A Warm October Day And Some 10M DX

October 21, 2025October 21, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

SWMBO and I were at breakfast this morning at the Blain Hotel. We were discussing how we were going to spend the day and she suggested that we do an activation at the ATV lot in Michaux State Forest US-5471. I asked her to twist my arm harder. We ran an errand for my MIL and then we loaded up and set out for the ATV lot.

We arrived at the lot and got set up and on the air by 1530 UTC. As usual I was using ham-sticks on a mag-mount on the roof of my car. We started out on 40M after consulting the net directory to make sure we were not near any nets. As usual, I transmitted my call and a request if the freq was in use several times. Hearing none I posted my freq on the POTA.APP page. I started getting immediate responses to my calls. SWMBO had a bit of fun logging. It only took us 9 minutes to get 10 in the log. After 18 contacts I decided to change bands.

After checking the spots I found 10M to be open. It takes me only a few minutes to change bands. I get the ham-stick for the band I want to work out of the PVC case I keep my antennas in. I then unscrew the antenna I wanted to swap out from the mag-mount and screw in the new antenna. I place the mount back on the roof of the car and swap bands on the radio. I hunt for an empty freq and ask if it is in use. There were a lot of transmissions on 10M which was a bit surprising for a weekday but I was happy. Once I chose a freq I posted it on the POTA.APP page and then I self-spotted on DXSUMMIT.FI as this is a spotting group that is seen and used around the US and Europe.

I started working stations from the US such as Texas, California and Florida … and then the DX started coming in. For those not familiar, DX is ham-speak for distant stations (usually out of the country). Mixed in with stations from California, Louisiana, and Kansas, I was getting calls from Germany, Spain, France and the Netherlands. The reports were good, mostly 55 or better. I was truly amazed at how well 10M was running.

Alas, all good things must eventually end and this includes activations. I posted a last call and after a few minutes vacated the frequency, giving others the opportunity to work 10M. It doesn’t take us long to tear down. SWMBO coils up the power cord from the radio as I am putting away the antennas. Then we pack the radio into its backpack and box and put the battery back into the bag I carry it in. We put the gnomes away and put the owl in the back seat. Today, we walked around the lot for a few minutes taking pictures of nicely colored trees.

Well, kidlets, that is it for this episode. You all have a very enjoyable day and, as always, namaste!

Missie, Moxie and Ollie watching my 6 as I play radio

Some cool leaves. This is on an Amur Honeysuckle.

A Long Week And A Quick Activation

October 16, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Due to one of my fellow workers taking some time off, I worked 7 days straight from the 8th to the 14th of October. This was buffered a bit by me being off the previous 7 days but it is still a strain. My shift is 12 hours at night and it does wear on a person. I have been doing this for about 21 years so I guess I should be used to it but the older I get, the more trying it gets.

Today, SWMBO and I went to King’s Gap Environmental State Park US-4361. This was the 20th time we activated this park and, as always, it was enjoyable. It was a nice day though a bit chilly. The temperature was 12.8 C when we arrived though it was nice and warm in the car. It doesn’t take long to set up my gear and with all the practice I have had it goes pretty smoothly, usually. First I got my mag-mount and antenna out of the trunk. (I keep my hamstick antennae in a 7.62 CM inside diameter PVC pipe with caps on both ends. This hangs conveniently on bunji cords wrapped around the rear seat headrests. ) Then I got my 40M hamstick out of the case and attached it to my roof. I ran the coax down the windshield and into the driver side window. Next I got my rig out of the storage box I keep it in along with my gnomes and my basic tool kit. I attached the coax to the radio and placed it up on the dashboard. I put my 20AH LiFePo battery on the armrest and attached the power cord from the radio to it. I consulted my list of known net frequencies (so that I could avoid them) and found an empty frequency. I asked if it was in use and gave my callsign, waited for a response or any indication of activity, and repeated the process. (As a side note, I keep my power level at 75 Watts) When I had determined that the freq was clear I posted a spot on the POTA app and started calling CQ POTA. That is my usual routine.

Today we started at 1225 UTC and worked a park-to-park station in NJ. From there it was pretty much solid activity until 1258 when I went hunting. Of course by we I mean SWMBO and myself. After hunting for a few minutes we decided to call it a day. In 39 minutes, we worked a total of 45 stations; not too bad if I say so myself.

So that is pretty much what I do and how I do it. In another blog I will address how we select where to activate. Enough for now. Namaste, kidlets!

The recent planetary alignment showing Venus, Jupiter and Mercury in the early morning sky.

Petting A Possum And Other Madness On A Week Off

October 7, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

We took a week off from work. I had to burn some PTO so off we went to Virginia for a couple of days. On the way down we stopped at Buc-ee’s, probably the greatest truck stop/convenience store I have ever been in. SWMBO was impressed, too. The place is huge and they have everything you might want on the road. We had heard about the pulled brisket sandwiches and gave them a try along with “Beaver Chips” which are really good potato chips. Their Halloween t-shirts were in so we each got one. We proceeded to Newport News, VA and once we got settled into the motel we found the smallest Walmart I have ever been in. We were both pretty tired after a 6 hour drive so we then settled in.

On Thursday morning we went to Fort Monroe and did an activation. In about 15 minutes we worked 25 stations including 9 park-to-parks. Things seemed to be picking up and we really didn’t want to get in the way of the workers there so we took a drive on a bunch of back roads. SWMBO suggested that we check out the Virginia Living Museum. This is listed as a “childrens museum” but we found that there is something there for everyone. We wandered through the exhibits, learning about native critters and enjoying a very nice day. I would suggest it as a great activity to do in the Newport News area. Their webpage can be found at: https://thevlm.org

The journey back home was both interesting and stressful. We drove to Fredericksburg and arrived at Possum-bilities, a unique gift shop/experience that I had found online. The store has some creatures to interact with and, of course a possum “ambassador” which I got to pet. They are surprisingly soft. We wandered through the shop and found some cool items. I am not going to detail what we got; you will have to go there and experience it yourself.

The drive home took a bit of a turn for the worse. Wanting to avoid the DC Beltway, we got onto RTE 17 and headed for RTE 15 which would be a good straight shot home. Mistake. We got caught in a beep-and-creep traffic backlog and it took us over 45 minutes to go 8 miles. Once it thinned out, the traffic was running much better. We continued up through Maryland and stopped at the Sheetz in Thurmont for gas and something to eat.

Friday and Saturday we stayed pretty much around the home area and did some chores, etc. We did take a drive on Friday through some back roads but that was pretty much uneventful. We visited the Moonshine Church Cemetery just off of Ft Indiantown Gap. One notable buried here is Joseph Raber who was the victim of the Blue-eyed Six. Contrary to local legend, the Blue-eyed Six did not ride thru the county terrorizing folk, instead they conspired to kill an old man and collect his life insurance. Sunday we cleared up some clutter in my ham-shack area and moved my desk.

Yesterday, Monday, we took a drive to Monocacy National Battlefield in Maryland. In 18 minutes we worked 34 stations. The Visitor Center was closed due to the government shutdown but the gates were open along with the parking lots. Propagation was good and the weather was pleasant. We also picked up a lot of birds such as: Northern Cardinals, Northern Mockingbirds, Carolina Wrens, American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, Cedar Waxwings, Red-winged Blackbirds, Red-eyed Vireos and Hermit Thrushes. They were quite noisy and active.

Overall we had a good mini-vacation/staycation. Periods of intense activity and periods of total sloth. Well enough for now. From SWMBO and I, namaste kidlets.

Missie and Moxie and Ollie at Monocacy National Battlefield

A raptor and me at the Virginia Living Museum

One of the many animals at the Living Museum

Ennui? Not Really.

September 29, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Hi kidlets. It has been 15 days since my last post. Have I been suffering from early Autumn ennui (Ennui is a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction, often described as boredom or a lack of interest and enthusiasm, typically resulting from having too much time on one’s hands and too little motivation to engage in activities)? Not really. This is just a time of year when things seem to be winding down. The leaves are changing, the goldenrod is in full bloom and my back porch roof is under constant bombardment from the walnut tree out back. I was not neglecting my blog, just trying to get perspective on life.

We (SWMBO and I) did an activation on Saturday 27 Sept. We went to Little Buffalo State Park US-1376 and parked at the boat ramp area which is usually calm and quiet. The 10 Meter band was open pretty good to Europe and we took advantage of the fact, working Brazil, England, Russia, Greece and Wales. After a flurry of activity we changed to the 40 Meter band and worked “locals” (within 1000 miles). We only worked for 15 minutes and made 17 contacts. We had some errands to run but sometimes a “hit and run” activation can be fulfilling.

Last week on the 22nd, we took a ride up through Tuscarora State Forest and went to the Big Knob fire tower. The tower is no longer there but it is a nice ride on some back roads. Continuing from Big Knob we went to the Blain Vista. The vista sits on the ridge and overlooks the valley where Blain sits. It is a nice view but the flag there needs to be replaced.

Yesterday we took a drive on some back roads in Southern PA, looking for photo opportunities. We did not find many but had a nice ride followed by lunch at the Walnut Bottom Diner in Carlisle.

Enough for now. We are taking a bit of a trip this week so expect another entry soon. For now, namaste!

A branch on a misty morning over the Conodoguinet creek.

A quiet day at the lake in Little Buffalo State Park

A Nice Late Summer Day And A Park Redux

September 14, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

This weekend’s weather was awesome for late summer. Warm days, no humidity and mild nights. On Friday we took a drive on Hemlock Road looking for animals. We saw 5 ruminants, 6 turkeys 5 squirrels and a whistlepig. Not too bad for late afternoon. Not much to say about yesterday. We mainly hung around and did groceries.

Today, Sunday the 14th of September, we went on an activation to King’s Gap State Park US-4361. This was my 19th activation at this park. It was a nice drive up the hill through a bit of morning mist. We got to the vista parking lot and set up. I got out my net directory and looked for frequencies to avoid. I picked a clear spot and started in. Within 7 minutes we had made 10 contacts, making us bonafide. We ended up with a total of 28 contacts in 36 minutes. I had to move from my first frequency as a net came on about 3 K down from us and some of the people had wide signals. Rather than complain I did some hunting for park-to-park contacts and then found another clear frequency. As I said, we finished out with 28 contacts.

After we tore down we decided to take a walk. There are a lot of trails to take up there and we chose one that went up at a slight incline. Out walk totaled about a mile. The Bluejays were scolding us most of the way. On the way out the sun was in our eyes, making it a bit difficult to see the rocks sticking up in the trail but on the way back it was behind us which made it nice. We took some pictures along the way, including fallen trees that were great studies in texture.

All in all it was a great morning topped off by breakfast at the Newville Diner. We managed to avoid sad hams and Karens. We also avoided the yoga class which was about to start after we left.

It is still pretty fine outside with a temp of 31C under partly cloudy skies. I am hoping this weather continues. It is about 1 week until autumn. Well ’nuff for now. Namaste kidlets.

Full Corn Moon And 3 Activations

September 9, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

The last full moon of summer came a bit early this year. Typically, the Full Corn Moon happens after the Autumnal Equinox but this year it came on September 7th, 2 days ago. I saw it on the way home from work and it was huge, hanging in the sky like a bright que ball. It is called the Corn Moon as it usually happens around the time corn is harvested. The next moon is the Harvest Moon which will occur on October 6th. Okay, enough mooning around.

Today was a beautiful day. We had planned on activating 2 parks and then doing some other stuff but we ended up activating 3. We arrived at Catoctin Mountain Park US-0666 just before 12:00 UTC (0800 EDT) and got on the air by 5 after. In 18 minutes, we made 18 contacts and since we seemed to be on a roll with weather and band conditions, we decided to go to another nearby park.

Our second park was Cunningham Falls State Park US-1566. We arrived around 0845 EDT and got on the air soon after. We can get set up relatively quickly as we keep things simple, using a “Hamstick” on the car and an FT891 with a lifepo battery. Anyway, it took us 19 minutes to make 29 contacts. Again, conditions were good. The main thing that caused us to move to another park was the 3 busloads of kids which invaded the park. I have nothing against kids but they can get a bit distracting in large numbers and we were parked near a restroom so there would have been a lot of foot traffic.

So, we moved back North of the Mason Dixon Line into Pennsylvania and stopped at Gettysburg National Battlefield US-0027. Per usual, we parked on Culp’s Hill where we worked 12 contacts. The 40 meter band changed on us and the contacts sorta dried up. We figured it was time to pack up and do some other stuff like looking at Halloween things in a couple stores, get some vittles at the Newville Diner and do our grocery shopping. It was definitely a full day.

Now a word. I am not using the “royal” we, nor am I speaking in the second person plural as a single person. SWMBO was with me as she usually is. She does my logging and keeps me sane. I did make a mistake at Cunningham Falls: I had asked a ham to stand by and worked 2 other stations which had called me at the same time. By the time I got back to him he had gone. SWMBO had logged his callsign and when I uploaded my logs I gave him credit for working us. I have had similar things happen to me so I didn’t want to leave him hanging. SWMBO saved the day, again. 🙂

Ok kids, I am gonna close this now. Feel free, as always to leave comments. I love feedback. Namaste

Missie, Moxie and Zarathustra at Catoctim Mountain Park

Missie and Moxie at Cunningham Falls SP. Zarathustra is hidden by the sunshine

Missie Moxie and Zarathustra at Culp’s Hill in Gettysburg

At Home With The Gnomes

September 4, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Hi kidlets. Here we are again with another blog entry for your entertainment or for you to ignore.

It is September 4th 2025 and once again the days are just whizzing by. I believe that time actually gets faster as you get older as if you are accelerating towards the inevitable conclusion. I think it behooves us to grab each day by the throat and shake the shit out of it, picking up the treasures it drops.

I mention SWMBO a lot and to give her credit, she is my enabler and my muse, inspiring me to be active and strive for betterness.(it is my blog, I can make up words if I want) Today for instance, we set out for Maryland, initially planning on 1 activation before we went in search of Walgreens. We stopped in at the parking lot for the Visitors Center in Antietam National Battlefield US-0700. It took us about 15 minutes to make 25 contacts whereupon SWMBO said “What other parks are around here?”. I made a few suggestions and she seemed to like Gathland State Park US-1574 which is crossed by the Appalachian Trail US-4556. It was a short drive to get there.

At Gathland we parked in the upper lot as it is nice and shady and right on the AT. We watched some hikers come and go as I set up. We made 32 contacts in 31 minutes. At both parks the contacts were coming in at a rate that it was hard to post spots! I looked at the Solar Data and the A index was 12 and the K index was 1 … great band conditions. We even had a contact with a ham in Burkittsville MD, about 3 miles away at the bottom of the mountain. We did receive several curious looks but no one came by and made any inquiries as to what we were doing.

When we finished with the activations we went to Hagerstown and visited a couple of Walgreens. Finally we went to the Blain Hotel in Blain PA for lunch. Now I am relaxing before I do my stretching exercises. I have to do them daily as I am in physical therapy for some muscular issues.

As for birds we heard Chipping Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Carolina Wrens, Eastern Wood Peewees, and Yellow Throated Vireos.

The weather was nice and sunny without being too hot. You couldn’t ask for better conditions. Overall, it was a great way to spend a day off. I guess this is enough for now. Namaste y’all.

Missie, Moxie and Ollie enjoying Gathland State Park

The Violent Births Of Road Gators

August 31, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Howdy campers. Another blog entry here for you to ignore or enjoy, your choice.

Friday afternoon we went to Little Buffalo State Park US-1376 for an activation before going for groceries. The bands were not good and we were only able to work 14 stations using 40, 20 and 15 meters. They were hard to come by; I guess you have days like this. We gave up after 40 minutes. From the looks of the fishermen at the lake, the fish weren’t biting well, either. One person who was fishing there reported to me that all she caught was weeds.

Today, 31 August, SWMBO and I went to Warrior’s Path State Park US-1432 in Huntingdon County PA. I chose this park to try as it has had few activations (10), the last being in November of 2023. I figured that people would want to work a sort of rare park. We did well there. Propagation was good and 40 Meters was jumping. Within 3 minutes we had logged the requisite 10 contacts and they were coming in at a good rate. I barely had time to enter spots on spotting pages. After about 15 minutes we had to move due to a nearby net which was QRMing the hell out of us. Now when I started I did my usual routine of listening for at least a minute, asking if the freq was in use, listening again then asking again. I had received no responses and started calling CQ. The net started up not long after (or became hearable) and it got bad as they were only down 1 from us. No biggie. We had more than enough for a valid activation and I turned the dial and started hunting. This netted us 6 Park-to-Park contacts so we decided to pack it up and continue onto our other destination.

We proceeded to the Captain Phillip’s Rangers Memorial monument in Saxton PA. This marks the burial site of 10 militia members who were massacred during the French-and-Indian War. The bodies were re-interred here by the American Legion and the memorial was built. It is in a nice location on a hillside. All in all a pleasant photo experience.

As for birds, between Friday and today we heard: American Goldfinches, Killdeer, Chipping Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, Gray Catbirds, Eastern Towhees, Cedar Waxwings, Red-eyed Vireos, Yellow-throated Vireos, Black-capped Chickadees, American Crows, Northern House Wrens and Tufted Titmouses. It is pretty cool, in my opinion, to use an app to hear and identify birds.

The title of this entry has nothing whatsoever to do with the text. All I can say is that if you have ever witnessed a truck sloughing off a retread, you would be impressed and over-awed.

Well, kidlets, enough for now. Below you will find some pictures for your entertainment. Namaste until we meet again.

The names of those interred at the monument

Tootsie Missy and Moxie at Warrior’s Path State Park

Missy Moxie and Ptolomey at Little Buffalo State Park

The Rain Didn’t Dampen Our Spirits

August 21, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Hi kidlets. This morning (August 21st 2025) SWMBO and I had some shopping to do so we decided to activate Kings Gap Environmental Education Center US-4361. The sky was threatening to drop rain on us the whole drive down there but held out until we got set up. We got on the air at 0854 and were almost immediately swamped. The calls were coming in at a fast and furious rate; this makes SWMBO happy. In 4 minutes, we worked 10 stations which, of course, made us bonafide. The pace of calls was such that I hadn’t the time to spot myself on the usual POTA spotting sites. By the time we were finished, we had worked 53 stations. We shut down as 0944 as we did have some stuff to do in Carlisle. 6 of the stations we worked were Park-to-Parks; 4 of which were either double parks or 2-op stations. In the pictures I am attaching below you can see that it was definitely moist out there. We even had an op “slip in under the wire” when I had called “last call”. I was just about to press the power button as he came booming in from Reading PA. We did not hear any birds, however so it was a quiet rainy morning.

Kings Gap is a nice place to activate from. The few people that are there are doing their own things whether they are hiking, sight-seeing or rangering. There is a mansion up here (which I have posted pictures of before) that was built by a rich man about 100 or so years ago. They use the mansion now for educational programs, other activities and you can rent a room there and spend the night It is supposed to be haunted! There are several hiking trails and a picnic area along with a nice garden which is maintained by a local gardening club. Along the access road there are pull-offs with picnic tables and at the bottom of the mountain is a pine plantation in which it is very nice to walk around.

Once again to all my readers (both of them) I say Namaste!

The parking area/trailhead information sign

Either I am talking to a contact, or I am singing opera.

Out Before The Thunder Out Before The Heat

August 17, 2025August 18, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Pretty good weekend, I must say. Yesterday, 16 Aug, a Saturday, we did our grocery shopping. After lunch SWMBO said “Why don’t you do an activation and we can stop back at the store for a few things we missed.” Wow, twist my arm! She could tell I was bored and besides, we did need the items we had missed. We went to Little Buffalo State Park US-1376. Believe it or not, the last time we had been there was in March. It is only about 15 miles away but it does get a bit crowded in the summer. Anyway, we parked and got set up. There were several family units picnicing and lots of boaters on the lake. The bands weren’t rocking but there were plenty of folks on 40M. We worked 17 in about 1/2 hour including 10 park-to-park contacts. We then looked up at the sky and saw that thunderheads had moved close. We packed up and left the park just before the rain. We got to he store and it was thundering very heavily. We went inside and spent about 15 minutes and then as we stepped out the door, the sky opened up! There was a deluge of almost biblical proportions. We got soaked to the skin before we made it to the car but, let me tell you, it felt good. We got home, uploaded my log and then I lapsed into a sloth-like mode with the help of my kitties who wanted to climb on me and purr. I did rouse myself long enough to check the weather forecast. Today, 17 August, we got up early and headed to Frederick MD. I wanted to work a new park and SWMBO wanted to check out a couple of cemeteries. We got to Monocracy National Battlefield US-0705 around 08:00 and set up. In around 40 minutes we made 50 contacts! They started out fast with so little time between I did not have a chance to spot myself at first. Towards the end they slowed down but for the most part it was a torrent which suits SWMBO and I as we prefer it to the times when it is like pulling teeth to make 10. The furthest station we worked was from Missouri which is amazing for 40M during the day. The Visitor Center opened at 09:00 and we were done before that as it was getting hot and humid. I checked out the gift shop and bought a couple of stickers. I have started putting stickers on my radio box as a remembrance of the places we have been. Any road, I had a chat with one of the rangers and the atmosphere was congenial. All of the rangers there seemed happy to have visitors, and they found it interesting that we were there working POTA. The birds we heard were: White-Eyed Vireos, Common Grackles and European Starlings. The starlings were in a large bunch on the lawns around the Visitor Center. SWMBO found the addresses for the cemeteries and we went into town in Frederick. The first cemetery we went to was St Johns. A small cemetery with some cool statues. Then we tried to go to Mt Olivet Cemetery. The address listed on their website took us to the main gate which is permanently closed. There were instructions there to go down this one street and through a housing complex. Unfortunately, the street we were directed to turn on was not labelled and they did not give a specific address. We got discouraged and left, hoping to come back another day. Here at home I was able to find an address to use so our next trip there will be more fruitful. Ok, enough griping. 🙂 Namaste for now, kids.