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Judy and I rode our bikes again today in Old Hill Village. We rode north from Needle Shop Brook and stopped at an outcropping right on the edge of the Pemigewasset River. I worked a station in Sweden.

It was a cool day, 17C and there was a stiff breeze from the north. When we started out it was sprinkling. But this spot was beautiful, and I tossed my half-wave wire over a low maple tree. It wasn’t tall enough to make a vertical, so I used the wire as a sloper. It pointed north which proved to be an advantage.

I was using the tiny QCX-mini on 20 meters. I tuned around a bit and heard an especially strong station, SM5ATP. As he finished up a QSO, I called him.

To my delight, Conny answered right away and asked me to go up two Khz. He was a strong 599 and gave me a 559. I was thrilled. When I told him I was running 3 watts to an end fed wire, he sent: “Amazing Jim… 3W.”

We chatted for a while and I told him I had ridden my bicycle to this spot. “Sounds healthy,” he replied. I promised to send some photos of my operating position by the river. Later I fetched a picture of Conny from his QRZ page.

What a thrill to ride in a wilderness area and make a contact on the other side of the ocean. Thanks Conny! You made the whole trip memorable.

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