And the Days Go Bye

February 8, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Wow, what a day! We didn’t set out to do it, really we didn’t. We started out having breakfast at the Newville Diner in Newville PA. Our intent was to have a breakfast and, while eating, decide on a destination in Cumberland County to activate. Easy enough, we did. We set out after breakfast for Kings Gap Environmental Education Center, K-4361. This is a very pleasant hilltop with a stone mansion and a lot of areas to operate from. I like the place as it is nice and peaceful. While we were there we were approached by a man with a pair of binoculars. He was a bird-watcher heading to the mansion and was curious. He understood ham radio but was wondering about the owl on the hood of my car lol. I chatted with him for a few before going back to hamming. Between 40 and 12 meters I worked 29 contacts including Italy and Sweden on 12 meters. A good day indeed. But wait! There’s more! My long suffering wyfe said, and I quote : “Hey! Let’s go to the ATV lot!”. Well, there was nothing to do but to comply, after all, I call her SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) for a reason! We quickly packed up and trolloped (yes I use Trollop as a verb meaning to travel or move) off to the Michaux State Forest ATV lot (K-5471) on Piney Mountain. It did not take long to settle in there and get set up with some coffee. The ATV lot is located on Bendersville Road at the top of Piney Mountain above Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Between 17, 20 and 40 meters we worked 38 contacts and had a great time. Today we worked a total of 4 Park-to-Park contacts of which 1 was a double so 5 really. With the temperature around 11C it was a very comfortable day for February. We even had to open the car door as it was getting too warm in there. Well I am going to close for now. Have fun and stay radio active, kidlets. Namaste!

calling CQ and getting an answer

Overlooking the Susquehanna

February 4, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Activated a new (to me) park today: K-1421 Shikellamy State Park. The name is almost pronounced like “she’ll kill me”. lol There are 2 parts to the park. One part is down at a boat launch on the river. The one we went to is located on top of a 120 meter high cliff overlooking the Susquehanna River. The view is remarkable. Since it was such a nice day, there was a lot of activity in the park, people walking and playing and enjoying an unusual February day. The lot where we were parked was pretty much deserted, which suited us. I placed my antenna on a slight rise towards a pavillion and started out working 20 meters. Between 20 and 40 meters I was able to make 37 contacts including 6 park to park. I will have to try this place again. When the weather is like this during the winter you really have to take advantage of it. Someone posed the question online why do people do POTA? I have to stick with the fact that it is a great way for chubby older hams to get outside and be active. I have always enjoyed the outdoors and though I am not in the shape I used to be in, I still like to get out and about. POTA gives me a reason. It also gives my long-suffering wyfe some togetherness time with me as she logs for me. It is a win-win situation. We plan on making more and more forays further from home as the weather improves and the days get longer. We would both like to go back up to Elk County and I might try a park or 2 up there. Who knows what time will bring. We are also looking forward to our yearly vacation and see these activations as practice runs for activations up in New England.

Well enough for now. Time to drink some coffee. Namaste, kidlets

Milestones and Mill Stones and Little Lambs Eat Ivys

January 30, 2024January 30, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Got an interesting mail from the ARRL yesterday: a certificate and a pin saying I have been a member for 25 years. Damn, makes me feel old! lol.

Anyway, my long suffering wyfe and I made our way to K-4361 Kings Gap Environmental State Park today and had a nice activation. Every time we head out we get better and better at loading, setting up and taking down and loading back up. Today, setup took us about 18 minutes and take down took us 12 minutes. We were in no hurry, we just did it. The sky was a solid gray and the temperature was a steady 5C. It was nice and comfortable in the car, though. 2 people kept it warm along with the radio generating a bit of heat. I started out on 40M and quickly made enough to be bonafide. I worked 40 for a bit more then tried first 10 then 15 then 17 with no luck. The propagation gods were not looking on me favorably, I think. I migrated to 20M and things started looking up! Along with Spain, Italy and Alaska, I was able to get several other contacts in the log. I then returned back to 40M for a while before going QRT for the day. All in all, a good day. SWMBO and I had a nice time and spent some quality time. She got to hear DX stations which she rarely does and she is being a great help logging. This is great practice for future activations such as we may do when we are on vacation or travelling around on day trips. I have worked out of the “British Mountain Climb-Mountain Assault” mentality. I have stopped bringing an ass-load of un-necessary gear and have pared my equipment down to the essentials. I think simple actually is better. Tootsie came along to supervise and to keep away the lions and tigers and bears (oh my!). Well, until next time, kidlets. Namaste!

Still life with Buddi-stick, owl and Subaru

Because it’s there

January 25, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It was a dismal and drizzly day so my long-suffering wyfe and I went to the ATV parking lot where Piney Mountain Ridge Road intersects with Bendersville Road in Michaux State Forest and activated K-5471, Michaux State Forest. The weather was gloomy but the rain stayed away. The temperature was around 12 C which made it comfortable outside and actually too warm in the car at times. I had to open the door. I set up the Buddistick and was on the air pretty quickly. I made 37 contacts in about an hour. I tried 15 and 17 meters with no luck but did very well on 40 meters. The parking lot is pretty large and was empty which was a good thing. There was minimal traffic on Bendersville Road and few distractions. This is the second time we have set out without a lot of gear; just the bare bones seems to be all we really need most times. It wasn’t cold enough to require the pod (my ice fishing shelter) and I didn’t need my big tool box. I had my radio, tuner, antenna, tripod, logbook, battery, thermos of coffee and my owl Zarathustra. Each time I go out I learn something new. This time I learned that less can be more. I seem to be going back to my minimalist roots. I am looking forward to warmer weather and camping season. POTA has really provided an opportunity to be more active in the outdoors.

Well that is it for now. Namaste, kidlets.

I Got Some ‘Splainin To Do

January 24, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Ok, I guess my posts have been somewhat obfuscating and confusing to folks who are not familiar with ham radio and/or with my sense of humor, so I am going to strive to clarify a few things.

First off, the owls. No owls have been harmed in the writing of this blog. I like to take one of my owl decoys along with me when I am doing an activation as a sort of mascot/decoration. I have 3 owl decoys: Zarathustra, Tootsie and Ptolomey. I also have a plastic flamingo named Charade. Yes, I am a big kid and like to have toys.

Next I should explain the whole POTA thing. Back in 2010, some hams got together and put together a program to get hams more physically active. There is a SOTA program (Summits On The AIr where folks can climb to a mountain top and operate from the top) but not everybody is cut out for that. Some hams are older or not physically able to climb mountains so HAMPARKS.ORG came into existence in September of 2010. The idea was to encourage hams to get outdoors to State and National parks and operate portable stations. It caught on and became very popular … so popular that in 2016 the ARRL (American Radio Relay League, a national organization for ham radio operators) ran a year-long event called National Parks On The Air. This sort of melded into the POTA program and it has evolved into what it is today. There are hams who go into the parks and operate (activate) and there are hams who contact these hams from home (hunt) and there are hams who do both. There are various awards and certificates for levels of achievement and thresholds crossed. The program is run by dedicated volunteers. It is also a way for hams to practice setting up in off-the-grid situations and to practice operating in less than optimum conditions. Myself, I use it as a way to keep active and maintain mental acuity and to have fun. It gets me out into the woods. 🙂

Well that is all for now. My fingers are all finged out from the typing. Namaste, kidlets until next time!

Plans are very likeable when they assemble

January 12, 2024December 31, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Yesterday was a very nice day so my long suffering wyfe and I set out to do an activation. Instead of the usual large scale British-mountain-climbing-expedition style of gear I only brought the bare essentials necessary to activate from my car. It was in the low 50’s F (about 11.5 C or those who use a proper temperature measuring system) so the pod was not necessary. We decided to operate from the car for the first time. We did it as sort of a practice for vacations when we will be activating on the road. I used my Buddistick antenna which only requires a tripod, a strip of copper mesh for the ground, a 1 gallon jug of water as a weight and some coax. We went to Kings Gap and got set up in a very short while. As I was setting the antenna up, SWMBO went for a short walk and took some pictures. Once the antenna was in place it took only a couple minutes to hook up the radio and tuner and find an empty frequency. I showed my wonderful wyfe how to log and we were POTAing. It didn’t take long to make the required 10 for a bonafide activation and soon I decided to switch bands. All in all I worked 40 and 15 Meters, had 2 Park-to-Park contacts, 1 hunting and 1 hunting me, and made a total of 32 contacts in about 1/2 hours. At one point I had to open the car door as it got too hot in there. We had some curious looks from people driving by and there was some work going on by a couple of men driving skid loaders with smelly exhausts, but all in all it was a great day and a very successful experiment. Namaste for now, kidlets.

More from the POD Person

January 2, 2024December 31, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Heidi-Ho. Wow, 2 posts in 2 days. Something must be off with me lol. I decided to activate today because the weather was nice …. for January. The temperature was pretty mild …. about 3.5 C (38.5 F) which was not too bad. First, I tried to go to Fowlers Hollow State Park but there was oo much road construction activity there so I decided to go to Big Springs State Park, my old stand by. We got the POD set up and I got on the air. I put the heater in it and soon was in shirtsleeves. BTW, all my owls declined to make the excursion with us so I was mascot-less. Oh well, their loss. We were set up and on the air in a short period of time and I quickly made the required amount of contacts for a legit activation. After about half an hour I switched from 40 meters to 15 meters and made more contacts. I even made 2 DX contacts: Spain and Canary Islands. Overall I made a total of 45 contacts in an hour on 3 bands, 40, 15 and 20 meters using an inverted Vee antenna and my Yaesu ft891 at 75 Watts. My Wyfe is urging me to try operating from the car as a practice for our vacation so I am going to look at streamlining my setup. I will fill in more about that in later posts. Well the log has been uploaded, I am warm and am drinking coffee and my motional sports cat is by my side so I think it is time to sit back and relax. As always, namaste kidlets until we meet again.

A new Pod!

December 13, 2023 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

That is the Pod! It arrived last Monday and is a Christmas present from my most wonderful wyfe! It is an ice fishing shelter though I will be using it for POTA activations. Without any heat source it was nice and warm inside today. Much better than it would have been sitting out in 40 degree F (that’s 4 C for those who use Metric) temperatures with a light breeze blowing. It is large enough to fit a table and chairs inside and tall enough for a 2 meter high person to stand upright, though I am nowhere near that height. It has windows that let enough sunlight in to keep from needing a lantern. It isn’t too heavy though I would rather not have to carry it any great distance. I am very pleased with it overall. I activated Big Spring State Park today and made a total of 46 contacts to include some park-to-park contacts which is always nice. The day was a good one weather wise. I am trying to take advantage of all the nice days we are having. I used to do a lot of portable operating when I was younger, operating QRP and doing it as a personal readiness exercise. I, over time, fell out of that habit. POTA renewed my interest in it and I admit that I have dived right in. I am a neophyte to the POTA program but I enjoy the “freshness” of the whole thing. Each time I go out there is a new motivation. It is the same with hunting at home. Each time I reach a new goal hunting, I set another one. Another new experience I had today was a drive-by by a DCNR vehicle. When we were taking our stuff down they came back and talked to us for a few minutes. The driver was the regional manager for some of the local parks and was interested in what we were doing (in a good way). She even asked about the POTA program and for the web page for more information. We (my wyfe and myself) answered their questions and they seemed happy when they left. Well enough blathering. As soon as hunting season is over, I hope to activate some of the State Game Lands around here. Keep watching for new entries and stay safe. Namaste, kidlets

Ptolomey watching my 6 as I log a contact.

My set up including owl, log book, battery and coffee … always coffee. 🙂

And just like that, November was gone!

November 30, 2023 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It was a rare and beautiful late Autumn day, today and I took advantage of it. The sun was out of the clouds and the temperature was heading up to the high 40’s F (8 C) and the outdoors was calling to me. My wyfe and I set out to Kings Gap (K-4361) and I set up quickly. Tootsie watched over my shoulder for lions, tigres and bears (and the odd hunter or 2) and I was on the air. The 40 metre band was not in the best of shape but I was able to make 18 contacts including 3 park-top-park contacts. I call this a success. I did have to move a bit up as someone came on just below me and was carrying on a QSO but that happens. I think the next time I blog I will have something new and exciting to report … maybe something unexected. 🙂 Until then, Namaste.

Still life with owl, thermos and antenna

Ha Ha Charade You Are

November 26, 2023 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It was a somewhat gloomy day though not quite. Actually, it was pretty nice when we set out, my long-suffering wyfe and I. The goal was to activate K-1376, Little Buffalo State Park, about 19 kilometers away in New Bloomfield PA. The parking area near the swimming pool is gated off for the season which had no effect on me as I had no plans on going to that end of the park anyway. We went to the boat launch area. It overlooks the Eastern end of the lake and is usually less crowded with foot traffic. Today there were a few dog walkers and one fellow who put his boat into the water and went fishing but that was all. A side note about the fisherman, He had something in his truck that was causing a broad band humming on my radio, not enough to interfere but it was noticeable. It stopped when he shut the truck off. Anyway, I was set up in about 15 minutes and go on the air. I used my Buddistick this time and had good results. Ever since I stopped trying to tune using the counterpoise and started using a 6 meter by 10 centimeter strip of copper mesh as a ground plane, tuning it with my tuner is a breeze. I started operating on 7.188 MHz and made several contacts and then had to move due to a net coming in on top of me. I moved to 7.278 MHz and was able to finish out my operation. I stayed as long as I could but the cold did get the best of me. The temperature was around 7C but the wind was blowing from off the lake a constant 11 Kph and gusting to 28 Kph which took the core temperature right out of me, in spite of the copious amounts of coffee and the nice blanket I was sitting on. I made 46 contacts and had Zarathustra with me to keep watch for lake monsters. Namaste for now, kidlets.