POTA – Page 8 – WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio

Outer Banks 2024

Well, the 2024 edition of our annual Outer Banks family vacation has come and gone. My (far) better half and I, along with our two daughters and their families, converged on a rental house in Duck, North Carolina. Of course, ham radio (for me, at least) was a part of that vacation.

After an early morning start, our long drive from Pennsylvania to North Carolina on Sunday was relatively uneventful, and the traffic on the Outer Banks wasn’t too bad. We all arrived safely, albeit a little road weary.

This year, we rented the same house overlooking Currituck Sound we were in last year. Being familiar with the layout of the rental house, I had an entire year to think about my antenna situation. The vertical I used the last time was somewhat noisy on 40M, and my 31-foot Jackite pole really took a beating in the wind. This year, I tried something a little different.

My antenna layout. The wire wasn't visible in the picture, so I enhanced it. The coax dropped straight down from the unun and through the ground floor window. — My antenna layout. The wire wasn’t visible in the picture, so I enhanced it. The coax dropped straight down from the unun and through the ground floor window.

I wanted to avoid using a telescopic pole, so I strapped my homebrew weather-resistant 9:1 unun to the railing on the third floor deck. From there, I configured a 29.5-foot wire as a sloper, and tied it off to a fence post. I dropped 35 feet of RG-8x coax off the deck and fed it through a ground floor window, where I set up my KX3. I also used a 1:1 choke at the radio end. I’ve used this antenna configuration in the past with good results, so I was confident it would work here.

My homebrew 9:1 unun strapped to a 3rd story deck railing

Giving it a quick test, I found the noise on 40M was only S1-S2. That was an improvement from last year. There were no noise issues on 30M and up. I tuned around on 40M and made two quick Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) Weekend Sprintathon (WES) contacts. There were some storms in the area, so I declared victory, disconnected the antenna, and cracked open a cold adult beverage.

My portable station next to a window in the game room on the ground floor. I re-used the foam pool noodle from last year to seal the window opening where my coax enters.

Although most of my time was devoted to other vacation activities, I squeezed in some radio time and made a few contacts from the house each day. I mostly hunted POTA activators and SKCC members.

When I’m down here, I always like to check into the Outer Banks Area Wide Net on Thursday evening at 8pm (local time). They are always a friendly and welcoming group. The Outer Banks Repeater Association maintains a linked system of repeaters covering the entire area, so I easily hit a repeater across the sound with an HT while sitting out on the deck.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park (US-2737, KFF-2737)

I planned to do one or two POTA/WWFF activations during the week. On Tuesday, I took a 30-minute drive down to Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Since this is a family vacation, I went out early and kept it short, so I could get back and spend time with the grand-kids.

It had been 25 years or more since my last visit to the park. So, when I rolled into the main parking lot, it was nothing at all like I remembered. Still, I found a shaded parking spot and set up my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil on the back of the truck. I used my trusty Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) up front in the truck.

Activating Jockey's Ridge State Park (US-2737, KFF-2737) — Activating Jockey’s Ridge State Park (US-2737, KFF-2737)

I was glad to see that the bands had started to bounce back after the severe geomagnetic storms of the previous couple of days. In less than an hour of air time, I logged 23 contacts with four park-to-park contacts. I didn’t work any DX, although I heard a French station calling. They were just too far down in the noise to copy their callsign. On the plus side, however, I worked a station in Nevada on 20M.

This is the sandy trail in Jockey's Ridge State Park that leads back to the dunes. — This is the sandy trail in Jockey’s Ridge State Park that leads back to the dunes.

Jockey’s Ridge is known for having the tallest living sand dune system on the East Coast. It’s also a very popular spot for hang gliding. I didn’t have time to make the trek out to the dunes this time, but I have been there before. I didn’t take any pictures that do the park justice, but the Outer Banks Visitor’s Guide website has some great ones.

Nags Head Woods Preserve (US-3862, KFF-3862)

I got in one more POTA/WWFF activation during the week. This time I drove down to Nags Head Woods Preserve, an interesting park that was not without some (radio) challenges.

I rolled into the parking lot and grabbed a spot near the entrance and away from the other cars. I was in a hurry to get set up. My friend, N3FLL, was activating a park back home in Pennsylvania and I wanted to snag a park-to-park QSO with him.

I used my usual setup: Penntek TR-35 (5W CW) and 12-foot loaded whip. I powered up and found lots of electrical noise on 40M. Noise notwithstanding, I quickly found Frank, and after a few attempts to break the pile up, I finally got him.

My parking spot in Nags Head Woods Preserve.

I moved up the band a bit and started calling CQ. The cell service was poor, but I was able to use the Wi-Fi hotspot in my truck to put out a spot. It was slow going at first, and the noise was relentless. Eventually things picked up, and I worked 9 stations on 40M before things dried up.

I checked 30M to look for P2P contacts, and the noise was still there. Not hearing anyone, I moved on. The 20M band was no different, noise-wise, but at least there was more activity. I managed 11 more contacts before deciding to declare victory and pack up. Right before I turned off the rig, I heard a Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) member calling CQ, so I had a quick contact with him.

Entrance to the office at Nags Head Woods Preserve

As I was taking my antenna down, I saw the likely source of the noise I had been hearing. When I first pulled in, I didn’t notice the power lines that crossed the parking lot. On the other side of the parking lot from me, there was a utility pole with two transformers on it. As I started back down the gravel road to leave, I noticed a large transformer not far from the parking lot. No wonder it was noisy there.

After an hour of operating, I had 21 contacts in my log, including four park-to-park QSOs. Once again, I had no DX contacts, but I did work two California stations on 20M.

One of the trails in Nags Head Woods Preserve

I took a short walk around the Preserve before leaving. It’s a fascinating place that definitely warrants further exploration in the future. There are wetlands and several beautiful trails with some really cool wooden bridges. Maybe next year, I can talk the grandkids into going on a nature hike there.

And That’s a Wrap

After a few final QSOs on Saturday, it was time to take down the antenna and pack up the radios. Our week on the Outer Banks was over before we knew it. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.

The sloper antenna I used at the rental house did pretty well, even with the geomagnetic storms over the first day or two. I had room to accommodate a longer wire, so next year I’ll pack 36-foot and 44-foot wires and give those a try. This is our last year renting this house, but I’m sure I can make the sloper work wherever we end up next year.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Flight of the Bumblebees 2024

Yesterday was the annual Flight of the Bumblebees (FOBB) QRP contest, a four-hour sprint sponsored by The Adventure Radio Society. It’s been a couple of years since I last took part, so I was glad to get out for a couple of hours this afternoon. Prior to the contest, I signed up to be a bumblebee station and was assigned bumblebee number 82.

I operated from a picnic area in nearby Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761). There were several picnics in progress, so I headed to an area well away from them. I found a nice shady spot under the trees, where I set up my table and chair. Except for having to swat the occasional bug, it was a comfortable spot.

My operating position under some nice shady trees

My rig was an Elecraft KX3, running 5 watts. I dusted off my trusty homebrew 19-foot vertical and put it to use for this event.

In general, the bands weren’t all that great. Most of the signals I heard were weak, and there was considerable fading on the bands. A few contacts were a real struggle.

The FOBB activity was surprisingly brisk when I first started, but slowed dramatically as the contest wore on. In about two hours and a half hours of operating, I ended up with 22 contest QSOs. Fourteen of those were with fellow bumblebees. Before I shut down, I came across a POTA station and had a quick park-to-park contact outside of the contest.

Although I was in a POTA entity, I didn’t spot myself or call “CQ POTA.” However, my FOBB contacts were more than enough to complete an activation.

Given the conditions, I did better than I expected. Thanks to those stations that hung in there to pull me out of the noise.

72, Craig WB3GCK

My AliExpress Whip on the Air

I had a chance to use the inexpensive whip I bought through AliExpress recently. While it performed well enough, I encountered a couple of minor quality issues. That’s certainly not surprising, given its $18 USD price tag.

I made an early morning trip to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414). I coupled the AliExpress whip with my homebrew loading coil. My rig today was my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW).

Extending the whip, I noticed that two of the sections were pretty tight and took some effort to pull them out. Better tight than loose, I guess. Another issue is that the crimp that holds the mounting stud in the bottom section of the antenna was a little loose. When the antenna was fully seated in the mount, I could still rotate the antenna.

My $18 (USD) whip from AliExpress mounted on my homebrew loading coil

Because this whip is longer than a quarter wave on 20M, I didn’t extend the first section from the bottom. Using an antenna analyzer, I was seeing SWR readings similar to my MFJ-1979 whip. The SWR readings seemed stable. So, I guess the suspect crimp is making a good enough connection.

Band conditions seemed so-so this morning. Despite that, I logged 25 contacts on 40M and 20M in an hour, including three park-to-park contacts. I didn’t work any DX stations today, but I worked a station on the west coast in Washington on 20M.

Even with its issues, the whip did a pretty decent job this morning. It won’t replace my MFJ whip, but it will have a place in my antenna arsenal.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Quick Two-Fer

As is my practice of late, I did an early morning activation to beat the heat. On Sunday morning, I drove up to Hopewell Fire Tower, which is part of William Penn State Forest (US-5481, KFF-4914). This small tract is located within French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355).

There was only one other vehicle in the parking lot when I rolled in. My plan was to operate from an old, stone picnic shelter, but I was swarmed by bugs as soon as I got out of my truck. So, I stayed in the truck to keep the annoying flying critters at bay. My equipment today included my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and my 12-foot loaded whip.

Based on my Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) spots, the 40M band seemed in pretty good shape. I quickly logged 15 contacts before moving to 20M. I logged a few more on that band before shutting down.

My 40 minute activation yielded 19 QSOs, including four park-to-park contacts. One of those P2P contacts was with fellow QRP Polar Bear, VE3WMB. It’s always a pleasure to work Michael.

Stay cool out there!

72, Craig WB3GCK

Another Reluctant Activation

As I have gotten older, the heat and I don’t get along very well anymore. So, with the heat and humidity forecasted for today, I was just going to stay home and get caught up on some things around the house. My (far) better half intervened and encouraged me to go out early before it got too hot. She’s always right, so off I went.

I drove down to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) and found a parking spot with some shade. Along with my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW), I used an MFJ-1979 17-foot whip with my homebrew loading coil.

My MFJ-1976 17-ft whip on my homebrew loading coil. — My MFJ-1979 17-ft whip on my homebrew loading coil.

I started out on 40M and wound up staying there for my whole activation. The band was in pretty good shape, as it only took about eight minutes to log my first 10 contacts.

About 40 minutes into my activation, I got a call from my (far) better half. There was an issue at home, so I packed up and headed out.

I ended up with 20 contacts this morning, with four known park-to-park contacts. One contact was with fellow QRP enthusiast, Jim W1PID. It’s been a while, so it was nice to hear him again. One of my park-to-park contacts was with QRPer Thomas K4SWL. We had a very light copy on each other, but he persevered and eventually pulled me out of the noise. Thanks for your patience, Thomas!

On an unrelated note, it’s great to have Logbook of the World (LoTW) back up and running, after a serious cybersecurity incident. The system also seems to run much faster now, so it’s nice to see the backlog steadily declining. I’m guessing things should be back to normal in the next week or so.

Finally, I’d like to wish my fellow Americans a very happy and safe Independence Day!

72, Craig WB3GCK

Weathering the Storm

While still on my extended stay at my daughter’s house in central Pennsylvania, I wanted to do some casual operating. So, I set up in the backyard to make a few contacts.

Today, I decided to give my Gabil GRA-7350TC vertical some air time. It’s been a while since I’ve used it. I set it up using the Gabil GRA-ULT01 MK3 tripod. I had forgotten how well engineered the Gabil stuff is. Anyway, I used four 15-foot speaker wire radials spread out on the ground. For the coax, I used 20 feet of RG-174.

My Gabil GRA-7350TC vertical on the Gabil GRA-ULT01 MK3 tripod

I started out on 40M. Using an antenna analyzer, I got the SWR down as far as I could and let the KX3’s tuner do the rest. Taking a quick dial spin down the band, I didn’t hear much at all. Eventually, I came across WA2NYY activating a park in New York and called him. Despite the horrendous band conditions, he heard my 5-watt signal on the first call. Next, I heard an activator in North Carolina, but I had a rough copy. We still managed to complete the contact.

I then moved up to 20M and found the same crappy conditions. Eventually, I found and worked two more POTA activators.

I checked the POTA spotting page and saw that there were a couple of European activators on 15M. I tuned up the antenna and did a quick check. Nothing but dead silence across the band.

It was at that point that I checked the band conditions online and saw that there was a severe geomagnetic storm in progress. It showed poor conditions on all the HF bands. That certainly explained the lousy band conditions.

Yikes! This explains the lousy band conditions today.

Not being a glutton for punishment, I shut down for the day. Still, I was thankful for the four contacts I made with five watts of CW into an eight-foot base-loaded whip during a severe geomagnetic storm.

72, Craig WB3GCK

A Brief Activation at PA SGL 246

I mentioned in a previous post that I’m out in central Pennsylvania, doing some house sitting for my daughter’s family and taking care of my grand-dog. I wanted to get in at least one park activation while I’m here, but I didn’t want to leave the pup alone for too long. Fortunately, Pennsylvania State Game Lands 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862) is just minutes away.

I last activated PA SGL 246 back in 2022 and had 34 contacts. So, 10 contacts this time would not only qualify another activation for Parks on the Air (POTA), but it would also give me the 44 contacts needed for World Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF).

I rolled into the empty parking lot and quickly set up my 12-foot loaded whip on the back of the truck. My rig today was my trusty KX3 today (5W, CW).

There really wasn't much to photograph where I was at US-8941/KFF-5862. Just a gravel parking lot. — There really wasn’t much to photograph where I was at US-8941/KFF-5862. Just a gravel parking lot and some big boulders.

I started out on 40M and was greeted with about S2 worth of noise. I’m guessing it was coming from a power line that runs over the parking lot. Despite the noise, I made 10 contacts in about 13 minutes. Then things seemed to dry up.

I moved up to 30M for a while, but there were no takers. Determined to add at least one more contact, I went back down to 40M. It took a few minutes, but I finally got one more call.

Around that time, it was starting to get hot in the truck. I also neglected to grab my water bottle as I headed out the door. Doh! So, having narrowly exceeded my goal of 10 contacts, I packed up before I got too dehydrated. Besides, I had an errand to run before heading back to the house.

After about 30 minutes of operating, the grand total today was 11 contacts. I don’t think I had any park-to-park contacts.

I think this might have been the shortest activation I have ever done.

72, Craig WB3GCK

20M Activation at Ridley Creek

Today I did something I don’t think I have done before: a single-band activation. Normally, I spend time on several bands. Today, however, I wanted to see how my 17-ft whip would perform mounted directly to the antenna mount on my truck (sans loading coil).

I drove down to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) this morning and set up in one of the picnic areas. After mounting the antenna, I broke out my antenna analyzer. Since the fully extended whip is approximately a quarter-wave on 20M, I wasn’t surprised by the SWR readings. With 15 feet of RG-8X coax attached, the SWR was a flat 1.45 across the band. So I fired up my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and hung out on 20M for the next hour.

My 17-foot whip mounted on my truck at Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414)

When I checked the band conditions, I saw the geomagnetic field was “unsettled.” Solar wackiness notwithstanding, I logged my first 10 contacts in about 12 minutes. European signals weren’t very strong this morning, but I still managed three DX contacts: two from Italy and one from France. An hour’s effort produced 26 contacts, including four park-to-park contacts.

I’m planning to dust off a 25 year old 20M QRP rig and use it for a future activation. This antenna configuration might come into play for that. Stay tuned…

72, Craig WB3GCK

(Antenna) Size Matters

I went back to Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380) for a quick activation this morning, and things got off to an interesting start. After setting up my trusty Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and 12-foot loaded whip, things just didn’t seem right. My SWR on 40M was high, and even my Elecraft T1 antenna tuner couldn’t get it lower than 3:1.

I started checking cables and connections, but everything looked OK. Heck, it’s not a very complicated antenna, so there isn’t much that can go wrong. When I got out of the truck to change to another antenna, I noticed my 12-foot whip looked a little shorter than usual. I took the whip off and immediately found the problem. In my haste to get set up this morning, I neglected to extend the top section of the telescoping whip. Doh! Once I pulled the top section out and re-installed the whip, all was right with the world again.

Using a notepad as an impromptu sun shield for my Penntek TR-35

Despite getting off to a slow start, my results weren’t too bad (by my standards). I finished with 36 contacts, including one known park-to-park contact. I had one DX contact with IW2NXI.

I finished my activation just in the nick of time. An hour after I got home, there was a major geomagnetic storm in progress. Timing is everything.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Back to Valley Forge

I almost talked myself out of this activation today. We had a long day yesterday at a family function with about four hours of driving, so my initial inclination was to take it easy today. In the end, the POTA urge was too great to deny, and I’m glad I went.

I drove over to Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761), which is just a couple of miles down the road. It had been about five months since my last visit, so I was overdue for an activation here.

Using my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and 12-foot loaded whip, I started out on 40M. The signals were surprisingly strong this morning. My activation kicked off with a park-to-park contact with N1BS up in Rhode Island.

My location in Valley Forge NHP (US-0761, KFF-0761)

Forty and 20M produced most of my contacts this morning. I ended up with 39 contacts with 6 park-to-park QSOs. I had four DX QSOs: two with Italian stations, and two with SM4BNZ in Sweden on 20M and 17M.

I also had a nice park-to-park contact with fellow QRPer, AA4XX. It had been a while since our last QSO, so it was good to hear Paul on the air this morning.

After about 90 minutes of operating, the bands seemed to dry up, so I packed up and made the short drive back home.

In the end, it was a fun morning, so I’m glad I went.

73, Craig WB3GCK