Afternoon on the Pemigewasset River
I rode my bicycle about a mile and a half alongside the Pemigewasset River this afternoon. I worked Belgium, Slovenia, Belarus, Germany and England. The river is a beautiful place.
The Pemi flows through Sanbornton where I live. An old road that has been closed to traffic since the 1940s runs along the river. It’s perfect for hiking and bicycling. I stopped near the old bridge that went to Hill. The bridge is gone but the abutment is still there.
Here’s another photo looking down the river from the abutment.
Is it any wonder that I like to operate from here? I tossed a wire into an old oak tree and set up in the grass not far from the river. I used the KX3 powered by one of the Chinese LiPo batteries. I ran 5W to a 33 foot wire. Here’s my log:
30 Aug-13 2030 18.080 ON6KE CW 579 579 Belgium
30 Aug-13 2041 21.017 S51XA CW 569 599 Slovenia
30 Aug-13 2050 21.055 EW8DJ CW 599 599 Belarus
30 Aug-13 2110 21.015 DL1DGS CW 549 599 Germany
30 Aug-13 2115 21.001 M0DHO CW 559 599 England
A fellow and his wife rode by on an ATV while I was operating. He was curious about the wire in the tree. I finished the QSO with Belarus and showed him the setup. I wrote down the ARRL web page for him. He was concerned about surviving the end of the world and wondered if ham radio would be a good option for communicating.
When he left I worked two more stations: Germany and England. Then I packed up and rode back to the car.
I love these outings.
Jim, these missives are very interesting to those of us in other parts of the country. I am mainly a lurker, but I really enjoy your reports about operating in the great New England outdoors. Before I know it, my toddler won’t need me so much on the weekends.
Andy KD4UKW
Thanks for the note Andy… that toddler’s going to need you for the rest of his/her life! Take your child with you on outings. Share the outdoors, the turtles and frogs, the flowers and breezes and all the fun. That’ll give Mom a break and lots of fun for junior. Hope to work you sometime. vy best, Jim W1PID