Sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. I have proven that many times over the years. My activation this morning was another example.
I drove up to Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351) this morning for an early morning activation. My original plan was to operate from a picnic table in a wooded area, but heavily overcast skies prompted my decision to operate under a picnic pavilion.
My antenna of choice was going to be the “Gabil on a Table” configuration I used recently. I looked up at the ceiling of the pavilion and assumed there was enough headroom for the Gabil vertical on a table. Well, it did—until I slid the coil up to tune up on 40M. Doh! I probably could have used the vertical on 20M if I collapsed the radiator a little. Given the early hour, however, I really wanted to get on 40M. So, I took down the Gabil and packed it away.
Fortunately, with the KH1, there are always other options. I opted to operate the KH1 in tabletop mode with the whip, a right-angle adapter, and AXE extender coil. I had everything I needed in my KH1 box. No need to walk back to the truck to get stuff. Within minutes, I was up and running on 40M.
My KH1 set up for 40M at US-1351
This configuration on 40M never ceases to amaze me. Within 10 minutes, I had my first 10 contacts. Not too shabby for a 45-inch whip and a huge loading coil. After making 20 contacts, the action slowed considerably. I logged a few more contacts on 40M before changing bands.
I could have moved up to 20M, but I didn’t feel like changing the antenna and counterpoise wire. Instead, I went to 30M. That band always works fine with the same configuration I use for 40M. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much activity on 30M (except for a station that started calling CQ on top of me). After spending some time fruitlessly calling CQ with no takers, I called it quits.
After about 45 minutes on the air, I had logged 25 contacts—all of them on 40M. I also picked up three park-to-park QSOs. My best “DX” this morning was out to Missouri.
My (far) better half and I spent most of the week in central Pennsylvania helping a family member recovering from surgery. Although the mornings focused on getting the grandkids off to school and making sure the grand-dog got walked, I squeezed in a couple of short activations.
Not sure how much radio time (if any) I would have this week, I packed light. I only brought my Elecraft KH1 and some antennas that I usually keep in the truck.
Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (US-4567)
On our second day in central PA, I had to drop my granddaughter off at her friend’s house to catch the school bus. Since I was only about five miles away from a boat launch on the Susquehanna River in northern Lancaster County, I drove over there for a short activation of US-4567.
Early morning view of the Susquehanna River
Except for a few early morning cyclists, the place was empty. I parked my truck in a spot that’s within 100 feet of the river and got set up. I didn’t have much time, so I stayed in the truck and used a 17-foot whip and my homebrew loading coil. Up in the cab, I used the KH1 and my CWMouse paddles.
KH1 and CWMouse paddles. This was the same setup I used for both activations this week.
The A Index was a whopping 29, so I wasn’t expecting great results. As is often the case, Mother Nature fooled me. The 40M band seemed really hot; I made my first ten contacts in about nine minutes. The KH1 was putting out a whopping 3.5 watts.
Towards the end of my activation, I noticed that the Reverse Beacon Network and other POTA spotters were showing my frequency 500 kHz higher than my dial frequency. Although I had the KH1’s filter on the narrowest setting, it sounded very broad to me. Doing some poking around the menus, I found the problem. Somehow the mode had changed to USB. Most likely, it resulted from some fat-fingering on my part. Doh! A quick button press or two and all was right with the world. Actually, I made most of my contacts with the mode set to USB instead of CW, so it wasn’t the worst mistake I could have made.
I wrapped things up after 30 minutes on the air, with 20 QSOs in the log (including two dupes). All of my contacts were on 40M. Although 40M seemed long (with several Michigan and Missouri stations), I had a park-to-park contact with my friend N3CU. Ken was activating a park towards the southern end of the county. A park-to-park QSO with KB1SF in Michigan turned out to be park number 1,000 for me as a hunter. It was a fun activation, but I needed to get back to the house.
PA State Game Lands 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862)
The next morning was pretty much the same situation, but this time I activated some nearby state game lands. Although this location is only about 10 minutes away from where I was staying, it had been more than a year since my last activation there. I was long-overdue for a visit.
I used the same setup as the day before, but this time making sure the KH1 was actually in CW mode. Like the previous day, the 40M band was very active early in the morning. This time it only took about seven minutes to log my first 10 contacts, and they rolled in steadily after that.
I finished up with 31 contacts—one was a dupe—in just over 30 minutes of operating. Again, all of my contacts were on 40M. I would have tried other bands, but the hunters kept me busy on 40M. Satisfied with the contacts I made, I headed back to the house for breakfast with the rest of the family.
Stationary-mobile at PA State Game Lands 246
I’ve come to the conclusion that the KH1 really plays well with the 17-foot base-loaded vertical mounted on the back of the truck. Putting out around 3.5 to 4 watts, the little KH1 was really getting out. Thanks to all the early-rising hunters out there for a couple of fun activations this week.
Last year, I purchased the CWMouse paddles from KN6FQM, and they have seen some heavy use in the field. They have become my go-to paddles for portable use. Starting in 2026, Mike made an improvement in the material he uses for 3D printing, so I added a second set of CWMouse paddles to my arsenal.
You can get the details on the CWMouse paddles from the website, so I won’t repeat them here. However, they are 3D printed and use microswitches for the contacts. There are no adjustments for paddle tension or throw, but they have a great feel just as they are. If that’s not enough, priced at $39.00 USD (plus shipping and handling), they are extremely affordable.
The CWMouse paddles attached to my clipboard
Prior to 2026, Mike printed them with PLA plastic. According to the website, PLA is susceptible to softening and deforming when stored at temperatures above 100F. This hasn’t been an issue for me, but I have been careful about how I store them during the warmer months.
Starting in 2026, Mike prints the CWMouse components with PETG, a more temperature-resistant material. That sounded good to me, so I fired off an order for another set of paddles. To tell the two paddles apart, I had my callsign added to the new ones.
The new paddles arrived just in time for my vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As of the time of this post, Mike doesn’t offer a magnetic option for mounting. No problem. I just glued some magnets on the bottom, so I could attach the paddles to the steel strips on my clipboard.
The assortment of magnets I glued to the bottom of my CWMouse paddles
I used the new paddles all week on the Outer Banks, during the recent Skeeter Hunt QRP contest, and a couple of POTA activations. As with the older paddles, they performed flawlessly and had a great feel. The CWMouse paddles have a light touch, which is my preference.
If you are in the market for great paddles at an affordable price, take a look at the CWMouse paddles.
I should also note that I have no financial interest in this product; I purchased my paddles with my own funds. If you haven’t been able to tell, I’m just a satisfied customer.
I arrived home the night before from a week-long vacation in North Carolina and still had some unpacking to do and things to catch up on. Still, I wanted to take part in the Skeeter Hunt QRP contest, which is something I look forward to each year. Despite the weather forecast for heavy rain, I got on the air for the first one and a half hours of the contest.
I drove over to Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761), hoping to make enough Skeeter Hunt contacts to complete a POTA activation at the same time. Since I was focusing on contest contacts, I didn’t bother to spot myself on the POTA and WWFF sites.
It was drizzling when I got to the park, so I operated from the truck. Equipment-wise, I used my trusty Penntek TR-35 transceiver, along with a 17-foot whip and my homebrew loading coil. I started out on 40M, and it sure was rough going, producing only three contest contacts. I probably spent too much time on that band. Eventually, I gave up on 40M and moved up to 20M. The skeeters were more plentiful up there.
My rig inside the truck
The rain was starting to come down heavier, and I still had some errands to run, so I packed it in. After about 90 minutes, I ended up with 13 skeeters and a couple of non-skeeters in the log.
Hunkered down in the truck, wearing my official Skeeter Hunt t-shirt
As I was leaving the park, the skies opened up, and a torrential rain ensued. My timing couldn’t have been better. Despite all the rain, it was a good time. I would have liked to stay longer, but I had things to do and places to be.
Many thanks to Larry W2LJ and the NJQRP club for organizing this fun event. I’m already looking forward to next year.
My (far) better half and I traveled to the Outer Banks of North Carolina last week for our annual family vacation. As we have done for the better part of 30 years, we rented a house on Currituck Sound and spent the week with our two daughters and their families. Although ham radio didn’t figure prominently on this vacation, I got on the air and made a few QSOs each day.
After the long drive from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, we unloaded three vehicles and got everything situated for the week ahead. I was assigned the task of grilling hotdogs and burgers for dinner, and getting everyone fed was the top priority. After that, I finally had some time to unpack some of my radio gear. We rented the same house we were in last year, so I knew exactly how I was going to set up.
I went with the same antenna I used last year: a 35-ft end-fed wire sloping down from a third-floor deck to a fence in the pool area. To feed the wire, I used my weather-resistant 9:1 unun and ran 25 feet of RG-316 coax into a screened-in section of the deck. While it’s not the greatest antenna in the world, it works reasonably well, sets up in minutes; and is nearly invisible. Given the development the rental house is in, the stealthiness is a big plus.
The feedpoint for my 35-foot end-fed wire. The far end of the antenna is attached to the fence below.
I didn’t get on the air until the next day. Again, my rig was identical to last year. I used my KX3 with a common-mode choke on the antenna input. I kept everything on a plastic tray, so I could move the station in and out of the screened-in porch.
My KX3 setup for some early morning operating
The monthly SKCC Weekend Sprintathon was on, so I caught a bit of that. This month’s theme was homebrew keys, so I had packed an old straight key I built from an assortment of junk box parts.
My old homebrew straight key built from an assortment of junk box parts
When I fired up the KX3, I encountered some local noise, but it didn’t seem as bad as I remembered from last year. I did a quick check and noted that the KX3 loaded up the antenna on every band from 80M through 10M. With an A Index of 27, the band conditions weren’t all that great. Regardless, I worked some SKCC stations and the occasional POTA activator.
It was very hot and humid, so I operated in three short shifts. Towards midday, I started to lose my shade. When that happened, I called it quits. I had 11 WES contacts, including one bonus contact with the club station KS1KCC. I also hunted four POTA activators. After that, I brought the rig inside and went out to spend the afternoon in the pool.
For the rest of the week, I operated on and off from the screened-in porch with the KX3. I limited my operating time to the morning hours while I had shade. I didn’t do any POTA activations this year. Mostly, I tuned around the bands, working whatever stations I could hear. The rest of the day was devoted to typical beach vacation activities.
One morning, I took the KH1 out to the dock for some POTA hunting. The dock is at the end of a 100-yard wooden walkway out on Currituck Sound. I parked myself on a bench and ran the counterpoise wire back down the walkway. I don’t know if being surrounded by water was the reason, but some of the activators were really booming in. I was able to get them on the first call.
Operating the KH1 from the private dock on Currituck Sound
Mid-week, a UFI (unidentified flying insect) stung me on the finger while I was in the pool. In the aftermath of the vicious and unprovoked—and perhaps exaggerated—attack, my finger was a little swollen. Thankfully, it didn’t impede my ability to send CW.
Grand-dog, Belle, enjoying her first trip to the Outer Banks
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, our week was over. On our last day, I made a few more contacts from the house before taking down the antenna and packing up the radio gear. I ended the week with about 47 contacts, mostly with POTA activators. Among those contacts were eight with KG1A at US-6305 in Florida. I worked him at least once each day I was on the air. Hunting with QRP, a funky antenna, and lots of residential noise is more challenging than activating, but it was still fun.
I had a great time spending the week with my daughters, sons-in-law, grandkids, and the grand-dog. Of course, getting in a little ham radio time with some beautiful scenery wasn’t bad, either.
Angry-looking clouds. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions. That sounds like a good time to go activate a park with a compromised antenna. So that’s what I did. When you get the opportunity to go play radio in a park, you just have to go for it.
Early on a Monday morning, I made a trip up to Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351). We had some storms overnight, and there were some lingering dark clouds around. So, I hunkered down under a picnic pavilion. I didn’t have much time, so I went with the Elecraft KH1 and its internal whip. Along with the whip, I used a Tufteln 90-degree adapter. For keying, I used my trusty CWMouse paddles on my clipboard.
Picnic Table-portable with the KH1 at Evansburg State Park
I installed the AXE1 extender coil for 40M and got started. The noise floor was very low, but I had to endure the occasional loud static crashes from storms in the area. Despite the unsettled geomagnetic field, the first five QSOs came quickly. After working a couple more, I gave 30M a try and logged three more.
With 10 contacts in the log, I removed the AXE1 and moved up to 20M. There was a bit more activity up there, and I made nine more contacts in short order. I shut down after an hour on the air with 19 contacts. That included four park-to-park contacts.
There are far better antennas than the KH1’s 45-inch whip, but probably none faster to deploy. Not to mention the huge fun factor in making contacts with such a diminutive antenna.
Once again, I was out in central Pennsylvania for a week. My daughter’s family traveled out of state for my grandson’s hockey tournament. While they were gone, I looked after my grand-dog, Belle, and took care of the house. I spent much of my time walking Belle and taking her on trips to a local park, but I still carved out a little time for ham radio.
Since my grand-dog, Belle, has some separation anxiety when her entire “pack” has to leave her behind, I try not to leave her alone for long. So, instead of activating some of the local parks, I set up an antenna in the backyard for some casual operating.
Using the 35-foot wire I tried out recently, I threw together a wacky but serviceable antenna. From the chair I was operating from, I tossed the wire up over my grandson’s basketball net and ran it over to a 20-foot pole.
My thrown-together antenna. A 35-foot wire runs from the chair, over the basketball net, and up to the 20-foot pole in the background.
I handheld my KH1 and used my K6ARK pressure paddles for keying. Admittedly, I was a little out of practice using those touch paddles, so it took a couple of contacts to get used to them. My apologies to the stations that had to endure my early attempts using them.
Operating my handheld KH1
As I had hoped, the KH1 found a decent match on each of its five bands. That was the good news. The bad news is that my daughter’s yard is in a low spot and tends to be a little noisy at times. Despite those challenges, I easily worked three POTA activators on 20M during the first of several backyard sessions during the week.
Most days, I took the KH1 out in the backyard for a little airtime in the morning and again in the afternoon. My grand-dog accompanied me, but she preferred to spend her time sunning herself and rolling in the grass. I mostly hunted POTA stations and worked some Alabama QSO Party stations. I also heard the occasional SKCC member, but I wasn’t set up for using a straight key. Most of these sessions were short and ended when Belle decided I needed to pay more attention to her.
Flight of the Bumblebees (FOBB)
As the saying goes, it was déjà vu all over again. I was also out at my daughter’s house for last year’s ill-fated Flight of the Bumblebees contest. After blowing the finals in my (then) brand new KH1, I was hoping for redemption.
For the FOBB, I used my trusty clipboard and CWMouse paddles. This made for easier logging during the contest. I also eliminated the basketball net and sloped the antenna wire up directly to the 20-foot pole.
My setup during the Flight of the Bumblebee (FOBB) contest
Belle and I headed out to the backyard a few minutes after the contest started, and Bumblebee #37 took flight. I started out on 40M and quickly logged my first contact. The local noise was present, but stations were still getting through. Based on the signal reports I received, I was getting out better than I could hear. After an hour, Belle decided it was time to go in. So, with 11 contacts in the log, I went back inside and took a break.
I eventually headed back out for about 30 minutes towards the end of the contest. The conditions seemed better this time around, and I picked up seven more contacts. When I ran out of FOBB stations to work, I called it quits with 18 contacts in the log. Seventeen of those were bumblebees. That was a far better finish than the solitary contact I made last year—and I didn’t blow any finals this time.
Given my surroundings and local noise, I think the 35-foot wire antenna did reasonably well for me this week. My particular configuration was no DX killer; my contacts were mostly in nearby states. My most distant contacts were on 20M during FOBB: Mississippi to the south and Missouri to the west.
Although there was nothing particularly exciting about my backyard-portable operation, I still had a fun week spending some quality time with my grand-dog and getting on the radio now and then.
When I tested a 35-foot non-resonant wire with my KH1 last week, I was pleased with the results. Continuing with that theme, I thought I’d try a 29-foot wire, another popular non-resonant length.
I drove back to Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761) and re-created the setup I used last time. To support the wire, I again used my homebrew drive-on mount to support a partially extended 31-foot Jackite pole. I’m guessing the pole was up about 27 feet, give or take. I set up my camp chair nearby and ran the wire over to the KH1. Starting off, I used a 17-foot counterpoise wire.
First, I checked to see what kind of match the KH1 would find on its five bands. The SWR was very low on all bands except for 20M, where the best the KH1 would do was around 2.4:1.
I started my activation on 40M, and the wire seemed to get out pretty well. Although the band was noisy with static crashes, I made my first ten contacts in about 11 minutes. I eventually moved up to 30M, but I only had one hunter there.
At that point, I took a break to experiment with counterpoise wires. I tried both 29-foot and 13-foot counterpoise wires, but neither of them improved the match on 20M. I also tried repositioning the counterpoise with no luck.
I left the 13-foot counterpoise wire attached and went back to 40M. I made an additional handful of contacts on 40M before trying 17M. On 17M, I picked up three more before calling it quits.
Admittedly, I had high hopes for the 29-foot wire. I’ve used that length a bunch of times, although usually with a 9:1 unun and rigs with more robust tuners. In any event, it worked well on bands other than 20M. I managed 26 contacts in a little more than an hour.
On the drive home, I thought about some ways to improve the match on 20M. I’m not sure any of them are really worth the effort, though. For now, I’ll just stick with 35-ft when I use a random wire with the KH1.
I headed back to Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761) to try out an antenna configuration I didn’t get to during my last visit. I was eager to see how well my Elecraft KH1’s internal ATU would match it.
The antenna in question is just a 35-foot wire with a 17-foot counterpoise. There’s nothing novel about this configuration, as it’s a popular choice for the Elecraft KH1. Since I bought the KH1 last summer, I had never tried directly feeding a random wire. Since I already had the 35-foot wire I used in North Carolina last year, I gave it a go this morning.
To support the 35-foot wire, I used a 31-foot Jackite pole on my homebrew drive-on mount. I sloped the wire down to my camp chair. I laid out the counterpoise wire in the grass and used a binding post to a BNC adapter to connect both wires to the KH1. To hold the KH1, I used a kneeboard from Tufteln strapped to my leg. I used my CWMouse paddles for sending.
My Elecraft KH1 on a kneeboard
Before starting my activation, I tried the KH1 on each of its five bands. The KH1 found a 1:1 match on both 40M and 30M. The 20M band gave the highest SWR at 1.6:1; however, the KH1 was putting out a full five watts on that band. On both 17M and 15M, the SWR was a respectable 1.3:1.
My 31-foot Jackit pole on a homebrew drive-on mount
Satisfied that the KH1 was happy with this antenna configuration, I got underway on 40M. The wire seemed to get ust fine, but it’s hard to judge an antenna’s performance on the air. There are just too many variables in play. Anyway, I made contacts all up and down the East Coast and out to the mid-west. I ended up making contacts on 40M, 30M, and 20M. It was a bit too early in the morning for 17M and 15M.
After an hour and 10 minutes, I wrapped up with 25 contacts in my log with nine park-to-park contacts. Not too bad for early on a Monday morning, I suppose.
Overall, I was very happy with the 35-foot wire with the KH1. I think it might be a permanent addition to my backpack. It certainly doesn’t take up much room. I’ll probably be using it for the upcoming Flight of the Bumblebees contest.
The weather has really put a damper on this holiday weekend. Today was no exception. Nevertheless, I had a successful early-morning activation at French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355).
I got off to an early start and headed up to the Hopewell Lake boat launch area in the park. The picnic area was devoid of picnickers, as one would expect early in the morning with periods of drizzle. So, I hunkered down in the truck with my usual Penntek TR-35 (5W, CW) and 12-foot loaded whip setup.
My location overlooking an empty picnic area
I also brought along a new 20Ah LiFePO4 battery I just bought. That battery was serious overkill for the little TR-35. It probably could have powered that rig for a week, but I wanted to give it a little test. I plan to use it for Field Day next month.
The gray box on the floor houses my 20Ah LiFePO4 battery. My activation barely put a dent in its capacity.
The hunters were also up early and raring to go. I had a steady stream of calls on 40M for about 40 minutes. When things slowed down, I spent the rest of my time on 20M. The 20M band did pretty well for that early hour. I didn’t work any DX today, but once again W6LEN made it into my log from California. Jess has great ears!
Hopewell Lake on a dreary morning
After about an hour and 20 minutes, the rain picked up a bit, so I started packing up. I ended up with 52 contacts, including a handful of park-to-park contacts. This was a vast improvement over my last visit to French Creek.
On this Memorial Day, please take a little time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
