Operating – Page 14 – WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio

Predictions are Tough…

One of my favorite quotes—attributed to several people and often paraphrased—states: “Predictions are tough, especially about the future.” That famous quote certainly applied to the propagation predictions for today.

Yesterday, a major geomagnetic storm wreaked havoc with the bands. The propagation widget I have on my phone described it as a “severe storm.” That’s a description I don’t see very often. This morning, the widget showed some improvement, although it predicted poor daytime propagation on the 40M, 30M, and 20M bands.

Poor daytime band conditions were predicted for this morning for 20M and below.

Undeterred by these predictions, I headed out to Evansburg State Park (K-1351, KFF-1351) for an early morning activation. I used my current go-to setup, which includes my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts) and my 12-foot whip combined with my homebrew loading coil.

My location this morning in Evansburg State Park (K-1351, KFF-1351)

Despite the predicted poor conditions, I started out on 40M. I immediately found band conditions to be anything but poor. In fact, it only took nine minutes to make the requisite 10 contacts. I had equally good results on 30M, 20M and 17M. The 17M band was very active, and I had a mini pile-up of DX stations at one point.

After an hour and 20 minutes, I ended up with 58 contacts. I didn’t have any known park-to-park contacts today, but I had 11 European DX contacts including: France (4), Italy (2), Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, Sweden, Slovak Republic. I ran into a lot of QRM today, so I thank those operators for their perseverance. As an added bonus, my little five-watt signal also made it out to California today.

I’m sure glad I didn’t let the band predictions scare me off this morning!

72, Craig WB3GCK

Turkey Day Activation

Our family had to postpone our Thanksgiving get-together until the weekend. So that gave my (far) better half and me a quiet day to ourselves. What better way to celebrate a holiday than a POTA activation?

My destination today was Marsh Creek State Park (K-1380, KFF-1380), one of my favorite local parks. As I was walking out the door, my (far) better half told me, “You shouldn’t expect too many contacts because of the holiday.” Ha! After being married to a ham for 46 years, you would think she would know better. A holiday is just an opportunity to get on the radio instead of working!

My rig today was my old YouKits HB-1B. After I bought it through Ten Tec 10 years ago, it was my go-to portable rig. In recent years, I’ve been taking it along on trips as a backup rig, but it hasn’t seen much air time.

The HB-1B has a canned “CQ” CW message, but no programmable memories. I brought my old NorCal keyer along to take care of that. Since the HB-1B also lacks an internal tuner, I used my Elecraft T1. Actually, this was a portable configuration I have used many times years back. Antenna-wise, I went with my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil on the back of my truck.

My old YouKits HB-1B transceiver, along with my Elecraft T1 ATU and NorCal keyer

The HB-1B never had the cleanest sounding sidetone; but using a LiFePO4 battery (around 13V), the sidetone had some loud clicks. Over the years, the display also developed some kind of mark or smudge that is very noticeable at some viewing angles. Neither of these issues were a show-stopper for me.

I started out on 40M and seemed to get out well enough. After the first eight contacts, though, the band seemed to dry up. I moved up to 20M, and things picked up. Although it took 20 minutes to get my first 10 contacts, there was lots of activity on the 20M band. The power output is slightly lower on 20M (approximately four watts), but I still collected 32 contacts there. I picked up a few more on 30M before calling it quits.

My view of the lake in Marsh Creek State Park (K-1380, KFF-1380)

In less than 90 minutes on the air, I ended up with 50 contacts (with one dupe). There were no park-to-park or DX contacts today. (I neglected to post a spot for the WWFF folks.)

Despite its shortcomings, the little HB-1B gave a good accounting of itself. It’s still a worthy backup rig, and I need to put it on the air more often.

Finally, to all those celebrating, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Ridley Creek DX

I made a run down to Ridley Creek State Park (K-1414, KFF-1414) for an early POTA activation. I usually do well at this park, but this morning was something else.

Using my usual Penntek TR-35 (5 watts), along with my 12-foot whip and homebrew coil, I made my first ten contacts on 40M in ten minutes. Among those was VE3WMB, a fellow Polar Bear QRPer. When things slowed down on 40M, I moved up to 20M. That’s when things really got interesting.

The WB3GCK "QRPmobile" at Ridley Creek State Park (K-1414, KFF-1414) — The WB3GCK “QRPmobile” at Ridley Creek State Park (K-1414, KFF-1414)

After I started calling CQ on 20M, I spotted myself on the WWFF spotting page. A minute later, the European stations came out to play. Between the stateside and European hunters, things got pretty busy. Up on 17M, for example, I had a string of six DX stations in a row.

When I wrapped up after 90 minutes, I had 52 QSOs in my log, with five park-to-park contacts. I had a total of 13 European contacts today, including:

Italy: IW2NXI, IK1GPG
Finland: OH1MM
Germany: DL1EBR, DL1HB, DG1KJG
Sweden: SM4BNZ
France: F4ILH, F4HZR, F6EOC
Denmark: OZ1IPP
Latvia (a new one for me): YL2TQ
Poland: SP6GNJ

I think today’s activation was a combination of a site with good elevation, good band conditions, and some DX stations with exceptional ears.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Back to the Farm

I made a long overdue visit to a nearby park yesterday. Norristown Farm State Park (K-4363, KFF-4363) is only about 30 minutes away, but it has been six years since my last activation. So, I set out to rectify that.

This time around, I parked in the lot near the park office, a few spaces away from where I parked six years ago. Being a working farm, this parking lot is surrounded by cornfields, making it an unusual setting for a state park.

Operating from Norristown Farm Park (K-4363, KFF-4363)

This time around, I used my current go-to setup: Penntek TR-35 (5 watts) and 12-foot loaded whip. I noticed that there was some local noise on the bands. It was most noticeable on portions of the 20M band. Undeterred, I got on the air.

I started on 40M, but that was slow going. After logging three contacts, I moved up to 20M, where I spent most of my time. I also checked 17M, and that band seemed in good shape as well.

After an hour and 20 minutes, I logged 34 contacts, including five park-to-park contacts. Some highlights:

European contacts with Spain, Italy, and Germany. (WWFF spots always seem to bring out the DX stations.)
K4NYM called me on 17M from Florida. Bill was working a “3-fer,” giving me three park-to-park contacts with one QSO. Thanks, Bill!

I’m not sure why it took me so long to get back here, but I’ll definitely visit more often.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Back to White Clay Creek Preserve

I had a rare weekday free from my usual family obligations, so I went out to activate a park. It had been almost a year since I last activated White Clay Creek State Preserve (K-4633), so that was my destination this morning.

Located near the Pennsylvania-Delaware border, the Preserve is about an hour away from home. I parked near the park office and got set up. I used my usual setup: my TR-35 (5 watts) and 12-foot whip with my homebrew loading coil.

My truck at White Clay Creek State Preserve (K-6433)

Starting out on 40M, it took me about 15 minutes to make my first 10 contacts. The 20M band was in pretty good shape, so I spent most of my time there. I also made some contacts on 17M before packing up.

This park doesn’t get activated too often, so I had a steady stream of hunters today. After about 90 minutes, I had 50 contacts in my log. I had one DX contact (F4ILH) but no park-to-park contacts (that I know of).

Thanks to all the hunters for a fun morning.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Working DX in Valley Forge

After spending the morning traveling to watch my grandson play soccer, I had some time to go play radio. I made a trip to nearby Valley Forge National Historical Park (K-0761, KFF-0761) for a quick activation. I almost talked myself out of going, but I’m glad I went ahead with it.

I pulled into a trailhead parking lot, where I’ve operated from a bunch of times in the past. I used my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts) in the truck, with my 12-foot whip and homebrew coil mounted on the back.

My location at the Yellow Spring Road trailhead in Valley Forge National Historical Park

I started off on 40M, but I only made two contacts there. The 20M band was where the action was this afternoon. I searched around for some park-to-park contacts before parking on a frequency and calling CQ. I spotted myself on the POTA website, and the hunters started calling. Today, I also spotted myself on the WWFF spotting page. Right after that, I started getting calls from DX stations.

After operating for about an hour and 20 minutes, I had 44 contacts in the log, with five park-to-park QSOs. Twelve of my contacts were with DX stations on 20M and 17M. I worked the following countries today:

Italy (3 contacts. One station worked me on two bands.)
Sweden (2 contacts)
France (2 contacts)
Ukraine
Finland
Poland
Czech Republic
Switzerland (WWFF park-to-park)

I also worked Michael VA2NB, a fellow Polar Bear QRPer operating from Quebec.

Well, that sure was fun today. When I have to talk myself into doing an activation, I usually end up having a good time.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Rainy Morning at K-1351

I headed out for an early morning activation at Evansburg State Park (K-1351, KFF-1351). The weather forecast was calling for scattered showers today. I consulted my weather radar app before leaving the house. It looked like I could get an activation done before the next round of rain came through. Ha!

It was raining lightly when I got to the park, and it continued most of the time I was there. I set up my homebrew loading coil and 12-ft whip on the back of the truck. I used a plastic shopping bag to fashion a “raincoat” to protect the coil from the elements. To keep things classy, I used a bag from a local dollar store. It looked pretty cheesy, but it worked. I used my TR-35 (5 watts) in the cab of the truck.

An improvised "raincoat" for my homebrew loading coil — An improvised “raincoat” for my homebrew loading coil

Despite the lousy weather, I had a successful activation. After 90 minutes of operating, I had 45 QSOs in the log with 5 known park-to-park contacts. The 40M band was the most productive for me today. I had 22 contacts on 40M, with the rest divided between 30M and 20M.

Thanks to all the hunters out there who kept me busy this morning.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Zombie Shuffle 2023

Zombies were out haunting the bands last night, during the Zombie Shuffle. As always, I had fun taking part in this crazy QRP event.

Once again, I operated from home using my KX3 and rain gutter antenna. I always have some local noise issues, but this year the noise was a bit lower than usual.

I got on the air and immediately encountered a zombie bonus station on 20M. From there, I was off and running. I worked nine more zombies on 40M before taking an extended dinner break.

In the exchange, you get to use a name of your choosing. This year, I once again used “Bones.”

I got on the radio again after dark, but there seemed to be fewer zombies to work. Normally, the rain gutter antenna goes long on 40M after dark. Last night was different, though. I worked a fair number of my fellow Pennsylvanians and one Delaware zombie. I don’t often work Delaware stations on 40M, especially after dark. Maybe the bands really were haunted last night.

After a while, I was running out of zombies to work. I even invoked the “Rebirth Rule” for the first time this year. This rule says you can work the same station on a band every two hours. I eventually pulled the plug and went upstairs to watch game #1 of the World Series.

I ended up with 17 zombies in the log, which is my new personal best in this wacky event. Three were on 20M and the rest were on 40M. My previous personal best was 14 back in 2021. My compromised antenna didn’t do too badly for me this time around.

Before I worked my first zombie, I had a quick POTA contact with KQ1P in Maine. That QSO turned out to be my 500th park as a hunter.

As always, I have to thank Paul NA5N and Jan N0QT for organizing this fun event. Until next year, it’s back to the crypt for this zombie.

72, Craig WB3GCK

One Activation for the Road

I had a little time this morning before heading out of town for a family event. It’s been a while since I last visited Marsh Creek State Park (K-1380, KFF-1380), so I made a quick trip over there.

I operated from the parking lot at the West Lauch area of the park. Despite the hilly terrain leading down to the boat launch, I’ve always had good luck there. The beautiful view of the lake is a bonus, too.

My view at Marsh Creek State Park (K-1380, KFF-1380)

For my antenna, I went with my 12-whip and homebrew loading coil combination. I used my TR-35 (5 watts) in the truck.

The bands were in pretty good shape, which made for a busy activation. After operating for 50 minutes, I finished up with 30 contacts. Twenty-two contacts were on 40M, and the rest were on 30M. I had two park-to-park contacts I know of.

It was a short activation but a lot of fun. And now it’s time to hit the road to visit family.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Repeat Offender at French Creek

Looking through my POTA stats, I noticed I was one activation away from a Repeat Offender Award for French Creek State Park (K-1355). So, I set out today for my 20th activation for this park. For many POTA activators, this is a trivial milestone. But for a casual activator like me, it takes a while to get to that point.

The Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) Weekend Sprintathon (WES) was going on this weekend. I hadn’t taken part in a WES in a while, so I started off using a straight key and calling “CQ WES.” My first eight contacts were with SKCC members. After that, I spotted myself and started calling “CQ POTA.”

The 40M band was in great shape this morning, with lots of POTA activity. In fact, all of my contacts were on 40M. In about an hour and 15 minutes, I ended up with 23 contacts. Among those were four park-to-park contacts.

My parking spot at French Creek State Park (K-1355, KFF-1355)

I used my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil for the second time today. I like that I can set it up in a couple of minutes. Once again, it worked like a champ. I think it will probably my go-to antenna for stationary-mobile operation. Inside the truck, I used my trusty TR-35 (5 watts).

And with that, POTA activation #20 at French Creek State Park is in the books.

72, Craig WB3GCK