Operating – Page 4 – WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio

Rainy Camping at French Creek

The (far) better half and I took the trailer back to French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355) for a weekend of camping. We were hoping for some nice weather, but Mother Nature had other plans in mind. Not only was the terrestrial weather bad, the solar weather wasn’t much better at times.

It was dry when we arrived and got set up. After getting the camper squared away, I set up my usual 29.5-foot vertical wire and 9:1 unun. To avoid creating a trip hazard with my coax, I set up the antenna back in the woods behind the trailer. Not long after I got the antenna set up, the rain started. I set up my KX3 in the trailer and gave my portable station a quick test. The antenna loaded up easily as it normally does, but I couldn’t hear any signals whatsoever. I checked my connections, and everything looked good. Checking my band conditions app, I saw there was a major geomagnetic storm in progress. So, I shut the radio down and hoped for better conditions the next day.

My slightly leaning vertical among the trees

On Saturday morning, I woke up to rain showers and unsettled geomagnetic conditions. I got on the radio while brewing some coffee on the stove. The site we were on had electric hookups, so the trailer’s 12 volt converter was generating a ton of noise on the bands. To get around the noise, I shut off the main breaker and ran the lights on the trailer’s battery. The bands were plagued with static from storms in the area, but I still managed 10 contacts on 40M. A few of them were challenging, to say the least.

The rainy weather put a damper on my plans for operating outdoors—and all of our outdoor plans for that matter. So, later that afternoon, we had to hunker down in the camper. The (far) better half read her book, while I gave the radio another try. This time around, the band conditions were a little better. I logged another 10 contacts on 20M, before stopping for dinner.

Our little camper during a brief dry period on Saturday

Just after midnight UTC, I gave 40M another go. Boy, were things different this time. I quickly made 16 contacts. Just for the heck of it, I dropped down to 80M and picked up one more before shutting down for the day.

We had some torrential downpours overnight. I know this because the heavy rain actually woke me up at 3am. Having tent camped for many years, I know what the nearby tent campers had probably experienced with this storm.

By Sunday morning, the rain tapered off to intermittent showers. We decided to head home early, so I got on the radio for a bit before packing up. I made a few more contacts before packing up the radio gear. I finished the weekend with ‌42 contacts (plus one dupe) including a bunch of park-to-park contacts.

It wasn’t the weekend we had hoped for, but we had still had a quiet, relaxing time. I hope all the dads out there had a great Father’s Day.

I’ll be spending some time in the coming weeks getting ready for Field Day (June 28-29). My current plan is to operate with the Boschveldt QRP Club (W3BQC). If you work us on CW, it will probably be me on the other end.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Puppy Sitting Again

I recently spent six days out in Central Pennsylvania on house- & puppy sitting duty again. I got to spend some quality time with my grand-dog, Belle, and got in some radio time, too.

PA State Game Land 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862)

My first radio outing was early on a Friday morning. Pennsylvania State Game Lands 246 is only about 10 minutes away, so it’s perfect for a quick activation. With an active geomagnetic field, the propagation didn’t look at all promising. I ignored all that and headed out the door. As I was leaving, Belle thought we were going for another walk. Needless to say, I had a very disappointed German shepherd at the window watching me leave.

The parking lot at SGL246 was empty when I got there. I set up my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil, along with my trusty Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW). I spent the whole activation—and it was a short one—on 40M.

My truck at PA State Game Lands 246 — State Game Lands 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862)

Given the band conditions and the early hour (around 0745 local) on a weekday, I got off to a slow start. My big issue was the local power line noise. Before I started, I tuned around 40M to find a frequency where the noise was lower. Despite the band conditions and noise, I seemed to be getting out well enough, and the received signals were fairly strong.

After 30 minutes on the air, I finished up with 14 contacts. I packed up my gear and headed back to take Belle for that walk. After that, I think she forgave me for leaving without her.

And Then the Rains Came

Bright and early Saturday morning, I took Belle through the basement to let her out in the backyard. I found myself splashing through puddles of water in the rec room, and the sump pump was running like crazy.

We had some severe thunderstorms the previous night, and according to the local news, we received close to two inches of rain overnight. So, much of the day was spent cleaning up and drying out instead of playing radio. Fortunately, my (far) better half drove out for the weekend and helped with the cleanup effort.

Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (US-4567)

When I woke up Sunday morning, I saw we were in the midst of a severe geomagnetic storm. Some hams on a local repeater were complaining about the poor conditions on the HF bands. So, what did I do? I headed out for an early morning QRP POTA activation.

For this water trail, I went to a public boat launch on the Susquehanna River. The river was still slightly flooded from the recent rainstorms, but the water hadn’t reached the parking lot.

Some minor flooding of the Susquehanna River — Some minor flooding on the Susquehanna River

Given the poor band conditions, I used my homebrew loading coil and a 17-foot whip instead of my usual 12-foot whip. I was hoping the additional five feet would help my 5 watt signal punch through the geomagnetic storm.

I also used my brand new Pocket Paddles from CWMorse. I neglected to order one with magnets, so I couldn’t attach it to my clipboard. However, I think I have a plan to address that as a future project. On the air, the Pocket Paddles performed flawlessly, and I’m looking forward to using them a lot more in the future.

After my third CQ call on 40M, I quickly logged my first two contacts. The contacts kept coming, but at a slow pace. After nine contacts, I thought that the tenth one might never come. Fortunately, it did. After 45 minutes, I ended up with 12 contacts, including one park-to-park. Not bad for a severe geomagnetic storm. I packed up and headed to a grocery store to pick up a few things for breakfast back at the house.

And Back to PA SGL246

On Monday morning I made another trip over to PA State Game Lands 246. There was a major geomagnetic storm in progress, so I knew this would be another challenging activation.

The parking lot was empty the whole time I was there. No big surprise, given that it was early on a weekday. I went with the same set-up as yesterday, opting for the 17-ft whip.

With a K Index of six and the usual power line noise, it was slow going on 40M. It took a few minutes of continuous CQing to log my first contact. It took almost 45 minutes to get seven in the log. At that point, things stalled for a bit. Around that time, I received a NOAA email alert saying the K Index had increased to seven.

I had allotted an hour for this activation, and I was getting close to the end. Then, out of nowhere, I had three callers in rapid succession that got me to 10 contacts. For good measure, there were three more after that.

I finished up with 13 in the log, with one known park-to-park contact. So, my little five-watt station managed to pull it off again. Take that, Mr. Sun!

And with that, I wrapped up my activations out here. Radio-wise, the band conditions were challenging, but it was still fun. I might be back in central Pennsylvania for another round of puppy sitting next month—with better band conditions, I hope!

72, Craig WB3GCK

Back in the Camper Again

Because of a couple of medical issues, our little travel trailer spent the last two camping seasons parked at a storage facility. With those issues resolved, my (far) better half and I spent some time last week getting the camper ready for a weekend of camping at French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355). I hadn’t been on HF much lately, so I was looking forward to getting in some operating time over the weekend.

After two years of storage, the camper needed some work to get back in shape for camping. After de-winterizing it and giving the inside a good cleaning, we deemed the camper fit for human habitation. There were a few additional maintenance items we planned to do while at the campground.

Our Viking 17FB camper at French Creek State Park — Our little home away from home is finally back on the road after a two-year hiatus.

We had some storms earlier in the day on Friday, but the rain stopped by the time we got to the campground. Given our long absence from camping, we were a little rusty getting the camper set up. After getting the camper squared away, I set up my antenna. I used my trusty 29.5-foot wire vertical with my homebrew weather-resistant 9:1 unun. A 31-foot Jackite pole supported the wire. I ran 35 feet of RG-8x coax over to the camper, where I set up my KX3. I did a quick test to make sure everything was working, but I didn’t start operating until early on Saturday morning.

The feedpoint of my antenna. the 29.5-foot vertical wire is fed through a weather-resistant 9:1 unun.

Radio-wise, it was a tough weekend for QRP. The geomagnetic field varied from unsettled to active on both Saturday and Sunday. I got on the radio around 1100 UTC (0700 local) on Saturday and it was tough going. It took about an hour to log my first 10 contacts, and some of those were a struggle. I encountered lots of weak signals that sometimes faded into the noise. Static from storms in the area made things even more difficult.

My KX3 setup inside the little camper. The coax is fed through a window to the right of the radio. — My KX3 setup inside the little camper. It’s not the most comfortable place to operate, but it works. The coax is fed through a window to the right of the radio.

I operated sporadically throughout the day on Saturday. The rest of the time was spent doing a little work on the camper and just relaxing. I ended up on Saturday with 24 QSOs.

I had another early session on Sunday while the coffee was percolating on the stove. Things were a bit better this time around. It only took about 30 minutes to make my first 10 contacts. I ended up with 11 contacts, all on 40M. Satisfied with that, I pulled the plug and set about making breakfast. After that, I started taking down the antenna and packing up the rig.

I finished up the weekend with 35 contacts, including 15 park-to-park contacts. No DX, but with the band conditions as they were, I was happy to be heard by anyone. Special thanks to W4SK in Tennessee who accounted for three of my contacts over the weekend.

After I uploaded my logs, I noticed two new POTA awards. One was for making 500 park-to-park contacts and another for making 100 early shift contacts as a hunter.

Even though we had some work to do on the camper, it was a nice, relaxing weekend. We’re planning to get the camper out more often this year. We’ll be back at French Creek State Park again next month. Hopefully, band conditions will be better next time.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Repeat Offender at US-4363

I was one activation away from the 20 needed for a POTA “Repeat Offender” award at Norristown Farm Park (US-4363, KFF-4363). After coming away empty-handed in my last attempt, I tried again this morning. This time I had a much better outcome.

Given the dismal weather forecast, I left my bike at home and operated instead from the shelter of my truck. I went with my go-to setup: Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and 12-foot whip with my homebrew loading coil.

The bands weren’t great, but I have seen worse conditions. There was a fair amount of fading with some static crashes from storms in the area. Despite those challenges, I made my first 10 contacts in about 15 minutes on 40M.

While I was on 40M, I heard Greg WA3GM activating US-1351 about 5 miles away. Greg was operating with the Pottstown Area Amateur Radio Club’s annual PAARC in the Park POTA event. Our park-to-park contact this morning was a repeat of one we made last year.

After operating for an hour, it started to drizzle, so I called it quits. My time on 40M, 30M, and 20M, produced 26 contacts, with two park-to-park contacts.

POTA Oasis Repeater Offender award for 20 activations at the same park

My timing was excellent, as I ran into a heavy downpour on my way home. In any event, I was happy to close the books on activation #20 at US-4363.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Skunked!

“Mama said there’d be days like this.” — The Shirelles

My week got off to a good start. I activated parks three days in a row with good success. With some nice Spring weather today, I thought I’d get the bike out for an activation. I drove out to Norristown Farm Park (US-4363, KFF-4363), since I’m one activation away from a Repeat Offender award there. My plan was to get in a bike ride, while completing my 20th activation.

Things didn’t go as well as I had hoped.

I last rode my bike there about eight years ago. A friend and I were doing some communications testing to prepare for a March of Dimes event. I rode all over the park with an HT, while my friend listened for me at the proposed Net Control location. I remembered seeing a picnic table just off the road, so I headed out in that direction. About a mile out, I found a covered picnic table. It wasn’t the one I remembered, but it seemed to be a better location.

The view from the covered picnic table I was using.

My setup was similar to the last time I used the bike. I mounted a Gabil GRA-7350TC vertical on my handlebars and used a 33-ft elevated radial. I easily adjusted the antenna for a 1.3:1 SWR on 40M. Then, I ran 20-ft of RG-316 over to the picnic table where I set up my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and Elecraft T1 tuner.

You have to look closely to see the Gabil GRA-7350TC on my handlebars.

The 40M band seemed a little weak. I heard very little activity, and my hits on the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) weren’t all that strong. After 10 minutes or or so of futile CQing, I reconfigured the radials and tuned up the antenna for 20M. This time I used three 17-ft radials.

Despite getting double-digit Signal-to-Noise readings on RBN, 20M wasn’t producing any takers. I tried calling a couple of activators, but I wasn’t getting through the pile-ups. I didn’t have much time this morning, so I gave up after 30 minutes with an empty log. After packing up my gear, I rode back to the parking lot.

This empty cage was located in the back of the clearing I was in. I have no idea what kind of critter it might have been used for. — This empty cage was located in the back of the clearing I was in. I have no idea why it was there or what kind of critter it might have been used for.

On the ride back, I tried to figure out what the problem was today. Was it propagation, my location, or was it just one of those days? Who knows?

Radio-wise, today was a bust. I did, however, get in a pleasant bike ride and a little exercise.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Dreary Morning in Valley Forge

My original plan was to do a bicycle-portable activation in Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761). Lousy weather and another commitment put those plans on hold. Instead, I did a short stationary-mobile activation there instead.

The two main picnic areas in Valley Forge opened for the season on April 1st, so I rolled into one of my favorite spots. Not surprisingly, I was the only one there. I don’t think that too many folks want to have a picnic at 0830 (local time) in the rain.

I set up my usual Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and 12-foot loaded whip and started out on 40M. The bands were recovering from some geomagnetic storming yesterday, but were still a little flakey. Contrary to propagation predictions, 40M turned out to be the most productive band for me today. The 20M band only produced two contacts, while 17M was a total bust today.

One of my hunters on 40M sent me his SKCC number. I always keep a straight key connected to the TR-35, so I easily completed an SKCC contact with him.

Part way through my activation, the rain started picking up. I headed around to the back of the truck to put a plastic bag on my homebrew loading coil.

My homebrew loading coil wrapped with a plastic bag for weather protection. — I had to break out the foul weather gear for my loading coil.

After 20 minutes of futile CQing on 17M, I decided to call it quits. I ended up with 18 contacts. No DX today, but there were two known park-to-park contacts.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to get the bike out sometime next week.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Wrapping Up March with an Activation

With rain in the forecast, I headed out to Norristown Farm Park (US-4363, KFF-4363) early on March 31st and conducted my activation under the shelter of a picnic pavilion. I used a jaw clamp to mount a 17-ft whip antenna to one of the picnic grills. So, I guess you could call this another “Grills on the Air” activation. With the lousy forecast and being a weekday to boot, I had the entire picnic area to myself.

After installing the antenna on the grill, I laid out three 17-foot radials. With this setup, I easily obtained a 1.4:1 SWR. I set up my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) at the closest picnic table. The 18-foot length of RG-8x I brought along was a tad short, so I had to suspend it off the ground. I placed my LiFePO4 battery on top of the coax to prevent my little Elecraft T1 tuner from being dragged off the table.

My setup at Norristown Farm Park (US-4363, KFF-4363). My coax was a bit short, so I used my battery to keep my Elecraft T1 tuner from being dragged off the table.

There was a bit of static from the storm moving in, but the signals on 20M were strong enough to overcome it. Despite being early on a weekday, I made my first 10 contacts in about 13 minutes. I continued on 20M until the pool of hunters dried up.

After about 30 minutes, I shortened the whip for 17M. I only got the SWR down to about 1.9:1, so I let the T1 do the heavy lifting. The 17M band was less productive, but I made eight more contacts before calling it quits. My last QSO of the morning was with the Slovak Republic on 17M.

There were five grills next to the pavilion I was using. Hmmm... Maybe some sort of vertical array in the future? — There were five grills next to the pavilion I was using. Hmmm… Maybe some sort of vertical array in the future?

After an hour on the air, I had logged 30 contacts with two park-to-park contacts. A few stations worked me on both bands. I also had three DX contacts: F1BLL, DL8NDG, and OM3CND.

It never rained during my activation, but that was fine with me. I had a nice dry outing to wrap up the month of March.

72, Craig WB3GCK

First Ride of the Year

It has been quite a while since I’ve done any bike-portable operating. Over the past couple of years, I’ve dealt with medical issues of one sort or another. This year, I’ve avoided any serious issues, so I dusted off the bike and went out for a ride. While I was out, I tested some new gear for the bike. (I purchased all of the products mentioned with my own money.)

Antenna Mount

I make no claims of originality for this setup. I first saw this antenna mount in a YouTube video by VA7BIX. So, I found one on eBay and fired off an order to give it a try.

The antenna mount in question is a Nagoya RB-46. I had been looking for a way to mount my Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna (or any antenna with a ⅜-24 mount) on my bike. Originally intended for mounting on a car’s roof rack, the RB-46 can be clamped to the handlebars on bikes. With the kickstand down, my bike leans a bit. Fortunately, I can the adjust the RB-46 in two directions, so the antenna stays vertical. It accommodates a standard SO-239 to ⅜-24 antenna stud mount, which I had on hand.

Installing the RB-46 is quick and easy—for normal people. My installation, however, required extra time for searching the garage floor for dropped nuts and washers. Hardware mishandling aside, I installed the mount on my handlebars and adjusted it so the antenna would be vertical with the bike’s kickstand down.

Nagoya RB-46 antenna mount attached to my handlebars with my Gabil GRA-7350TC installed.

I also had a protective cap for the SO-239 in my junk box, so I put it to use here. Just in case it rains while I’m riding, I carry a ⅜-24 bolt in my handlebar bag. I figure I could put that in the antenna mount to keep the rain out. That’s probably overkill, but that’s how I roll. (No pun intended.)

New Panniers

I really like the cheap set of pannier bags I have been using for more than a decade. Sadly, they were really showing their age and were being held together with liberal applications of duct tape. Figuring I had gotten my money’s worth out of the old bags, I ordered a set of Bushwhacker Moab pannier bags.

The new bags are slightly larger than my old ones, so there’s more than enough room to carry my radio gear. My Bushwhacker handlebar bag has been going strong for about 12 years, so I’m hoping my new panniers also have a long life.

Schuylkill River Trail

I’m fortunate to live near the Schuylkill River Trail, a beautiful multi-use trail that runs along—you guessed it—the Schuylkill River. Since I haven’t been on the bike in a while, I chose a section of the trail for a three-mile ride that leads to a quiet local park.

Before loading up my bike, I always check the tire pressure. This morning, the front tire had gone flat, despite having fully inflating it a couple days earlier. After installing a new tube, I was finally on my way. Then, as I was driving to the trailhead, it started raining. Geez, what else!? Thankfully, the rain stopped by the time I reached the trailhead.

I rode about three miles to Towpath park, a ride I’ve done many times in recent years. The ride was uneventful, and I was soon setting up the GRA-7350TC on my new antenna mount. I used two 17-foot radials laid out on the ground and 25 feet of RG-316 coax. It was easy to get a 1.3:1 SWR on 20M.

To see how it works, I set up my Penntek TR-35 on a nearby park bench. Tuning around I found some POTA activators to call. I ended up working three of them. It was fitting that one of my contacts was with Jim N4JAW. Jim is a bicycle/ham radio enthusiast I wrote about in a recent post. (Jim told me later that he was also bike-portable. You can read about his POTA activation operation and our QSO on his Ham on a Bike blog.)

Before tearing down, I checked the other bands with an antenna analyzer. I was able to get good matches on 30M through 12M. The 10M band was a little finicky. I didn’t use my longer radials, so I knew 40M would be tough.

Happy with the results, I loaded up the bike for the ride back to my truck.

Wrapping Up

I have a few takeaways from today’s ride:

The antenna mount worked great. However, using a PL-259 to BNC-F adapter on the antenna mount caused some clearance issues. It was a little tricky connecting the coax. I need to try using a right angle adapter next time.
The new panniers were easy to put on and take off the bike. Having a little extra room is a plus.
My short ride today was no Tour de France, but it reminded me how much I enjoy riding my bike. Yep. I definitely need to do more bike-portable outings this year.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Grills on the Air

I have been off the air for the past couple of weeks, so I set out to do something about that this morning. Taking advantage of some milder weather, I did some picnic-table-portable operating from Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351).

I set up at a picnic table along one of the park’s trails. Using a jaw clamp antenna mount, I mounted my Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna to a picnic grill. I started with two radials, but I had some trouble getting an acceptable match on 20M. After I added two more, I got the SWR down to 1.3:1. Since I was next to a trail, I had to keep the radials on one side of the antenna to avoid being a trip hazard. I set up my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and started calling CQ.

My Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna clamped to a grill

The band conditions were a little wonky, with an A Index of about 25 and an unsettled geomagnetic field. As a result, the contacts were coming in at a slower pace than usual. It took about 30 minutes to make my first 10 contacts.

Operating in Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351)

I called it quits after about 40 minutes. Band conditions notwithstanding, I logged 12 contacts, including two DX contacts (F1BLL, IW2BNA) and three park-to-park contacts.

As I was packing up, I ran into a bit of an issue with the Gabil antenna. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t unscrew the whip from the loading coil. As if that wasn’t enough, the sliding coil seemed to be stuck, too. I just put the whole antenna in the truck, so I could deal with it later.

When I got home, I took a closer look at the antenna. Using a pair of pliers I managed to remove the whip. I probably got carried away and over-tightened it when I put it together. I also got the sliding coil unstuck. My antenna is one of the early models where the adjustment scale is just a label that was stuck on. (On newer models, the scale is engraved.) The bottom of the label started peeling up and jammed the slider. A little surgery with a razor blade fixed that.

Even with my antenna issues, it was nice to get out for a little radio in the park.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Testing a Backup Rig

Whenever I go operate portable, I usually take my old YouKits HB-1B transceiver along as a backup. One thing I learned from back in my working days, is you need to test your backup equipment periodically to make sure it will actually work when you need it. It had been quite a while since I last used the HB-1B, so I put it to use today.

My destination today was Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414). I rolled into one of my favorite spots and set up my homebrew loading coil paired with a 17-foot telescopic whip. This combination covers the 40M, 30M, and 20M bands, perfect for the HB-1B. Along with the HB-1B, I used my Elecraft T1 tuner and my old NorCal keyer.

My YouKits HB-1B transceiver during an activation at Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) — My YouKits HB-1B in use at Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414)

The A Index was 32 when I started out on 40M. Despite the active geomagnetic field, my four-watt HB-1B still managed 10 contacts in about 16 minutes. The 30M band was a little better, but I made most of my contacts on 20M. The HB-1B only puts out a little over 3 watts on 20M, so I was pleased with that.

The (far) better half and I are puppy sitting one of our grand-dogs this weekend, and I received a text message that he was at the house waiting for me. He knows I’m the designated dog walker at our house, so I packed up to go spend some quality time with a furry buddy.

After operating for an hour, I logged 34 contacts. I didn’t have any DX contacts today, but four of my contacts were park-to-park.

I bought the HB-1B from Ten-Tec almost twelve years ago, and it has seen a lot of use in the field. Although it doesn’t see as much action as it used to, it proved once again it’s a capable little rig.

72, Craig WB3GCK