2 Weeks And I Am Back

April 13, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

On 31 March, I took my car to the body shop due to damage from a ruminant running into my door. I finally got it back on Wednesday, 9 April . The rental I had was really bad. I didn’t like it at all nor did my wyfe. We are thrilled to have our Scoobydoo back. We went out yesterday driving around and looking for places to take pictures and videos. We ended up on the back roads around Gettysburg. One place we stopped was at Sachs Bridge. The bridge was used by the Confederate Army during their withdrawal from Gettysburg after the battle. It is a “Town” Truss type covered bridge and the area is a great spot to fish or just watch the creek roll by. Today we set out to do an activation and play with the cameras again. I asked SWMBO to pick a direction and she had said south. We took off directed south and made our way to Fort Frederick in Maryland which is a park I hadn’t activated before. Where we parked was next to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal which is a historic trail and on the list of places you can activate. It is officially a National Park and runs from Washington DC to Cumberland MD along the Potomac River. This made our activation a 2 fer.I used my app to listen for birds and we heard Northern Cardinals, White-Throated Sparrows, American Goldfinches, Tufted Titmouses, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Carolina Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes and Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers. We started operating and within a half hour we worked 41 contacts. We then played tourist in the park and did some photography and videos. It was a good weekend and it is good to be back in my car where I can work POTA stations. Thanks for being there. Namaste.

A ruminant track next to my car. Quarter is for scale.

Not A Hog But I Feel Warty

March 25, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

I got my second “Rover Warthog” award and I blame SWMBO. 🙂 We left early today and went to Sweet Run State Park US-9936 in Virginia; located about 4 km from Harpers Ferry. It is a nice little park and easy to find. There is an entrance fee but I guess VA charges for all their parks. The weather was awesome for a day in March. The birds were out in full force. We heard Field Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, Tufted Titmice, American Crows, Fish Crows, House Finches, Northern Cardinals and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers. We had a very successful activation and decided to activate another park. SWMBO asked what was around and we decided on Gathland State Park US-1574 and we parked where the Appalachian Trail US-4556 crossed the park. The scenery is nice in the park and the weather was really great except for a bit of a wind. Zarathustra kept falling off of the car hood. We heard the following birds there: Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Northern Cardinals, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows and Tufted Titmouses. Anyway, after this park we decided to do an activation at Mont Alto State Park US-1386 in PA. Propagation on 40M was bad so we used 17M. We made 10 contacts and moved on to Caladonia State Park US-1337. Again, we went with 17M and made 10 contacts of which one was a 3-fer park-to-park, giving us a total of 12 contacts. We then called it a day for activating and went for lunch. This was a total of 5 parks in 3 different states. Again I thank SWMBO for her suggestions and her mad logging skills. Also she got to wander around a bit and use her new video camera. I will have to view her work. Well enough for now. Namaste and keep your stick on the ice!

War Correspondents Memorial in Gathland State Park

Set up and ready to operate at Sweet Run SP

Lichen growth on a stone wall at Gathland SP

Heard From A Sad Ham

March 20, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Today we went down to Gettysburg US-0027. We parked on the ridge next to the Peace Light so that SWMBO could try out her new camera. We started calling on 40M and worked 7 stations before moving to 17M We changed bands because propagation on 40 was declining as it does during the day. As folks in a nearby car were staring at me, I changed antennae and set up for 17 M. Immediately we got results. The first was a ham from the Netherlands. After that the contacts came in at a decent pace. We worked as far west at California and South to Puerto Rico. SWMBO was a bit taken aback when the Sad Ham came on. He (without id’ing you can guess the reason) started berating me for doing POTA on a WARC band. I ignored him and kept working contacts. He then said he would complain to W1AW about me. This got me to laughing. I am not sure what he would expect W1AW (the ARRL) to do about me. In any event, he went away after being ignored. Maybe he is missing something in his life. Maybe he should take up knitting or get a gerbil. Anyway, the incident did not detract from my enjoyment. We were a bit hungry so we packed up and called it a day. As we were packing up I used my phone app to listen for birds. It identified American Robins and Song Sparrows. One of the forementioned sparrows landed on the fence in front of our car and watched us for a bit. Overall it was a good day topped off by a great lunch at the Lincoln Diner in downtown Gettysburg. The service was fast and good and the food was great. Well kiddos, I think I am going to relax and interact with my cats. Namaste, y’all.

Moxie and Tootsie watching our operation.

Looking back up the ridge to where we had been.

A Little Adventure On A Sunny Day

March 11, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

We set out at 0630 this morning looking for parks to activate. We ended up driving around Mifflin and Huntingdon Counties before deciding to activate Big Spring SP in Perry County. Like I had stated, it was/is a beautiful day. Sunny and the temp around 23C with a light wind. It was enjoyable to drive around the countryside on some back roads. We found ourselves (SWMBO and I) on a dirt road that went up a mountain and got narrower as it went on. We came down the other side of the mountain and turned onto another dirt road which was narrow and cratered with holes. After a few miles of this, we emerged from the wilderness. We actually saw electric lines and poles, a sure sign on “civilization”. The only thing that was slightly troublesome was the lack of cell phone service on the dirt roads. It was not much longer that we found ourselves at East Broadtop RR, though they are not open until May. After another half hour of driving around we pulled into Big Spring State Park US-4355 and started calling CQ. We worked 24 stations in about 50 minutes which included a conversation with a guy who parked next to us. He was going on a hike and was being sociable. We had 4 park-to-park contacts and had qso’s with England, Germany and Sweden. We used 40M, 12M and 17M, in that order. The DX was on 17M and we reached Colorado as our furthest point west. It was a great day to be out and about. Well, namaste kidlets. Stay sane inside of insanity.

Zarathustra and Moxie enjoying Big Spring SP

Too Windy For Owls And Some Ruminations On Being A Ham

March 2, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It is March already and it’s living up to its reputation for being windy. Yesterday it was nice temperature wise but it was windy. We activated the ATV Lot in Michaux State Forest US-5471 and made 36 contacts in spite of the doom and gloomers warning of poor activity on a contest weekend. More on that later. There were a few trucks at the lot, ATVers out for rides, mostly. There was one guy who brought his dogs up for a frolic. They were cute little long haired dachshunds. Some riders came off the trails and loaded up to leave. We got some curious looks but no interaction. We were unable to hear any birds due to the wind. Neither yesterday nor today did we plan ahead, we just did it. Today we ventured to Caledonia State Park US-1337. We parked in one of the parking lots and got set up quickly. There were a few people enjoying the park and walking some of the trails. Again, we got some curious looks but the only person who said anything thought we were fishing when he saw me putting away my 40M hamstick. We made 37 contacts with one from England. All in all a good time in spite of the wind. The guy who asked about the fishing, when I told him it was ham radio, remarked that he has always wanted to be a ham. Then he walked away. I know how that goes. I always wanted my license but things like life and irresponsibility got in the way of my aspirations. Finally in July 1998 I got my license. I started out as a tech and then got tech plus then general and advanced and then I passed the Extra license 1 week before the FCC dropped the Morse Code requirement from 20 WPM to 5 WPM. I still use CW from home and enjoy the rhythm of it. As for contesting, I am not much of a contester. I don’t have the attention span to devote a whole weekend to radio. I try to keep things balanced and do my best to keep SWMBO happy. I like to think of myself as an all-around ham. I participate in the local ARES group and am ready and willing to help out in an emergency. Mostly I just enjoy talking on the radio and getting out into nature. SWMBO enjoys helping me by logging and she also likes to do day trips to get out of the house. As for working POTA on a contest weekend, it is easy. I start out on 40M as it doesn’t really go long during daylight hours. Usually, I can get enough contacts to be legitimate before I move to another band. During contests I like getting on the WARC bands where contesting isn’t allowed. I can always find people on 12 or 17M. Well I guess I am finished for today. Keep smiling, keep on hamming and POTA on! Namaste y’all.

A view looking down the ATV lot in Michaux SF

Moxie at the ATV lot guarding the radio.

A Two-fer And A Onesie

February 25, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

A good time was had by all today! We did a couple of activations today. We heard the following birds: American Crow, House Finch, American Robin, Tufted Titmouse (or was that titted tuftmouse?) Canada Goose, Carolina Wren and Northern Mockingbird. Quite a bunch! Last night I asked SWMBO where we should go to activate today. She suggested Maryland. She also talked me into activating multiple parks (like that took a lot of arm twisting lol). Well I was looking at a map and a list of parks and decided to go to Gathland State Park US-1574 in Jefferson Maryland. It is located on South Mountain and was the site of a civil war battle. It is a small quiet park though a few people were there when we arrived. A man came over to the car as I was setting up and introduced himself as KB3EOF, Sandy. He had just finished activating the park. It is nice to have a face-to-face qso. He gave me a call when he got home and I got him in the log as a hunter. After he left I finished setting up and got on the air. With SWMBO logging we worked 43 stations, all on 40M. This park was also a 2-fer as the Appalachian Trail US_4556 runs through it. We then took a walk around the park, read the historical signs and took pictures. We then set out for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park US-0735. Harpers Ferry was only about 15 minutes away so that was convenient. We spoke with the people in the Visitors Center and they were very okay with ham radio activities in the park. One of their volunteers is a ham and he has activated the park himself. Though the AT runs through Harpers Ferry, we were too far away from the trail to count it. We only worked 25 contacts here on both 40M and 17M. We got some contacts from all over the US, a couple from Europe and I was very surprised and pleased to receive a call from A65D in the UAE. This is the first contact I have had with that country and was glad to get it into the log. Now I am sitting at home with a cat taking over my lap. The cat in question is Kalamazoo, one of my pocket panthers. Well I am going to close for today. Namaste kidlets!

The War Correspondents Memorial at Gathland SP

When is the last time you have seen one of these?

The Weather Is Coming

February 11, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Howdy all. It is a gray and dreary day again. There seem to be a lot of them this winter. “Ain’t no sunshine …” seems to apply. Oh well, Spring is around the corner. I am looking forward to it. We went to Little Buffalo SP US-1376 on the spur of the moment and activated the park. First off, the only bird my app picked up was a Red-Bellied Woodpecker. The temperature was around 2C when we started and when we left an hour later it was sitting at 0 C. There were a few brave souls on the ice doing ice fishing stuff. I think the ice was a bit thin for my comfort but I wasn’t on it. 🙂 We were set up in our usual spot, overlooking the lake. There were not many people in the park. We did have this one woman drive past us staring intently but no contact. We pulled out 32 contacts on a total of 3 bands and also had 2 park-to-parks. Our contacts spanned from California to Italy and Belgium. We also had one from Argentina. A good and productive activation, though a bit short. I enjoy getting out of the house even in gloomy weather. Now I am relaxing with some coffee and basically cocooning for the rest of the day. That is it for today. No great insights, not much wisdom. Thanks for reading. Namaste y’all

Weather? What Weather?

February 5, 2025February 5, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Here we are, 5 Feb 2025 and we are expecting the arrival of an ice storm tonight. Since the weather outlook for tomorrow is so dismal, SWMBO and I went out to Big Springs State Park US-4355 and did an activation. Under gray and sullen skies we set up and began on 40M. The band conditions were not optimal and after 5 contacts we moved to 17M. Conditions were better and we totaled out at 23 contacts, making this a bonafide activation and my 20th activation for this park. I am still plugging away at my kilo (working 1000 contacts from a single park) at this park but progress is progress. There were no birds around which is an indication that they are denned up to wait out the weather. When we finished and packed up we took a drive up Hemlock Road which is a nice venture. The road was icy in spots but not enough to be miserable. Well, I am going to drink some coffee and relax. As always, namaste kiddoes!

Last Week Of January Dirty Snow Icy Roads Blues

January 28, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Yep, it’s the last week of January. The pristine and picturesque whiteness of fresh snow has degraded. Now we have dirty dust covered snow, a harridan which used to be virginal and beautiful. I guess it is the cycle of nature, the fresh and new fades away and becomes dismal and mundane. I was thinking of this as I ate breakfast this morning while trying to decide where to activate. I wanted a place where solitude ruled, away from the bustle of people. We ended up going to the ATV Lot in Michaux State Forest US-5471. During the weekends and especially during the summer, the lot is alive with ATVers and other outdoor enthusiasts but today it was empty. Empty and almost forlorn with the parking area a patchwork of gravel and snow. We got set up and I decided to try 40M first. It only took 23 minutes to work 31 stations. The first one I worked was a Park- to -Park. I had tuned to an empty frequency and listened. After a minute I asked if the frequency was in use. I got an immediate reply from N4TRD from a park in NC. He laughingly told me that he was just about to start calling but I had beat him to the punch. We exchanged information and I let him have the freq as he was already spotted here. It was a pleasant and amicable exchange. I tuned to 7.197 and worked a bunch more contacts. Then SWMBO said “How about we finish out this page in the logbook and move to another park?”. It only took us a few minutes to finish that page and then a couple more on the next page. Our total for this park was 31. We then packed up and trolloped over to Kings Gap US-4361. The road up to the mansion (6.5 kilometres) wasn’t as icy as I anticipated. In fact it was mostly bare. I started out on 40M again and then went to 17M. 17 was open and I even worked Alberta which is a Canadian Province which I hadn’t worked before. We racked up 38 contacts and decided to call it a day as we had a few irons in the fire. Basically it was a good day and that alleviated my maudlin mood. 🙂 Well enough for now. I need to fill the stove and get some more coffee. Namaste, kidlets!

The Clam Before The Storm

January 18, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Howdy kidlets. SWMBO and I wanted to get an activation in before there was weather so we trolloped down to Gettysburg National Military Park US-0027. Of course we set up at Culp’s Hill, a great spot to operate from. I used the app on my fone to look for birds and heard a bunch of them. The fone identified Black Capped Chickadees, White Throated Sparrows, Tufted Titmouses (tit mice?), Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Carolina Wrens, Northern Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers and Dark Eyed Juncos. While operating there was one Cardinal that was hanging around in the bushes in front of the car. We started out on 40M and quickly made our 10 contacts to qualify as an activation. We worked 11 more than activity slowed down. We went to 17M and worked 4 more and then another 3 on 12M. It was a successful activation and SWMBO and I enjoyed the time at the park as always. Even though the temperature outside was around 3C, inside the car it was nice and snug. I even had to take my outer jacket off. Just before we left it started raining. There was another ham on the hill doing an activation but he was on 20M so there was no interference. I didn’t get a chance to ask him if he wanted to do a park-to-park as he was quite busy in a pile-up. That’s how it goes sometimes. Now I am home near a warm fire and surrounded by cats. We are under a NWS Storm Warning so I am waiting to see if we will actually get the 10-17 CM of snow that they are predicting for tomorrow. We have plenty of food and pellets for the stove and we also have a kerosene stove if the power goes out so we are all set. I don’t think we will have to resort to eating our cats this time around. (yes, that is a joke. Nothing harms my cats.) This is Support Your Parks Weekend for POTA and I have already received the endorsements for Winter 2025 Hunter and Winter 2025 Activator. I will have to see who is on the radio tomorrow and maybe make some more contacts. Well time to bring this to a close. Namaste and stay warm.

Nature, Radio, and Me

A POTA Explorer's Diary

Hilltopping