AmateurRadio.com

This afternoon Judy and I rode our bikes to the old railroad station at Potter Place. I operated about 20 minutes and worked 8 stations on 20 meters.

We started in Andover and rode about 2.5 miles to the northwest. It was a gorgeous day. We arrived after about 20 minutes and I tossed a wire over an oak tree above the picnic table. I set up the KX3. The CWT Sprint was in full swing and stations were strong. The exchange is simple: name and CWOPS number. Here’s my log transcribed from the paper notebook:

3 Aug-16 1908 14 N5DX CW 599 599 Kevin 1293
3 Aug-16 1913 14 K9MA CW 599 599 Scott 1385
3 Aug-16 1915 14 K1GU CW 599 599 Ned 884
3 Aug-16 1916 14 KC4D CW 599 599 Bill 419
3 Aug-16 1919 14 AD8J CW 599 599 John 1395
3 Aug-16 1920 14 K4OAQ CW 599 599 Fritz 1658
3 Aug-16 1925 14 K9WX CW 599 599 Tim 1462
3 Aug-16 1926 14 N4ZZ CW 599 599 Don 902

After 20 minutes I packed up and we rode back. The air was delightful. We stopped by the covered bridge across the Blackwater River and Judy took a quick photo.

It was hot today, so Judy and I drove up to Sky Pond for a quick swim. I brought the KX3 and worked Sweden and Virginia.

The pond is pristine and in the middle of nowhere. As soon as we got there, I jumped in the water for a quick swim. Judy swam way out into the pond and I came back to shore and tossed a wire in a tree by the water. I set up the KX3 on 20 meters and tuned around. Boy… is propagation bad! But then… a station
coming out of the noise. 7S70AT.. what the heck is that? As luck would have it, he answered and we made the QSO. I pulled out my cell phone and checked the call… Sweden… a special event.

Then I went to 40 meters. Not many stations here either. But fortunately Ed KG4W in Virginia was just finishing up a QSO and we moved up 1 kHz and had a nice chat. He gave me a 579. I told him it was 84F and hot here today, and that I was swimming at the pond. He set me straight by explaining that it was 92F at his house… now, that’s hot!

After working Ed, I packed up and Judy and I drove home much refreshed. It’s amazing what a swim and a couple of QSOs will do on a hot day.

Tim W3ATB and I went up to Livermore Falls in Plymouth today. I worked North Carolina, Austria, Scotland, Lithuania, and Germany.

I setup the KX3 and a 29 foot vertical wire with a 9:1 unun above the railroad track overlooking the falls. As soon as I turned on the rig, I heard Joe W2KJ working another station on 14.060. When he was done I called him. He was running 4 watts with a KX3. We had a really nice chat. There were a few dips with QSB, but solid copy both ways. Joe was a strong 599 at the beginning and faded a bit toward the end.

I moved down the band and heard GS3PYE/P in Scotland working stations. We exchanged 599s and when I was finished, I heard Tim work him. Tim was about 100 yards to my north sitting on the hillside right near the track.

A little further down the band LY/ES5ZF was working stations. We exchanged 599s, then I went briefly to 17 meters to see if the band was open. To my surprise there was GS3PYE/P operating again. We had a second QSO on 17 meters. Then I packed up and walked down to Tim’s operating position. He was running a setup just like mine… KX3 and 29 foot vertical wire with a 9:1 unun.

We had a picnic lunch and then tuned around the band a final time. There was DP65HSC calling CQ and working stations. Both Tim and I had trouble sorting out his call sign, partly because he was going so fast, but also because the call is a bit of a CW tongue twister in itself. Turns out it was a special event station celebrating the 65th anniversary of the High Speed Club in Germany. Tim worked him after I did.

It was an absolutely gorgeous morning and the bands were in pretty good shape. After a fantastic time operating, Tim and I packed up and headed back to the car.

Judy and I went to Hawaii for 10 days for our daughter’s wedding. The wedding was fantastic… and there was even a little ham radio. I brought the HB-1B and worked PA, Mexico, AR and AZ. Conditions were pretty awful… but the view was the best!

The HB-1B was powered by 8 AA cells. I used the little QRP Par End Fed trail model antenna. 40 meters was just noise every time I tried. 20 meters was only barely better. I set up a few times at our daughter’s house in the hills. I only made one QSO… with N3RS, Ron in Pennsylvania. He was booming in, but he could just copy my callsign and RST. He gave me a 349. I was discouraged.

For the wedding we moved down to a cottage on Kepuhi Beach on the west end of the island. I only operated once because of the busy schedule. I made more QSOs from the beach, but still didn’t get any good signal reports. I strung the End Fed to a near by sea grape tree (I think) and ran it as a sloper from the porch of the cottage. Myna birds called out from the branches and the waves and wind provided plenty of background noise.

From here I worked Mexico, Arkansas and Arizona. Here’s my log:

16 May-16 0234 14.005 XE2MVY CW 559 599 Mexico
16 May-16 0243 14.060 K5EDM CW 229 579 AR Greg
16 May-16 0303 14.024 K7HP CW 449 599 AZ Hank

After the QSO with Greg K5EDM, I sent him an email to let him know I was in Hawaii. He sent back that he’d never worked Hawaii before. “Your signal was right in my noise. I copied your call sign but only because you sent it several times. ” He was running 25 watts with a dipole at 35 feet.

Operating from Hawaii with QRP is really challenging. It’s thousands of miles to the nearest land mass, and the propagation is often fickle. The timing and conditions have to be just right. I had the best luck late in the afternoon Hawaii time.

While I was there I worked the EARCHI net (on Oahu) on VHF with a handie talkie. From the west end, I could see Oahu rising above the water in the distance. So it was fun to work them on 2 meters. I told them I use the 9:1 unun all the time from home and thanked them for that successful project.

Wow… what a day. Judy and I hiked to Knox Mountain. I worked Paul W0RW who was walking on Pike’s Peak. I also worked KM0U/P/QRP, Canary Islands and Mexico. The color was amazing.

Every day is a surprise. We expect November weather to set in, but it’s sunny and warm. It was a bit over 50F today, so we headed to the Knox Mountain cabins. We took an old logging road. This is not the charming trail we usually take along the brook. Loggers have changed that landscape and so we’ll avoid that route. Actually this was beautiful.

We hiked in about a mile and a half and came to the pond and the cabins. The loggers have not been anywhere near here.

I tossed my 30 foot wire over a cherry tree between the cabins and set up the KX3. I was a half hour late for Paul’s starting time on Pike’s Peak, but I tuned up on 14.342.5 anyway. What a thrill to hear him… I had no microphone so I set up cross-mode with a split… VFO B in CW mode up 600 Hz. Paul came right back to me and it was a real thrill. Just imagine working Paul who had a backpack PRC319 military radio walking on the north side of Pike’s Peak at 13,000 feet. It’s plain magic! Anyway Paul copied everything I sent and gave me a 599. His SSB signal was 55. He said the cold was “bone chilling.”

After I signed and tuned down the band. KM0U Terry was calling CQ. Little did I know that he was operating QRP portable with a KX3. We had a long chat. It was pretty cool to work QRP /P between New Hampshire and Minnesota. He was 589 and gave me a 569.

Next I worked XE2HOE in Mexico. Mode gave me a 449 and he was 599. It was a quick exchange and then I tuned down a bit and answered EC8AUZ Pedro in the Canary Islands. We gave each other 599s and signed. I packed up to leave. What a day… a perfect hike, great radio and fall scenery at its best.

Today I operated from the caboose of the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad as it traveled from Meredith to Lakeport. I worked Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Curacao, and San Marino. Who could ask for more?

I’ve been working on the railroad for 10 years, but have only operated from the caboose once before. There was one train today running at 1:00 pm. My friend Tim W3ATB was the conductor. So I decided to take the opportunity.

I set up an Outbacker antenna on a grab rail of the caboose and ran some coax through a back window to a table inside. I set the Outbacker to 15 meters and tuned up the KX3. Right away, I worked DL65DARC in Germany. A few minutes later I worked HA7ITU in Hungary. Signals were strong, and I received good reports, so I knew we’d have a successful trip.

As the train headed out of the yard and along Lake Winnipesaukee, I answered more than a dozen DX calls on 15 meters. The train left early at about 12:30 pm. My first contact from the moving train was with Tony T77C in San Marino, Italy. Then I worked DL1BUG, Red in Germany. Red wanted to know my power and antenna when I told him I was operating from a moving train.

There’s no missing the smile on my face as I worked Rune, SM5COP in Copenhagen, Sweden. Here’s my log for the trip:

28 Oct-15 1533 21.024 DL65DARC CW 599 599 Germany
28 Oct-15 1534 21.011 HA7ITU CW 599 599 Hungary
28 Oct-15 1610 21.015 DL2DX CW 569 599 Germany
28 Oct-15 1631 21.021 T77C CW 599 599 San Marino
28 Oct-15 1633 21.027 DL1BUG CW 579 599 Berlin
28 Oct-15 1638 21.028 SM5COP CW 569 599 Stockholm
28 Oct-15 1648 21.028 PJ2/W4VAB CW 599 599 Curacao
28 Oct-15 1650 21.032 K5WE CW 599 599 OK
28 Oct-15 1654 21.026 DF3VM CW 579 599 Germany
28 Oct-15 1701 21.033 OK1FPS CW 579 599 Czech Rep
28 Oct-15 1712 21.030 LZ1WR CW 599 599 Bulgaria

Mike DF3VM was also curious about my antenna and power when I told him I was operating from a train. “UR doing a great job,” Mike sent. “Enjoy the ride on the train.”

You can bet I did… what a thrill to work across the big Pond from the edge of the little pond! Thanks all for the QSOs.

Tim… W3ATB has made a beautiful video of the operation. Hope you enjoy it:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R9OiqxWRaQ&w=560&h=315]

Tim W3ATB and I went up to Livermore Falls in Plymouth this morning. I worked England, Spain, Israel, Denmark and Latvia. To make it even better, the fall colors were stunning.

The Plymouth and Lincoln railroad tracks run just to the west of the falls. I set up on some rocks in the sunshine. It was nearly 55F in the sun.

I tossed a 33 foot wire into an oak tree so my wire was sloping to the east. It was perfect on 15, 12 and 10 meters. I used the KX3 with a 9:1 unun.

As I tuned across 15 meters I felt like I was in radio heaven. FS/K9NU Paul in
St. Martin answered on my first call. Here’s my log for the morning:

27 Oct-15 1455 21.028 FS/K9NU CW 599 599 St. Martin
27 Oct-15 1458 21.024 OZ5RM CW 569 599 Denmark
27 Oct-15 1503 21.022 YL2TQ CW 589 599 Latvia
27 Oct-15 1508 21.007 LZ1IN CW 559 579 Bulgaria
27 Oct-15 1512 24.900 4Z5AD CW 599 599 Israel
27 Oct-15 1523 24.900 UR5WA CW 599 599 Ukraine
27 Oct-15 1525 28.028 G0EFO CW 579 599 England
27 Oct-15 1530 28.009 EA3AR CW 579 599 Spain

I tried 12 meters and worked Ukraine and Israel, so I moved up to 10 meters. I was amazed to find it also open. I worked England and Spain.

With that I packed up and headed home. I’m so glad I was able to get out. It’s supposed to rain the next two days.