It was sunny and the temperature was darned near perfect for June in NE Ohio. My wife and I got on our bikes and cycled out to Cuyahoga Valley National Park – US-0020 so that we could enjoy the day. The plan was to spend a little time at The Octagon shelter area so I could play a little radio and then head into Peninsula to grab some lunch. I figured that I could get the park activated in about an hour while my wife did a little reading and we’d be on our way.
Well. Yeah. The thing is…
Sensing A Pattern
We’re heading toward the high point of Cycle 25 and it seems that conditions on HF are getting less and less reliable. I know very little about solar weather and I’m certainly not an expert on our local star. I know what I’ve read and I can compare that with my observations. I’m definitely not alone in observing that activations are harder and harder to complete and that makes me feel less like it’s a “Me Problem” and more like it’s a “Giant Ball Of Gas Problem”. That works.
When I set up my Go-To gear (IC-705 with the AX1) and I’m struggling to get it done, I start to doubt myself. Should I toss my EFHW into a tree? Should I have brought the SuperAntenna? But the truth is, if I’m sitting there and RBN is picking me up but I’m not hearing much, it’s very possible that there’s no one out there to hear me or conditions are worse than I thought.
IC-705 next to my Begali Traveler with the AX1 in the background.
In any case, it seems that budgeting an hour for an activation is not as likely to bear fruit as it was just a few months ago. Not that it matters. Being outside with my radio is the point. Relaxing and getting on the air are the ends.
QSO Map of the activation of US-0020 by KC8JC on 08-Jun-2024.
Final
QRP seems to be about patience these days. Could be that all radio activities are going to involve more patience than they have in this solar cycle. There are still plenty of exciting times ahead. There are months of long, warm, bright days ahead and I plan to spend as many of them as I can in the field playing radio.
This blog exists for me to catalog sucesses and failures. The other thing it does is provide me with a place to put things so that I can get to them no matter where I am assuming – an internet connection. The topic for today is a refresher on my setup for my portable digital operations.
The Gear and Software
This discussion centers around the use of the IC-705 and the Microsoft Surface GO 2. I have no reason to believe that changing the computer will make any difference as I have gotten this working on other laptops, but the operating system will require some attention.
I’m running Ubuntu as my Linux distro on this device. There is pre-reading required to make this all work and we’ll get to that in a second.
Software includes the following from the Ubuntu repository:
wfview
fldigi
WSJT-X
Pat
I am currently using the fork of ardop known as – ardopcf from pflarue on GitHub. New and exciting things are happening here in the world of ardop.
The Pre-Work – wfview
There is a great set of instructions on how to get ALSA loopback devices set up appropriately for wfview in their well-written user manual. Start here:
With all of that done and in place, there are a few things to look at in wfview for rig control to make life a little easier. At the bottom of this page of the wfview manual there is some good information on setting up wfview to do what flrig would do. That’s what I do. Why? Because it’s working and keeps things simple. The important thing, in my experience, is to set the port number to something other than 4532 which is the flrig default. I set it to 4533 because that’s a safe port number.
Here is what my wfview External Control tab looks like:
The screen for External Control in the wfview application.
It should be noted that I’m using the Virtual Serial Port. This is a mapping to /dev/pty/NUMBER and it takes care of itself once set up.
fldigi
With wfview up and running, setting up fldigi is relatively simple. The following configurations for audio and rig control are currently working.
fldigi audio settings with the PortAudio section selected, Loopback PCM (hw:10,1) set for Capture and Loopback PCM (hw:11,1) set for Playback.
The rig control settings are set on the HamLib segment of the Rig Control section in the configuration dialogue.
Use hamlib is selected. Rig is set to Hamlib NET rigctl (stable) Device is set to 127.0.0.1:4553 (as found in wfview) Baud rate is set to 115200
All other settings are defaults.
The fldigi rig control settings configured with the values defined above.
With this complete, save and initialize the connection and then go to the main fldigi window to tune or send a station ID. Rig control and audio should function as expected.
WSJT-X
WSJT-X is the odd duck. My dad and I have the rig control configured differently, but it still works for both of us. What does that mean? There might be more than one successful configuration so maybe find what works and don’t touch it after that. What I use is listed here.
The Radio settings tab is configured as follows.
Rig: Icom IC-705 Serial Port: /home/jcw/rig-pty-1 Baud Rate: 115200 PTT Method: CAT Data Bits: Default Stop Bits: Default Handshake: Default Mode: Data/Pkt Split Operation: None
The WSJT-X Radio configuration window with the values set as detailed above.
The Audio setup matches the devices that are set in wfview but in reverse.
Note: I find the labeling in wfview to be counterintuitive. It’s probably just my broken brain, but I have to remind myself to flip things around and think about it as source/destination pairs. It’s probably just me.
The WSJT-X Audio configuration window with the values set as detailed above.
With this configuration in place, one can test the rig control on the Radio tab or by going to the main window and changing frequencies. Running a tuning cycle briefly will test audio output.
ARDOP – ardopcf
ardopcf is available on GitHub as a binary. Simply download it and put it in /usr/local/bin, run a quick chmod+x on it, and it should be good to go. That’s all that it required of me.
With ardopcf in place, lauching ardop is fairly simple. I put it in a little script so that I don’t have to type out the arguments each time. I named the script “startardop.sh” and dumped it in my home directory. Creative, huh? Here’s what it looks like:
When you start ardopcf, you should start to see pairs of numbers in the terminal showing you audio input levels. If you’re getting a lot of 0,0 then you might have a problem or wfview might not be running. Maybe your rig is off? Check your signal chain. If, on the other hand, you’re seeing numbers pop up every 4 seconds or so, then you’re in good shape.
Wow. That’s a lot of stuff. That is the configuration that is currently working for me for sending Winlink email using ARDOP or telnet.
What a lot of people seem to miss is that Pat has a web gui that will run on localhost:8080. It makes using Pat a lot easier and gives a fresh, modern GUI to Winlink email. And yes, it handles forms and everything. It’s pretty darned cool!
To get that up and running, I use yet another creatively named script: startpat.sh. The contents of that are:
pat-winlink --listen "ardop,ax25,telnet" http
What does that do? It starts up Pat listening for connections on ardop, ax25, or telnet. I didn’t detail ax25 here because, well, I’m not done playing with that just yet. And telnet should always be there so that you can use Pat if you have a good internet connection and NEED to check your Winlink email. The http argument starts the application listening on 8080 for the web UI. With Pat running, all you have to do is go to https://localhost:8080/ui and you’ll see the web UI. You’re now free to explore Pat and send/receive Winlink email.
Final
This is the setup that is currently working for me. I will update this as I add other modes, etc.
Late last week, I was made aware of some concerns that the POTA team were having relayed to them by various official agencies about the poor behavior of activators in parks and on public land. This led to a great post by Thomas K4SWL and some good discussion over in the ham radio corner of Mastodon.
This kind of discussion is right up my alley because, as I’ve discussed before, I am all about being as inconspicuous as possible when I’m out activating a park. In many ways, that simple fact has driven the gear I carry and the modes I use when I’m out and about. It also plays into site selection. I figured I would talk about that a bit and tie it back to the two activations that I did this weekend.
Picking An Activation Site
I’m a creature of habit. When I decide on a park as a place I’m going to spend some time, I immediately try to find the most out of the way place to set up my station. This is more difficult in some places than in others. When I’m working out at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, there are several places near trailheads where picnic tables are isolated and leave a lot of room for people to enjoy the park with a bit of space. There are other places where the only tables are in very conspicuous spots and near a lot of foot traffic. I tend to gravitate to the former and leave the latter alone unless there are no other options. When I know I’m going to be in the line of sight of traffic, I handle my station appropriately by ensuring that no one could step on or get tangled up in a counterpoise and that I’m not using wires in trees which can cause all forms of grief near a trailhead.
When I’m activating West Branch SP – K-1999 this isn’t too difficult. The spot that I go to most weeks is in a field that is being reclaimed by nature per the parks department’s plan. There are a couple of tables here that I might use, but I take the one that is off on the point near the water. The general feeling out in this part of the park is one of desolation. I feel like the last person on earth out here except for the disc golfers who wander by at a good distance – 500 yards out or more.
The picnic table I most use for activations at K-1999; it is about 200 yards from the parking lot and farther off from the nearest trail. It is barely visible from the parking lot.
The empty parking lot near my normal activation spot.
What Gear To Use
I have come to appreciate and adore the efficiency of a wire antenna in a tree. I keep a random wire antenna and a 40-20-10 in my bag with a weight and throw line. It’s an elegant solution and it always works.
But…
There are a number of parks where putting lines into trees is not welcome. It’s also true that it can be distracting to have line in trees and wires dangling. If one is going to take this approach, there is a lot more to the site management portion of the activation. It’s up to the operator to ensure the safety of the other park patrons. This means that a wire in a tree might not be a great solution. I wouldn’t even consider it in more heavily travelled parks.
Masts are great for deploying wire antennas. I like to take a mast with me when I ride my bike to the park as I have a couple of clamps that will hold the mast to my bike and that removes the requirements for guying out the mast and making more of a mess. At that point, I’m really just managing the antenna and the feedline. I got pretty good at that deployment strategy last summer.
Mast attached to a bicycle holding up a wire antenna.
But…
Masts do draw attention to themselves. It’s difficult to minimize that. Sometimes, it’s easier to deploy a whip with a ground spike. I have a Chameleon setup that works every time. I always use it when we go camping because it’s low-profile when setup behind our camper and I can keep it close to the camper itself so that I don’t have a feedline out there waiting for one of the dogs to get wound up in it.
But…
Whips and spike mounted antennas still have radials to be managed. I find it’s easier to manage them because the antenna can be deployed out of the path of most other park visitors. That said, there are plenty of parks that do not allow for spikes to be driven into the ground. I keep a nifty clamp for my Chameleon whip on hand to attach it to a grill or picnic table to avoid breaking that rule.
All of that said…
Look, I broke down and got the Elecraft AX1 after watching a ton of videos where Thomas K4SWL went off and made more than enough contacts with really good distances with that little antenna. It’s almost impossible to see if you’re at a picnic table, it doesn’t require anything more than my cool table clamp or even the bipod to keep it upright, and it’s quick to setup and tear down. It doesn’t even feel like a compromise most times. I’m still getting coast to coast and Europe in there. There is a counterpoise, but it’s easily managed. Is this antenna for everyone? No. But boy does it work for me!
Modes
I’ve talked at length about how I don’t like doing phone at the park. Sitting at a picnic table and having what sounds a very dull phone conversation not unlike what one might expect in a call center isn’t something that I enjoy. I do OSPOTA every year and I will hunt with phone, but activating using phone isn’t my thing. What’s that mean?
I was very much a digital activator for most of my early POTA career. I have tuned my digital portable station to the point where there is very little left to optimize (in my opinion at this date). I can set up quickly and activate a park using FT8/FT4 or even RTTY. I’d love to get more digital modes into my repertoire and that’s something I’m working toward. Sure, I have to carry around my tablet and manage that, but it’s fun! It’s also QUIET.
The other mode that I’m finding is very low-profile is CW. It further reduces the footprint of my station and, through the judicious use of headphones, produces no impact on the park around me. The AX1 is fantastic on CW. QRP and CW go hand in hand. My key doesn’t make a sound that anyone can hear unless they are sitting right on rop of me in which case, I care a lot less about the noise.
My CW station deployed on a tarp resting on a picnic table. It takes up less than a third of the total surface area of the table. The AX1 is barely visible.
We don’t talk about this enough: We need to respect the sonic space of a park.
Is there anything more irritating when you’re camping than to hear the music of the site next to you? Is there anything less fun than being on a hike and unable to pass a group with a Bluetooth speaker that is cranking out song after song that gets in the way of you hearing the breeze in the trees or the river and the birds? Personally, I would rather sit next to a crying baby on a Trans-Atlantic flight than listen to the oldies coming out of a tinny speaker hanging from the fannypack of a speed-walking grandmother.
What’s that mean? It means that I want to have a little empathy for other park visitors and make sure that the sound of my radio goes into a pair of headphones rather than into the sonic space we’re sharing. No one wants to hear the beeping of my rig or the voices coming to me from the west coast. I’m very mindful of that. Keeping myself unheard is very important to me.
My Personal Practice
As you can see in the above photos, I’ve been frequenting a park that could be the set of a post-apocalyptic thriller. In fact, on Sunday, the only humans I saw at the park were this fisherman:
A single human fishing from a bass boat on the reservoir at K-1999.
and two people paddling kayaks in February in Northeast Ohio. Yeah. The water is liquid, gotta be in the boat. I have to imagine that they’re pretty chilly sitting on the water like that.
I’ve talked with one ranger in my entire time visiting this park. I’m including my childhood in that. He was out emptying trash and I asked him a couple of questions about the facilities that were being torn down. Good chat. He asked what I was doing and nodded along. OSPOTA has been around a long time and the parks department is well aware of us. It’s a good relationship.
In short, I go where it’s not crowded and use as little gear as possible, in the most compact way it can be deployed. Those are the guidelines. How does it work in practice?
Saturday Activation (10-Feb-2024)
I got to the park Saturday morning and set up. It was a dramatic and overcast day. There was a touch of wind – more than I’d normally like – but it was warm enough that I didn’t need gloves for most of the time I was out there.
40-meters was respectable and treating me well. I got most of my activation done there and then switched over to 30-meters. I managed to grab two contacts there and then…rain. Unpredicted rain. Cold, miserable, throw-the-radio-in-the-pack rain. I got everything packed up and headed out. I didn’t feel like setting up in the Jeep, so I went home and grabbed a nap.
QSO Map
The reach wasn’t all that impressive, but I got the contacts I needed. Not too shabby for 5 watts.
The QSO Map of the activation of K-1999 by KC8JC on 10-Feb-2024.
Sunday Activation (11-Feb-2024)
Superbowl Sunday is a great day to go to the park. There’s no one there. As I said above, there was not a single car anywhere in sight. Nor were there dog walkers or people fishing along the shore. It was me and the boats.
I got on the air and went from 40-meters which was maybe not as chatty as the day before and jumped right over to 20-meters. That was zipping along as one would expect. There was plenty of fading and QSB as the hour progressed and I got some fun comments in the POTA.app spotting log.
N4REE says: SRI JC – Hvy QSB tool you away from Ctl FL – 72
But the upside was getting my Mastodon buddy WJ3FF in the log with a more proper contact than our last go:
WJ3FF says: Got you again, a little more certainly this time!
Remember gang, always read the POTA spots if you can. There’s fun stuff in there.
QSO Map
A little more distance than the day before.
QSO Map of the activation of K-1999 by KC8JC on 11-Feb-2024.
Final
There is no doubt that when we’re out in the parks activating, we are representatives of the entire ham radio community. Not just POTA, but all hams. Poor behavior on the part of a single operator will sour other park patrons and park staff to our presence as a whole. The last thing anyone should want to do is wreck a great hobby for others. Being polite and respectful are table stakes here. If anything, we should go above and beyond the basic expectations of park goers and do what we can to leave the place better than we found it.
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