Maybe it is the magic of a new month, or perhaps the cooler days, but today felt like an excellent day for an activation. Silver Springs park is just a few miles from my home, and has a couple of nice spots to park near the pond.
With a light mist falling, I was on the air just before 4 PM local time. I used my KH1 QRP rig, which puts out about 4 watts. less than a half-hour later I had 14 contacts in the log. The skies really opened up right as I was putting the antenna away (a mag-mounted 17′ quarter wave vertical).
Thanks to all the hunters who helped out!
Activation of Silver Springs Park US-10547 using a Elecraft KH1 handheld QRP rig (4 watts). A 17-foot quarter-wave vertical on a mag mount was used. HAMRS was used to log the contacts.
A search of the mythical Ideal QRP Travel Rig For Vibration-Rich Environments has me, once again, pondering what's out there and coming to the same old conclusion:That the Elecraft KX2 - manyyears (yes, one word) after its introduction - still has no peer. Eight years old now - a virtual eternity.Like others, I watch the YouTube infomercials of the latest offerings, hoping to find my unicorn. But
Michael AG5VG finished this receiver last weekend. He hopes to build a CW transmitter using an output of the Si5351. Obviously I defer to Pete on that one. Good going Michael. I think it sounds great and looks even better.
I’ve been toying with the idea of putting together a small radio kit based on my (tr)SDX or something similar, so I’ve been looking at small paddles to go with it. Browsing through eBay recently, I came across several listings for the QU-21C paddles. They were inexpensive, so I thought I’d order them and give them a shot.
These paddles are nothing new; they’ve been around for a few years. (I’m definitely no early adopter.) The QU-21C paddles are made in China and mine are marked with the brand name, Magic Rabbit. From other reviews I have seen, there may be other manufacturers. So, the quality and packaging may vary. I paid about $24 USD from a seller (iDrone) that ships from the U.S., but you can find them listed for less than $20, if you don’t mind waiting for a shipment from China.
Opening the package, I found the paddles are even smaller than I expected. The base is approximately .98 inch by .98 inch (25mm x 25mm) and 1 inch (26mm) tall. The overall length, including the paddles, is 1.9 inches (48.5mm). On my kitchen scale, the paddles weighed in at 1.25 ounces (34 grams). The paddles appear to be 3-D printed, but the quality is pretty good. The base of the paddles is magnetic, which is one feature that first drew my attention.
Magic Rabbit QU-21C paddles with the rubber pad attached to the magnet. The pad looks a little ragged around the edges, because I applied it, removed it, and then decided to put it back on. I messed it up a little in the process.
The package I received included:
Paddles with a magnet attached to the bottom
3-ft cable with 3.5mm stereo plugs on each end
Hex wrench for adjusting contact spacing
Two adhesive metal discs
Adhesive rubber pad
Plastic storage case that holds everything
Some of the accessories that came with it. The cable is inside the clear plastic storage box. The adhesive discs can be applied anywhere, so you can use the attach the paddles magnetically.
My first impression was that the contact spacing seemed a little wider than I like. I used the supplied hex wrench and adjusted the spacing until the contacts were completely closed. Then, I backed off a little.
I prefer a light spring tension on my paddles, but the spring in these paddles seems stiffer than I’m used to. Unfortunately, there’s no adjustment for that. So, I’ll just have to get used to using a little more force than my other paddles.
I’m not sold on the magnetic base, though. The square magnet is fairly strong, but it’s highly polished. So, the paddles sometimes have a tendency to slide when I’m sending. I applied the rubber pad that comes with it, but that seemed to offer only minimal improvement. For now, I just hold them in one hand while sending with the other.
I’ve actually thought about trying to remove the magnet altogether, since it appears to be glued on. At least, it wouldn’t be attracting every ferrous object that comes near it. But, for now, I’m just thinking about it.
The QU-21C paddles during a recent activation, along with my trusty Palm Mini paddles.
I had a chance to use the QU-21C paddles on a recent park activation. It didn’t take long to get used to them, and I had no issues with them at all. The paddles keyed reliably, without missing a single dit or dah.
Even with my spring tension and magnet gripes, I’m pretty happy with these paddles. These cheap paddles look like worthy candidates for field use. We’ll see how well they hold up over time.
A question this morning from Scott KQ4AOP caused me to Google this old book On page 59 I found the article about my first transmitter. Someone has put a copy of the entire book on the interenet. Here it is:
Its another gig sitting my “Grand Kittens” for my daughter as she and her hubby will be out of town from September 20th for a week. I guess I did a good job when they went to Cuba last January so I got invited back…I will be operating /p from Ottawa from September 21st to September 27th.
Most of my operating will be from September 23rd onwards.
As you can see from the above pic… they like having me around (one cat at least)
This time its a bit different because the car will be going with them to their rental cottage which is about 2 hours north of Ottawa.
However I plan to take both my Portable Station and my Transportable Station with me so I can activate some POTA locations with the Xiegu X5105 and also use my Yaesu FT 891 as I control the Trans Provincial Net for my 11am slot.
Before we go any further please remember that all my RF Plans you will see below are if the weather is good. I don’t like operating outside in the rain and neither do my radios….
The closest park to where they live is a City Park and not a POTA park.
The park has two sport fields and they have bleachers so it will be easy as I will have somewhere to sit along with strap my MFJ 33 foot mast to so the EFHW will have some altitude.
That will allow me to act as NCS with a 100w station with a full size antenna.
Once the net is over I will be packing up and heading back to the apartment for lunch. In the afternoons…. Once again if the weather is cooperating I plan to take the X5105 out to one or two of the local POTA Parks for a couple of hours. Check POTA Spots….
Due to the fact of not having access to a vehicle I will be heading out either on foot or public transport. After checking the POTA map it seems there are quite a few POTA sites that are fairly easy to access via the Bus and LRT service. However a few of the “Locals” have mentioned that they might pick me up and we could do an activation as a group so you never know.
They say that “getting there is half the fun” and this might be the case.
Stay tuned…
73bob
Yes its an old picture but the hobby has been fun since the 1990’s
Rogier PA1ZZ sent me this today. I think I may have seen pieces of it before, but this restoration
is really nice. But ham radio seems to have been a lot cooler in California. I don't remember it being so socially advantageous on the East Coast. See Dilbert cartoon below.
So many memories:
-- The video opens with someone working on a QF-1 Q multipliers. We have destroyed so many of these relics, in pursuit of the variable capacitors (which turn out to be not so good).
-- A Drake 2-B on Field Day.
-- An HT-37 in a shack.
--What looks like an HW-32a in a mobile rig.
-- Maybe an HW-101.
-- A BC-348.
-- The ATV station with lots of homebrew gear was very cool.
-- I also liked the single THERMATRON homebrew CW rig made from an old TV. FB.
-- The CW used in the video was all pretty good. There was a lot of chirp. This, of course, adds character to a signal. FB.
After the video, they take a walk down memory lane, looking at ham radio magazines with some cool jazz playing in the background. I saw a Swan 240 and a D-104. The debauchery of the 1970s was evident on the magazine covers. Even QST seemed to be caught up in this. Check out the August 1975 cover of QST.
Anyway, this video was a lot of fun. Thanks Rogier!
What favorite rigs do you see? Make note of them in the comments.
This video and the Dilbert cartoon reminded me of a discussion we had many years ago about THE KNACK:
For most of my early years of my Amateur Radio existence, operators' stations locations were known for their simple, modest and sometimes enormous antenna towers. This was and is basically a good indication that a "Ham Radio" operator resides somewhere near those structures. And if you had the opportunity to visit the radio rooms (Ham Shack) of those operators, some of them may have been in a corner of a room, in a closet, a spandrel, a garage, a shed or look similar to the photo above
In today's world, that is far from the case. Due to HOAs (Home Owner's Associations) and other covenant restrictions, ham operators in their infinite ingenuity, come up of many types of inconspicuous means of assembling antennas to enjoy their hobby.
The minimization of electronics have given Ham Radio operators the ability to communicate "To infinity and Beyond". During my past three years of operating portable, primarily POTA, I've had countless people inquire what I was doing. Most of the POTA sites near my QTH are parks where trying to find a spot which is safe AND a considerable distance away from people is limited.
For me its no big deal. Most of the time people will look, point, observe and casually walk, bicycle ride or run by without saying a word. But then, there are the ones who's curiosity takes the best of them. Doesn't matter the age, nationality, or sex, the sight of someone sitting under a pole with wires going this way and that way, hearing beeps and tones, have to find out what is going on.
Summits on the Air (SOTA), Parks on the Air (POTA) and World Wide Fauna (WWFF) have given ham radio operators a way to bring our equipment out of the dark rooms to the open air. It is exciting times we live in in this world of Amateur Radio. We should take advantage of the minimization of the equipment we have at our disposable and show the world just how GREAT ham radio is not only as a hobby but exposing young and old minds to potentially unimaginable innovations.
As the daylight starts to shorten, the temperatures become more tolerable, it can present the favorable conditions to take our equipment portable to remind the world that, HAM RADIO is still something people do. It doesn't have to be POTA or SOTA but its a good time to experience all Mother Nature has to offer as the season changes.
Here are some who just enjoy operating outdoors.
Portable Amateur Radio
M0KVI Owen
W0ABE "Fin"
KH6WI Eric
VE5REV Jason
KH6RF John
VA7USD Matthew
KO4TJP Jake
W3IPA Tim
Amateurs operating through Satellites and the International Space Station (ISS) can be very simple but for some, but some have a wide array of portable equipment they use for different modes to communicate via satellites and ISS.
Portable Satellite Operation
K9BCM Thomas
VA3VGR Richard
EA2CW / AE2CW - Mikel
K8ZRY Zach
WD9EWK Patrick
KE5NJ Chris
KG4AKV John
SP3RNZ Greg
NC0Q Tim
KB5FHK Thomas
Parks on the Air has taken portable ham radio operating to a different level. Here is just a few of the thousands who choose to spend a lot of their operating time outdoors.
Parks on the Air
AE4JC Matthew
K1STG Fred
KC9BKA Dan
KM6HJC Ben
KN4YZY Corey
N9OHW Michael
KA3DRR Scot
AI5DD Joe
K4WSD / Allen
KB6NU Dan
And then there are the ones who operate Summits on the Air (SOTA). Some might think this is an Extreme Sport but to them, its just another day at the office.
Summits on the Air
KO6BTM Di
EC7ZT Manu
JL1SDA Tetsuya
MM0EFI Fraser
WA7JNJ James
JR8MHA Katsu
N2SRK Dan NA0MT Scott
N6ARA Ara
K4KFO Yusef
You don't have to travel far from the Backroom to the Open Air. A few weeks ago I began a Sunday morning routine of "A Cup of Joe Patio Amateur Radio". It's my quiet time to relax, commune with nature and do some sort of ham radio operating. For me its natural boost to reset for another week.
We've come a long way baby from the days of operating portable in the photo below. Why not grab your gear now at head out for some Ham Radio Portable operating.
All of us are at one place or another in our CW journey and with each path there are up and down times. Times when things connect and other times when there is a disconnect. If you think about it this is not just CW that operates this way. When y...
Station Peak is one of the more remote peaks of the White Mountains. With Rex's SUV we were hoping to get all the way to the base, but we had bikes if the road turned out to be too rough. From the main road we turned right towards the Crooked Creek Station (road 5S01). Past the station the road got much rougher. We made it a few miles down before it was too much for the Pilot.
On the way.
A short distance after starting my bike decided it had had enough, and the rear wheel came loose. Luckily, we had the tools and strength to get it back where it belonged. Thankfully it was the last real problem I had with my (very old and cheap) bike that weekend. After riding downhill a few miles, we turned off and headed up (road 5S01B). Around the place this spur road ended, there was a small station with two guys working. They were doing something with the cattle grazing in the area.
Station Peak.
From here there was no road or trail, and it was too steep for the bikes, so we left them by a rock and walked the rest of the way. On the way up we went straight. It was a decent route, however our return route was better. On the way down we hiked to the col to the east of the summit then followed the reentrant back to the bikes. I think I would take this route up next time.
Large meadow where we left the bikes.
The summit was covered with flying ants or something like that. It was pretty bad when the breeze didn't blow. There was marginal cell service, and we were able to get a few spots out. Sadly, the bands were in terrible shape, and I barely got my contacts. We could see rain moving in, so we packed up quickly and got out. Back at the bikes we rode back to the road, then up the hill to the car. It is hard to bike at elevation. So hard.
Route: Take the road past Crooked Creek Station as far as you can or will drive. The bike or hike to the small station, the cross country up to the summit.
I was minding my own business this morning, drinking coffee and up to my knees in the pleasant (cough) task of toroid-winding, when what to my wondering eyes did appear - news of a new kit. More radio gear!The messenger is Thomas K4SWL and the kit is from Jonathan KM4CFT - the CFT1.The kit currently under construction is the QMX+. I'm 80% of the way through the build. As if the radio gods know
Last night around 9pm I was browsing Amazon and found the same 64:1 unun that I use with my 40m EFHW. This antenna is my primary antenna for my “Transportable/POTA” setup with my FT891.
I decided that the last one worked so well for me that it was time to see if the 1st one was the real deal or a fluke.
Around noon today I checked my front door and found the Amazon Fairy had magically made the new 64:1 unun appear sometime between 10am (last time I checked for it) and noon.
I had a spare 100 foot roll of Princess Auto 18ga insulated wire in the shack and as a bonus for my home environment is was even green.
I quickly measured out 64 feet and then did the connection things. As with most of Eastern North America it was a rather wet day.
Around 4pm locally the rain stopped and I was able to remove the old wire and install the new antenna, once again using the fir trees on the edge of my yard for camo as not draw attention to the antenna.
The SWR is pretty good especially for a wire hidden in the branches:
6m – 2.5:1, 10m – 1.7:1, 12m- 1.2:2, 15m – 1.6:1
20m – 2.0:1, 40m – 1.3:1, 80m – 3.0:1
The bands are not the best, but signal reports (90w output pwr) were fairly well (S7-S9+) with the stations that I was able to contact.
All in all for what it is…. I’m impressed and the best part is that using the built in auto tuner on my Yaesu FT991a I can easily bring it down to 1:1 on all the bands listed above.
The results are the same on my Yaesu FT891 with the same style of balun and a 64 foot length of quality (Red) Princess Auto 18 ga automotive wire. The only real difference is that as I use the 891 with no tuner I have to be careful on some of the bands.
As the new install gets more use I will let you know if there are any “issues” with its performance.
Last night around 9pm I was browsing Amazon and found the same 64:1 unun that I use with my 40m EFHW. This antenna is my primary antenna for my “Transportable/POTA” setup with my FT891.
I decided that the last one worked so well for me that it was time to see if the 1st one was the real deal or a fluke.
Around noon today I checked my front door and found the Amazon Fairy had magically made the new 64:1 unun appear sometime between 10am (last time I checked for it) and noon.
I had a spare 100 foot roll of Princess Auto 18ga insulated wire in the shack and as a bonus for my home environment is was even green.
I quickly measured out 64 feet and then did the connection things. As with most of Eastern North America it was a rather wet day.
Around 4pm locally the rain stopped and I was able to remove the old wire and install the new antenna, once again using the fir trees on the edge of my yard for camo as not draw attention to the antenna.
The SWR is pretty good especially for a wire hidden in the branches:
6m – 2.5:1, 10m – 1.7:1, 12m- 1.2:2, 15m – 1.6:1
20m – 2.0:1, 40m – 1.3:1, 80m – 3.0:1
The bands are not the best, but signal reports (90w output pwr) were fairly well (S7-S9+) with the stations that I was able to contact.
All in all for what it is…. I’m impressed and the best part is that using the built in auto tuner on my Yaesu FT991a I can easily bring it down to 1:1 on all the bands listed above.
The results are the same on my Yaesu FT891 with the same style of balun and a 64 foot length of quality (Red) Princess Auto 18 ga automotive wire. The only real difference is that as I use the 891 with no tuner I have to be careful on some of the bands.
As the new install gets more use I will let you know if there are any “issues” with its performance.
All of us are at one place or another in our CW journey and with each path there are up and down times. Times when things connect and other times when there is a disconnect. If you think about it this is not just CW that operates this way. When y...
This is one of three SOTA peaks in the Kaiser Wilderness above Huntington Lake. After some staring at a map, I decided the easiest approach was to drive up to Kaiser Pass, then follow the ridge. This is broadly what we did.
About to enter the wilderness.
The road gets pretty narrow and windy on the way up to the pass, so be prepared for that. There was plenty of parking at the pass, and even some bathrooms. Much cushier than I expected. Heading up the hill we passed a few campfire rings, then the sign marking the wilderness boundary. The slope here is pretty gentle, and it was a pleasant walk through a Sierra forest. On top of the first sub peak we headed down to the col.
Enjoying the view from the open areas.
On the way there we stayed high enough to avoid the marshy meadows. It was probably slightly longer, but having dry shoes made it worth it. The original plan was to get on the ridge and follow it to the summit, but the ridge looked pretty rough. We decided to stay a little below where we only had to walk through calf-high brush. Going was pretty easy, and there weren't any areas we had to fight through.
Huntington Lake.
After you pass around the last sub-peak, you can see the summit above you. This climb was the steepest of the day, but nothing terrible. From below it looks like there are some cliff bands, but the rocks are broken and it was easy to just walk to the summit. From the top the views to the north were excellent, there being a cliff on that side of the mountain. My Verizon phone had ok service, enough to put out some spots. AT&T had some, but not as good.
Making contacts with the new KH1.
The bands were not in good shape, but I managed to get enough on HF with only the KH1 whip. We called on 2m for a while, but there was a station hogging the calling frequency, so we didn't make many there.
We retraced our steps, more or less, to get back to the car. We stayed a little lower on the ridge during the traverse, and it was just as easy as higher. It did mean, however, we had to cross the wet meadow. Luckily we were able to find enough solid ground to keep our feet dry. Back at the car we coasted down the hill to the general store at the marina to get some snacks and beverages, then back to the campground to relax by the lake.
Open Research Institute, Inc. (ORI) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) research and development organization which provides all of its work to the general public under the principles of open source and open access to research. Their projects include, but are not limited to, amateur radio projects. The amateur radio projects include Ribbit, a new digital text messaging mode for VHF/UHF simplex and repeater communication, and RF BitBanger, a low-power high-frequency digital radio.
Every quarter, the Parks On The Air folks have an event called Support Your Parks Weekend. The idea is to get out to the park at least once a quarter, right? I see it as just another weekend to go play, but maybe there are more hunters out there and a better chance for Park To Park contacts for those who chase those kinds of things.
For me, it’s another excuse to get out. “It’s the Support Your Parks event! I have to go out and activate! I don’t want people to think I don’t support the parks!”
Yeah, no one buys that, but it sounds good when I say it.
Keeping It Familiar
IC-705, Begali Traveler, and log book on a tarp.
Everything about this activation was very tried and true. The truth of the matter is, I have a lot of change going on at home right now and what I needed more than anything was a chance to get outside and forget about it all while dits and dahs flow out of my radio.
The park was the personal favorite Cuyahoga Valley National Park – US-0020. The location was The Octagon at my usual picnic table. The radio was my IC-705 and the antenna was my AX1. This is a place and a pile of gear I could set up with my eyes closed. In fact, from setting down my bag to getting on the air was just about 3 minutes according to my stopwatch.
Sometimes, it just feels good to use the things we know.
The Bands
I started off on 40-meters and it was quiet. Really, really quiet. The kind of quiet that tells you it’s going to be a rough time on that band. I poked around and got two contacts in about 20 minutes. That’s not the best. I knew that I had a sink to install later, so I switched up to 20 so I could hopefully get what I needed.
20 was a little more lively. I could see a lot of activity on the waterfall and signals were coming in nice and clear. Low noise and little to no crashing. In fact, it was really great! But it still took me just under an hour to get enough contacts for an activation. Not that I mind. I did switch up to 17 in the end, but only got one contact there. Better than none!
The Point
This was one of the activations where it really is about sitting at the park and enjoying the weather. It was 72 dF, clear skies, light breeze, low humidity. There was nothing not to like about it. The Octagon area was more or less deserted, so there wasn’t any human noise either.
It was a great time to watch the open field which was freshly mowed. Lots of families come out here to have picnics and play games. Plenty of youth programs are held here during the week. It’s one of those wonderful shared spaces that we have set aside as what will probably be remembered as our nation’s best idea (just ask Ken Burns!).
For someone like me who has been coming to this spot for a while now, it was a chance to enjoy the way the hawks hunt mice and chipmunks when the grass is freshly cut. There is a pair that I’ve observed for some time. They patrol the perimeter and wait patiently for a mouse or chipmunk to get too cocky and get too far out from the tree cover. I’ve seen many raptor picnics on that field.
And isn’t that the point of Support Your Parks weekend? Seems like it is. Using the radio as an excuse to get out to a shared space and enjoy the weather – whatever it may be. See the trees or grass or whatever natural features you have to hand.
The QSO Map
It looks like everything was aligned to the west. I’ve not seen a QSO Map like this before with this antenna. I guess the east coast was just busy!
The QSO Map of the activation of US-0020 on 21-Jul-2024 by KC8JC.
Final
For people who need an excuse to take their rig portable, the Support Your Parks Weekend really do deliver. They happen every quarter, so even if that’s the only time you activate, you’ll get to see your favorite park in each season. Take notes. Enjoy the scenery. Make some contacts and have fun.
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