portable – Page 26 – WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio

QRP Joy on Mount Misery

I can’t believe it– three decent weekends in a row. Thanks to El Niño, we’re headed for record temperatures this weekend. I definitely needed to take advantage of these mild temperatures. So, I drove down to Valley Forge National Historic Park to do some portable operating. I had planned to operate from Mount Misery (aka Valley Forge Mountain) for a while but never got around to it.

Following some directions that my friend, Carter N3AO, gave me, I hiked up the Mount Misery Trail. Carter operated a QRP field contest there years ago and said it was a nice spot. I hiked in about a mile and branched off onto the Horse-Shoe Trail for another half-mile or so. Most of the other hikers seemed to be staying on the Mount Misery Trail. I figured the Horse-Shoe Trail would be more secluded. I was right. The only other person I saw was a Park Watch volunteer. She came by as I was trying to figure out where to hang my antenna. I’m sure she was wondering why I was standing there staring up into the trees.

The intersection of the Mount Misery and Horseshoe trails.

My biggest challenge of the day was getting my antenna up in the trees. I continued to hike looking for something that resembled a clearing. The woods up there are dense and there is a lot of brush just waiting to snag my antenna wire. After about 20 minutes, I managed to get my LNR EFT-10/20/40 EFHW antenna up. I set up my trusty YouKits HB-1B and got on the air.

I called CQ on 20 meters and AF5BA answered from Arkansas. After that, I got a call from fellow QRP Polar Bear, WA8REI. Ken was also QRP portable, operating from his trailer in a deer camp in Michigan. Next up was VE1BA in Nova Scotia. John’s 5-watt signal was booming into Pennsylvania.

I moved down to 40 meters, but I didn’t hear a lot of activity. I tuned around and heard NM1I calling CQ from Massachusetts. I gave him a call and we had a nice chat.

I took a break to stretch my legs and take a few pictures before heading back to 20 meters. I worked the VE9CRM club station in New Brunswick. The operator was VE9BEL. Their club station was putting out a very strong signal.

WB3GCK operating on Mount Misery in Valley Forge, PA

I was getting ready to shut down when I heard KG0YR calling me from Missouri. Dave was running 1 watt and had a nice signal. On his heels was K4AKC from Alabama. Tom was running 5 watts. I hated to cut our QSO short, but I needed to pack up and hike back down the hill.

All in all, it was a productive 2 hours.

I did have one take away from today’s outing. I have been using 20 lb. test monofilament line with a 2-ounce lead sinker to get my antenna up. It works great, but the line becomes completely invisible in the woods. I need to get some high-visibility line and paint the sinker.

Across from Mount Misery is another mount named… Wait for it… Mount Joy! That’s on my list for a future outing.

73/72, Craig WB3GCK

December Bike Ride

It’s hard to believe, but this was the second weekend in a row with unseasonably warm temperatures. So, I loaded up my bike and went for a ride. I rode about 2 miles along the Schuylkill River Trail and another mile or so on the Perkiomen Trail. I stopped in Lower Perkiomen Valley Park to do a little QRP portable.

My transportation and operating position

I found a picnic table near a nice stand of trees. I tossed a line up in one of the trees and pulled up an experimental 42-foot end-fed wire. I used the handlebars of my bike to secure the 4:1 unun I was using. I laid out a couple of radials on the ground.

My bike served to support the feedpoint of my antenna.

I fired up my trusty YouKits HB-1B and checked 20 meters. I didn’t hear much going on there. After a few unanswered CQs, I tried 30 meters. My Elecraft T1 tuner couldn’t get the SWR as low as I would like it, so I went down to 40 meters. I called CQ a couple of times and Keith, KB8FE, answered from the Akron, Ohio, area.

After a short QSO with Keith, I called “QRZ?” and Chuck KY3P gave me a call from New York. I had a nice two-way QRP ragchew with Chuck, despite some fading on the band.

After signing with Chuck, I did a few quick experiments with my antenna. By that time, the sun was starting to go down and I could feel the temperatures starting to drop. So, I loaded up my bike and headed back. I got back to the trailhead just as the sun was setting over the trees.

When December days like this show up here in Pennsylvania, you just have to take advantage of them.

WB3GCK operating on a beautiful December afternoon

73, Craig WB3GCK

QRP by the River

I haven’t been able to get out to do any portable operating in while. I had a few hours this morning before we headed out of town to spend the weekend with family, so I thought I do a quick trip to nearby Upper Schuylkill Valley Park. The forecast was calling for rain, so my original plan was to operate from my truck with my antenna mounted on my bicycle rack.

A conveniently-placed bulletin board served as my antenna support.

When I arrived at the park, it was a mild 55 degrees (F) with no wind and no rain. I figured there won’t be many more days like this for a while, so I decided to head further into the park and operate from a picnic table next to the Schuylkill River. My antenna was a 30-foot vertical wire fed through a 9:1 unun. I used some nylon cable ties to secure my 31-foot Jackite pole to a sign post. My rig was my trusty YouKits HB-1B.

I started out on 20 meters. The band was jam packed with stations working the CQ DX Contest. I’m not a big fan of the quick contest-type exchanges so, after working PJ2T, I moved down to the more peaceful 30 meter band.

WB3GCK operating by the Schuylkill River

W9ZN was booming into Pennsylvania so I gave him a call. I’ve worked Bill several times before from a variety of portable locations and it was nice to work him again. We had a nice chat until the band started fading.

Next, I moved down to 40 meters and called CQ. W2ZRA gave me a call from Eastern Long Island. We had a nice rag chew. Kevin was running 50 watts and I gave him a 589 signal report. During the QSO, he reduced his power to 5 watts and was still about 569.

After that, I needed to pack up and head home. My timing was impeccable; it started raining a few minutes after I got home.

It was a very brief but enjoyable morning to be operating outdoors by the river.

72, Craig WB3GCK