I rolled into one of my favorite spots and set up my table and chair in the grass behind my truck. From previous activations, I knew this spot always has lots of shade. Of course, with the heavily overcast skies this morning, sun exposure wasn’t much of an issue.
I mounted a 17-foot whip and my homebrew loading coil on my truck and ran some coax back to my operating position. Rig-wise, I used my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW), Elecraft T1 tuner and my little American Morse MS2 straight key.
My strategy today was to operate in the WES for an hour. If I hadn’t reached 10 contacts by then, I planned to break out the paddles and finish up as a POTA activator.
It was a good thing I had a “Plan B.” After an hour, I had only scratched together six WES contacts. I don’t know if it was the unsettled geomagnetic conditions or just a lack of early morning participants, but I didn’t hear much WES activity on 40M and 20M.
After spotting myself on the POTA and WWFF websites, I easily made the requisite 10 contacts on 20M plus three more for good measure. One of those contacts was a park-to-park.
It wasn’t my best outing, but far from my worst. Even with the humid weather and the occasional mosquito, it was nice to do a little outdoor operating and log some familiar SKCC and POTA callsigns.
Operating from Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761) on the 4th of July has become something of a tradition for me over the years. I expected the park to be busy today, so my plan was to get out early before the picnic-goers arrived en masse. Then, get home to spend the rest of the day with my (far) better half.
I headed to a spot in one of the picnic areas that has some shade in the morning. Today, I used a 17-foot telescopic whip on my homebrew loading coil on the truck, along with my little Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW). An 18-foot length of coax was more than enough to reach my operating position.
Speaking of my operating position… I set up my camping chair and table on a paved area next to my truck. Normally, I would set up in the grass behind the truck, but the grass was a little high and the ticks have been bad this year. In fact, I found one strolling across my notepad at one point.
I started off on 40M, and things got off to a fast start. It was probably a combination of decent band conditions and it being a holiday. Regardless, the hunters pounced on me within a minute of posting my spot. It didn’t take long to make my first 10 contacts.
After things slowed down on 40M, I gave 30M a try. That band produced just a single contact. I moved up to 20M and found a little more action up there. After an hour and 10 minutes, I started losing my shade, so it was time to wrap things up. I finished up with 31 contacts, including five park-to-park contacts.
Around that time, I saw a teenager casually throw some trash on the ground before getting in their car to leave. This was only about 10 feet away from where I was sitting. Unbelievable, since they had to drive past the trash cans on their way out of the parking lot. After I loaded up the truck, I grabbed a plastic bag and cleaned up the mess that was carelessly left behind. Apparently, my parents taught me better.
Littering incident notwithstanding, it was a fun little activation this morning. I hope my fellow citizens have an enjoyable and safe 4th of July holiday.
Another Boschveldt QRP Club Field Day is in the books. This year’s outing was a little different for our little group. Besides operating with a skeleton crew, we had a few weather challenges. But that’s part of Field Day, I suppose.
Once again, a local business owner gave us permission to set up camp on his property for the weekend. We had some storms Thursday night and steady downpours on Friday morning, so I wasn’t sure what the condition of the field would be for the weekend. There have been some years when one end of the field became a swamp. It wasn’t as bad this year, but it was close.
When I arrived Friday afternoon. Ed K3YTR had already set up his teardrop camper. I headed down to a spot I usually use. The ground down there was a little soggy, but I decided to set up my tent there, anyway. That was a decision I would come to regret.
The area in front of the tent got muddier as the weekend progressed. The ground underneath the tent was just as bad.
In the process of setting up, my walking in and out of the tent turned the area into a mud pit. I briefly toyed with tearing it down and moving it across the field, but I didn’t have the energy at that point. We had more rain overnight, so the conditions around my tent only got worse.
On Saturday morning, Andrew K2AFO arrived to spend the day operating with us. He was using a new Xiegu G90 and set about getting his end-fed halfwave up into a tree. In the process of doing that, his paracord got looped around a couple of branches and tied itself into a knot. It took a 28-foot Jackite pole, a tent stake, and some duct tape to free the paracord. Talk about some serious “MacGyvering!”
Andrew K2AFO operating in his first Boschveldt QRP Club Field Day
K2AFO using some advanced “MacGyvering” technigues to free his stuck throwing line
This year we operated as 2A EPA, using our club callsign, W3BQC. As you might expect for a QRP club, we ran QRP on battery power. I ran CW using my KX3 and a 29.5-foot vertical fed through a 9:1 unun. Ed K3YTR operated on 6M and 2M, while Andrew operated SSB using his new G90.
K3YTR’s set up for 6M and 2M
On Saturday night, we headed out to a local restaurant for dinner (and some air conditioning). Andrew’s wife, Emily K2MLE, joined us for the evening. After enjoying a nice dinner (and some air conditioning), we headed back to our Field Day for a campfire. (Did I mention that Boschveldt Field Days are decidedly laid-back?) Observing a long-standing Boschveldt QRP tradition, we roasted marshmallow Peeps® over the campfire.
We had yet another storm heading towards us, so Andrew and Emily packed up and headed home, while K3YTR and I headed into our respective shelters. I operated on and off through the night, but dealt with some heavy QRN on 80M and 40M.
After getting some coffee and breakfast on Sunday, I had one last session on the radio. This time around, 40M was in much better shape. After that, Ed and I started tearing down and packing up. My tent and tarps were a real mess, so I just rolled everything up and shoved it in the truck. Needless to say, I have some gear to clean up this week.
Each year, our Field Day outings are an adventure. Although this one had some minor challenges, it was fun. Plus, we have some more stories to tell at future get-togethers.
Today was shaping up to be the first day of a five-day heatwave here in southeastern Pennsylvania. Since there are excessive heat warnings in place for the next few days (and I don’t hold up too well in the heat these days), I went out for an early morning activation to beat the heat.
I drove up to Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351), since my last visit was back in March. Because of a medical condition, I need to be careful with sun exposure. So, I looked around until I found a shady spot where I could set up my radio and use an antenna on my truck. My rig today was my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and my 12-foot loaded whip mounted on my truck.
I started on 40M, and it didn’t take long to make my first 10 contacts. The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) was reporting some strong hits from my 5-watt signal. After logging 15 contacts, I did some hunting and logged a few park-to-park contacts.
The 30M band was pretty quiet, yielding only 2 contacts. I had a little better luck on 20M, but the band conditions there weren’t all that great. I shut down after about an hour and a half, with 26 contacts in the log. Considering the early hour, I was satisfied with that.
In the end, it wasn’t the heat that was the problem today; it was the bugs. I was the target of both air and ground assaults by tiny mosquitos and huge ants. That was to be expected, I guess, since I was sitting in a wooded area on a warm day.
I hope the weather is better for Field Day next weekend. The extended forecast shows lower temperatures here, but a chance of rain on Saturday. Oh well, at least the heatwave will be over by then.
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.
Grand-dog, Belle
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.
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 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.
CWMorse Pocket Paddles
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!
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.
The QRP zombies were out and about on the bands last night. I got on the air for some of the annual Zombie Shuffle. This year was a little different experience for me from past years, but it was still fun.
This contest is called a “shuffle” because zombies don’t sprint. It kicks off at 1500 local time, but I usually don’t work too many fellow zombies in the first hour. The 40M band is usually my bread and butter band, however, I made most of my contacts in the first hour on 20M. I kicked things off by working a bonus station and worked about eight total in the first hour before taking an extended break.
I checked the bands again twice after dark, and it was slim pickings for me. There was a constant S3-S4 local noise level on 40M, which made things tough. I managed five more zombies on 40M, but it was rough going at times. From my RBN spots, I was obviously getting out better than I was receiving.
I usually pick up a few zombies on 80M, but not this year. Anyway, I wrapped things up early and submitted my entry to Paul NA5N in time to watch Game 1 of the World Series.
This year I was again running 5 watts from my KX3 into my rain gutter antenna. During exchanges, I used my zombie name, Bones.
My 13 contacts were a few off from last year’s shuffle, but it certainly wasn’t my worst year either. It’s a silly contest, but I look forward to it every year.
I recently learned of the passing of my old friend, Carter Craigie, N3AO. He was an avid QRPer, an excellent CW operator, and one of the nicest people I have ever met.
I first met Carter sometime back in the 90s, when we were members of the now-defunct Eastern Pennsylvania QRP Club (EPA-QRP). Later on, Carter and I were members of Chester County (PA) ARES-RACES. Carter served a two-year stint leading the organization as the Emergency Coordinator (EC).
Eventually, Carter and his wife, Kay N3KN (former ARRL President), moved to Blacksburg, Virginia. Although I rarely saw him in person after that, I had a bunch of QSOs with him over the years. He was a regular participant in QRP field contests, like the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt and Flight of the Bumblebees. He was also an active member of the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC).
In 1999, Carter N3AO and Ed WA3WSJ stopped stopped by my campsite in French Creek State Park (PA) to check out my new camper. L-R: WA3WSJ, WB3GCK, and N3AO.
Looking back through my logs brought back some memories. Carter always tried to work me when I was out camping or traveling. He seemed to know my go-to frequencies and operating habits and would always seem to find me. I remember being on a camping trip to the Thousand Islands in New York back in 1999. I turned on the radio one morning, and without touching the tuning knob, the sound of Carter calling me greeted me. We had some nice rag chews on those trips.
I had the pleasure of running into Carter and Kay during Phillies spring training in Clearwater, Florida, in 2009. L-R: WB3GCK, my (far) better half, Kay N3KN, and Carter N3AO.
During the year-long National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) event in 2016, I used to text Carter whenever I was out activating a park. Within minutes, I would hear Carter calling me for a contact. He would always make sure to spot me on the NPOTA Facebook page.
While it’s sad to know that I won’t hear Carter on the air anymore, I feel truly blessed for having known him. Rest in peace, my friend.
Zombies were out haunting the bands last night, during the Zombie Shuffle. As always, I had fun taking part in this crazy QRP event.
Once again, I operated from home using my KX3 and rain gutter antenna. I always have some local noise issues, but this year the noise was a bit lower than usual.
I got on the air and immediately encountered a zombie bonus station on 20M. From there, I was off and running. I worked nine more zombies on 40M before taking an extended dinner break.
In the exchange, you get to use a name of your choosing. This year, I once again used “Bones.”
I got on the radio again after dark, but there seemed to be fewer zombies to work. Normally, the rain gutter antenna goes long on 40M after dark. Last night was different, though. I worked a fair number of my fellow Pennsylvanians and one Delaware zombie. I don’t often work Delaware stations on 40M, especially after dark. Maybe the bands really were haunted last night.
After a while, I was running out of zombies to work. I even invoked the “Rebirth Rule” for the first time this year. This rule says you can work the same station on a band every two hours. I eventually pulled the plug and went upstairs to watch game #1 of the World Series.
I ended up with 17 zombies in the log, which is my new personal best in this wacky event. Three were on 20M and the rest were on 40M. My previous personal best was 14 back in 2021. My compromised antenna didn’t do too badly for me this time around.
Before I worked my first zombie, I had a quick POTA contact with KQ1P in Maine. That QSO turned out to be my 500th park as a hunter.
As always, I have to thank Paul NA5N and Jan N0QT for organizing this fun event. Until next year, it’s back to the crypt for this zombie.
Yesterday was the annual running of New Jersey QRP Club’s Skeeter Hunt QRP contest. Even though I’m not much of a contester, I always look forward to this four-hour sprint.
This year, I was asked to be one of the bonus “Palindrome Skeeters.” These are participants with skeeter numbers that read the same, forwards and backwards. My assigned skeeter number this year was 66.
For this year’s contest, I operated from a piece of property owned by my daughter and her husband. I set up in a field on top of a hill, a place I’ve used many times in recent years. Since I had plenty of room, I planned to get up there early to set up some sort of long wire antenna. That didn’t quite work out. I got there later than planned, so I just set up my trusty homebrew vertical on the back of my truck. That’s always a quick way to get on the air.
My setup for the 2023 Skeeter Hunt
I spent most of my operating time on 40M, alternating between calling CQ and searching/pouncing. Although most signals weren’t very strong, there were lots of them. Every time I thought I had run out of skeeters to work on 40M, I’d find another one buzzing out there. I eventually moved up to 20M, where the signals seemed much stronger. Searching and pouncing, I added a few more skeeters to my log.
My KX3. The food container behind the radio houses a LiFePO4 battery.
The bugs were bad yesterday. I didn’t see any real skeeters, but I did encounter every other insect known to man. I even killed a tick that was taking a leisurely stroll across the table. When I eventually lost my shade, it was time to call it a day.
Yours truly wearing my official Skeeter Hunt attire
I operated for a little over two hours, which is longer than my attention span usually lasts. (Remember when I said I wasn’t much of a contester?) I ended up with 30 contacts, 28 of which were skeeters. Four of my skeeter contacts were with fellow palindrome skeeters. I also hunted a POTA station I came across in amongst the skeeters on 20M.
My 30 contacts won’t set any records, but it’s my best showing in recent years (or maybe ever). Once again, I have to give a shout out to Larry W2LJ for putting this fun contest together.
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 