Tax Day And Other Woes!

April 15, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Rather ominous, don’t you think? Today is April 15th, Tax Day. My taxes were filed months ago so it is just another day unless you take into account I am off.

We are being visited by some early season heat. Currently the temperature is 33.5C (about 93F for those who use that system) and it is on the edge of uncomfortable. The sky is sorta hazy, that light blue mixed with off-white clouds that you see on hot and humid day. No animals are stirring and the only bird I heard on my activation was the American Goldfinch, a rather pleasant and unassuming little bird.

I am sitting on my gaming chair which I won in a local fire department raffle. The Landisburg Fire Department garners funds through online raffles. They switched to this when the carnivals went away due to the pandemic a few years back. They seem to do well. I have won things like a generator, a 6-man tent, a set of Yeti mugs and a cooler and now a chair which SWMBO and I were able to assemble with a minimum of profanity and no noted injuries. Now the challenge is keeping the cats off of it.

This afternoon I activated Big Spring State Park US-4355 again. I logged 16 contacts in about 40 minutes. The 40M band was noisy with a lot of static being caused by thunderstorms in the distance. You can hear the crashes from lightening hundreds of miles away on the radio. That is one of the fun things about radio: learning about weather and other scientific things. ( Yea! Science!) Anyway, there were actually a couple of people in the park. They stayed on the other side of the park from where I was located.

When I got home, SWMBO helped me enter my logs into the POTA log upload app. Now I am waiting for the log to be approved. The server may be busy, I don’t know. No hurry, though, it is too hot to be in a hurry. I am even thinking about putting the AC units in, though I will not look forward to the increased electric bill.

There is a relatively new ham who I am mentoring. He is eager to learn and is able to reason his way through issues rather well. I read a post the other day in one of the ham radio groups on Facebook where someone asked for advice on what to make for an antenna to use for activating parks. My protege gave him some good advice on a WRC (Wolf River Coil) and radials. It is good to see knowledge being passed forward. There are too many people who use the anonymity of the social media format to belittle and bully others because they can get away with it. I am happy to say that a lot of people that I know show patience and provide good advice whether the topic is radio or home-brewing related.

Well before I go, I would like to remind you that I do encourage comments on this blog. Input is always welcome. For now, namaste and as always, keep your stick on the ice.

Ollie peeping out between Moxie and Missie

A rotting log with an interesting texture

A Casual April Weekend

April 12, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

We took it easy this weekend. We started out with a drive on some local backroads looking for critters. We spotted about 12 squirrels and 3 ruminants. We also took a walk through the Pine Plantation in King’s Gap State Park. The temperature was about 22C (71F) for a high and the sky was clear. We then came back home and Scout decided to snooze on my chest.

Yesterday, Saturday the 11th, we set out early to Virginia. We went to activate Sky Meadows State Park US-1318 in Delaplane, VA. When we arrived the sky was cloudy and the temperature was about 9C (48F) and rising. It was also windy. There were a lot of people at the park so we found a good spot in one of the overflow parking lots. Wouldn’t you know it, part way through our operation someone parked right next to us. They got out of the car and walked up towards the headquarters, so they didn’t really bother us. There were several acres of open land, but they had to park in our lap. lol Anyway, we had a successful activation with 24 contacts in about 1/2 hour. We continued on our way, using back roads and arriving at Buc’ees in Mount Crawford VA at about 11:30. It was crowded so we only stayed long enough to get some food and gas up. Our trip home was uneventful. We then had a peaceful evening.

Today, 12 April, a Sunday, we went shopping. I will not name the store but it was a horror show. They decided to “remodel” and stuff was everywhere. The aisles were clogged with boxes and piles of merchandise. It was very difficult to find anything as items were moved out of the areas they should have been in. To further cause confusion and chaos, some of the employees were wandering around filling up carts with merchandise to fulfill online orders to be delivered in the parking lot. Added to this, the store was packed and filled with the usual people who randomly block aisles. Well enough complaining. lol

This afternoon we took a walk through the Old Graveyard in Carlisle PA. It dates to pre-revolutionary times and has a lot of old stones there. Buried there, among other notables, is Molly Pitcher. She went with her husband to war and helped Martha Washington cleaning clothes and blankets at Valley Forge. During the battle of Monmouth, her husband was wounded. She took over his cannon, keeping it firing during the battle after he was carried off the field. Below you will see a picture of the statue dedicated to her along with a link to a video I made of the walk through the cemetery to her grave.

Over the course of the weekend we heard the following birds: (at King’s Gap) Pine Warblers, Fish Crows, Northern Cardinals, White-breasted Nuthatches (at Sky Meadows SP in VA) Red-headed Woodpeckers, American Goldfinches, Chipping Sparrows, Northern Cardinals and (in Carlisle PA) American Robins, House Sparrows and House Finches. Quite an array.

Well I need another cup of coffee so I will say Namaste for now kids. Keep your stick on the ice!

An interesting stump in the Pine Plantation

Missie and Moxie guarding my radio at Sky Meadows SP

Got Those Bad Band Conditions Drizzly Day Lazy Afternoon Blues

April 2, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Howdy kidlets. It is the second day of my “weekend” as I work a weird schedule. This week my days off are Wednesday and Thursday followed by work on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday then off again on Monday and Tuesday followed by work Wednesday and Thursday then off until Monday. I do get every other Friday, Saturday and Sunday off so I guess it is ok. You get used to the schedule sometime during the first decade.

We didn’t go anywhere yesterday though I did go to Big Spring State Park US-4355 again. The temperature was about 28C (83 F) and it was making a serious attempt to be sunny. Band conditions were not good and there was a lot of noise. I started out on 40M but soon went to 17M as there was very little activity on 40. I made 9 more contacts on 17M (making my activation bona fide) and then went back to 40 for 9 more. All this took around an hour. The park was, as usual, nice and quiet with the sounds of nature only occasionally being interrupted by passing vehicles. Being in a remote park has its advantages. Anyroad, my total for this park is now 873. I am getting there.

In my last entry I neglected to itemize the birds which my app heard. Here they are now. We heard in Maryland: Carolina Wrens, House Finches, House Sparrows, European Starlings and Brown-headed Cowbirds. In Shepherdstown WV, we heard: Chipping Sparrows, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmouses, American Goldfinches, Canada Gooses, Northern Cardinals, Golden-crowned Kinglets, White-breasted Nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos and Eastern Phoebes. I guess Spring might really be here.

I am including a link to the contents of my radio box that I take to activations. Of course, my radio, but also various tools, some meters, a flashlight and other items. I also include my logbook as I do paper logging in the field, my exposure guide printout (per FCC regulations), band plans, a copy of my license and other paperwork to include a description of POTA for anyone who might be curious. I keep my antennae in the car as I have shown before. These days I like to travel light. It all fits into a plastic storage tub.

Well enough for now. I am going to sip some coffee and enjoy some slack. Namaste, kids.

A rescued possum at Possumbilities in Fredericksburg, VA

The Seasons Wait On No One, Neither Man Nor Groundhog

March 14, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Winter, a grumpy old man shaking his hoary fist in impotent rage is grumbling as he shuffles towards the transition point where he will meet Spring. Spring, a bouncy and loveable kitten dances up the garden path to rub against your ankles and bring you promises of better times to come.

The weather today was nice. Not perfect but still nice. It was windy which is usual for March. The temperature topped out at 14C (57F) and the skies were clear. Humidity is currently 33% and the pressure is 1018 millibars. So far this month we have received 50.29 MM (1.98 IN) of precipitation. The last of the snow has disappeared.

It was under sunny skies that we (SWMBO and I) set out for Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland: US-0700. The battlefield activation was only a prelude to our real goal but more on that later. It was a nice drive down there and we arrived about 15 minutes before the Visitor’s Center opened. I parked at the end of the lot and got set up on 40M. The band was a bit strange this morning. The contacts were not fast nor were they steady, but we worked 29 stations including some park-to-parks. A lot of contacts were from Georgia, Alabama and Florida which is a reach for 40M during the day.

After we finished, we stopped at the monument dedicated to Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross. She played a large role in the battle, delivering medical supplies and, more importantly, tending the wounded. During 12 hours of combat on 17 September 1862, 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing. Tending the wounded was a daunting task and Clara, with her staff of 30, worked diligently for 3 days, patching up the wounded and feeding them. She later founded an organization to find and identify graves on Civil War battlefields.

We then proceeded to Elmwood Cemetery in Shepherdstown, WV. The cemetery is easy to find and has some nice stones. I like to photograph the carvings and oddities as time and weather will take its toll and deprive the future of these relics. It was quite windy so the only birds we heard were Red-Shouldered Hawks and American Bluebirds. We went to another cemetery but it was a disappointment.

We found a scenic route back to the highway and proceeded home where I now sit watching my cats wrestle.

So ends another entry in my blog. I hope all is well with my readers and, as always, namaste.

Missie and Moxie helping me activate Antietam National Battlefield

the 7th PA Volunteer Regiment monument right next to the Clara Barton monument

The daffodils across the road are starting to bloom

Almost Flamingo Season

March 10, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Wow! Currently the temperature is 28C (85F for you that use outdated systems). It has been nice all day. It almost makes me want to dig out the flamingos and place a platoon of them on the lawn!

SWMBO wanted to go to a couple of stores in Chambersburg PA, today so we set out about 0700 and went to Caledonia State Park US-1337 and did an activation. We got set up by about 0835 and got on the air. I wanted to start on 40M and ended up staying there as the contacts were flying in. I found an empty space at 7196 Khz and spotted myself online. A net came on about 1 or 2 K down but they didn’t bother us too much. I do my best to avoid nets as the folks who participate can be prickly sometimes when you are too near “their” frequency. Anyway, we had 10 contacts within 5 minutes, and they just kept coming in fast and furious. I like this type of activation. I barely had time to put spots on some of the groups. When we packed it in we had 41 contacts over the course of 31 minutes.

The weather was nice. Partly cloudy and it was 4C when we started and climbed at a steady rate. We even were able to log some birds which is a good sign of improving weather. We heard Black-capped Chickadees, Carolina Chickadees, Carolina wrens, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Dark-eyed Juncos. A nice assortment and we did hear them in spite of the chain saws running nearby.

When we finished up we went to Sportsman’s Warehouse looking for sleeping pads but were unable to find anything that suited us for camping use. We crossed town and went to Better Days Animal League thrift shop. We usually find dvds or books there and the money goes to a good cause. They also have adoptable kittys there and we interact with them.

After all this we went home and relaxed for a bit before going to Blain Hotel for a nice lunch/supper. All in all a good day though some might find my life a bit dull.

The UPS truck just stopped here and dropped an order which included “The POTA Antenna Book” by Don Dickey WV1W. Now I have something new to read.

Well enough for now. As always, namaste kiddos.

Missie, Tootsie and Moxie watching me operate

A view looking south from our parking space at Caledonia State Park

Looking south-east from our parking space

In front of the building where the restrooms are is a “little library”. I think this is a great idea.

Steamy Windows, A Wet Owl, And A Milestone Reached

March 5, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Greetings and salutations, kidlets. It has been a good day in spite of the weather. Today was rainy then gloomy then rainy then drizzly and back to rainy. We were out this morning running some errands and, when we got back, I decided to do an activation. SWMBO decided to remain home.

When I arrived at Little Buffalo State Park US-1376, the temperature was around 7C (45 F) and remained so for my time at the park. During my activation it got very warm in the car and the windows fogged up. I had to take off my coat and finish in shirtsleeves. Holman Lake is the manmade lake occupying 88 acres of Little Buffalo State Park. The ice on Holman Lake was that gray color that old ice gets when it is thin and rotten. The fishing shacks are gone as are the homemade skating rinks. I pretty much had the park to myself.

It did not take long to set up, and I was soon on the air on 40M. I worked 26 contacts before switching bands. One thing that I thought was fortuitous was that my first contact was a park-to-park … this one from Ontario. So after 26 contacts the band seemed to dry up. I swapped antennae and started working 17M which is usually a good daytime band. It proved to be today. I was able to work Italy, Oregon, St Kitts, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, California and a lot of other stations. A good time was had. Part way through my operation I realized that I was getting close to my Kilo award for this park. This gave me incentive to keep working stations until I had reached a total of 76. I had started the day with a total of 928 so I had only need 72 contacts to reach 1000. This was exciting as it is my first Kilo award (hopefully not my last). I want to thank everybody who helped me achieve this.

I was able to hear and identify (with my app) the following birds: Ring Billed Gull, American Crow, Common Raven, American Herring Gull, Blue Jay, Wild Turkey and Sharp-shinned Hawk. I think the birds are getting sick of winter and are anticipating the return of Spring and nice weather.

Well, once again I am sitting near the pellet stove and enjoying some coffee. I hope all is well with my readers. Namaste

2 gnomes and a wet owl

Looking South across Holman Lake from the parking lot at the boat launch

A Warm Day And Some Non-Cooperating Bands

February 28, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Here it is the last day of February. The temperature is currently 17 C (62.6F) at 22:30 UTC. Nice. I don’t for a minute believe that we are done with cold weather, but I am enjoying the break from the dreary mess it has been lately. The daffodils across the road are reaching higher and I look forward to them blooming. We have a window feeder that a couple of chickadees have been enjoying which mesmerizes our cats.

We (SWMBO and I) went out to Little Buffalo State Park US-1376 today to activate it and enjoy the weather. I started on 40 M and wasn’t working many stations. It was a bit discouraging. I tried 12M and was able to work a station form France before moving to 17M. First off I was able to work a lot more on this band. It is nice to find a band that is open. We worked more stations on 17 and then had to call it a day. I made a total of 23 contacts of which 9 were park-to-park contacts. Overall, it was a success.

So why am I returning to Little Buffalo so often? I am working on my Kilo certificate for that park. POTA has different certificates for different achievements, and working 1000 stations from a single park entitles you to the Kilo certificate. I currently have 928 contacts at Little Buffalo. I am also close to getting the next level certificate for working Park-to-Park contacts. My next certificate will come at 850 and I have 830 right now. It is something simple to do and does give you a sense of achievement.

Today I verified that my homebrew is ready to bottle. I checked the gravity and got a reading of 1.010. The specific gravity of water is 1.000 (as determined with an instrument called a hygrometer). The gravity of the wort when I placed it in the fermenter was 1.050 so it has leveled out at a nice gravity. The calculators say that the ABV (alcohol by volume) is 5.25%, nicely in the middle of the range for a robust porter. I sampled the specimen after I had taken the reading and it is a bit lighter in body than I was expecting but tastes good. The hops are apparent and the flavor of the malt can be tasted. I will comment more once it is carbonated.

Ok, kids, I am going to have some supper. As always keep your stick on the ice. Namaste

Missy, Ptolomey and Moxie watching my activity.

Remembrances Of A Cold And Blustery Day

February 24, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It has been eventful the past few days. Mostly good and some not so good. On Friday the 20th, we took Scout to the vet to be neutered. The operation went without a hitch and Friday afternoon he was back at home, causing a ruckus.

I had to work this past weekend, Friday thru Sunday night; the usual 12 hour shifts. It was pretty much without incident until Sunday when the storm hit. From Sunday afternoon until Monday mid-morning we got a mixture of rain and snow which left 5 Centimeters (2 inches) on the ground which pretty much melted off last night. This storm has been labelled The Blizzard Of 2026″ as Philly, New York, and Southern New England got hit pretty hard, amounts varying from 45 CM (18 inches) to a bit mor than a Meter (39 inches). Today they are starting to dig out. As I said, we dodged the bullet on this one.

This morning the wind was gusting to about 15 KPH (9 MPH) and the temperature was around -4 C (25 F) so, of course, I went to a state park and activated. I went to Little Buffalo State Park US_1376 as it is close to my home. There were no birds around and the lake was totally devoid of ice fishers.

As usual it did not take long to set up. I chose 40M to start with and once I got on the air the contacts were coming in at a fast rate. I stayed on 40 for about 1/2 hour until things started to abate. I then mounted my 17M “Hamstick” on the car and continued for another 25 minutes. I was able to rack up a total of 52 contacts before I took my station down. I even worked some DX: St Vincent ( the Caribbean island, not the singer) and Italy. I was receiving good reports out to Colorado and down into the south. All in all a good activation.

As I have mentioned previously, I have my operation streamlined. At first, I was dragging out the ham radio equivalent of a full British mountaineering expedition, more bells and whistles that one person would ever need. SWMBO made suggestions over time which work out. Nowadays I use a mag mount on the car roof with one of my various “Hamsticks” on it. It isn’t perfect but it makes for a convenient and non-obtrusive setup. The only thing I do that might attract a bit of attention is to place one of my owl decoys on the hood of the car. I do carry a couple other antennae as back ups but rarely have occasion to use them

The day is now winding down. It is 1630 EST and my weather station is telling me that it is 1 C with a Southwest wind of 12 KPH. The cats have been fed, the stove is full and the coffee is hot so I may get on the air and do some POTA hunting. Namaste for now.

Scout home from the traumatic experience at the vet’s.

My porter boiling a couple weeks ago. It will soon be ready to bottle.

A Warm And Sunny Valentine

February 14, 2026April 9, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Howdy kidlets. The other day SWMBO and I were talking. I mentioned that I am grateful she doesn’t take Valentines Day seriously and require me to take out a second mortgage every February to fund some shiny hunk of metal with a sparkly rock stuck in it (or other foolishness like that) just to affirm that I love her. She said “Hey. For Valentines you could take me to Buc’ees!” Easy ’nuff.

We left this morning at 0600. The temperature was a balmy -4C and the sky was still deciding on whether to brighten up or not. The light had that pre-dawn crepuscular appearance when we hit the highway. We drove south for about 2 hours and reached Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park US-0730. When we arrived, the temperature was about 6C. We drove around the park for a bit and found a good spot to set up. We decided on the small parking lot across from Bell Grove Plantation Mansion. The area didn’t seem well traveled and was ideal for an activation. In 21 minutes, we worked 30 contacts including 4 park-to-parks. Definitely a good activation. After we tore down we touristed around the area and took some pics. I used my app and heard American Robins, House Finches, Northern Cardinals and Mourning Doves. It is nice that the birds are coming back out.

We continued down the highway to Buc’ees where we gawked around like tourists for about 1/2 hour and grabbed some of their fine vittles. I got a sausage-on-a-stick and SWMBO went for the chicken fingers and fries. We also got a box of Beaver Chips, which are damn good chips. After gassing up the car we headed back on the road. North of Harrisonburg, VA, SWMBO and I decided to take a more leisurely approach to our return home and we cut across to Shenandoah National Park and took Skyline Drive for the 35 miles to Front Royal at the North end of the park. During the drive I had plenty of opportunity to look over some potential activation sites for our next sojourn into VA. After we left the park I took a wrong turn which set us back about 20 minutes on our return trip; it was ok as we were in no hurry.

Now we are back home and are letting the kittehs know that we still love them even though we abandoned them for the day. Time for more coffee. Namaste, kids!

The plantation office and stores building

A view of the mansion from across the field

A selfie taken when driving on Skyline Drive.

I AM Sick Of Cold; I Want Daffodils!

February 10, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Over the past 6 days since my last entry, we had some frickin COLD weather. I know that it is winter until March 21st but do we have to get our noses rubbed in it? Winter is now at that stage where the snow looks gray and dirty and makes us want to get a torch out and melt it out of the yard so that we can see what is under it. I would even settle for extended views of satan’s putting green (my yard). I know complaining about the weather doesn’t do a bit of good, but I am gonna complain anyway. So There! Pthbbpt!

Once again I did an activation by myself. SWMBO does not like cold weather. No biggie. I have a system of keeping my log while talking so things get done. It was -2C (29 F or 271 Kelvin) when I got to the boat launch at Little Buffalo State Park US-1376. The sky was overcast at the time with no wind. Off in the distance I could hear the mellifluous calls of crows stating their opinions. There were several groups of ice fisherpeople (trying to be inclusive) scattered around the lake: penitents huddled around the altars with heads bowed. As always, it didn’t take long to set up and I made 45 contacts in about 49 minutes including 4 park-to-parks. The temperature went up about a degree or so while I was there. I didn’t interact with anyone other than an occasional nod and/or wave to passersby. Even though it was chilly there were folks walking around, even some de-watering their dogs.

After the activation SWMBO and I went to lunch and then grocery shopping. I have just finished taking care of business for the day such as paying a dental bill, and scheduling a doctor appointment. Now I get a chance to sit here, drink coffee and watch my catz interact. It is a restful type of afternoon. Currently the temperature is a balmy 7C (45F or 280 Kelvin if you prefer) and the squirrels are running around the back yard.

I am going to close here and wish you all a great day and, as always, namaste!