I’ve been powering up some of my old QRP gear to see if any of it still works. The gear has been stacked up on a shelf above my operating position for years. In testing some of this gear, I came across a curious problem.
Last night I was rearranging some of my equipment and re-routing some coax cables. When I went to move my Oak Hills Research power meter, it was stuck to the shelf. The rubber feet on the bottom of the meter had become slightly soft and sticky. I didn’t think too much of it at the time. I just finished connecting the cables and placed it back on the shelf.
Today, I took my old MFJ-9030 transceiver down from the shelf and was greeted with a gooey mess. The rubber feet had completely dissolved and turned into a sticky, tar-like mess. Using a single-edged razor blade, I scraped off as much as I could from both the radio and the residue on the shelf. I used some mineral spirits to clean up as best I could. The mineral spirits worked great, but I still had sticky spots where the feet were attached to the radio. I cut some pieces of aluminum duct tape to cover those spots, and I applied four new feet from my junk box.
This is the underside of my 31 year old MFJ-9030 transceiver showing the black goo from the dissolved feet. The clear feet were added by me.
My theory is that the rubber (or whatever material they are) feet reacted with the finish on the shelf. I know that vinyl guitar straps and accessories can damage the lacquer finish used on some high-end guitars (like my 1973 Martin D35 acoustic), so I suspect something like that happened to my radio equipment. I built the shelf and my operating table from some repurposed shelves that were in the house when we moved in back in the late 70s. So, I have no idea what kind of finish is on them.
Besides the power meter I mentioned earlier, it looks like my old MFJ-941-E antenna tuner is also affected. So, I’ll have to replace the feet on those items and clean up the residue on the shelf with the mineral spirits. Needless to say, some of this equipment hasn’t been moved in years.
This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon, but I’m glad I spotted the problem.
Between the grand-kids’ equestrian competitions and soccer games, Sunday morning was the only time I could squeeze in a POTA/WWFF activation this week. Like most of my recent activations, it had to be early and short.
It had been a while since my last visit to Norristown Farm Park (US-4363, KFF-4363), so I headed over there. Before I headed out, I took a quick look at the band conditions. The A Index was around 6, the K Index was zero, and there was no geomagnetic activity. Now, I’m not an expert in this stuff, but that looked pretty good to me.
Band conditions at the end of my activation. They were even better before I left for the park
My original plan was to do this activation with some vintage QRP gear, but I wasn’t able to get all that together. Instead, I used my usual Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW), 12-foot whip, and my homebrew loading coil.
“Stationary-mobile” at Norristown Farm Park (US-4363, KFF-4363)
My band conditions app showed poor daytime conditions on 40M, but I found that wasn’t the case. Signals were strong and plentiful. My first 10 contacts only took 13 minutes to achieve. The 20M band was equally strong, so I spent some time there. Finally, I checked 17M, and picked up five more there.
This old bridge at Norristown Farm Park is only used for bike and pedestrian traffic these days.
In all, I had 32 contacts with two known park-to-park QSOs and one DX contact (F1BLL). Not too bad for an hour’s effort, I guess. Then it was time to head off to my grandson’s soccer game.
I have to remember to get that old gear together, so it’s ready to go for next time.
I’ve been toying with the idea of putting together a small radio kit based on my (tr)SDX or something similar, so I’ve been looking at small paddles to go with it. Browsing through eBay recently, I came across several listings for the QU-21C paddles. They were inexpensive, so I thought I’d order them and give them a shot.
These paddles are nothing new; they’ve been around for a few years. (I’m definitely no early adopter.) The QU-21C paddles are made in China and mine are marked with the brand name, Magic Rabbit. From other reviews I have seen, there may be other manufacturers. So, the quality and packaging may vary. I paid about $24 USD from a seller (iDrone) that ships from the U.S., but you can find them listed for less than $20, if you don’t mind waiting for a shipment from China.
Opening the package, I found the paddles are even smaller than I expected. The base is approximately .98 inch by .98 inch (25mm x 25mm) and 1 inch (26mm) tall. The overall length, including the paddles, is 1.9 inches (48.5mm). On my kitchen scale, the paddles weighed in at 1.25 ounces (34 grams). The paddles appear to be 3-D printed, but the quality is pretty good. The base of the paddles is magnetic, which is one feature that first drew my attention.
Magic Rabbit QU-21C paddles with the rubber pad attached to the magnet. The pad looks a little ragged around the edges, because I applied it, removed it, and then decided to put it back on. I messed it up a little in the process.
The package I received included:
Paddles with a magnet attached to the bottom
3-ft cable with 3.5mm stereo plugs on each end
Hex wrench for adjusting contact spacing
Two adhesive metal discs
Adhesive rubber pad
Plastic storage case that holds everything
Some of the accessories that came with it. The cable is inside the clear plastic storage box. The adhesive discs can be applied anywhere, so you can use the attach the paddles magnetically.
My first impression was that the contact spacing seemed a little wider than I like. I used the supplied hex wrench and adjusted the spacing until the contacts were completely closed. Then, I backed off a little.
I prefer a light spring tension on my paddles, but the spring in these paddles seems stiffer than I’m used to. Unfortunately, there’s no adjustment for that. So, I’ll just have to get used to using a little more force than my other paddles.
I’m not sold on the magnetic base, though. The square magnet is fairly strong, but it’s highly polished. So, the paddles sometimes have a tendency to slide when I’m sending. I applied the rubber pad that comes with it, but that seemed to offer only minimal improvement. For now, I just hold them in one hand while sending with the other.
I’ve actually thought about trying to remove the magnet altogether, since it appears to be glued on. At least, it wouldn’t be attracting every ferrous object that comes near it. But, for now, I’m just thinking about it.
The QU-21C paddles during a recent activation, along with my trusty Palm Mini paddles.
I had a chance to use the QU-21C paddles on a recent park activation. It didn’t take long to get used to them, and I had no issues with them at all. The paddles keyed reliably, without missing a single dit or dah.
Even with my spring tension and magnet gripes, I’m pretty happy with these paddles. These cheap paddles look like worthy candidates for field use. We’ll see how well they hold up over time.
The monthly running of the Straight Key Century Club’s Weekend Sprintathon (WES) contest was this weekend. I needed two more activations at Marsh Creek State Park for a POTA “Repeat Offender” award, so I headed out both Saturday and Sunday for POTA/WWFF activations and to make a few WES contacts.
We had some outstanding weather here in southeastern Pennsylvania, so I knew Marsh Creek (US-1380, KFF-1380) was going to be pretty busy. Given that, I headed out early on Saturday morning. I found a parking spot in the boat launch area, but the parking lot was filling up fast.
My location in Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380) for a POTA/WWFF activation and the SKCC WES
My trusty Penntek TR-35 was the perfect rig for this weekend. The TR-35’s separate straight key and paddle inputs let me instantly switch between the two without having to make configuration changes in the radio. I also went with my usual 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil.
The separate straight key and paddle inputs on the TR-35 lets me instantly switch between the two. (Note to Self: Clean out your truck!)
The 40M band was alive and well, so I spent most of my time there. I alternated between calling “CQ POTA” with the paddles and searching and pouncing SKCC WES stations with my little MS2 straight key. In about an hour of operating, I logged 26 contacts. Among those were three park-to-park QSOs and six SKCC WES QSOs.
As great as the weather was on Saturday, it was even better on Sunday. I wanted to attend my grandson’s hockey game, so I went out even earlier this time and kept it even shorter. Even though I got an earlier start than the day before, the parking lot was even more crowded this time around.
Once again, 40M was in excellent shape, and I ended up staying there for the duration. I logged 19 contacts in about 45 minutes, with three park-to-park and three more WES contacts. Then it was time to head home to take care of a few things before going to the soccer game.
In the end, I didn’t set any records in the WES contest, but I got in the two activations needed for my Repeat Offender award.
I was recently looking at some of my older gear gathering dust on the shelf, so I resolved to start putting it to use. So yesterday, before I headed out for Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414), I grabbed my old homebrew z-match antenna tuner and gave my Elecraft T1 tuner the day off.
I built this tuner from scratch about 24 years ago, and it has always been one of my favorite projects. Based on a bunch of different designs, it gave me years of great service. For years, my go-to portable rig was my old FT-817 coupled with this tuner. Today, I paired the z-match with my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW). I used my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil mounted on the truck. The loaded whip’s SWR on 40M and 30M is just slightly high, nothing the old z-match can’t handle.
My old homebrew z-match ATU along with my TR-35
I’ve been spoiled using automatic antenna tuners lately, but tuning the z-match was a cinch. Just peak the received noise, switch in the resistive SWR bridge, key up the rig, and tweak the knobs to extinguish the LED. Then switch out the bridge and go.
The z-match is a high-Q, narrow bandwidth device, so when changing frequencies on a band, I did a check with the SWR bridge before transmitting. It just took a minor tweak to extinquish the LED again.
It was a pretty good day on the bands. I split my time between 40M and 20M. I ended up with 28 QSOs. Among them was one park-to-park contact and one DX contact (IW2NXI). I forgot my water bottle, so my parched throat (and famously short attention span) prompted me to pull the plug after an hour on the air. Activation #20 from US-1414 was in the books.
My homebrew z-match was an integral part of my portable setups back in the day. In this picture from 2001, I was using it with a 40M doublet fed with TV twinlead.
My little Elecraft T1 tuner certainly has a size and weight advantage over my homebrew z-match. It’s certainly is easier to use, too. However the z-match can handle both balanced and unbalanced loads, and it doesn’t need a battery.
I have some other old gear in mind for future activations. A couple of rigs could make for some challenging activations.
Due to a medical emergency in the family, I unexpectedly spent the Labor Day weekend at my daughter’s house in central Pennsylvania. My (far) better half and I went out to help where we could. Thankfully, our family member’s medical situation was coming under control, so I was able to squeeze in three short activations over the weekend, while still being available to help out.
I’ve always been an early riser, and that worked to my advantage over the weekend. Pennsylvania State Game Lands 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862) is just a few minutes away, so my plan was to head over there early and keep my activations short. On all three days, I was onsite and set up at 0800 local time and back at the house around 0900. By the time I got back, everyone else was just getting up, so I was back in time for breakfast.
Entrance to Roundtop Trail in PA State Game Lands 246
Unlike my last visit, I had my truck this time. On all three activations, I used my usual Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and a 12-foot whip with my homebrew loading coil.
On Saturday morning, I gulped down a cup of coffee and headed out the door. Less than 15 minutes later, I was on location and ready to go. The bands seemed in pretty good shape. I stayed on 40M the whole time and logged 17 contacts in about 40 minutes.
On Sunday, things went downhill a bit. It was rainy and the geomagnetic conditions were unsettled. Signals were much weaker than the day before, and there was some constant noise on the bands. Despite the conditions, I still managed to squeak out 13 contacts in about 40 minutes, including two park-to-park contacts. The rain stopped by the time I started packing up, so I had a chance to dry off the whip and loading coil before packing them away in the truck.
I went back out on Monday morning, and boy, what a difference a day makes. Conditions on 40M were great, and there were plenty of hunters out there. This time out, I logged 26 contacts in 40 minutes, with three park-to-park contacts. The activity was fast and furious at times.
How about that! My recent activations put me on the Park Leaders list for US-8941.
I really appreciate all the hunters who were out there during my early morning activations. There were even a few who worked me on all three days:
KQ4CW in VA
WA1HRH in NH
WX4TW in NC
Medically, my family member is doing much better, so I wrapped up my trip and headed home Monday evening.
I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend.
The (far) better half and I made a trip out to central Pennsylvania to attend some activities our grand-kids are taking part in. I had some time on Saturday morning for a quick activation, so I drove a few miles down the road to nearby PA State Game Lands (US-8941, KFF-5862).
We made the trip in the (far) better half’s little Chevy Traiblazer, so like a previous trip, I went with a simple setup. Along with my Penntek TR-35 (5W, CW), I used my Elecraft AX1 on a clip-on window mount. The diminutive AX1 has always gotten the job done in the past, so I hoped for similar results today.
My AX1 on the window mount
Today, I had a couple of things working against me: doing an early morning activation (0900 local time) on 20M coupled with some unsettled geomagnetic conditions. Not to mention running 5 watts into a 45-inch loaded whip. Still, I enjoy a challenge. Or maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment.
With the AX1, it only took a few minutes to get set up and get on the air. After spotting myself, it took nine minutes of CQing to make my first contact. Then, 19 minutes after that, I made contact number two. Yikes! It was looking like I was headed for my first busted activation with the AX1. I also began wishing I had brought my Gabil GRA-7350TC and mag mount, so I could have made some contacts down on 40M. Undeterred, I pressed on.
The crowded operating position in my (far) better half’s car
Not too long after that, things picked up a bit, and I started getting some more callers. Either the band conditions were improving or the hunters were waking up and getting out of bed. One of those callers was OH1MM. I had a weak copy on him, so I can only imagine what my QRP signal sounded like in Finland.
An hour after arriving onsite, I had 14 contacts, including one park-to-park and one DX contact. I was happy with that, so I packed up and headed back to my daughter’s house for a late breakfast.
So, despite getting off to a slow start, my little AX1’s undefeated streak remains intact.
Well, the 2024 edition of our annual Outer Banks family vacation has come and gone. My (far) better half and I, along with our two daughters and their families, converged on a rental house in Duck, North Carolina. Of course, ham radio (for me, at least) was a part of that vacation.
Our view of Currituck Sound
After an early morning start, our long drive from Pennsylvania to North Carolina on Sunday was relatively uneventful, and the traffic on the Outer Banks wasn’t too bad. We all arrived safely, albeit a little road weary.
This year, we rented the same house overlooking Currituck Sound we were in last year. Being familiar with the layout of the rental house, I had an entire year to think about my antenna situation. The vertical I used the last time was somewhat noisy on 40M, and my 31-foot Jackite pole really took a beating in the wind. This year, I tried something a little different.
My antenna layout. The wire wasn’t visible in the picture, so I enhanced it. The coax dropped straight down from the unun and through the ground floor window.
I wanted to avoid using a telescopic pole, so I strapped my homebrew weather-resistant 9:1 unun to the railing on the third floor deck. From there, I configured a 29.5-foot wire as a sloper, and tied it off to a fence post. I dropped 35 feet of RG-8x coax off the deck and fed it through a ground floor window, where I set up my KX3. I also used a 1:1 choke at the radio end. I’ve used this antenna configuration in the past with good results, so I was confident it would work here.
My homebrew 9:1 unun strapped to a 3rd story deck railing
Giving it a quick test, I found the noise on 40M was only S1-S2. That was an improvement from last year. There were no noise issues on 30M and up. I tuned around on 40M and made two quick Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) Weekend Sprintathon (WES) contacts. There were some storms in the area, so I declared victory, disconnected the antenna, and cracked open a cold adult beverage.
My portable station next to a window in the game room on the ground floor. I re-used the foam pool noodle from last year to seal the window opening where my coax enters.
Although most of my time was devoted to other vacation activities, I squeezed in some radio time and made a few contacts from the house each day. I mostly hunted POTA activators and SKCC members.
When I’m down here, I always like to check into the Outer Banks Area Wide Net on Thursday evening at 8pm (local time). They are always a friendly and welcoming group. The Outer Banks Repeater Association maintains a linked system of repeaters covering the entire area, so I easily hit a repeater across the sound with an HT while sitting out on the deck.
Jockey’s Ridge State Park (US-2737, KFF-2737)
I planned to do one or two POTA/WWFF activations during the week. On Tuesday, I took a 30-minute drive down to Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Since this is a family vacation, I went out early and kept it short, so I could get back and spend time with the grand-kids.
It had been 25 years or more since my last visit to the park. So, when I rolled into the main parking lot, it was nothing at all like I remembered. Still, I found a shaded parking spot and set up my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil on the back of the truck. I used my trusty Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) up front in the truck.
Activating Jockey’s Ridge State Park (US-2737, KFF-2737)
I was glad to see that the bands had started to bounce back after the severe geomagnetic storms of the previous couple of days. In less than an hour of air time, I logged 23 contacts with four park-to-park contacts. I didn’t work any DX, although I heard a French station calling. They were just too far down in the noise to copy their callsign. On the plus side, however, I worked a station in Nevada on 20M.
This is the sandy trail in Jockey’s Ridge State Park that leads back to the dunes.
Jockey’s Ridge is known for having the tallest living sand dune system on the East Coast. It’s also a very popular spot for hang gliding. I didn’t have time to make the trek out to the dunes this time, but I have been there before. I didn’t take any pictures that do the park justice, but the Outer Banks Visitor’s Guide website has some great ones.
Nags Head Woods Preserve (US-3862, KFF-3862)
I got in one more POTA/WWFF activation during the week. This time I drove down to Nags Head Woods Preserve, an interesting park that was not without some (radio) challenges.
I rolled into the parking lot and grabbed a spot near the entrance and away from the other cars. I was in a hurry to get set up. My friend, N3FLL, was activating a park back home in Pennsylvania and I wanted to snag a park-to-park QSO with him.
I used my usual setup: Penntek TR-35 (5W CW) and 12-foot loaded whip. I powered up and found lots of electrical noise on 40M. Noise notwithstanding, I quickly found Frank, and after a few attempts to break the pile up, I finally got him.
My parking spot in Nags Head Woods Preserve.
I moved up the band a bit and started calling CQ. The cell service was poor, but I was able to use the Wi-Fi hotspot in my truck to put out a spot. It was slow going at first, and the noise was relentless. Eventually things picked up, and I worked 9 stations on 40M before things dried up.
I checked 30M to look for P2P contacts, and the noise was still there. Not hearing anyone, I moved on. The 20M band was no different, noise-wise, but at least there was more activity. I managed 11 more contacts before deciding to declare victory and pack up. Right before I turned off the rig, I heard a Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) member calling CQ, so I had a quick contact with him.
Entrance to the office at Nags Head Woods Preserve
As I was taking my antenna down, I saw the likely source of the noise I had been hearing. When I first pulled in, I didn’t notice the power lines that crossed the parking lot. On the other side of the parking lot from me, there was a utility pole with two transformers on it. As I started back down the gravel road to leave, I noticed a large transformer not far from the parking lot. No wonder it was noisy there.
Wetlands in Nags Head Woods Preserve
After an hour of operating, I had 21 contacts in my log, including four park-to-park QSOs. Once again, I had no DX contacts, but I did work two California stations on 20M.
One of the trails in Nags Head Woods Preserve
I took a short walk around the Preserve before leaving. It’s a fascinating place that definitely warrants further exploration in the future. There are wetlands and several beautiful trails with some really cool wooden bridges. Maybe next year, I can talk the grandkids into going on a nature hike there.
And That’s a Wrap
After a few final QSOs on Saturday, it was time to take down the antenna and pack up the radios. Our week on the Outer Banks was over before we knew it. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.
Sunset over Currituck Sound
The sloper antenna I used at the rental house did pretty well, even with the geomagnetic storms over the first day or two. I had room to accommodate a longer wire, so next year I’ll pack 36-foot and 44-foot wires and give those a try. This is our last year renting this house, but I’m sure I can make the sloper work wherever we end up next year.
It’s been a while since I’ve done a cheap speaker wire antenna, so here’s another one for you. Back in the early to mid-2000s, an antenna commonly referred to as the “No Counterpoise Antenna” was making the rounds on the Internet. I thought I might give it another look.
The No Counterpoise Antenna is either a 25-foot or 50-foot length of two conductor wire with half of one conductor removed. Essentially, it’s a radiator fed through a balanced line feeder. The 25-foot version is said to cover 20M through 10M, while the 50-foot version is supposed to cover 40M through 10M. It was usually connected to a balanced tuner of some sort or sometimes fed through a 4:1 balun. It was typically constructed from zip cord or speaker wire. So, this is perfect for another speaker wire project. (Actually, I built the 50-foot version years ago, but I don’t recall ever putting it on the air.)
A picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes:
I’ve seen this antenna sometimes referred to as a Zepp. A true Zepp is basically a half wave radiator with a quarter wave balanced line matching section. Unlike a true Zepp, the No Counterpoise Antenna is non-resonant, so I guess it’s actually “Zepp-ish.” Because it’s non-resonant, a tuner is required for this antenna.
I did some extensive research into the origins of this antenna. (OK… I just did a few Google searches.) Jeff Imel K9ESE came up with this design. I remember Jeff used to sell a high-quality version of the antenna on eBay. The reviews were generally positive.
Pete Millis, M3KXZ, is another name often associated with this antenna. I think that’s how I first came across it. Pete once made a phased array from two 25-foot versions.
In the August 2020 edition of Ozark QRP Banner, the Four State QRP Group’s newsletter, Terry Fletcher, WAØITP, had a nice write-up about it. He discusses his experience with both the 25- and 50-foot versions.
This antenna design has been around the block a time or two. So, there’s no innovation here on my part whatsoever.
Construction
I happened to have a 25-foot roll of #18 awg speaker wire on hand, so this time around, I opted to build…you guessed it… the 25-foot version.
Construction was about as easy as it gets:
I split the speaker wire halfway and cut off one side
Next, I twisted a loop at the end of the single wire and secured it with some Goop® adhesive. As an alternative, you could just tie a loop at the top or crimp a ring lug over the wire’s insulation.
I stripped and tinned the wires at the feedpoint and installed spade lugs. You can just strip and tin the wires, if you like.
To keep the speaker wire from splitting further, I put some heat shrink tubing a couple of inches up from the lugs. I also added a dab of Goop® in the middle of the antenna where one side of the wire was removed. All of this is completely optional.
Construction probably took me all of 15 minutes or so. That doesn’t include allowing the adhesive to cure overnight. However, the antenna was certainly usable without the adhesive and heat-shrink tubing I used. I’m just prone to overkill.
On the Air
To test the No Counterpoise Antenna, I drove down to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414). Using my drive-on mount, I supported the antenna from a 28-ft Jackite pole. I used a homebrew 4:1 unun at the feedpoint and ran 15 feet of coax into the cab of my truck to my KX3 (5 watts, CW). I used the long side of the antenna as the radiator.
I used my roll-on mount to support a 28-ft Jackite pole
Before I got started, I checked to see how the tuner in the KX3 would handle the antenna. The KX3 easily found a 1:1 match on all bands from 40M through 10M. Just for the heck of it, I tried 60M and 80M. The KX3 was able to find a good match on those bands, too. (That’s not too surprising, given that I once forgot to attach my coax to an antenna, and the KX3 still found a match.) I doubt this antenna would work well on 60M and 80M—but stranger things have happened. I wasn’t able to try it, but I’m sure the KX3 would be able to match it directly connected to the radio without the 4:1 and coax.
I used a 4:1 unun at the feedpoint
Band conditions weren’t very good, so this wasn’t an ideal test. Despite the mediocre band conditions, I logged 13 contacts during my short activation. Most of my contacts were on 40M. There was considerable fading on 30M and 20M, but I made a contact on each of those bands.
This was hardly a rigorous evaluation, but the 25-foot No Counterpoise Antenna got the job done. I need to give it another try, when conditions are better.
Anyway, if you have some speaker wire and a few minutes to spare, give this one a try and see what you think.
I recently learned of the passing of my old friend, Carter Craigie, N3AO. He was an avid QRPer, an excellent CW operator, and one of the nicest people I have ever met.
I first met Carter sometime back in the 90s, when we were members of the now-defunct Eastern Pennsylvania QRP Club (EPA-QRP). Later on, Carter and I were members of Chester County (PA) ARES-RACES. Carter served a two-year stint leading the organization as the Emergency Coordinator (EC).
Eventually, Carter and his wife, Kay N3KN (former ARRL President), moved to Blacksburg, Virginia. Although I rarely saw him in person after that, I had a bunch of QSOs with him over the years. He was a regular participant in QRP field contests, like the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt and Flight of the Bumblebees. He was also an active member of the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC).
In 1999, Carter N3AO and Ed WA3WSJ stopped stopped by my campsite in French Creek State Park (PA) to check out my new camper. L-R: WA3WSJ, WB3GCK, and N3AO.
Looking back through my logs brought back some memories. Carter always tried to work me when I was out camping or traveling. He seemed to know my go-to frequencies and operating habits and would always seem to find me. I remember being on a camping trip to the Thousand Islands in New York back in 1999. I turned on the radio one morning, and without touching the tuning knob, the sound of Carter calling me greeted me. We had some nice rag chews on those trips.
I had the pleasure of running into Carter and Kay during Phillies spring training in Clearwater, Florida, in 2009. L-R: WB3GCK, my (far) better half, Kay N3KN, and Carter N3AO.
During the year-long National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) event in 2016, I used to text Carter whenever I was out activating a park. Within minutes, I would hear Carter calling me for a contact. He would always make sure to spot me on the NPOTA Facebook page.
While it’s sad to know that I won’t hear Carter on the air anymore, I feel truly blessed for having known him. Rest in peace, my friend.
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 