Reading view
Introducing the New CFT1 Five Band Portable CW Transceiver Kit!
Field Report: POTA Energy Boost at Tuttle Educational State Forest
QRP Dreams in the City of Lights: Rand’s Eiffel Tower Beacon Attempt
A tale of two back to back activations
The POTA Babe Becomes a SOTA Babe – Part 1
Code, Contacts, and a Stunning View: A POTA First-Timer’s Experience at the Devil’s Punch Bowl
A Radio-Active Day in the Triangle: POTA, Satellites, & Southern Hospitality in the Summer Heat
The POTA Babe Goes North – Day 1
Video: IX1CKN & IW0HK’s Friedrichshafen ’24 POTA Rove
Beautiful POTA activation at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson and Afternoon in Southport!
Christian Chases Greyline DX on Support Your Parks Weekend!
Flight of the Bumblebees 2024
Yesterday was the annual Flight of the Bumblebees (FOBB) QRP contest, a four-hour sprint sponsored by The Adventure Radio Society. It’s been a couple of years since I last took part, so I was glad to get out for a couple of hours this afternoon. Prior to the contest, I signed up to be a bumblebee station and was assigned bumblebee number 82.
I operated from a picnic area in nearby Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761). There were several picnics in progress, so I headed to an area well away from them. I found a nice shady spot under the trees, where I set up my table and chair. Except for having to swat the occasional bug, it was a comfortable spot.
My rig was an Elecraft KX3, running 5 watts. I dusted off my trusty homebrew 19-foot vertical and put it to use for this event.
In general, the bands weren’t all that great. Most of the signals I heard were weak, and there was considerable fading on the bands. A few contacts were a real struggle.
The FOBB activity was surprisingly brisk when I first started, but slowed dramatically as the contest wore on. In about two hours and a half hours of operating, I ended up with 22 contest QSOs. Fourteen of those were with fellow bumblebees. Before I shut down, I came across a POTA station and had a quick park-to-park contact outside of the contest.
Although I was in a POTA entity, I didn’t spot myself or call “CQ POTA.” However, my FOBB contacts were more than enough to complete an activation.
Given the conditions, I did better than I expected. Thanks to those stations that hung in there to pull me out of the noise.
72, Craig WB3GCK
Beyond the Beacon: Conrad Discovers the Unexpected Benefits of WSPR
Carolina Beach State Park: A QRP Oasis Amidst the Summer Heat and Activities
Karl Heinz’s Pocket-Sized Digital HF Station
Do I make videos of all of my field activations?
My AliExpress Whip on the Air
I had a chance to use the inexpensive whip I bought through AliExpress recently. While it performed well enough, I encountered a couple of minor quality issues. That’s certainly not surprising, given its $18 USD price tag.
I made an early morning trip to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414). I coupled the AliExpress whip with my homebrew loading coil. My rig today was my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW).
Extending the whip, I noticed that two of the sections were pretty tight and took some effort to pull them out. Better tight than loose, I guess. Another issue is that the crimp that holds the mounting stud in the bottom section of the antenna was a little loose. When the antenna was fully seated in the mount, I could still rotate the antenna.
Because this whip is longer than a quarter wave on 20M, I didn’t extend the first section from the bottom. Using an antenna analyzer, I was seeing SWR readings similar to my MFJ-1979 whip. The SWR readings seemed stable. So, I guess the suspect crimp is making a good enough connection.
Band conditions seemed so-so this morning. Despite that, I logged 25 contacts on 40M and 20M in an hour, including three park-to-park contacts. I didn’t work any DX stations today, but I worked a station on the west coast in Washington on 20M.
Even with its issues, the whip did a pretty decent job this morning. It won’t replace my MFJ whip, but it will have a place in my antenna arsenal.
72, Craig WB3GCK