A little over a month ago, the finals in my brand new Elecraft KH1 gave up the ghost during my second outing with it. After a trip back to the factory for some TLC from the Elecraft folks, the rig safely arrived back in Pennsylvania this week. I anxiously took the little rig out to the field this morning to get re-acquainted with it.
My destination today was Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351). With an active geomagnetic field, I knew band conditions could make for a tough outing.
Along with my KH1, I used a new antenna I bought from AD8HK Antenna Systems and received just yesterday. This antenna features a 9:1 unun with 17’9.5″ radiator and a 8’10.5″ counterpoise wire. The unun assembly has an integrated wire winder, making for a neat, compact little antenna. I mounted the antenna on a 19-foot pole and ran 20 feet of RG-316 back to the KH1.
The AD8HK 9:1 Random Wire Antenna strapped to a telescoping pole
With the KH1 resting on my knee, I did a quick check of the bands from 40M through 15M. The KH1’s internal tuner easily found a decent match on all five bands. I went back to 40M and got started.
My newly-repaired Elecraft KH1 balanced on my knee
Despite the questionable band conditions, I logged seven contacts in about 15 minutes. I made another five contacts on 20M and 17M before calling it quits. The nice shady spot where I started out was quickly becoming a toaster oven.
I ended my brief outing with twelve contacts, including four park-to-park contacts. My KH1 has been out of commission for the past month, so I spent a good portion of my time refreshing my memory on the KH1’s menus and functions. The KH1 is thoughtfully laid out, so it all came back quickly.
Today wasn’t the best day for evaluating a new antenna, but the AD8HK EFRW did a decent job. Plus, it was great to have the KH1 back on the air. Both will see more use in the field in the future.
[Update 9/9/2025: During this activation, the KH1’s output power seemed low. As it turned out, the KH1 had been inadvertently set for low power. So, I was only running about two watts. Doh! I guess I need some more re-familiarization with this rig!]
Wait… It’s September already? Where did the summer go? Anyway, I observed the (unofficial) end of summer with a POTA/WWFF activation—and it was a fun one.
I drove up to Norristown Farm State Park (US-4363, KFF-4363) for an early morning activation. I tend to do early activations to avoid the crowds. There was another reason to get out early this morning: NOAA was predicting some geomagnetic storms starting later in the day.
I parked my truck near a nice shady spot. For today’s activation, I used a 12-foot whip and my homebrew loading coil mounted on the truck. I ran a coax cable over to my table back under the trees. My rig today was my trusty Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) with my Elecraft T1 tuner.
Even though the bands would probably be rough later on, they were in great shape this morning. I logged 25 contacts on 40M, and most of the signals were very strong. After things slowed down on 40M, I made some more contacts on 30M, 20M, and 17M.
After about an hour and 20 minutes, I pulled the plug with 43 contacts in the log, including 7 that were park-to-park. I worked a few of the stations on multiple bands:
Three bands: W9GTA
Two bands: KJ4R, K4NYX (P2P), and KI5GTR
One advantage of participating in both the Parks on the Air (POTA) and World-Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF) parks programs is that you broaden the pool of hunters. Spots on the WWFF website often bring out the European hunters. That was the case today on 17M, with calls from DK9HN, F4ILH, and DM5WW. (Check out this website for more information on “dual activating.”)
So, that wraps up the summer of 2025. It was a fun morning; the bands were busy, and the weather was perfect.
I hope my U.S. and Canadian friends had a great Labor Day weekend.
A while back I purchased one of AD8HK’s end-fed random wire (EFRW) antennas. I tried it for the first time during my ill-fated Flight of the Bumblebees (FOBB) outing. With everything that went wrong that day, the AD8HK antenna certainly deserved a better evaluation—at least one where I wasn’t in a panic over problems with my newly acquired Elecraft KH1.
The AD8HK EFRW is a really slick little antenna. It consists of a 15-foot radiator and a 7.5-foot counterpoise wire. It has a neat 3-D printed winder for the wires that also incorporates a 4:1 unun and BNC connector. It’s compact and well-built. AD8HK Antenna Systems sells this antenna (and other offerings) through eBay.
During my infamous FOBB outing, I fed the antenna with 6 feet of RG-316 coax. It loaded up on 30M through 15M, but neither my KH1 nor my Elecraft T1 tuner could find a match on 40M. I’m not sure what the issue was, but I didn’t have much time to look into it.
The AD8HK winder/unun secured to the pole with a Velcro strap.
This morning I took the AD8HK EFRW over to Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761) for an activation. I supported the antenna with a 20-foot pole and my homebrew ground mount. I fed the antenna with 20 feet of RG-316, and this time my T1 ATU easily found a match on 40M. It also loaded up fine on 30M through 17M.
My antenna pole
A 15-foot radiator isn’t going to be a barn burner on 40M; however, this little antenna certainly held its own today. I easily logged 13 contacts on 40M before moving on to try other bands. When I wrapped up after a little over an hour, I had twenty contacts in the log, with four park-to-park contacts. I made contacts on all four bands covered by my Penntek TR-35 (40M-17M), and I was pleased to work W6LEN out in California on 20M.
My usual set up: Penntek TR-35 and Elecraft T1 ATU
After today, the AD8HK EFRW has definitely earned a spot in the KH1 kit I’m putting together. It’s easy to deploy and has a relatively small footprint.
Thanks to NU4F for the nice spot from Florida
Speaking of my KH1… I heard from Elecraft a few days ago. They replaced the FET in the final amplifier, and now the rig is on its way home. I can’t wait to get it back on the air.
Once again, the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt contest coincided with our annual family vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I’m certainly not a hardcore contester, but I wanted to set aside some time to make a few contacts from North Carolina. Although our rental house was beautiful, it presented some challenges for ham radio.
Operating in the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt contest
After a long drive down and all the unloading/unpacking the day before, I didn’t feel like getting too crazy putting up an antenna. Although this was our first time in this rental house, I had a good feel for the layout from online research.
My “shack” for the week
My previous experience has shown that these rental properties come with a lot of RF noise, both from within the house and from neighboring houses. The house this year was no exception. So, I stayed away from vertical antennas near the house and went with an end-fed random wire sloper.
The antenna this year was a 35-foot wire, sloping down from the 3rd-story deck. I fed it through my homebrew weather-resistant 9:1 unun and ran 25 feet of coax into a screened-in porch on the same level. I attached the end of the wire to a fence around the pool area, making sure it wouldn’t get in anyone’s way. The wire was a bit long, so I ran the last two feet horizontally along the top of the fence.
My antenna feedpoint. The far end of my random wire sloped down to the fence by the pool.
I fired up my KX3 and checked the bands. A quick contact with a POTA activator on 40M confirmed it was putting out some sort of signal. The noise on 40M, however, was horrendous in places. The higher bands were better but still somewhat noisy. I hunted four POTA activators while experimenting with the antenna. Two of the contacts were easy, while the other two were tough going.
I also had to contend with some audio interference from my grandkids having fun in the pool down below. Anticipating this, I brought along a pair of over-the-ear headphones this year. Unfortunately, the headphones were no match for four exuberant kids.
Once the contest started, the noise level on 40M was about S3 in parts of the band, and S5-S7 in other parts. There was also a loud noise signal that would slowly sweep across the band from time to time. Despite the noise, I worked four skeeters and one very confused QRO station who wasn’t in the contest. He probably thought I was a POTA activator and couldn’t figure out why I needed to know his power output.
Up on 20M, the noise was lower but still present. I didn’t hear much Skeeter Hunt activity, despite getting some respectable hits on the Reverse Beacon Network. I ended up with a pair of Missouri skeeters in the log. I tried calling CQ on 15M with no luck.
After a little over an hour, I threw in the towel. My operating position was facing west across Currituck Sound, so my nice shady spot was giving way to the afternoon sun. Before I pulled the plug, I had one last contact on 40M with a friend back in Pennsylvania.
The view from the antenna
So, my 2025 Skeeter Hunt results were less than stellar. Although it was frustrating working through the noise, I still had fun. Plus, the scenery from my temporary “shack” was outstanding.
In my last post, I talked about using a simple antenna comprising a 15-foot radiator, a 7.5-foot counterpoise, and a 4:1 unun. It worked well, but I found it a little touchy to tune on 40M. Today, I tried the same configuration, but with a slightly longer radiator and counterpoise.
I wanted to add a little length to the radiator, but limit it to 19 feet, so I could still use my lightweight 19.5-foot telescoping pole to support it. Looking at a table of random wire antenna lengths to avoid, it seemed like 18 feet might be a good choice for 40M through 15M, my primary bands of interest. Scaling the counterpoise wire proportionately, I went with a length of 9 feet.
Just as I was getting ready to cut a set of wires to try out, I stumbled on a video by Thomas K4SWL. In the video, he was using an antenna built by AD8HK that used a radiator length of 17’9” and a counterpoise length of 8’10.5”. I went with those dimensions, since they were very close to what I was considering and seemed to work with Thomas’s KH1.
On the Air
To try it out, I made a quick trip over to Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761). Using the same 4:1 unun and coax as the last time, I made a quick check to see how my Elecraft T1 loaded up on the bands. The tuner quickly found a match on 40M, 30M, 20M. On 17M, however, it seemed to struggle. I went back to 40M and got started with my activation.
This wasn’t the best day to be doing this. The geomagnetic field was unsettled with a K index of 4 and the A index sitting at 47. Nevertheless, the callers showed up, although at a somewhat slower pace than usual.
After I had 14 contacts in the log, I decided to spend the rest of my limited time playing around with the antenna. When I went back and checked 17M, the T1 tuned it up without flinching. I also rearranged the counterpoise wire so it ran 180 degrees opposite of my coax. Checking the bands again, the T1 reliably matched 40M through 17M.
Convinced that the new wire lengths work, I went back to the 15-foot radiator and 7.5-foot counterpoise I used a few days earlier. This time, the T1 had no issues loading up on 40M. Go figure!
I really wanted to give the unun with the smaller ferrite core another shot. When I last tried it with the 15-foot & 7.5-foot wires, neither my KH1 nor my T1 could find a match on 40M. Unfortunately, I neglected to put it in my backpack before I left. I’ll have to save that for another time.
The Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) Weekend Sprintathon contest was going on this weekend, and I worked one SKCC station while tuning around the bands. This month, the WES theme was homebrew keys. In the spirit of the contest, I made the contact using a straight key I built a few years ago from junk box parts.
My homebrew straight key constructed from odds and ends from my junk box
Conclusions
So it looks like both the 15’/7.5’ and 17’9”/8’10.5” configurations are usable with my homebrew 4:1 unun. Given a choice, though, I would probably stick with the longer wires.
One other thing is clear: short random wires can sometimes be finicky little critters. When in doubt, rearrange the counterpoise wire.
On Wednesday, August 7th, I set out to do some antenna experimentation. So, why not get in a POTA/WWFF activation at the same time? To kill those two birds with one stone, I drove down to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414). (Disclaimer: No birds were actually harmed during this activation.)
I saw some discussion on the Internet about an antenna configuration I found intriguing. It’s just a 15-foot radiator and a 7.5-foot counterpoise wire fed through a 4:1 unun. Folks claim they work on 40M through 15M—with a tuner, of course. I’m a sucker for simple, field-expedient antennas, so I gave it a try during the recent Flight of the Bumblebees contest.
With the unun I used, I had mixed results. I couldn’t get the antenna to load on 40M, but it seemed to do fine on 30M through 15M. I wanted to try the same configuration, but with a larger 4:1 unun I built a several years ago. After cutting another set of 15-foot and 7.5-foot wires, I was ready to go.
My antenna feedpoint
When I got to the park, I headed to a spot I had been using a lot lately. It’s off the beaten path and well away from the other park visitors. Using my homebrew ground mount, I set up the antenna on a lightweight 19-ft telescoping pole I bought years ago on eBay. I ran 20 feet of RG-316 coax over to my Penntek TR-35 and Elecraft T1 tuner.
My operating position
Before I started my activation, I gave the antenna a quick check. The antenna was an easy match on 30M through 17M, but it took two tries before the T1 found a good match on 40M.
Despite the slightly fussy tuning on 40M, the antenna didn’t do too badly on that band. I logged 12 contacts before the activity slowed down. I next tried 30M, but there were no takers. Moving up to 20M, I logged three more stations. Up on 17M, I worked one last station in Alabama. After an hour on the air, I had 16 stations in the log, including five park-to-park contacts.
Something in the woods behind me was not happy with my presence. Fortunately, I never came face-to-face with whatever it was.
I had better luck with this antenna configuration this time around. The unun I used for this outing uses a larger iron powder toroid (T130-2, as I recall) compared to the smaller ferrite core used in the other unun. Also, the longer run of coax I used this time was probably a contributing factor.
In any event, this configuration can definitely work. Granted, it’s a compromise antenna, but it’s super simple to deploy for casual operating in the field. Still, I think a slightly longer radiator would make for an easier match on 40M.
I have another configuration in mind that I plan to try soon.
I normally have my old YouKits HB-1B nearby as a backup radio. In that role, it spends a fair amount of time tucked away under the backseat of my truck. I hadn’t used it in a few months, so I fired it up for a POTA/WWFF activation at Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380).
I rolled into one of my favorite spots on the western shore of Marsh Creek Lake. Being a weekday, the boat launch parking lot wasn’t nearly as crowded as it gets on weekends during the summer months. It was very hazy this morning from the smoke from Canadian wildfires.
Hazy morning at Marsh Creek Lake
Besides the HB-1B, I used my Elecraft T1 tuner, a 17-foot whip, and my homebrew loading coil. I started out on 40M, and that band did not disappoint. It only took about 10 minutes to make my first 10 contacts. I stayed on 40M for about 30 minutes until the activity dwindled.
My trusty HB-1B getting some air time
I set the loading coil tap for 20M, but things were much slower there. I logged just two contacts on 20M, but one of them was F1BLL in France. After that, I switched to 30M and picked up three final contacts.
After a little more than an hour, I had logged 28 contacts. Among those contacts, I had three (known) park-to-parks and one DX contact.
The HB-1B really doesn’t like my cell phone. To prevent getting noise in the receiver, I had to keep my phone several feet away. Despite its quirks, the HB-1B still got the job done.
Actually, this bumblebee barely got off the ground at all this year. It started off with a heartbreaking rig failure and ended with some horrendous local noise.
I had a late-breaking change of plans this week. I originally planned to operate in the Flight of the Bumblebees (FOBB) contest from a nearby POTA entity. Instead, I ended up in central Pennsylvania helping a family member recovering from a recent surgery.
So, I activated Plan B: take my new KH1 along and make a few contacts from the backyard. What could go wrong with that? A lot, as it turns out.
Using my homebrew ground mount, I set up a new antenna on my lightweight telescopic pole. The antenna comprises a 15-foot radiator and a 7.5-ft counterpoise fed through a 4:1 unun. (More about that antenna in another post.) I ran a 6-foot length of RG-316 coax over to the KH1.
I easily got a 1:1 match on 20M and up, but it wouldn’t load up at all on 40M. Going back to 20M, I started operating. Something on the display didn’t look right. It turned out that I wasn’t getting any power output. When I pressed the ATU button, I heard some relay clicking, but there was no power or SWR displayed after tuning. When I keyed up, the display showed zero bars of power and one bar for SWR.
I checked to make sure I wasn’t in “Test” mode (I wasn’t). Next, I started pouring through the settings to make sure I hadn’t messed something up. Nothing looked out of the ordinary to me. I tried the built-in whip on 20M, but still no power out.
After spending an inordinate amount of time playing around with the KH1, I packed it up and brought out my Penntek TR-35. My trusty Elecraft T1 ATU also refused to load up on 40M.
So, 20M was the only band working for me, given the rig I was using. I could have set up a different antenna, but I didn’t have that much time.
The 20M band had some horrendous local noise, so it was rough going. I worked one bumblebee in Missouri, and that was it. Frustrated with my inability to hear any other FOBB activity through the noise, I called it quits. I needed to get back inside to take care of a few things, anyway.
Having owned my KH1 for less than a week, you can imagine my disappointment. I shot off a message to the support folks at Elecraft, so hopefully, they can help get this issue resolved before I head down to North Carolina on vacation next month. (Fingers crossed)
I’m at the stage in my life when I should be “thinning the herd” when it comes to radios. So, what do I do? Instead of getting rid of some stuff, I fire off an order to Elecraft for a KH1 Edgewood package. I need another QRP rig like a hole in the head, but after considering it for the past year, I gave in and ordered one.
I have a couple of use cases in mind for the KH1. This rig should be ideal for bicycle-portable outings and hopefully get me out on some hiking trails—within the limits of my arthritic knee, of course.
I have to admit that after I placed the rig in my online shopping cart, it took me several minutes to convince myself to press the “Submit” button. Less than 24 hours later, I received a shipping notice from Elecraft.
While waiting for the KH1 to arrive, I watched a bunch of YouTube videosread serveral blogs, and downloaded the manual. With those resources, I was thoroughly prepared when the Post Office delivered it.
What I wasn’t prepared for was exactly how tiny this thing is. Even with the research I had done, I didn’t fully appreciate its diminutive size until I had it in my hand. It’s amazing how much functionality Elecraft was able to cram into this little rig.
My new rig at US-0761/KFF-0761
Some Initial Impressions
Menus. I prefer radios that are simple to operate without a bunch of complicated menus. That’s one reason I love my Penntek TR-35 so much. There are a lot of menu options provided through the four pushbuttons on the KH1’s front panel. Elecraft, however, has come up with a scheme that makes navigating the menus very intuitive.
Paddles. The Elecraft KHPD1 paddles included with the Edgewood package will take some getting used to. I typically prefer paddles with a light touch, like my trusty Palm Mini paddles. I played around with the Elecraft paddles with the rig in the “Test” mode. It didn’t take too long before I could send coherent code with them. We’ll see how I do in the field. Fortunately, there are several after-market paddles for the KH1 if I decide to go that route.
Overall Ergonomics. It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into the clever design of the KH1. Everything from the logging tray to the self-contained pen is nothing short of genius. I’ve never used a handheld HF rig before, so using the logging tray will take some getting used to.
Maiden Outing
The day after I received the KH1, my (far) better half suggested I go out and give the new radio a try. Of course, I took her suggestion, but I had some reservations. There was some geomagnetic craziness going on, plus the higher bands could be tough early in the morning. Nevertheless, I packed up the KH1 and headed off to Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761).
I started off using the KH1 handheld with the telescopic whip while sitting on top of a picnic table. Using the stock counterpoise wire on the ground, the KH1’s internal ATU easily found a 1:1 match. The bands were really rough, but I made seven contacts that way. It took the better part of an hour to make those contacts, however. Six were on 20M and one was on 17M.
A Boy and His Toy
I wanted to try the lower bands—and my rear end was sore from sitting on the table—so I walked back to the parking lot and set up a 12-foot loaded whip on my truck. Sitting on a camp chair next to the truck, I bounced around the bands. I ended up with one contact on 40M and three more on 20M. Out of my 11 contacts, four were park-to-park.
Using the logging tray was a challenge. Writing while holding the rig in my hand was tough. Sitting in a chair with the radio resting on my knee was a little easier. My handwriting was pretty sloppy but still readable.
With enough contacts for the activation, I declared victory and went home.
Wrap-Up
I’m definitely not an early adopter with new gear. The KH1 is no exception. Elecraft announced the KH1 in the fall of 2023. Since that time, they have made improvements to the paddle and added new features via the firmware. Plus, by waiting to buy one, I got to learn from the users who jumped on the KH1 bandwagon early on. Thanks to the legions of YouTubers and bloggers for sharing their experiences with this rig. You made it easy for me to get up and running with it.
After the intial outing, I am thoroughly impressed with the KH1. With earbuds, the receiver sounds great, and the rig was super easy to use.
This little rig is going to see a lot of future use in the field.
Wanting to take advantage of the excellent weather today, I drove up to Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351) for a quick morning activation. I wanted to give my Gabil GRA-7350TC vertical some air time, so I tossed it into the truck and headed out to the park.
The picnic table I planned to use had been moved from its usual spot. Not wanting to drag the heavy table back to where it belongs, I set up at a table I have used previously. It’s close to a hiking trail, so I needed to make sure my radials wouldn’t be a trip hazard for passersby.
I set up the Gabil antenna on its tripod at one end of the table. To facilitate tuning, I set up my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and Elecraft T1 ATU within arm’s reach of the antenna. I meant to bring a 3-foot coax along, but it didn’t make it into my backpack. A 10-foot cable was the best I could do, so I just coiled up the excess. (Note to self: Keep a 3-foot cable in the backpack.)
I started out on 40M, so I laid out a 33-foot counterpoise wire on the ground. I reached for my little SWR meter, but it wouldn’t power on. It had been a while since I had last charged it, so the battery appeared to be dead. I ended up adjusting the antenna for maximum noise in the receiver and used the T1 to do the final matching.
After I had a few contacts in the log, I changed over to 20M. I built my 33-foot counterpoise wire so I could split it into two 16.5-foot wires. After laying out the two counterpoise wires, I tried to peak the noise. No joy. I just couldn’t find a discernible peak.
Just then, I remembered I had a 12-volt power cable for the SWR meter. Duh! Why didn’t I think of that sooner? After temporarily disconnecting the TR-35, I used the battery to power the SWR meter. I quickly got the antenna adjusted to a 1.3:1 SWR. I reconnected the TR-35 and got started. (Note to self: Throw a Powerpole splitter in the backpack.)
The action was relatively slow-going this morning, but there were a fair number of activators on the air. After a little over an hour, I had 14 contacts, nine of which were park-to-park.
Despite some minor glitches, it was an enjoyable morning operating in the park.
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 