inside the backshell and put the top half on. The Goop™ filled the inside of the backshell, holding it all together and providing some additional strain relief for the tiny wires. After cleaning off the adhesive that squeezed out during assembly, I clamped the backshell overnight. The next morning, I gave it a test and confirmed that everything was still working.

I’ve seen webpages describing ways of replacing the fragile connector with something more robust. I’m not quite ready to perform major surgery on my beloved Palm Mini paddles. Someday, I suppose, I’ll have no choice.

72, Craig WB3GCK

POTA with a New Antenna

I looked at my log the other day and saw that I had only made a measly two HF contacts this month. Between the grandkids’ school functions, soccer games, horseback riding competitions, and my knee issues; I haven’t had much time for my QRP-portable activities. I set out to change that this morning with a drive to Valley Forge National Historical Park (K-0761, KFF-0761).

A few weeks ago, while nursing my injured knee, I made an impulse purchase. After watching some YouTube videos, I went on Amazon and bought a Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna. The last thing I needed was another antenna—I blame YouTube and Amazon. Actually, it wasn’t a totally frivolous purchase; I have plans to use it during a trip later this summer.

I also bought the matching GRA-ULT01 MK3 tripod for the antenna, which I planned to try out today. I put together some radials to use with the tripod setup.

As I headed out the door this morning, I grabbed an old magnetic mount base I had from an 2M/440 antenna. Since I bought the GRA-7350TC with the ⅜-24 stud mount, the antenna was a perfect fit for the mag mount. I figured I’d give that a try, while I was trying out the antenna.

It was raining when I got to the park this morning, so I kept things simple and tried out the mag mount. In doing so, I learned something about my six-year-old truck: The hood isn’t made of steel. The rest of the truck is, but not the hood. Who knew? (Probably every Chevy Silverado owner but me, I guess.) I ended up putting the antenna on the roof where I could easily reach it. Inside the truck, I used my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts).

The Gabil GRA-7350TC on a magnetic mount from an old 2M/440 antenna.

The sliding coil adjustment made tuning up a snap. Using my old MFJ-226 antenna analyzer, it only took a minute or two to get the antenna tuned up on 40M. I’m not a big fan of having to take an antenna analyzer out in the field, but this was relatively painless. Band changes only took about a minute. Most of that time was setting up the antenna analyzer for the band of interest.

I used the new antenna on 40M, 30M, and 20M with decent results. In the end, I had 16 contacts, including five park-to-park QSOs. I’m sure my little magnetic mount wasn’t providing the best ground in the world, but at least I know it’s usable in a pinch.

Hopefully, June will provide more opportunities to get out portable. Since my old knee has been feeling a little better recently, I’m hoping to get back on the bike again at some point. I already have some ideas for a bike mount for the GRA-7350TC.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Northbrook Canoe Challenge 2023

Yesterday, my local ARES-RACES group provided communications support for the Northbrook Canoe Challenge. This fun event benefits the Cerebral Palsy Association of Chester County (PA). Despite some equipment issues on my part, the event went off without a hitch.

Like last year, I was located near a dam along the Brandywine River with my ARES-RACES colleague, Tim KB3FCJ. I once again served as the net control operator for the event.

I initially set up my trusty old Icom IC-207H dual band mobile rig, and it seemed to work fine. However, I ran into an issue where it wouldn’t un-key when I released the push-to-talk button. Fortunately, Tim had his rig nearby, and we were back on the air in short order. (I have some troubleshooting to do this week.)

My old Icom 207H. It was replaced shortly after taking this picture, due to an issue with the push-to-talk button.
The dam on the Brandywine River. Members of a water rescue team were in the water directing canoeists around the dam.
The water rescue team directing a canoeist around the dam

The perfect weather made for a great day to sit along the river, watching the canoes and observing the wildlife in the area. We had a water rescue team on hand in the river to make sure canoeists avoided the dam and portaged safely around it.

After the final “sweep canoe” or “drag boat” passed our location, I packed up and relocated to the finish line at the Northbrook Canoe Company to run the rest of the net. I met up with Rich KE3HG, who served as our liaison with the canoe company. After the drag boat had passed all of our locations along the river, I closed the net. Rich and I stayed on site until the drag boat arrived at the finish line.

There were plenty of emergency personnel on hand, but (thankfully) there weren’t any safety issues. It was just a beautiful day out on the Brandywine River.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Rare Weekday Activations

Because of family obligations, my QRP-portable operations are usually limited to weekends. A change in plans this week freed up Tuesday through Friday mornings for some POTA activations. I needed to stop by my daughter’s house each day, and she lives about 10 minutes away from several POTA/WWFF entities.

French Creek State Park

I haven’t been up to French Creek State Park (K-1355, KFF-1355) in a while, so I thought it would be a good place to kick off the week. I operated near the Hopewell Lake boat launch, which is a busy place on weekends. On a Tuesday morning, however, there were very few people there.

Using my usual TR-35 (5 watts) and homebrew vertical, I logged 25 contacts. All but two were on 40M; I didn’t have much luck on 20M this time out. I also ended up with four park-to-park contacts.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

On Wednesday, I made a return trip to Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (K-0834, KFF-0834). I last activated this site back in October of last year. I parked my truck in a parking lot on the top of a hill. This would have been a great day for operating from a picnic table, but there were no tables to be found.

Parked among the blossoms at Hopewell Furnance National Historic Site (K-0834, KFF-0834)

Using the same setup as yesterday, I worked 36 stations. On 20M, I worked Germany, Finland, and France in rapid succession. There was also an Italian station calling, but other stations kept stepping on him. Unfortunately, I could only pick out part of the callsign. I also had one park-to-park contact (that I know of).

William Penn State Forest and Back to French Creek

William Penn State Forest (K-5481, KFF-4914) is another entity overdue for a re-visit. My destination today was the Hopewell Fire Tower, which is next to French Creek State Park. Although I’ve operated there many times over the years, this would only be my second POTA/WWFF activation.

I’ve always had good luck operating from Hopewell Fire Tower. As you would expect, this area has good elevation. Unlike some of the other adjacent POTA/WWFF entities, this location has great cell coverage.

Heading up the hil towards the Hopewell Fire Tower in William Penn State Forest

To keep things simple, I went with my Elecraft AX1 antenna and window mount. Since I used my TR-35, I was limited to 20M and 17M with the AX1.

Using my window mount and AX1 antenna near the Hopewell Fire Tower in William Penn State Forest

The band conditions weren’t great, so I thought the 10th POTA contact would never come. I had never been “skunked” before with the AX1, so I pressed on. After what seemed like an eternity, I finished up with 15 contacts, with three park-to-park contacts.

Since I had to pass through French Creek State Park to get to my daughter’s house, I stopped for a quick activation—or so I thought. This time I went with my 19-ft vertical. I thought, with the larger antenna, I could knock off ten contacts in no time flat. Ha!

Normally, 40M is my bread and butter band with the homebrew vertical. Not this time. I only made one contact on 40M (W6WU running QRP in Maryland), with the rest on 30M and 20M. It took so long to make my tenth contact, I really thought I was going to have a busted activation. Eventually, I logged number ten and called it a day.

I had two park-to-park contacts from French Creek and a nice contact with fellow Polar Bear VE3WMB. Michael was out portable in Ontario using an Alexloop and his brand new Xiegu 6100. His new rig sounded great in Pennsylvania.

Evansburg State Park

On Friday, I wrapped up my series of weekday activations with a visit to Evansburg State Park (K-1351, KFF-1351). The weather forecast was calling for heavy rain and gusting winds later in the day, so I hoped I could squeeze an activation in before it started. Ha!

When I got to the park, the skies were overcast, but there was no rain. I set up the 19-ft vertical and the TR-35. As soon as I got on the air it started drizzling. I got to work, hoping to beat the heavy rain. Ha!

It was another slow day for me on the air. I only made one contact each on 40M and 30M. Both were with WB8DTT in Michigan. There was more activity up on 20M, although several minutes passed between contacts.

The rain started coming down heavier, so I used a plastic shopping bag to protect the antenna from the rain. About 20 minutes later, I went out in the rain to tear down the antenna. I finished up with 15 contacts in the log, including a contact with a SOTA activator in Arkansas. I had one park-to-park contact today, but that station was operating from two parks.

My homebrew vertical wearing its raincoat at Evansburg State Park

So that wraps up my string of weekday activations. It’s not often that I get to go out during the week, so I enjoyed avoiding the weekend crowds in some parks. Although there seems to be a lot more hunters on the weekends.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Morse Code Day 2023

Happy Morse Code Day! This annual event honors the inventor of the code, Samuel F. B. Morse, who was born on this day in 1791.

Nearly 179 years after the famous “What hath God wrought” telegraph message was sent from Washington. DC, to Baltimore, you can still hear plenty of Morse Code on the ham bands. Amazing!

So, in observance of Morse Code Day, get on the air and launch some dots and dashes into the ether.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Windy Morning in Valley Forge

I’ve been slowly sneaking up on a POTA Repeat Offender Activator award for Valley Forge National Historical Park (K-0761), so I headed over there this morning for another activation. Now that the picnic areas and restrooms are open for the season, I drove to Varnum’s Picnic Area, one of my usual spots.

I was originally thinking of operating from a picnic table today, but the wind changed my mind. Instead, I parked in a remote corner of the parking lot and operated from the truck. My rig today was my trusty Penntek TR-35, along with my homebrew vertical.

I started on 40M and quickly made my first 10 contacts. I operated for about an hour, ending up with 28 QSOs in the log. Among those were four park-to-park contacts.

My location today at Valley Forge National Historical Park (K-0761). The dead tree in the background was really starting to sway in the wind.

As I got out of the truck to change bands on the antenna one last time, I heard a loud creaking noise coming from the wooded area behind me. It was a large, dead tree (aka a “widow maker”) swaying in the wind. Although it wasn’t directly behind me, I was certainly within striking distance if it fell to the side. Yep, it was time to take the antenna down and head home.

As I write this, we have some severe thunderstorms headed our way later. Time to batten down the hatches.

73, Craig WB3GCK