I was recently looking at some of my older gear gathering dust on the shelf, so I resolved to start putting it to use. So yesterday, before I headed out for Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414), I grabbed my old homebrew z-match antenna tuner and gave my Elecraft T1 tuner the day off.

I built this tuner from scratch about 24 years ago, and it has always been one of my favorite projects. Based on a bunch of different designs, it gave me years of great service. For years, my go-to portable rig was my old FT-817 coupled with this tuner. Today, I paired the z-match with my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW). I used my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil mounted on the truck. The loaded whip’s SWR on 40M and 30M is just slightly high, nothing the old z-match can’t handle. 

I’ve been spoiled using automatic antenna tuners lately, but tuning the z-match was a cinch. Just peak the received noise, switch in the resistive SWR bridge, key up the rig, and tweak the knobs to extinguish the LED. Then switch out the bridge and go. 

The z-match is a high-Q, narrow bandwidth device, so when changing frequencies on a band, I did a check with the SWR bridge before transmitting. It just took a minor tweak to extinquish the LED again.

It was a pretty good day on the bands. I split my time between 40M and 20M. I ended up with 28 QSOs. Among them was one park-to-park contact and one DX contact (IW2NXI). I forgot my water bottle, so my parched throat (and famously short attention span) prompted me to pull the plug after an hour on the air. Activation #20 from US-1414 was in the books.

My little Elecraft T1 tuner certainly has a size and weight advantage over my homebrew z-match. It’s certainly is easier to use, too. However the z-match can handle both balanced and unbalanced loads, and it doesn’t need a battery.

I have some other old gear in mind for future activations. A couple of rigs could make for some challenging activations.

Stay tuned.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Due to a medical emergency in the family, I unexpectedly spent the Labor Day weekend at my daughter’s house in central Pennsylvania. My (far) better half and I went out to help where we could. Thankfully, our family member’s medical situation was coming under control, so I was able to squeeze in three short activations over the weekend, while still being available to help out.

I’ve always been an early riser, and that worked to my advantage over the weekend. Pennsylvania State Game Lands 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862) is just a few minutes away, so my plan was to head over there early and keep my activations short. On all three days, I was onsite and set up at 0800 local time and back at the house around 0900. By the time I got back, everyone else was just getting up, so I was back in time for breakfast. 

Unlike my last visit, I had my truck this time. On all three activations, I used my usual Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and a 12-foot whip with my homebrew loading coil. 

On Saturday morning, I gulped down a cup of coffee and headed out the door. Less than 15 minutes later, I was on location and ready to go. The bands seemed in pretty good shape. I stayed on 40M the whole time and logged 17 contacts in about 40 minutes.

On Sunday, things went downhill a bit. It was rainy and the geomagnetic conditions were unsettled. Signals were much weaker than the day before, and there was some constant noise on the bands. Despite the conditions, I still managed to squeak out 13 contacts in about 40 minutes, including two park-to-park contacts. The rain stopped by the time I started packing up, so I had a chance to dry off the whip and loading coil before packing them away in the truck. 

I went back out on Monday morning, and boy, what a difference a day makes. Conditions on 40M were great, and there were plenty of hunters out there. This time out, I logged 26 contacts in 40 minutes, with three park-to-park contacts. The activity was fast and furious at times.

I really appreciate all the hunters who were out there during my early morning activations. There were even a few who worked me on all three days:

• KQ4CW in VA
• WA1HRH in NH
• WX4TW in NC

Medically, my family member is doing much better, so I wrapped up my trip and headed home Monday evening.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend. 

72, Craig WB3GCK

The (far) better half and I made a trip out to central Pennsylvania to attend some activities our grand-kids are taking part in. I had some time on Saturday morning for a quick activation, so I drove a few miles down the road to nearby PA State Game Lands (US-8941, KFF-5862). 

We made the trip in the (far) better half’s little Chevy Traiblazer, so like a previous trip, I went with a simple setup. Along with my Penntek TR-35 (5W, CW), I used my Elecraft AX1 on a clip-on window mount. The diminutive AX1 has always gotten the job done in the past, so I hoped for similar results today.

Today, I had a couple of things working against me: doing an early morning activation (0900 local time) on 20M coupled with some unsettled geomagnetic conditions. Not to mention running 5 watts into a 45-inch loaded whip. Still, I enjoy a challenge. Or maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment.  

With the AX1, it only took a few minutes to get set up and get on the air. After spotting myself, it took nine minutes of CQing to make my first contact. Then, 19 minutes after that, I made contact number two. Yikes! It was looking like I was headed for my first busted activation with the AX1. I also began wishing I had brought my Gabil GRA-7350TC and mag mount, so I could have made some contacts down on 40M. Undeterred, I pressed on.

Not too long after that, things picked up a bit, and I started getting some more callers. Either the band conditions were improving or the hunters were waking up and getting out of bed. One of those callers was OH1MM. I had a weak copy on him, so I can only imagine what my QRP signal sounded like in Finland.  

An hour after arriving onsite, I had 14 contacts, including one park-to-park and one DX contact. I was happy with that, so I packed up and headed back to my daughter’s house for a late breakfast. 

So, despite getting off to a slow start, my little AX1’s undefeated streak remains intact. 

72, Craig WB3GCK

Well, the 2024 edition of our annual Outer Banks family vacation has come and gone. My (far) better half and I, along with our two daughters and their families, converged on a rental house in Duck, North Carolina. Of course, ham radio (for me, at least) was a part of that vacation. 

After an early morning start, our long drive from Pennsylvania to North Carolina on Sunday was relatively uneventful, and the traffic on the Outer Banks wasn’t too bad. We all arrived safely, albeit a little road weary. 

This year, we rented the same house overlooking Currituck Sound we were in last year. Being familiar with the layout of the rental house, I had an entire year to think about my antenna situation. The vertical I used the last time was somewhat noisy on 40M, and my 31-foot Jackite pole really took a beating in the wind. This year, I tried something a little different. 

I wanted to avoid using a telescopic pole, so I strapped my homebrew weather-resistant 9:1 unun to the railing on the third floor deck. From there, I configured a 29.5-foot wire as a sloper, and tied it off to a fence post. I dropped 35 feet of RG-8x coax off the deck and fed it through a ground floor window, where I set up my KX3. I also used a 1:1 choke at the radio end. I’ve used this antenna configuration in the past with good results, so I was confident it would work here.

Giving it a quick test, I found the noise on 40M was only S1-S2. That was an improvement from last year. There were no noise issues on 30M and up. I tuned around on 40M and made two quick Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) Weekend Sprintathon (WES) contacts. There were some storms in the area, so I declared victory, disconnected the antenna, and cracked open a cold adult beverage. 

Although most of my time was devoted to other vacation activities, I squeezed in some radio time and made a few contacts from the house each day. I mostly hunted POTA activators and SKCC members. 

When I’m down here, I always like to check into the Outer Banks Area Wide Net on Thursday evening at 8pm (local time). They are always a friendly and welcoming group. The Outer Banks Repeater Association maintains a linked system of repeaters covering the entire area, so I easily hit a repeater across the sound with an HT while sitting out on the deck.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park (US-2737, KFF-2737)

I planned to do one or two POTA/WWFF activations during the week. On Tuesday, I took a 30-minute drive down to Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Since this is a family vacation, I went out early and kept it short, so I could get back and spend time with the grand-kids.  

It had been 25 years or more since my last visit to the park. So, when I rolled into the main parking lot, it was nothing at all like I remembered. Still, I found a shaded parking spot and set up my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil on the back of the truck. I used my trusty Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) up front in the truck. 

I was glad to see that the bands had started to bounce back after the severe geomagnetic storms of the previous couple of days. In less than an hour of air time, I logged 23 contacts with four park-to-park contacts. I didn’t work any DX, although I heard a French station calling. They were just too far down in the noise to copy their callsign. On the plus side, however, I worked a station in Nevada on 20M. 

Jockey’s Ridge is known for having the tallest living sand dune system on the East Coast. It’s also a very popular spot for hang gliding. I didn’t have time to make the trek out to the dunes this time, but I have been there before. I didn’t take any pictures that do the park justice, but the Outer Banks Visitor’s Guide website has some great ones. 

Nags Head Woods Preserve (US-3862, KFF-3862)

I got in one more POTA/WWFF activation during the week. This time I drove down to Nags Head Woods Preserve, an interesting park that was not without some (radio) challenges.

I rolled into the parking lot and grabbed a spot near the entrance and away from the other cars. I was in a hurry to get set up. My friend, N3FLL, was activating a park back home in Pennsylvania and I wanted to snag a park-to-park QSO with him.  

I used my usual setup: Penntek TR-35 (5W CW) and 12-foot loaded whip. I powered up and found lots of electrical noise on 40M. Noise notwithstanding, I quickly found Frank, and after a few attempts to break the pile up, I finally got him.

I moved up the band a bit and started calling CQ. The cell service was poor, but I was able to use the Wi-Fi hotspot in my truck to put out a spot. It was slow going at first, and the noise was relentless. Eventually things picked up, and I worked 9 stations on 40M before things dried up.

I checked 30M to look for P2P contacts, and the noise was still there. Not hearing anyone, I moved on. The 20M band was no different, noise-wise, but at least there was more activity. I managed 11 more contacts before deciding to declare victory and pack up. Right before I turned off the rig, I heard a Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) member calling CQ, so I had a quick contact with him.

As I was taking my antenna down, I saw the likely source of the noise I had been hearing. When I first pulled in, I didn’t notice the power lines that crossed the parking lot. On the other side of the parking lot from me, there was a utility pole with two transformers on it. As I started back down the gravel road to leave, I noticed a large transformer not far from the parking lot. No wonder it was noisy there. 

After an hour of operating, I had 21 contacts in my log, including four park-to-park QSOs. Once again, I had no DX contacts, but I did work two California stations on 20M. 

I took a short walk around the Preserve before leaving. It’s a fascinating place that definitely warrants further exploration in the future. There are wetlands and several beautiful trails with some really cool wooden bridges. Maybe next year, I can talk the grandkids into going on a nature hike there. 

And That’s a Wrap

After a few final QSOs on Saturday, it was time to take down the antenna and pack up the radios. Our week on the Outer Banks was over before we knew it. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.  

The sloper antenna I used at the rental house did pretty well, even with the geomagnetic storms over the first day or two. I had room to accommodate a longer wire, so next year I’ll pack 36-foot and 44-foot wires and give those a try. This is our last year renting this house, but I’m sure I can make the sloper work wherever we end up next year. 

72, Craig WB3GCK

It’s been a while since I’ve done a cheap speaker wire antenna, so here’s another one for you. Back in the early to mid-2000s, an antenna commonly referred to as the “No Counterpoise Antenna” was making the rounds on the Internet. I thought I might give it another look.

The No Counterpoise Antenna is either a 25-foot or 50-foot length of two conductor wire with half of one conductor removed. Essentially, it’s a radiator fed through a balanced line feeder. The 25-foot version is said to cover 20M through 10M, while the 50-foot version is supposed to cover 40M through 10M. It was usually connected to a balanced tuner of some sort or sometimes fed through a 4:1 balun. It was typically constructed from zip cord or speaker wire. So, this is perfect for another speaker wire project. (Actually, I built the 50-foot version years ago, but I don’t recall ever putting it on the air.)

A picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes:

I’ve seen this antenna sometimes referred to as a Zepp. A true Zepp is basically a half wave radiator with a quarter wave balanced line matching section. Unlike a true Zepp, the No Counterpoise Antenna is non-resonant, so I guess it’s actually “Zepp-ish.” Because it’s non-resonant, a tuner is required for this antenna. 

I did some extensive research into the origins of this antenna. (OK… I just did a few Google searches.) Jeff Imel K9ESE came up with this design. I remember Jeff used to sell a high-quality version of the antenna on eBay. The reviews were generally positive.

Pete Millis, M3KXZ, is another name often associated with this antenna. I think that’s how I first came across it. Pete once made a phased array from two 25-foot versions. 

In the August 2020 edition of Ozark QRP Banner, the Four State QRP Group’s newsletter, Terry Fletcher, WAØITP, had a nice write-up about it. He discusses his experience with both the 25- and 50-foot versions. 

This antenna design has been around the block a time or two. So, there’s no innovation here on my part whatsoever. 

Construction

I happened to have a 25-foot roll of #18 awg speaker wire on hand, so this time around, I opted to build…you guessed it… the 25-foot version. 

Construction was about as easy as it gets:

• I split the speaker wire halfway and cut off one side
• Next, I twisted a loop at the end of the single wire and secured it with some Goop® adhesive. As an alternative, you could just tie a loop at the top or crimp a ring lug over the wire’s insulation. 
• I stripped and tinned the wires at the feedpoint and installed spade lugs. You can just strip and tin the wires, if you like.
• To keep the speaker wire from splitting further, I put some heat shrink tubing a couple of inches up from the lugs. I also added a dab of Goop® in the middle of the antenna where one side of the wire was removed. All of this is completely optional. 

Construction probably took me all of 15 minutes or so. That doesn’t include allowing the adhesive to cure overnight. However, the antenna was certainly usable without the adhesive and heat-shrink tubing I used. I’m just prone to overkill.

On the Air

To test the No Counterpoise Antenna, I drove down to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414). Using my drive-on mount, I supported the antenna from a 28-ft Jackite pole. I used a homebrew 4:1 unun at the feedpoint and ran 15 feet of coax into the cab of my truck to my KX3 (5 watts, CW). I used the long side of the antenna as the radiator.

Before I got started, I checked to see how the tuner in the KX3 would handle the antenna. The KX3 easily found a 1:1 match on all bands from 40M through 10M. Just for the heck of it, I tried 60M and 80M. The KX3 was able to find a good match on those bands, too. (That’s not too surprising, given that I once forgot to attach my coax to an antenna, and the KX3 still found a match.) I doubt this antenna would work well on 60M and 80M—but stranger things have happened. I wasn’t able to try it, but I’m sure the KX3 would be able to match it directly connected to the radio without the 4:1 and coax. 

Band conditions weren’t very good, so this wasn’t an ideal test. Despite the mediocre band conditions, I logged 13 contacts during my short activation. Most of my contacts were on 40M. There was considerable fading on 30M and 20M, but I made a contact on each of those bands.

This was hardly a rigorous evaluation, but the 25-foot No Counterpoise Antenna got the job done. I need to give it another try, when conditions are better.

Anyway, if you have some speaker wire and a few minutes to spare, give this one a try and see what you think. 

72, Craig WB3GCK

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). 

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. 

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.

72, Craig WB3GCK

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

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

A while back, I ordered a 5.6M/18.4 foot. telescopic whip from a seller on AliExpress. I didn’t really need it, but having seen them on the Interwebs, I was curious to see what you get for $18 USD. Heck, at that price, why not take a chance? 

You can find these whips all over AliExpress. (I have also seen them on Amazon for about $10 more.) One nice thing about them is they are 7.5 inches shorter than an MFJ-1979 when fully collapsed. So, it might fit in backpacks easier. The shorter collapsed length is due to having 14 telescoping sections compared to the MFJ-1979’s 10 sections. Because of its thinner metal and lack of a reinforced base, the AliExpress whip weighs 4.4 ounces/125g less than the MFJ whip. Of course, the other obvious advantage is the incredibly low cost. 

There are some downsides though. The threads are metric (10mm), so you need an adapter to use it with a ⅜-24 mount. Fortunately, adapters are readily available as well. The other downside that I’ve noticed is that the metal they are made of is pretty thin. (More on that in a bit) The MFJ whip has a heavy stainless steel reinforcement at the bottom, while the AliExpress whip does not.

My antenna arrived from China about a week and a half later. It came wrapped in several layers of bubble wrap with a tough plastic outer wrap. I eagerly opened the package, but I was disappointed to see that the bottom section was damaged. It looked like either someone dropped something heavy on it or Big Foot stepped on it. As I mentioned previously, the metal is pretty thin.

When I finished uttering every expletive in my vocabulary, I contacted the seller through the AliExpress app and sent pictures of the damage. They promptly shipped out another antenna, and they didn’t want the old one back. So, I set the wounded whip aside, while I awaited its replacement.

The replacement whip arrived 6 days later, which is pretty impressive for a shipment from China. Happily, this shipment arrived intact. I would be remiss if I didn’t give props to the HUI BANG TE Store on AliExpress. Their customer support was top-notch.

When I get a chance, I’ll take the inexpensive whip out to a park to give it a go. I laid the AliExpress whip next to the MFJ-1979, and it looks like collapsing one section from the bottom on the AliExpress whip makes it about the same length as the MFJ.

I also have some ideas on how to straighten and reinforce the damaged whip to make it usable. That might be a winter project. 

72, Craig WB3GCK

I’ve had a lot of fun with my Elecraft AX1 antenna since I bought it six or seven years ago. I’ve activated several parks with it, and it has yet to let me down. Running five watts into a 45-inch whip shouldn’t really work, but somehow it does. While I don’t always use it as my primary antenna, I always take it along on outings as a backup. 

I have used my AX1 in a variety of settings, e.g., picnic table portable, with a car window mount, clamped to the handlebars of my bike, etc. While perusing the Temu website, I stumbled upon a tactical-style MOLLE pouch capable of holding the AX1 and all the accessories I typically use for those configurations. The cost was a mere $8.00 (USD) for a pair of them. (The original offering is no longer available, but a search for “molle pouch” on Temu or AliExpress should find this pouch or something similar.)

It measures 6.3 in. (16cm) x 4.33 in. (11cm) x 2.1 in. (5.5cm). For as inexpensive as they are, the quality is pretty good. The material is durable, and the zipper works smoothly. Each pouch came with an American flag velcro patch. At these low prices, you often get what you pay for. This time, though, I think it was a pretty good deal.

Here’s what I carry in the bag:

• Elecraft AX1 loading coil & whip
• Radials (4 @ 13 feet)
• Tufteln AX1 Stand
• Car Window Mount
• Camera Mount Clamp (Bike Mount)
• Elecraft AXT1 Tripod Mount
• Elecraft AXB1 Bipod
• 3-foot RG-316 coax cable w/ BNC connectors

Everything fits comfortably in the little pouch, but there isn’t much room to spare. 

I normally carry my AX1 pouch in my backpack. When I have too much other stuff in my pack, I can use the MOLLE straps to attach the pouch to the outside of the pack. 

It’s nice having all of this stuff in one place. Now my little AX1 is always ready to go, however I plan to use it.

72, Craig WB3GCK

As is my practice of late, I did an early morning activation to beat the heat. On Sunday morning, I drove up to Hopewell Fire Tower, which is part of William Penn State Forest (US-5481, KFF-4914). This small tract is located within French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355).

There was only one other vehicle in the parking lot when I rolled in. My plan was to operate from an old, stone picnic shelter, but I was swarmed by bugs as soon as I got out of my truck. So, I stayed in the truck to keep the annoying flying critters at bay. My equipment today included my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and my 12-foot loaded whip. 

Based on my Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) spots, the 40M band seemed in pretty good shape. I quickly logged 15 contacts before moving to 20M. I logged a few more on that band before shutting down. 

My 40 minute activation yielded 19 QSOs, including four park-to-park contacts. One of those P2P contacts was with fellow QRP Polar Bear, VE3WMB. It’s always a pleasure to work Michael.

Stay cool out there!

72, Craig WB3GCK

As I have gotten older, the heat and I don’t get along very well anymore. So, with the heat and humidity forecasted for today, I was just going to stay home and get caught up on some things around the house. My (far) better half intervened and encouraged me to go out early before it got too hot. She’s always right, so off I went.

I drove down to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) and found a parking spot with some shade. Along with my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW), I used an MFJ-1979 17-foot whip with my homebrew loading coil. 

I started out on 40M and wound up staying there for my whole activation. The band was in pretty good shape, as it only took about eight minutes to log my first 10 contacts. 

About 40 minutes into my activation, I got a call from my (far) better half. There was an issue at home, so I packed up and headed out.

I ended up with 20 contacts this morning, with four known park-to-park contacts. One contact was with fellow QRP enthusiast, Jim W1PID. It’s been a while, so it was nice to hear him again. One of my park-to-park contacts was with QRPer Thomas K4SWL. We had a very light copy on each other, but he persevered and eventually pulled me out of the noise. Thanks for your patience, Thomas!

On an unrelated note, it’s great to have Logbook of the World (LoTW) back up and running, after a serious cybersecurity incident. The system also seems to run much faster now, so it’s nice to see the backlog steadily declining. I’m guessing things should be back to normal in the next week or so.

Finally, I’d like to wish my fellow Americans a very happy and safe Independence Day!

72, Craig WB3GCK

I recently spent some time in Central Pennsylvania at my daughter’s house. Since I was going to be there a while, I brought along my Raspberry Pi hotspot. While I’m not really active in digital voice modes (or any voice modes, for that matter), there are a couple of DMR nets I like to check into each week. 

One issue I ran into in the past, is that my hotspot refuses to connect to their Wi-Fi network. Their Wi-Fi SSID has both an apostrophe and a space in it, so I’m guessing that’s the issue. I could have connected the hotspot directly to their router via an ethernet cable. Because of their router’s location, I would have had to move some furniture and put the hotspot in an awkward location. So, this time around I brought a little travel router to try another approach. 

Back when I was working, I had a TP-Link Nano router that I took on business trips. Typically, I would connect it to an Ethernet port in my hotel room to create a personal Wi-Fi network for my laptop and phone. A while back, I upgraded to the newer (and faster) TP-Link TL-WR802N travel router. I don’t travel nearly as much these days, so the new router hasn’t seen much use.

I brought the travel router along on this trip to create a wireless bridge from the house’s Wi-Fi to my personal Wi-Fi. The router’s Wi-Fi network has an SSID that my hotspot likes. I haven’t used that mode much, so I had to resort to the user manual to refresh my memory on how to set this thing up.

Actually, it was pretty easy to set up. It was simply a matter of connecting my laptop to travel travel router’s Wi-Fi to access the admin functions. From there, I set it up in the “Hotspot Router” mode. Then, I scanned to find the house’s Wi-Fi network and logged into it.

Testing the internet connectivity with my laptop, the speed looked good. I had previously added my travel router’s SSID and password to the hotspot, so soon after powering up I was hearing the sounds of DMR coming from my HT. This configuration worked great, and I successfully checked into a few nets during the week. 

The next time I go out there to visit, I’ll just need to power up the router and the hotspot, and everything should work. (Knock on wood)

No ground-breaking technological advances here. I just love when a plan comes together. 

73, Craig WB3GCK

[Disclaimer: I have no monetary interest in this product, and there are no affiliate links in this post. I’m just a satisfied owner.]

While still on my extended stay at my daughter’s house in central Pennsylvania, I wanted to do some casual operating. So, I set up in the backyard to make a few contacts.

Today, I decided to give my Gabil GRA-7350TC vertical some air time. It’s been a while since I’ve used it. I set it up using the Gabil GRA-ULT01 MK3 tripod. I had forgotten how well engineered the Gabil stuff is. Anyway, I used four 15-foot speaker wire radials spread out on the ground. For the coax, I used 20 feet of RG-174.

I started out on 40M. Using an antenna analyzer, I got the SWR down as far as I could and let the KX3’s tuner do the rest. Taking a quick dial spin down the band, I didn’t hear much at all. Eventually, I came across WA2NYY activating a park in New York and called him. Despite the horrendous band conditions, he heard my 5-watt signal on the first call. Next, I heard an activator in North Carolina, but I had a rough copy. We still managed to complete the contact.

I then moved up to 20M and found the same crappy conditions. Eventually, I found and worked two more POTA activators.

I checked the POTA spotting page and saw that there were a couple of European activators on 15M. I tuned up the antenna and did a quick check. Nothing but dead silence across the band.

It was at that point that I checked the band conditions online and saw that there was a severe geomagnetic storm in progress. It showed poor conditions on all the HF bands. That certainly explained the lousy band conditions.

Not being a glutton for punishment, I shut down for the day. Still, I was thankful for the four contacts I made with five watts of CW into an eight-foot base-loaded whip during a severe geomagnetic storm.

72, Craig WB3GCK

I mentioned in a previous post that I’m out in central Pennsylvania, doing some house sitting for my daughter’s family and taking care of my grand-dog. I wanted to get in at least one park activation while I’m here, but I didn’t want to leave the pup alone for too long. Fortunately, Pennsylvania State Game Lands 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862) is just minutes away.

I last activated PA SGL 246 back in 2022 and had 34 contacts. So, 10 contacts this time would not only qualify another activation for Parks on the Air (POTA), but it would also give me the 44 contacts needed for World Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF). 

I rolled into the empty parking lot and quickly set up my 12-foot loaded whip on the back of the truck. My rig today was my trusty KX3 today (5W, CW).

I started out on 40M and was greeted with about S2 worth of noise. I’m guessing it was coming from a power line that runs over the parking lot. Despite the noise, I made 10 contacts in about 13 minutes. Then things seemed to dry up.

I moved up to 30M for a while, but there were no takers. Determined to add at least one more contact, I went back down to 40M. It took a few minutes, but I finally got one more call.

Around that time, it was starting to get hot in the truck. I also neglected to grab my water bottle as I headed out the door. Doh! So, having narrowly exceeded my goal of 10 contacts, I packed up before I got too dehydrated. Besides, I had an errand to run before heading back to the house.   

After about 30 minutes of operating, the grand total today was 11 contacts. I don’t think I had any park-to-park contacts. 

I think this might have been the shortest activation I have ever done.

72, Craig WB3GCK

I’m currently out in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area for a week of house and puppy sitting for my daughter. My companion for the week is a five-year-old German Shepherd named Belle, who was adopted by my daughter and her family nine months ago. She’s a sweet dog, but she sometimes has some separation anxiety. So, I’m making sure my ham radio activities are short and close to home.

The first two days of my puppy sitting duty coincided with this year’s Field Day, so I did a little “backyard-portable” operating as category 1B. In my nearly 50 years of ham radio, this was my first-ever Field Day using my own callsign. 

My plan was simply to set up an antenna in the backyard and make a few contacts each day. The weatherman was calling for dangerously hot temperatures over the weekend, but there’s a section of the yard that has some shade for most of the day. 

My (far) better half came out for the weekend. While I was surveying the backyard trying to determine what antenna to use, she suggested strapping “that fishing pole antenna” (aka Jackite pole) to my grandson’s basketball pole. Great idea! So, I strapped my 31-foot Jackite pole to the pole and used a 29-foot wire and my weather-resistant 9:1 UnUn. I ran 18-feet of RG-8x over to the two chairs that served as my makeshift operating position. My rig was an Elecraft KX3 (5 watts, CW) powered by a 6 Ah LiFePO4 battery.

I started off logging contacts in HAMRS on my cell phone. That lasted for about two contacts before I switched to paper logging. I wanted to keep things simple and forgo using my laptop, so paper logging was just easier for me than using my cell phone.

With temperatures in the high 90s (F), I only stayed out there for two brief sessions on Saturday. When a strong thunderstorm blew through, I called it a day.  

After breakfast Sunday morning, I went back out to make a few more contacts before the weather heated up again. When I called it quits, I had 62 CW contacts in the log, including one DX station (France). 

My three hour effort didn’t break any records, but it was fun. I just wish the weather had been cooler, and I could have done without the thunderstorm. 

I hope everyone had a fun Field Day weekend.

72, Craig WB3GCK

Today I did something I don’t think I have done before: a single-band activation. Normally, I spend time on several bands. Today, however, I wanted to see how my 17-ft whip would perform mounted directly to the antenna mount on my truck (sans loading coil). 

I drove down to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414) this morning and set up in one of the picnic areas. After mounting the antenna, I broke out my antenna analyzer. Since the fully extended whip is approximately a quarter-wave on 20M, I wasn’t surprised by the SWR readings. With 15 feet of RG-8X coax attached, the SWR was a flat 1.45 across the band. So I fired up my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and hung out on 20M for the next hour.

When I checked the band conditions, I saw the geomagnetic field was “unsettled.” Solar wackiness notwithstanding, I logged my first 10 contacts in about 12 minutes. European signals weren’t very strong this morning, but I still managed three DX contacts: two from Italy and one from France. An hour’s effort produced 26 contacts, including four park-to-park contacts. 

I’m planning to dust off a 25 year old 20M QRP rig and use it for a future activation. This antenna configuration might come into play for that. Stay tuned…

72, Craig WB3GCK

Yesterday, I took part in one of my favorite public service events, the French Creek Iron Tour. Chester County ARES/RACES (CCAR) has been supporting this cycling event for more than 20 years. The French Creek Iron Tour benefits the French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust.

This is a large event, with distance options ranging from 11 to 100 miles. Because the event covers such a wide area, CCAR needed to provide radio operators at five rest stops and aboard eight support vehicles. The support vehicles are equipped with APRS trackers, allowing the net control operators to track their locations around the course.

My part in the event was pretty straight-forward. I was once again stationed at a rest stop in historic Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania. Because CCAR has an extensive linked repeater infrastructure, an HT was all I needed for communications. 

Fortunately, there were no serious issues to handle. A few riders rolled into the rest stop needing bicycle repairs, and some riders required transportation back to the start/finish line at the Kimberton Fairgrounds.

This is always a fun event, and the folks from the sponsoring organization are always a pleasure to work with. 

73, Craig WB3GCK

I went back to Marsh Creek State Park (US-1380, KFF-1380) for a quick activation this morning, and things got off to an interesting start. After setting up my trusty Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and 12-foot loaded whip, things just didn’t seem right. My SWR on 40M was high, and even my Elecraft T1 antenna tuner couldn’t get it lower than 3:1. 

I started checking cables and connections, but everything looked OK. Heck, it’s not a very complicated antenna, so there isn’t much that can go wrong. When I got out of the truck to change to another antenna, I noticed my 12-foot whip looked a little shorter than usual. I took the whip off and immediately found the problem. In my haste to get set up this morning, I neglected to extend the top section of the telescoping whip. Doh! Once I pulled the top section out and re-installed the whip, all was right with the world again. 

Despite getting off to a slow start, my results weren’t too bad (by my standards). I finished with 36 contacts, including one known park-to-park contact. I had one DX contact with IW2NXI.

I finished my activation just in the nick of time. An hour after I got home, there was a major geomagnetic storm in progress. Timing is everything.

73, Craig WB3GCK