It’s been crazy around here in WB3GCK-land lately, so I’ve had very little time for ham radio. However, a mail delivery the other day brought a radio-related item that brightened up my day.
A while back, I was doing an activation in Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351), while testing a new antenna I built. I was using my Elecraft KH1 running about five watts. As I was wrapping things up, I tuned around on the 15M band and heard DL4ISX calling CQ. I had worked a few other European stations that day, so I gave him a call. After a few tries, he got my callsign, and we proceeded to have a nice CW chat.
There was some fading on the band, but we carried on for over 15 minutes. During our QSO, Werner told me he was running five watts to a Windom antenna. This wasn’t my first two-way QRP QSO with a DX station over the course of 50+ years in ham radio, but I could probably count them all on one hand with some fingers to spare. Regardless, that was a great finish to a fun activation.
Fast forward about a month later… I went out to get the mail and found an envelope from Germany containing what appeared to be a QSL card. I couldn’t remember the last time I received a DX QSL that didn’t come through the QSL bureau.
Inside the envelope, I found a QSL card from DL4ISX confirming our two-way QRP QSO. That sure brought a smile to my face. The next day, my QSL card was sent on its way to Germany.
I’ve always heard that if you keep your expectations low, you’ll never be disappointed. My activation this morning was a prime example of that. What should have been a difficult activation turned out pretty well.
I set out for an early morning activation at Norristown Farm State Park (US-4363, KFF-4363). It was a damp and foggy morning, and the propagation forecast was as dreary as the weather. Before I left the house, I heard some hams on a DMR talkgroup complaining about poor band conditions. Checking the propagation forecasts online, I could see why. The K Index was 4 and the A Index was a whopping 43.
When I got to the park, I wasn’t feeling very optimistic about my chances today. Undeterred, I set up my usual 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil, along with my trusty little Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW). I figured, even in the worst conditions, there would be a hunter or two who could hear me.
Overcast and foggy morning at Norristown Farm State Park
Starting out on 40M, it turned out I was right. A minute or so after spotting myself, I was pounced on by some loud signals. After nine minutes, I had already logged my first 10 contacts, and the hunters kept calling.
After the activity on 40M dried up, I switched to 20M. The activity wasn’t quite as brisk, but it still produced a steady stream of contacts. Among those were three stations in the Dominican Republic. One was HI0A, a special event station for autism awareness. I suspect the other two might have been individual operators at the same station. F1BLL in France was my sole European contact today. I gave 17M a shot, but I only made one contact there.
Even with the lousy propagation numbers, an hour’s worth of operating netted me 37 contacts. It’s a good thing I went out early, as the geomagnetic storm seemed to worsen as the day went on.
Regardless of the propagation, park activators and hunters always seem to find a way to make contacts.
After a tough couple of weeks, I was really looking forward to a park activation today. Although the weatherman predicted storms later in the day, it was supposed to be a decent morning. I had some specific plans in mind. Mother Nature, however, had other plans.
I planned to drive over to nearby Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761) to operate from a picnic table and experiment with an antenna or two. When I was about halfway to the park, it started raining. Figuring it was just a passing shower, I continued on. Hah! It just kept raining.
Not wanting to get my radio gear wet, I gave up on the picnic table idea and stayed in the truck. I quickly set up my usual 12-foot whip and homebrew coil in the rain. I fired up my trusty Penntek TR-35 in the truck and got started.
About three QSOs into my activation, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. That was a cruel prank, Mother Nature! I briefly toyed with moving my gear over to a picnic table and setting up the antenna I wanted to try. Since I didn’t want to spend my limited operating time tearing down and setting up again, so I pressed on.
As activations go, it was nothing special. The bands were so-so, and I could hear some static from the impending storm. Still, I logged 19 contacts in about 50 minutes. Among those were park-to-park contacts with K4NYM in Florida on 30M and 20M. I had other business to attend to, so I started packing up to leave.
As I was out taking my antenna down, the sky clouded over and it started raining again. Well played, Mother Nature! You were quite the prankster this morning.
This is one of those antenna projects that started with: “I wonder if…” Designed with my Elecraft KH1 in mind, it covers the 20M, 17M, and 15M with the use of an tuner—similar to how the KH1’s whip antenna operates. It wasn’t something I had a burning need for, but it turned out to be pretty effective.
Concept
For many of my recent activations, I’ve been using my Elecraft KH1 with my base-loaded 12-foot whip. While I built the loading coil for 40M through 17M, I found that the KH1’s internal tuner easily matched the 12-foot whip on 17M and 15M, with the coil bypassed. A 12-foot radiator is resonant somewhere around 19.5 MHz, so it falls in between the 17M and 15M bands. Even though the 12-foot whip is a compromise, I was regularly making DX contacts on those two bands running five watts or less.
That got me thinking about building a more portable antenna for 20M through 15M using a 12-foot radiator. What I came up with was a simple 12-foot wire antenna that uses a loading coil for 20M and just the 12-foot wire for 17M and 15M.
When I thought about it, what I was building was conceptually similar to the Elecraft AX1 antenna and the KH1’s whip antenna. These antennas are close to resonance on 20M and resonant somewhere in between 17M and 15M. My antenna would operate the same way, except it would be almost 8 feet longer. I’ve always had good luck with the AX1 and the KH1’s whip antenna, so I figured my proposed antenna should work even better.
Along with the electrical properties, I wanted to make the antenna small and lightweight, using a #26 AWG radiator along with two 13-foot counterpoise wires. Also, I wanted to use—as much as possible—parts I already had in my junk box.
Parts List
I selected most of the parts based on availability in my junk box. They might not be the optimal choices, but here’s what I used:
T106-2 iron powder toroid
#22 AWG enameled wire (approx. 35 inches)
SPST slide switch. I actually adapted a DPDT slide switch, since I already had a bag of them.
#26 AWG wire (12 ft for radiator)
#26 AWG wire (2x13ft for counterpoise wires)
2mm banana plugs & jacks (2 sets for connecting the counterpoise wires)
(2) ring terminals
BNC female jack
(2) 4-40 x ¾-inch bolts plus some washers and nuts for the antenna and counterpoise connections. I used a couple of knurled nuts I had on hand.
Plastic box. I had one that measures about 2.5 x 1.75 x 1 inches.
Construction:
When I first thought about building this thing, I originally envisioned a more field-friendly form factor with built-in winders for the antenna and counterpoise wires. Since I constrained myself to using parts I already had (and I don’t own a 3-D printer), I used a plastic box I bought years ago but never used.
The construction was pretty simple; it’s just a toroid, a switch, and some connectors in a box. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so have a look at the accompanying pictures to see how I built it.
Inside the matchbox
I used some online calculators to determine the loading inductance needed for 20M. Assuming I would need to tweak the number of turns, I started with one turn more than I had estimated. It’s easier to remove turns than to add turns—don’t ask me how I know this.
I used some foam mounting tape to hold the toroid in place. For good measure, I also wedged in a piece of Styrofoam between the toroid and the lid. That adds some assurance that the toroid won’t come loose in the field. The trickiest part was cutting a square opening for the slide switch. That took some careful work with a nibbler tool and a file to get it done without destroying the box.
You could use a tree branch to support this antenna, but I like to keep my field setups self-contained. I found a cheap telescopic pole on eBay that measures about 12’ 3” fully extended, so I went with that.
Typical picnic table setup with the 12-ft vertical and Elecraft KH1
I envisioned using this antenna primarily for “picnic table-portable” operation, running a short length of coax to the radio. Using a piece of PVC pipe and a PVC elbow fitting, I built a simple mount for clamping to a table. As luck would have it, the base of the pole fits perfectly inside a ¾-inch PVC pipe. I just use a C-clamp to fasten the elbow to the table and slide the pole into the pipe. When I built the mount, I inserted a small screw partway up the pipe to give the pole a few more inches of height. A six-foot length of RG316 is more than enough to reach the radio at the other end of the table.
Matchbox attached to the PVC pipe picnic table mount
Testing in the Field
I don’t have a good place for antenna experimentation where I live, so it took several trips to the field to tweak the inductor. On each trip, I took readings with an antenna analyzer, made any necessary adjustments to the loading coil when I got back home, and repeated the process on the next outing. That was a tedious process, which was spread out over a few months because of winter weather.
Once I set the antenna up in the field, I found I needed far fewer turns than I originally estimated. Initially, the antenna was resonating well below the 20M band, so I removed a turn at a time. Since I was going to need to use an ATU for 17M and 15M anyway, I didn’t get too fussy about getting it exactly resonant on 20M. However, I eventually got it resonating in the 20M band, with an SWR under 1.5:1 across the band.
The good news was that, even though I hadn’t finished tweaking the coil, the KH1 easily found a match. I had five successful activations during those testing sessions, typically running 3.5 to 4 watts. I consistently worked stations in Europe on all three bands, along with some U.S. stations on the west coast. On one outing, I worked W6LEN in California on all three bands from a park here in southeastern Pennsylvania. During my final testing session with the antenna, I had a 20-minute two-way QRP QSO with DL4ISX on 15M (CW). I declared the project completed at that point.
Below is a schematic showing the final configuration:
Wrap-up
So, there you have it. No revolutionary technical breakthrough here, just a fun little project that has been even more fun to use. I envision many more picnic-table-portable activations with it.
I was out and about on a rainy and foggy Friday morning. Since I was in the vicinity, I made a stop in Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) for a quick activation. I completed the activation successfully, despite some self-inflicted problems.
I pulled into a convenient parking spot. Not surprisingly, the picnic area I was in was completely deserted. Since the weather was miserable, I planned to use my Elecraft KH1 in the truck with my trusty 12-foot base-loaded whip on the back.
As I was setting up the antenna, I noticed my first issue. The spot I had hastily chosen was under a tree—a large, rain-drenched one. Rookie error! Fortunately, my 12-foot stainless steel whip went up in between the branches and didn’t appear to be touching any of them. (Note to self: Look up next time!)
Rainy and foggy morning in Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414)
I finished up with the antenna and got the KH1 set up for 40M. Normally, with this antenna, the KH1 easily finds a good match on the first try. Not this time. It would find a good match (1.5:1 or better), but the SWR would occasionally jump full scale. I had to hit the KH1’s ATU button to re-tune frequently, sometimes mid-QSO. Thinking it was the wind blowing the whip into the wet branches above, I backed the truck up a foot or two to clear the tree. That didn’t help.
After stumbling through seven contacts on 40M, I went out to change the antenna tap for 20M. As I did that, I realized what the problem was. On my last activation, I was using the KH1’s whip antenna, and I neglected to set the switch for using the BNC connector. The BNC jack is always connected, but the “20M” setting puts in some additional inductance for the whip. It appears extra loading was the source of my issues on 40M. Once I corrected my mistake, things continued normally on 20M and 17M.
Despite my struggles, I completed my brief activation with 22 contacts in my log. It was good to put a few DX stations in the log:
20M: CU3DI, F1BLL 17M: OE3KAB
All’s well that ends well, I suppose. My switch error got my activation off to a shakey start, but I got it done. Having already experienced blown finals with this rig, I’m usually mindful of the antenna switch setting. Still, I used my trusty label maker to put a reminder right on the radio.
I’ve been in a bit of a ham radio slump lately. It had been nearly three weeks since my last park activation, and I’ve only had a few QSOs from the home station. Our temperatures have finally gotten above freezing this week, so I headed out to Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351) for a long-overdue activation this morning.
With the slightly warmer temperatures this week, the snow and ice from last month’s storm are finally melting (a little). Even though the temperatures are above freezing, we still have what I refer to as “refrigerator weather.” Still, I braved the chilly weather and operated outdoors today.
The Evansburg State Park entrance sign with the dirty remnants of last month’s snow
I was the only person in the park this morning, so I had a large picnic pavilion to myself. Of course, there usually aren’t many picnics on a weekday morning in February. I went with my Elecraft KH1 and whip antenna with a right-angle adapter from Tufteln. I ran my counterpoise wire out across the snow.
Operating at Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351)
I started out on 40M with the Elecraft AXE1 extension coil. As always, the little whip antenna amazed me with how well it was getting out. I logged eight contacts in the first 10 minutes before the action slowed. After logging 11 contacts, I moved up to 20M. The action was a little slower there, but I still managed seven more contacts.
The view from my operating position this morning
My coffee mug was nearly empty, so I called it quits after an hour on the air. I finished up with 18 contacts in my log. Not bad for a 45-inch antenna and “fair” band conditions, I suppose.
It was fun getting back out in a park again. Hopefully, I’ll get in another activation or two before the next round of snow shows up.
For the third year in a row, the Boschveldt QRP Club (W3BQC) held its annual winter outing in a cabin in French Creek State Park. For a variety of reasons, we had a smaller than usual group this year. Regardless, it was a fun weekend of catching up with old friends, eating some good food, and playing radio in the park.
Our cabin in French Creek State Park
When I arrived Friday afternoon, Ed K3YTR was already in the cabin. After unloading my gear and settling in, I wanted to squeeze in a quick POTA/WWFF activation (US-1355, KFF-1355) before the rest of the crew arrived. I operated from the truck using my Penntek TR-35 and 12-foot loaded whip. After 14 quick contacts on 20M and 17M, I headed back inside the cabin to warm up.
Ed K3YTR with his KX3 station in a box (Photo credit: NK1N)
Glen NK1N rolled in from New Jersey later in the day. He put up an 85-foot inverted vee and used his Elecraft KX2 from inside the cabin. Over the course of the weekend, Glen activated the park using our club’s callsign, W3BQC. We wrapped up the first day with a lasagna dinner and some socializing.
Glen NK1N operating from the cabin
Walt KB3SBC also stopped by on Friday and stayed for dinner. Special thanks to Walt for making sure we had a coffee maker and plenty of coffee for the weekend—a crucial part of every Boschveldt QRP Club gathering.
On Saturday morning, we had some snow starting. I drove over to the Hopewell Lake boat launch for another quick activation before the roads got too bad. Using the same setup as the day before, I hopped on 40M. The activity was fast and furious. After about 30 minutes, I had an inch of snow in the bed of the truck, and it was coming in through the window I fed my coax through. I wrapped up with 28 contacts in my log, including an ear-shattering park-to-park QSO with W3BQC (NK1N operating) less than a mile away back at the cabin.
WB3GCK operating at the boat launch in the snow
Snow piling up on my homebrew loading coil
Later on Saturday, Ed K3BVQ joined us and set up his MFJ travel loop antenna inside the cabin. With his indoor antenna, Ed was busy making contacts with a four-watt YouKits rig and a straight key. Chris W3CJW also stopped by for a visit.
Ed K3BVQ operating from the cabin with his indoor loop antenna
Saturday evening we drove into town for dinner at a local restaurant. We capped off the night by watching an old science fiction movie projected onto a screen hung on the wall.
We woke up Sunday morning to another round of snow. After breakfast, NK1N and K3BVQ got back on their radios to make some more contacts.
During the weekend, we noticed that Ken N3CU was doing a POTA activation somewhere in the park. It turned out that Ken and his XYL, Stephanie, were in a cabin just down the road from us, and they stopped by for a visit. Ken and I had worked each other many times over the years, so it was a pleasure to finally meet him in person. Ken had a successful weekend, completing his POTA Kilo award at French Creek. By virtue of his visit, Ken also became our newest Boschveldt QRP Club member.
Ken N3CU and his XYL (and future ham), Stephanie, stopped by to visit on Sunday morning.
K3BVQ and I packed up to head out on Sunday afternoon, while NK1N and K3YTR stayed over for one more night. According to the POTA website, W3BQC had close to 80 contacts over the weekend.
In true Boschveldt QRP Club fashion, our weekend get-togethers are as much about socializing as getting on the radio. Although illness and competing obligations prevented some of our regulars from attending, it was great to spend the weekend hanging out with some old ham radio friends.
On those occasions when I do an activation with my (far) better half’s car, I have been using my Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna on an old magnetic mount. Because of a recent issue with the mag mount I’ve had for 20+ years, I finally had to replace it. Today was the first opportunity I’ve had to use the new one.
While visiting my daughter and her family over the Christmas holiday, I headed out to activate the Captain John Smith Historic Trail (US-4567). Normally, when using the GRA-7350TC and mag mount on my (far) better half’s car, I can easily get the SWR down less than 1.5:1 on 40M. This time was different; the tuning seemed very finicky. I eventually got it close enough to use with the KH1 and completed my activation. As I was packing up, I noticed some damage to the coax where it enters the mount.
This old mag mount has seen many years of service with a VHF/UHF antenna on my truck before being pressed into service with the Gabil antenna. It’s amazing it lasted as long as it did. I decided that trying to disassemble and repair it was more trouble than it was worth.
I ended up buying a Tram magnetic mount on Amazon. This one is a real beast. It’s five inches in diameter and weighs a whopping 2.6 pounds. It’s probably overkill for my intended use, but I figured the larger diameter would provide better coupling to the vehicle. (Spoiler Alert: It does.)
Tram magnetic mount
To try it out, I headed out to Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380) and set it up on my truck. The attached coax is 17 feet long. That’s way more than I need, so after feeding it through the passenger-side window to my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW), I coiled up the excess.
The Gabil GRA-7350TC antenna and magnetic mount on my truck
I started out on 40M and was surprised to see I could tune the Gabil antenna down to 1.3:1 SWR. That’s better than I could ever get using the old mag mount on my truck. It was slow going on 40M this morning with a lot of fading. I could only manage about nine contacts before moving up to 30M.
Marsh Creek Lake partially frozen over
Up on 30M, things picked up dramatically, but the most productive band was 20M. My contacts on 20M included Germany, France, and two from Finland. After logging 42 contacts, I pulled the plug and headed home for lunch.
So, the new mag mount should work great on my (far) better half’s car. Sadly, my old mount is now destined for the trash. I certainly got my money’s worth out of it, though.
Going out for back-to-back park activations on the first and last days of the year has become something of a tradition for me. Since my (far) better half and I had no special plans, I happily carried on that tradition. Plus, my New Year’s Day activation had a special significance this year.
New Year’s Eve
I wrapped up 2025 with a trip to French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355). As with my last visit to French Creek, the weather was unpleasantly cold. Here in southeastern Pennsylvania, we’re in the midst of a stretch of days with temperatures below or near the freezing point.
The antenna project I tested last time was ready for another round of measurements. With the temperatures forecasted to remain below freezing all day, however, I didn’t bother to bring it along.
So, I hunkered down in the truck with my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) with my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil on the back of the truck. When I powered up the radio, I was pleased to see I wasn’t the only early-morning station on the air. My log quickly started filling with familiar hunter callsigns. In fact, it took only nine minutes to make my first 10 contacts. I spent most of my time on 40M, but also worked several stations on both 30M and 17M.
New Year’s Eve at French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355)
With my supply of hot coffee running out, I made my last contact of the year. That was a park-to-park contact with G0UUU/M. It took about a dozen tries before Phil correctly copied the last two letters of my callsign. Mine isn’t the most CW-friendly callsign, so I appreciate his patience in digging my QRP signal out of the noise. After that, I quickly packed up, cranked up the heater in the truck, and headed home. I ended my activation with 42 contacts, including five that were park-to-park.
Looking back, 2025 was a pretty good year for me. I earned my first-ever Kilo Award early in the year and earned Kilo Awards at four more local parks after that. Plus, a DX park-to-park contact was a pretty good way to wrap up the year.
New Year’s Day
On this day back in 2016, ARRL kicked off its wildly successful National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) program. This one-year program led to the massive popularity the Parks on the Air (POTA) program enjoys today.
So, 10 years ago, I headed out early on New Year’s Day for my first-ever formal park activation from Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761). That was far from my first time operating from a park (and Valley Forge in particular), but it was my first time activating in a formal parks program. To recognize the ten-year anniversary of my first park activation, I headed back to Valley Forge. This time, though, I was about a mile away from where I parked back then.
I still have the old Yaesu FT-817 I used 10 years ago, but I went with a more modern rig: my Penntek TR-35. This rig lets me keep both paddles and a straight key connected at the same time. January is Straight Key Month for the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC), so I would be ready if I heard any K3Y special event stations.
Mother Nature welcomed in the new year with freezing temperatures and a coating of snow from an overnight snow squall. Traveling on the back roads was a little tricky, but I arrived without incident. The trailhead parking lot I was in was fairly busy with hikers and dog walkers.
New Year’s Day at Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761)
Using the same equipment as the day before, I quickly set up and got on the air. Boy, the bands sure were busy. I split my time between the 40M, 20M, and 17M bands, and there were lots of early-risers out there hunting.
I was feeling a little under the weather, so I packed it in after about an hour. I ended up with 42 contacts, with a couple of park-to-park contacts. Some highlights included:
W6LEN in California on 40M. (Forty seemed long this morning)
F1BLL on 20M
IK2XDF, IK1GPG, and DL1AX on 17M
So, 2026 is off to a good start for me, and I hope it’s a good one for you, too. Here’s wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.
I drove out to French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355) for an early morning activation. While I was there, I wanted to do some initial testing on an antenna I’ve been working on. With the near-freezing temperature, I picked the wrong day for antenna testing. Fortunately, the activity on the bands made the trip worthwhile.
I designed the new antenna to be attached to a picnic table, so I parked by a picnic area near a boat launch. My original plan was to set up the antenna and take some antenna analyzer readings after my activation. My impatience got the better of me, so I decided to brave the freezing temperatures and test the antenna right away. That wasn’t a smart move. By the time I got the antenna set up and took some SWR scans, my fingers were numb. I should have waited for it to warm up a little.
Doing some antenna testing prior to my activation
I was hoping to hook up my Elecraft KH1 and see how it worked with the antenna, but that wasn’t happening. After tearing everything down and packing up, I sat in the truck with my gloves on and the heater running until my fingers thawed out. Then it was time to get on with my activation.
I quickly set up a 17-foot whip and my homebrew loading coil on the back of the truck. Up in the cab, I set up my trusty Penntek TR-35 (5W, CW). I went with a 17-foot whip because my band conditions app showed an unsettled geomagnetic field and poor daytime conditions on 40M. I figured the extra length couldn’t hurt.
My truck with 17-foot whip at French Creek State Park
When I fired up the TR-35 on 40M, I heard lots of activity and some very loud signals. In fact, I had to search around for a clear frequency. Once I started calling CQ, the hunters immediately pounced. I had constant pileups for the first 20 minutes. I had my first 10 contacts in about eight minutes.
About 30 minutes in, I had worked 29 stations on 40M. The 20M band wasn’t quite as productive, but it still produced 22 more contacts. Among those was one with IZ2UUG in Italy. When I pulled the plug after an hour on the air, I had 52 contacts (before removing a dupe). The moral of the story is: Don’t always go by the band condition predictions.
Hopewell Lake in French Creek State Park
Now that I’m back home, I have some tweaks to make to my experimental antenna. Once I’m convinced it works and will be useful, I’ll do a separate post on it. That might take a while, though. I plan to wait for some warmer weather for the next round of tests.
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 