Operating – WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio

Visitors, Geese, and a Busted Activation

This was supposed to be a post about how I made a bazillion POTA/WWFF contacts in an hour. Yeah, well, that didn’t happen. However, I had some interesting visitors stop during my (attempted) activation.

I made a trip over to French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355) for a short activation and a little antenna experimentation. To make sure I wouldn’t be in anyone’s way, I set up at a picnic table well away from the parking lot.

My antenna today was a vertical wire just under 18 feet fed through a homebrew 9:1 unun with a counterpoise wire just under 9 feet. I ran 20 feet of RG-316 coax over to my Elecraft KH1 on the picnic table. I had used this antenna configuration with my Penntek TR-35 and T1 ATU a few times in the past. While it worked well with that rig, I wanted to see how it would work with the KH1’s ATU.

My antenna with Hopewell Lake in the background.

My first visitors showed up just as I was getting started. It was about six Canada geese who wandered over about 20 feet from my antenna. One of them had a bad attitude and hissed at me when I went over to check the antenna. I calmly told him to buzz off; I was here first. They wisely moved on, de-escalating the situation. I’m pleased to report that no humans or geese were harmed during this brief but intense standoff.

Radio-wise, I wasn’t having much luck. QSOs were few and far between. On paper, the band conditions didn’t look too bad, so I’m not sure what my issue was.

My third contact was an ear-shattering call from my friend N3CU. Ken was also in the park somewhere, so that accounted for his loud signal. I told him where I was, and he came over to visit. I last ran into Ken in French Creek back in January, so it was great catching up with him. Eventually, Ken headed off to continue his activation.

Ken N3CU (left) and WB3GCK at French Creek State Park (Selfie courtesy of N3CU) — Ken N3CU (left) and me at French Creek State Park (Selfie courtesy of N3CU)

After I got back on the air, I heard a noise in the woods behind me. It was a hiker coming off ‌a trail. He was curious about my antenna, so I gave him my Amateur Radio and Parks on the Air “elevator speech.” After a brief chat, he headed off toward the lake.

After I had six 20M contacts in my log, I moved down to 30M. Just then, another fellow came up to see what I was doing. I was wearing my Navy ball cap, so that prompted five or ten minutes’ worth of “sea stories.”

While we were swapping tall tales, I had the KH1 calling CQ with one of my earbuds in my ear. I heard N3CU calling, so I told my visitor I needed to answer a call. He wished me good luck and headed off towards the parking lot. I needed to get back home, so I shut down and packed up after finishing up with Ken.

So, after an hour and a half, I only had seven contacts in my log. This was my first busted activation in quite some time, but I don’t consider it a failure. I was out in a beautiful park with excellent weather, and I got to catch up with a friend and chat with some other random visitors.

I’m sure I’ll have better luck on the radio next time.

72, Craig WB3GCK

All Aboard the Struggle Bus

I carved some time out of the chaos that is my life lately for some much-needed “radio therapy”. I drove over to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) yesterday morning to take advantage of some great spring-like weather. What I envisioned as an easy in and out POTA/WWFF activation turned out to be one of the more challenging activations I’ve done in a while.

I set up at a picnic table under a large pavilion. Since it was a weekday, I had the pavilion to myself—but not for long. More on that in a bit. To keep things simple, I used my Elecraft KH1 with the whip antenna on a Tufteln right-angle adapter. I ran my counterpoise wire out into the grass. This setup hasn’t failed me yet, so I was feeling confident. For keying, I used my trusty CWMouse paddles.

My setup at Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414)

It was really slowgoing today. Although I was making some contacts, spots on the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) were few and far between. That’s not a good sign. Was it band conditions or my location? I don’t know, but I pressed on with dogged determination.

Not long after I got started, a park maintenance worker started mowing the grass in the picnic area. The bands weren’t all that great, and now I had to contend with some loud audio interference. They eventually finished up and moved to another area away from where I was sitting.

After 30 minutes, the 20M band had only produced seven contacts. One of those was 2,400 miles away in California, so my signal was getting out somewhere. Searching and pouncing produced two park-to-park contacts.

Before I knew it, I was sharing the pavilion with a group of about 40 exuberant kids. Apparently, they were on a school trip and taking a break from hiking for lunch. It was nice to see them enjoying the outdoors, but it also meant more audio interference for me. Eventually, some teachers rounded up the kids, and they all headed back down the trail. Once again the surrounding area was quiet, but I still wasn’t making any contacts.

I was stuck at nine contacts for what seemed like an eternity. I checked 17M and 15M a couple of times to no avail. The 20M band was the only one producing any contacts for me, and that wasn’t all that great.

After about an hour and a half, my stubborn persistence was giving way to frustration and resignation. I was about 15 seconds from shutting down and packing up when the elusive tenth contact came in. That contact came in the form of a very loud call from KB5HPM in Mississippi that had me reaching for the KH1’s volume knob. After logging that last contact, I packed up and headed home.

I ended my 40th activation at this park with the bare minimum 10 contacts, but I was okay with that. I’m not sure if this was the hardest I’ve had to work for 10 contacts, but it’s certainly right up there.

72, Craig WB3GCK

A Surprise in the Mail

It’s been crazy around here in WB3GCK-land lately, so I’ve had very little time for ham radio. However, a mail delivery the other day brought a radio-related item that brightened up my day.

A while back, I was doing an activation in Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351), while testing a new antenna I built. I was using my Elecraft KH1 running about five watts. As I was wrapping things up, I tuned around on the 15M band and heard DL4ISX calling CQ. I had worked a few other European stations that day, so I gave him a call. After a few tries, he got my callsign, and we proceeded to have a nice CW chat.

There was some fading on the band, but we carried on for over 15 minutes. During our QSO, Werner told me he was running five watts to a Windom antenna. This wasn’t my first two-way QRP QSO with a DX station over the course of 50+ years in ham radio, but I could probably count them all on one hand with some fingers to spare. Regardless, that was a great finish to a fun activation.

Fast forward about a month later… I went out to get the mail and found an envelope from Germany containing what appeared to be a QSL card. I couldn’t remember the last time I received a DX QSL that didn’t come through the QSL bureau.

Inside the envelope, I found a QSL card from DL4ISX confirming our two-way QRP QSO. That sure brought a smile to my face. The next day, my QSL card was sent on its way to Germany.

Many thanks to Werner for a fun QSO.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Exceeding My Low Expections

I’ve always heard that if you keep your expectations low, you’ll never be disappointed. My activation this morning was a prime example of that. What should have been a difficult activation turned out pretty well.

I set out for an early morning activation at Norristown Farm State Park (US-4363, KFF-4363). It was a damp and foggy morning, and the propagation forecast was as dreary as the weather. Before I left the house, I heard some hams on a DMR talkgroup complaining about poor band conditions. Checking the propagation forecasts online, I could see why. The K Index was 4 and the A Index was a whopping 43.

Propagation forecast. The A index was 43 and the K index was 4.

When I got to the park, I wasn’t feeling very optimistic about my chances today. Undeterred, I set up my usual 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil, along with my trusty little Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW). I figured, even in the worst conditions, there would be a hunter or two who could hear me.

Overcast and foggy morning at Norristown Farm State Park

Starting out on 40M, it turned out I was right. A minute or so after spotting myself, I was pounced on by some loud signals. After nine minutes, I had already logged my first 10 contacts, and the hunters kept calling.

After the activity on 40M dried up, I switched to 20M. The activity wasn’t quite as brisk, but it still produced a steady stream of contacts. Among those were three stations in the Dominican Republic. One was HI0A, a special event station for autism awareness. I suspect the other two might have been individual operators at the same station. F1BLL in France was my sole European contact today. I gave 17M a shot, but I only made one contact there.

Even with the lousy propagation numbers, an hour’s worth of operating netted me 37 contacts. It’s a good thing I went out early, as the geomagnetic storm seemed to worsen as the day went on.

Regardless of the propagation, park activators and hunters always seem to find a way to make contacts.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Fooled by Mother Nature

After a tough couple of weeks, I was really looking forward to a park activation today. Although the weatherman predicted storms later in the day, it was supposed to be a decent morning. I had some specific plans in mind. Mother Nature, however, had other plans.

AI-generated cartoon of WB3GCK experiencing both rainy and sunny weather.

I planned to drive over to nearby Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761) to operate from a picnic table and experiment with an antenna or two. When I was about halfway to the park, it started raining. Figuring it was just a passing shower, I continued on. Hah! It just kept raining.

Not wanting to get my radio gear wet, I gave up on the picnic table idea and stayed in the truck. I quickly set up my usual 12-foot whip and homebrew coil in the rain. I fired up my trusty Penntek TR-35 in the truck and got started.

About three QSOs into my activation, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. That was a cruel prank, Mother Nature! I briefly toyed with moving my gear over to a picnic table and setting up the antenna I wanted to try. Since I didn’t want to spend my limited operating time tearing down and setting up again, so I pressed on.

As activations go, it was nothing special. The bands were so-so, and I could hear some static from the impending storm. Still, I logged 19 contacts in about 50 minutes. Among those were park-to-park contacts with K4NYM in Florida on 30M and 20M. I had other business to attend to, so I started packing up to leave.

As I was out taking my antenna down, the sky clouded over and it started raining again. Well played, Mother Nature! You were quite the prankster this morning.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Forty Meter Fun by the River

While out in central Pennsylvania over the weekend visiting family, I headed out early on a chilly Saturday morning for a quick activation of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (US-4567). The 40M band was really hopping.

My destination was Falmouth Access Park, which is along the Susquehanna River in northern Lancaster County. The place was nearly empty, except for a few anglers along the river. Not too surprising, since it was only 0730 EST. I set up my 12-ft base-loaded whip on the back of the truck and my Elecraft KH1 (4.5W, CW) up in the cab.

My truck near the Susquehanna River for a chilly early-morning activation — My truck by the Susquehanna River for a chilly early-morning activation

After posting a spot and calling CQ on 40M a couple of times, the hunters started piling up. Once they started, the action was nearly non-stop for the next 45 minutes. The 40M band was in great shape, providing contacts all up and down the East Coast and out to Iowa to the west. I was short on time, so I never got around to trying other bands.

At the end of my 45-minute activation, I had 35 contacts in the log, including five park-to-park contacts. I had a couple of errands to run before heading back to the house for breakfast, so I packed up and headed out.

Thanks to all the early-rising hunters. You didn’t disappoint.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Oops! Operator Error!

I was out and about on a rainy and foggy Friday morning. Since I was in the vicinity, I made a stop in Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) for a quick activation. I completed the activation successfully, despite some self-inflicted problems.

I pulled into ‌a convenient parking spot. Not surprisingly, the picnic area I was in was completely deserted. Since the weather was miserable, I planned to use my Elecraft KH1 in the truck with my trusty 12-foot base-loaded whip on the back.

As I was setting up the antenna, I noticed my first issue. The spot I had hastily chosen was under a tree—a large, rain-drenched one. Rookie error! Fortunately, my 12-foot stainless steel whip went up in between the branches and didn’t appear to be touching any of them. (Note to self: Look up next time!)

Rainy and foggy morning in Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414)

I finished up with the antenna and got the KH1 set up for 40M. Normally, with this antenna, the KH1 easily finds a good match on the first try. Not this time. It would find a good match (1.5:1 or better), but the SWR would occasionally jump full scale. I had to hit the KH1’s ATU button to re-tune frequently, sometimes mid-QSO. Thinking it was the wind blowing the whip into the wet branches above, I backed the truck up a foot or two to clear the tree. That didn’t help.

After stumbling through seven contacts on 40M, I went out to change the antenna tap for 20M. As I did that, I realized what the problem was. On my last activation, I was using the KH1’s whip antenna, and I neglected to set the switch for using the BNC connector. The BNC jack is always connected, but the “20M” setting puts in some additional inductance for the whip. It appears extra loading was the source of my issues on 40M. Once I corrected my mistake, things continued normally on 20M and 17M.

Despite my struggles, I completed my brief activation with 22 contacts in my log. It was good to put a few DX stations in the log:

20M: CU3DI, F1BLL
17M: OE3KAB

All’s well that ends well, I suppose. My switch error got my activation off to a shakey start, but I got it done. Having already experienced blown finals with this rig, I’m usually mindful of the antenna switch setting. Still, I used my trusty label maker to put a reminder right on the radio.

Label added to the front of my KH1 to remind me to check the antenna switch

Take that, Murphy!

72, Craig WB3GCK

Coming Out of a Slump

I’ve been in a bit of a ham radio slump lately. It had been nearly three weeks since my last park activation, and I’ve only had a few QSOs from the home station. Our temperatures have finally gotten above freezing this week, so I headed out to Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351) for a long-overdue activation this morning.

With the slightly warmer temperatures this week, the snow and ice from last month’s storm are finally melting (a little). Even though the temperatures are above freezing, we still have what I refer to as “refrigerator weather.” Still, I braved the chilly weather and operated outdoors today.

The Evansburg State Park entrance sign with the dirty remnants of last month's snow — The Evansburg State Park entrance sign with the dirty remnants of last month’s snow

I was the only person in the park this morning, so I had a large picnic pavilion to myself. Of course, there usually aren’t many picnics on a weekday morning in February. I went with my Elecraft KH1 and whip antenna with a right-angle adapter from Tufteln. I ran my counterpoise wire out across the snow.

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

I started out on 40M with the Elecraft AXE1 extension coil. As always, the little whip antenna amazed me with how well it was getting out. I logged eight contacts in the first 10 minutes before the action slowed. After logging 11 contacts, I moved up to 20M. The action was a little slower there, but I still managed seven more contacts.

The view from my operating position this morning

My coffee mug was nearly empty, so I called it quits after an hour on the air. I finished up with 18 contacts in my log. Not bad for a 45-inch antenna and “fair” band conditions, I suppose.

It was fun getting back out in a park again. Hopefully, I’ll get in another activation or two before the next round of snow shows up.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Boschveldt QRP Winter Outing 2026

For the third year in a row, the Boschveldt QRP Club (W3BQC) held its annual winter outing in a cabin in French Creek State Park. For a variety of reasons, we had a smaller than usual group this year. Regardless, it was a fun weekend of catching up with old friends, eating some good food, and playing radio in the park.

When I arrived Friday afternoon, Ed K3YTR was already in the cabin. After unloading my gear and settling in, I wanted to squeeze in a quick POTA/WWFF activation (US-1355, KFF-1355) before the rest of the crew arrived. I operated from the truck using my Penntek TR-35 and 12-foot loaded whip. After 14 quick contacts on 20M and 17M, I headed back inside the cabin to warm up.

ED K3YTR with his KX3 station in a box — Ed K3YTR with his KX3 station in a box (Photo credit: NK1N)

Glen NK1N rolled in from New Jersey later in the day. He put up an 85-foot inverted vee and used his Elecraft KX2 from inside the cabin. Over the course of the weekend, Glen activated the park using our club’s callsign, W3BQC. We wrapped up the first day with a lasagna dinner and some socializing.

Walt KB3SBC also stopped by on Friday and stayed for dinner. Special thanks to Walt for making sure we had a coffee maker and plenty of coffee for the weekend—a crucial part of every Boschveldt QRP Club gathering.

On Saturday morning, we had some snow starting. I drove over to the Hopewell Lake boat launch for another quick activation before the roads got too bad. Using the same setup as the day before, I hopped on 40M. The activity was fast and furious. After about 30 minutes, I had an inch of snow in the bed of the truck, and it was coming in through the window I fed my coax through. I wrapped up with 28 contacts in my log, including an ear-shattering park-to-park QSO with W3BQC (NK1N operating) less than a mile away back at the cabin.

WB3GCK operating at the boat launch in the snow

Snow piling up on my homebrew loading coil

Later on Saturday, Ed K3BVQ joined us and set up his MFJ travel loop antenna inside the cabin. With his indoor antenna, Ed was busy making contacts with a four-watt YouKits rig and a straight key. Chris W3CJW also stopped by for a visit.

Ed K3BVQ operating from the cabin with his indoor loop antenna

Saturday evening we drove into town for dinner at a local restaurant. We capped off the night by watching an old science fiction movie projected onto a screen hung on the wall.

We woke up Sunday morning to another round of snow. After breakfast, NK1N and K3BVQ got back on their radios to make some more contacts.

During the weekend, we noticed that Ken N3CU was doing a POTA activation somewhere in the park. It turned out that Ken was in a cabin just down the road from us, and he stopped by for a visit. Ken and I had worked each other many times over the years, so it was a pleasure to finally meet him in person. Ken had a successful weekend, completing his POTA Kilo award at French Creek. By virtue of his visit, Ken also became our newest Boschveldt QRP Club member.

Ken N3CU and his XYL (and future ham), Stephanie, stopped by to visit on Sunday morning. — Ken N3CU and (and future ham), Stephanie, stopped by to visit on Sunday morning.

K3BVQ and I packed up to head out on Sunday afternoon, while NK1N and K3YTR stayed over for one more night. According to the POTA website, W3BQC had close to 80 contacts over the weekend.

In true Boschveldt QRP Club fashion, our weekend get-togethers are as much about socializing as getting on the radio. Although illness and competing obligations prevented some of our regulars from attending, it was great to spend the weekend hanging out with some old ham radio friends.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Testing a New Mag Mount

On those occasions when I do an activation with my (far) better half’s car, I have been using my Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna on an old magnetic mount. Because of a recent issue with the mag mount I’ve had for 20+ years, I finally had to replace it. Today was the first opportunity I’ve had to use the new one.

While visiting my daughter and her family over the Christmas holiday, I headed out to activate the Captain John Smith Historic Trail (US-4567). Normally, when using the GRA-7350TC and mag mount on my (far) better half’s car, I can easily get the SWR down less than 1.5:1 on 40M. This time was different; the tuning seemed very finicky. I eventually got it close enough to use with the KH1 and completed my activation. As I was packing up, I noticed some damage to the coax where it enters the mount.

This old mag mount has seen many years of service with a VHF/UHF antenna on my truck before being pressed into service with the Gabil antenna. It’s amazing it lasted as long as it did. I decided that trying to disassemble and repair it was more trouble than it was worth.

I ended up buying a Tram magnetic mount on Amazon. This one is a real beast. It’s five inches in diameter and weighs a whopping 2.6 pounds. It’s probably overkill for my intended use, but I figured the larger diameter would provide better coupling to the vehicle. (Spoiler Alert: It does.)

My new five-inch magnetic mount — Tram magnetic mount

To try it out, I headed out to Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380) and set it up on my truck. The attached coax is 17 feet long. That’s way more than I need, so after feeding it through the passenger-side window to my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW), I coiled up the excess.

The Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna and magnetic mount on my truck

I started out on 40M and was surprised to see I could tune‌ the Gabil antenna down to 1.3:1 SWR. That’s better than I could ever get using the old mag mount on my truck. It was slow going on 40M this morning with a lot of fading. I could only manage about nine contacts before moving up to 30M.

Up on 30M, things picked up dramatically, but the most productive band was 20M. My contacts on 20M included Germany, France, and two from Finland. After logging 42 contacts, I pulled the plug and headed home for lunch.

So, the new mag mount should work great on my (far) better half’s car. Sadly, my old mount is now destined for the trash. I certainly got my money’s worth out of it, though.

72, Craig WB3GCK