Because of the cold weather, I operated from the truck, using my KX3 (5 watts) and homebrew vertical. At 23F (-5C), my weather was nowhere near what folks up north were experiencing. Still, it was a little colder than I wanted to deal with today. The sun coming through the windshield kept my operating position around a comfortable 58F.
The WB3GCK “QRP-Mobile” at Ridley Creek State Park (K-1414}
After approximately 90 minutes, I had 31 stations in my log. Among those were two fellow Polar Bears, John VA3KOT and Jamie AA4K. Jamie was one of five park-to-park contacts I made today. I didn’t hear any FYBO stations. I spent most of my time calling, “CQ POTA.,” so I wasn’t really looking too hard.
Towards the end of my outing, I spent some time up on 15M. My 5-watt signal was getting some strong European hits on RBN, but I didn’t hear much activity on the band. I eventually had four contacts on 15M, including Belgium and Italy.
Starting tomorrow, we’ll be getting back to more moderate weather here in Pennsylvania. I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve been a little under the weather this week, but I managed to get out and make a some Winter Field Day contacts. I was on the air for a couple of hours each day, operating in the new “Mobile” category.
My location this year was on some land owned by my daughter and her husband. I operated from my truck on top of a hill, which has always been an excellent location for me. (Thanks to my son-in-law for clearing out the area for me.)
My Winter Field Day set up on Saturday
On Saturday, I operated during the first hour or so of the contest, using my KX3 and homebrew vertical. I spent all of my time on 40M, and the band was in great shape. I logged 23 CW contacts. Among those, were three SSB contacts I made for the extra multiplier. Winter Field Day is usually the only time I use a microphone on HF, so it always feels awkward for me.
I went back out there on Sunday morning, but this time things got off to a rough start. After I set up my antenna, I got in the truck to set up my KX3 only to find I left it at home. Fortunately, I had my TR-35 in the truck as a backup. (I guess I need to go back and read my old post on checklists.) There was also a protracted search for an adapter I dropped. Eventually, I got my act together and got on the air.
The Rybakov vertical I used on Sunday
The setup this time out was my TR-35, Elecraft T1 ATU, and a Rybakov vertical. The antenna was simply a 25-foot (7.6M) vertical wire fed through a 4:1 unun that I built recently. I used another 25-foot (7.6M) wire on the ground for a radial. Since I only worked 40M the day before, I planned to concentrate on 20M, 15M, and 10M. With the TR-35, however, 20M was as high as I could go for Winter Field Day.
The 4:1 unun used with the Rybakov vertical
Most of my contacts this time around were on 20M. The band was in good shape, and the Rybakov vertical performed well for me. I was able to work just about every station I could hear including a couple of west coast stations.
I ended the weekend with a total of 46 WFD contacts in 25 sections. While I never set any records, WFD is always one of my favorite events.
I took advantage of the decent weather yesterday and went for a bike ride along the Schuylkill River Trail and the Perkiomen Trail. Along the way, I stopped in a local park to make a few contacts in the Straight Key Century Club’s Weekend Sprintathon (WES) contest.
When I arrived at the trailhead, it was nearly full. Fortunately, I grabbed one of the last remaining parking spaces. After loading up my radio gear, I hopped on the bike and took off down the trail. As the trailhead parking situation would suggest, the trail was getting lots of use from walkers and cyclists.
WB3GCK taking a radio break along the Perkiomen Trail
I didn’t hear much contest activity, but I seemed to have a pipeline to Prince Edward Island in Canada. I made SKCC contacts with the special event station, VC3Y/VY2, on both 40M and 20M. I also worked VA3DXQ/VY2 who was doing a POTA activation. KS9KCC was booming in from Indiana, but they didn’t seem to hear my five-watt signal. (Later in the day, I logged KS9KCC from home on 40M.) After making seven contacts, I packed up and continued on my ride.
My homebrew 19-foot vertical and ground mount
It’s a good thing I went for my ride yesterday. The weather today is raining and dismal.
Also, on the 21st anniversary of the 9/11, please take time to remember those lost in that tragedy.
After a long drive home from North Carolina yesterday, we were still unpacking from our vacation and getting caught up on things today. I couldn’t pass up the annual Skeeter Hunt QRP contest, so I snuck out to make a few contacts. Besides, I was issued a single-digit skeeter number (#7) this year, so I couldn’t let that go to waste.
I drove a few miles over to Valley Forge National Historical Park, hoping to catch enough skeeters for a valid POTA activation (K-0761). The area I was in was busy with folks enjoying their picnics, so I parked my truck well away from them.
I didn’t plan to stay long, so I operated from the truck. I used my Penntek TR-35 and my trusty homebrew vertical. That turned out to be a wise move, since the truck provided some shade and an occasional cross-breeze through the windows.
Yours truly operating in the 2022 Skeeter Hunt QRP contest
When I turned on the rig, the 40M band was buzzing with QRP skeeters, and I made most of my contacts there. Conditions, at times, seemed pretty good; I worked stations in WI, MO, and GA on 40M from here in southeastern PA. After running out of new ones on 40M, I moved up to 20M and picked up a few there.
At the end of my 1.5 hour session, I had worked 16 skeeters, one non-skeeter QRPer. There were other skeeters operating from POTA entities; I had at least four park-to-park contacts I know of.
The Skeeter Hunt is always a good time. I’m glad I could take part, even if just for a part of the contest. A big shout-out to Larry W2LJ for organizing this fun event.
I finally had my knee replacement surgery a couple of weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been singularly focused on recovery and physical therapy. As a result, I haven’t been on HF since before my surgery. This weekend, however, I finally ventured down into the basement where my HF gear resides.
The Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) Weekend Sprintathon (WES) was running this weekend, so I grabbed hold of my trusty J-38 key and got on the air. Band conditions weren’t all that great, but I made a handful of contacts during a few brief sessions on the radio.
My trusty J-38 straight key
For those who have inquired, the new knee is getting a little better each day. I still have a month of physical therapy ahead of me, and it’ll probably be a few weeks before I’m able to drive again.
I miss going out portable, but in the near-term, I’ll be on the air from home from time to time.
This weekend was the monthly running of the Straight Key Century Club’s (SKCC) Weekend Sprintathon (WES) contest. I took part in this month’s contest from two state parks, combining both the WES and Parks on the Air (POTA).
Marsh Creek State Park (POTA K-1380, WWFF KFF-1380)
I went to Marsh Creek State Park on Saturday. It had been about six months since I last activated Marsh Creek. Today, I had two goals in mind. First, since the World-Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF) program requires 44 QSOs to qualify an activation, I needed 19 more contacts from this park. Second, I needed 4 more qualifying SKCC contacts to achieve the Senator x2 level.
The view of the lake at Marsh Creek State Park from my “shack”
I started on 40M and picked up 17 QSOs. When things started thinning out, I moved up to 20M, but my 5-watt signal wasn’t being heard by anyone. I checked the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) and found that I wasn’t getting a single spot on this band. With no luck on 20M, I went back to 40M. I couldn’t get the SWR below 3:1, and that was highly unusual. Time for some troubleshooting.
Although the temperature today was moderate for Pennsylvania at this time of year, it was cloudy and very windy. My 19-foot vertical had been whipping around with the wind gusts. The wind had moved the antenna around enough to disconnect the ground connection to the body of the truck. After I remedied that issue, I went back and logged a few more on 40M. My last QSO was with F6HKA on 20M.
My session ended with 18 contest contacts and 2 POTA park-to-park contacts. Although I had enough to meet my WWFF goal, I fell short of my SKCC goal. I still needed one more qualifying contact for the Senator x2 level. I picked up that last elusive contact after I got home.
Ridley Creek State Park (POTA K-1414, WWFF KFF-1414)
This morning (Sunday), I drove down to Ridley Creek State Park to work a few more SKCC stations. The weather was different this time out. The temperature had dropped to 32°F, and there was a couple of inches of snow on the ground. Fortunately, there wasn’t much of it sticking to the roads.
My parking spot at Ridley Creek State Park. There was a huge change in the weather from the day before.
I drove to a picnic area on the top of a hill and got the antenna and radio set up. There weren’t as many WES stations as yesterday. As I was operating, the snow started coming down steadily. I had to get out a few times to clear the snow off the exposed connections on my antenna matching box.
I didn’t stay too long today, but I made 14 WES contacts, plus one POTA park-to-park contact. Among those contacts were W7GB in Washington State on 20M and F6EJN in France on 15M.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad weekend. My SKCC WES score won’t set any records, but I always have fun participating in this contest.
Thanks to a snowstorm and some personal matters, my Winter Field Day effort was limited this year. The snow didn’t stop until midday Saturday, so I waited until Sunday morning to get out and make some contacts. Wanting to stay close to home, I drove over to Black Rock Sanctuary, a county park about 15 minutes away.
When I arrived at the park, the County had done an excellent job of plowing the parking lot. It was no surprise that I was the only one there. The temperature was 17° F (-8° C) with a windchill of 7° F (-14° C), so I raced to set up my vertical on the back of the truck to avoid numb fingers. Fortunately, the sun shining through the truck’s windows helped to warm up my operating position.
My mobile QRP shack at Black Rock Sanctuary for Winter Field Day 2022
I spent about 45 minutes on 40M CW, doing all “search and pounce”. Normally, there isn’t much noise at this location. Today, however, the noise on 40M was S4-S5 at times. The 20M band was much quieter, so I spent the rest of my time there. Before packing up, I plugged in my microphone and made a couple of SSB contacts.
I was on the air for just under 2 hours, using the exchange: 1O EPA. In the end, I had 30 contacts in the log. The best “DX” today was California.
I was glad I could take part again this year, if even for a short time.
If you have ever taken part in a QRP field contest, you have undoubtedly heard Rick NK9G’s big signal coming out of Wisconsin. Rick produced a great video on the 2021 Skeeter Hunt QRP contest to mark the 10th running of this annual event.
Rick’s video shows the equipment and planning that goes into producing that loud signal from the field. The video also includes a picture of yours truly (at the 1:42 mark) operating from the Outer Banks of North Carolina for last year’s Skeeter Hunt.
The Skeeter Hunt is one of my favorite events, and I look forward to it every year. If you haven’t yet operated in a Skeeter Hunt, jump on in and join the fun.
The Boschveldt QRP Club has a long-standing tradition of getting together each January for a winter get-together. For years, we rented a cabin at the Mohican Outdoor Center in northern New Jersey. This time we tried a different location: the Daniel Boone Homestead in southeastern Pennsylvania. We weren’t able to make this trip last year, because of the pandemic, so we were all excited to try this new (to us) location.
This site in Berks County, Pennsylvania, is the birthplace of Daniel Boone, the legendary American frontiersman. The Wayside Lodge is one of several buildings on this 579 acre historic site. Our intrepid band of QRPers rented the lodge for the weekend to use as our base of operations.
During the wee hours on Friday, Mother Nature provide some wintertime ambiance for the weekend. She replaced the moderate temperatures we have been having with temperatures near freezing and a few inches of snow. It was enough snow to make everything look nice, but not so much to complicate my drive later in the day.
I arrived at the lodge mid-afternoon on Friday. Wayside Lodge is a large, rustic log cabin. There are two separate bunking areas and a large “great room” between the two. Despite its rustic nature, it has some modern amenities. There’s a small kitchen with a refrigerator and stove, and there are three bathrooms.
The Wayside Lodge at the Daniel Boone Homestead
A few Boschveldt members arrived the day before, and there were radios and antennas up and running when I got there. The attendees this year included Ed K3YTR, John NU3E, Walt KB3SBC, Ed K3BVQ, Rob KE3TI, and me. After settling in and catching up with old friends, we enjoyed a lasagne dinner courtesy of Ed K3YTR. Walt brought a projector and screen, so we had some movies for entertainment.
It quickly became apparent that we were in for a cold weekend. On Friday night, my thermometer showed that the great room was around 45° F (7° C). There was some heat in the bunk rooms, but it was only about 55° F (13° C) where I was staying. A fireplace provided some warmth in the great room, and we went through quite a bit of firewood over the weekend.
Walt KB3SBC stoking the fireplace
John set up his 20M QRP rig in one of the bunk rooms and ran his end-fed half wave wire out to a tree behind the lodge. Ed K3BVQ ran a 40M half wave wire up and over some beams in the great room. The far end of his antenna ended in one of the bunk rooms. His unusual antenna configuration worked great for him with his QRP rig.
Walt brought his military shelter trailer and parked it in the parking lot near the lodge. This little trailer contains a complete ham shack—with heat—and room for sleeping. He was on the air from there hunting some Parks on the Air (POTA) stations.
The KB3SBC shelter
Saturday morning, the temperature in the great room was only 35° F (1.7° C). Stoking the fire, along with plenty of hot coffee (courtesy of Walt), helped warm things up. We also had an outstanding French toast breakfast, courtesy of Rob.
Later on Saturday, I drove to a picnic area about a mile away from the lodge. I wanted to take part in the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) Weekend Sprintathon (WES) contest, while avoiding interference to the other stations back at the lodge. Operating from my truck, I made 20 contacts, including two K3Y stations. I also contacted K3BVQ back in the lodge.
WB3GCK at the North Picnic Area at the Daniel Boone Homestead
Bill KA3RMM and Chris W3CJW stopped by to visit on Saturday. Chris was kind enough to drop off a load of firewood for us. We certainly appreciated that!
Saturday night, five of us went out for dinner—and some warmth—at a local restaurant. After dinner, we went back to the lodge to watch another movie before turning in for the night.
John’s Belgian waffles have become a Sunday morning tradition at our winter outings. As always, John didn’t disappoint. The waffles were incredible.
We spent the rest of the morning packing up and cleaning up the cabin. Before heading out, we posed for a group picture.
Boschveldt QRP Club members at the Wayside Lodge. L-R standing: KE3TI, NU3E, WB3GCK, K3YTR, KB3SBC. Seated: K3BVQ.
Despite the cold temperatures, it was a fun weekend. We’re already planning to return to the Daniel Boone Homestead next year. It’s always great to spend time with some old friends and get on the air with our radios.
Last night was the annual running—or shuffling, I should say—of the Zombie Shuffle QRP contest. Organized by Paul NA5N, it’s a silly little sprint that I look forward to each year.
As in recent years, I had to take part in the contest from home. This puts me at a distinct disadvantage; running 5 watts into my rainspout with S5 noise levels can be challenging. Undeterred, I jumped right into the fray. This year’s rules allowed you to use any spooky name of your choosing. I went with Bones.
The 40M band was very productive, netting me seven zombies before I had to take a break for dinner. I never heard much on 20M, but that isn’t the strongest band for my makeshift antenna.
When I got back on after dark, activity was sparse on 40M, producing only three more contacts. I dropped down to 80M and picked up four more before calling it quits.
I ended up with 14 contacts, none of which were bonus stations. Thanks to those who hung in there as I asked for multiple repeats. My apologies to the one or two stations I couldn’t pull out of the noise.
If you’re looking for a fun, low-key contest, give the Zombie Shuffle a try next year.
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 