AmateurRadio.com

I just worked the Russian Research Vessel, Akademik Fedorov, at sea.

It’s always a thrill for me to work ships at sea. This was an ordinary QSO on 12 meters… but not ordinary for me. RW1AI/MM was calling CQ. I answered and we exchanged 599s. Then I asked Mik for the name of his vessel. I looked it up on “ship track” and found its current location off Portugal with a destination of Cape Town. My guess is it will re-supply there and head to the Antarctic.

The vessel is 463 feet long and was traveling at 14 knots. I think I was traveling a lot faster than that! Even though I was sitting in my warm shack, a maritime QSO just brings adventure and the thrill of remote radio contacts to me. Thanks Mik for the nice QSO. Good sailing OM.

I made a quick hike to Knox Mountain this afternoon. It was a typical, bleak November day. But I had a great time working my old friend Jorge EA2LU from Spain. He was also running 5 watts. As I approached the pond three wild ducks took off from the quiet water.

It was a cold misty day. Last night it had snowed a half an inch. The snow had all melted by this afternoon. The walk was invigorating…

Because everything was wet, I set up on the cabin porch. I had tossed a 10 meter wire over a branch and hooked up the KX3 with the internal tuner. There were a few DX stations working split with big pileups, so I went up to 14.060 and called CQ.

EA2LU, Jorge came right back, and it was so good to hear him. We’ve had nearly 20 QSOs since 2008. Most of them were 2-way QRP.

Just as Jorge said his weather was ugly with rain, it started to sprinkle. I could see the rain drops on the pond.

“UR KX3/10M wire are doing a great job,” he sent. He gave me a 569 and he was a 579.

After the QSO with Jorge, I packed up and hiked the mile and a half back to the car. It’s supposed to snow again tonight.

I took a quick hike on Shute Hill today. I worked Florida, Greenland, and Madeira Island.

Most of the leaves have fallen… and it’s gotten pretty chilly. It was 46F today. But it was still a nice day to get out for a short hike. I went to Shute Hill and headed for Will Ellis’s back field.

I threw a 30 foot wire over an oak tree at the edge of the field and sat down. The thermometer read 60F in the sun. I ran the KX3 at 5 watts and used the 9:1 unun and the internal tuner. By this afternoon 10 meters had become quiet. So I started out on 12 meters and heard N4FNG calling CQ from near Tampa. Al was a solid 579 and he gave me the same. He was also running 5 watts… we chatted for 20 minutes. Then I went back to check out 10 meters.

I had a sip of tea from the thermos I brought and tuned around. There was OX3XR in Greenland booming in and working one station after another. Peter came back to me after several calls and we exchanged quick 599s. There a was long pileup waiting for him.

Here’s Peter’s QSL card which, I believe, shows his operating position:

In contrast… here’s the view from my operating position :

I switched to 17 meters and heard Cedric CT3FT calling CQ from Madeira Island. He was strong and there were no takers. He answered my first call. I was 559 and he was 599. “UR QRP is working very well,” he sent when I told him I was running 5 watts. As I was operating, a steady stream of leaves fell on the rig and I swished them away.

The forecast for tomorrow morning calls for a 20 percent chance of snow.

Judy and I rode our bicycles in East Andover this afternoon. It was gorgeous. I worked Cuba, St. Kitts, Portugal, Ukraine and Belgium.

We rode on the old Northern Rail right of way. The tracks are gone now, and it’s a bicycle and walking path. We sailed along through tunnels of gold and orange. Really beautiful. We stopped at a beach along Highland Lake. I operated at a picnic table there for about 20 minutes.

I tossed a line over a branch and pulled up a 30 foot wire. I used the earchi.org 9:1 unun and my KX3. I made one QSO on each band… 10M, 15M, 17M, and 20 meters. First I had a quick exchange with Eduardo in Cuba… CO8LY and I traded 599s. On 15 meters I worked V44KAI, Joel in St. Kitts. We gave each other 559s and I answered CT7AEQ in Portugal on 17 meters. Ted was a 599 and gave me the same report. Finally I worked Boris in the Ukraine. RU3ZC gave me a 569 and he was 589. Before leaving the spot, Judy took a quick photo by the lake.

Then we jumped on our bikes and rode about 3 miles to the east toward Franklin. We stopped at a beaver pond along the Sucker Brook.

Just below the bridge the beavers had built a small dam. But it was big enough to turn a large swamp into a small pond. I threw a wire over a tall pine tree along the pond and set up the KX3 on 20 meters. Someone had placed a small picnic table at the spot.

I heard Jean, ON4AEF from Belgium signing with another station and I called him. He gave me a 559. He was a very strong 599. “UR QRP FB,” he sent. “Great signal. Rig HR K2 10W X QRP like you!” It was a wonderful QSO and a perfect finale to our bike ride.

We turned around and headed back to the car. Cold weather is coming Wednesday.

Hanz, W1JSB and I hiked near Profile Falls in Bristol today. We worked Germany, Canary Islands, the Netherlands, Ontario and North Carolina.

Here’s a photo of Hanz setting up his gear on the bridge abutment.

We set up our gear on the old rail right of way on the edge of Profile Brook. The rails are gone and the bridge is unused, but the stone abutment remains. It’s a pretty spot. We operated here in the early spring.

I heaved a line into a tall maple tree near the old bridge site. We pulled up a 33 foot wire and I connected a 9:1 unun and started operating the KX3 on 15 meters. The Worked All Germany contest was in full swing, so we worked quite a few German stations. Here’s my log:

19 Oct-13 1900 21.008 CK3AT CW 599 599 Ontario
19 Oct-13 1901 21.009 DK9OY CW 599 599 Germany
19 Oct-13 1903 21.016 DL0LK CW 599 599 Germany
19 Oct-13 1920 21.020 DK0SU CW 599 599 Germany
19 Oct-13 1924 18.085 KS4S CW 599 599 NC
19 Oct-13 1928 18.092 EA8BBJ CW 559 599 Canary Isl

After operating on 15 meters for a while, Hanz took over. He operated his souped up 20 meter SWL rig in the yellow Pelican box. He worked several Germans.

After a while we switched to 17 meters with my KX3. Hanz worked KS4S in North Carolina and PA3DZM in the Netherlands, and I worked EA8BBJ in the Canary Islands.

The afternoon sky had clouded over and most of the leaves were off the trees. But the air still had a rich fragrance of fall and the lingering warmth of Indian summer. We hadn’t operated together for nearly a month, and it was
great to get out with our QRP gear again.

Today was Indian Summer. Judy and I walked over Shute Hill to Swain’s Farm. I worked Belgium, Netherlands, Morocco and England.

Indian Summer is what we call the last few days of extra-warm weather before the cold settles in for the winter. It was a gorgeous day. It may be the last good day with beautiful fall colors. It was 72F with a crystal blue sky.

The pathway over the hill is about 2 miles. We walked on a crunching carpet of rich colored leaves. Judy got a quick snapshot of me as we neared one of Swain’s fields.

The view from the hay field is fantastic. We gazed out on the Belknap Mountains. In the foreground the rich grass shimmered in the sunlight.

I heaved a line over a maple branch nearly 50 feet above the edge of the field, and I pulled up a 33 foot wire. I hooked up the KX3 and tuned around 10 meters. It was active, and I quickly landed a QSO with ON7DU. Johan was a 599 and gave me a 579 from Belgium. Then I worked the Netherlands. PA5WT was calling CQ and I answered. Kees gave me a 449. He was a strong 599.

Then I switched to 17 meters. Med was calling CQ from Morocco. CN8YR gave me a 339 and he was a 579. I went back to 10 meters for a final QSO with M0UNN in England. I exchanged a quick 599 with Jay and packed up the gear.

The view from the operating position was the greatest! In the past I’ve worked the QRPARCI Fall contest from here, but I couldn’t make it this year. Rain is forecast for tomorrow. I sure am glad I was able to get out today.

This afternoon I hiked up to Knox Mountain with my wife and daughter. It’s a beautiful fall day. I worked two German stations and a station from Denmark. The trail was covered with dried leaves and as we walked along, we enjoyed the familiar crunching sound and the pungent smell of the season. We reached the pond after hiking 25 minutes or so.

I set up the KX3 under a cherry tree near the pond. I operated only on 20 meters. I tossed a line 50 feet over a branch and pulled up the 10 meter wire. First I heard Soren, OZ0JX in Denmark. What a beautiful signal. He gave me a 559 and we said goodbye.

A few minutes later I heard Rolf, DL3AO in Germany. We have worked a half dozen times before. Rolf was a 599 and he gave me a 559. He told me that he still hikes with his K2 at 80 years old! How wonderful to hear him again. As I finished the QSO Joerg DL2DSL called and we had a quick contact. He was a strong 599 and gave me a 559.

This is a wonderful time of year to hike in the hills. Today it was 21C and sunny. Very warm in the sun. It’s supposed to rain for the next few days, but I certainly plan to come back before the leaves are all gone.