In Search Of Components Of The Lowly Dipole

October 20, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Greetings, kids. Here I am enjoying another fine evening. The weather has been spectacular border lining on magnificent! The sky is that clear cerulean that appears in the automn and the temperatures have been in the high teens to low twenties Celsius (high 60s to low 70s F). We are expecting more like this over the next week. Gotta love it.

Yesterday I went to US-1376 Little Buffalo State Park and set up at the boat launch as I usually do. I sat and watched the sun sparkling on the water and listened to Northern Cardinals and American Robins having a last go at the good weather. The 40 M band was hopping and I made 28 contacts in less than 1/2 hour. I even had a couple from Illinois which is sorta rare for the time of day on 40. I am not complaining, mind you. SWMBO was not feeling it so she stayed at home and sent me off with her blessing. She did, however, help me transfer my paper log to the POTA app when I got home, so there is that. 🙂

Today, SWMBO and I went to some thrift shops in Chambersburg PA, about a 45-minute drive. She was looking for things that interested her such as DVDs and the like. I was looking primarily for Christmas lights. Specifically, light strings to use for making a dipole. I would like to make a resonant dipole for 80 M. I have a multi-band one that will tune on 80 but I would prefer one dedicated one. Some people might look down on the lowly dipole but they are easy to make, simple to tune and easy to deploy. The only drawback is the needed area. An 80 M dipole cut for 3.750 MHz (the center of the band) is about 125 ft overall (38 meters) which can take up less room if you set it up as an inverted Vee. Dipole construction can be looked up at: https://www.arrl.org/single-band-dipoles. I am also including below a diagram of a dipole from the ARRL.

Well, time to relax. I need more coffee and there are a couple of nets coming up tonight that I want to participate in. Namaste, everybody, and have the type of day that you truly deserve. 🙂

Relax and watch the Lucky Cat

Mice? Men? Plans? Whatever!

October 15, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Hello kidlets. Here we are with another installment of my non-stop prattle and pseudo-intellectualism dressed in folksy pleasantries. It has been a good couple days off and it is nice to sit drinking coffee and relaxing.

First some thoughts about antennas. Some people like Yagis, some prefer verticals and some like dipoles. The whole thing comes down to a matter of preference. If you are out activating or working portable in general, you want the best antenna that will fit your budget. When I am portable, I generally use “Hamsticks” which are mag mounted verticals. I have also used dipoles and other types of antennae such as “Buddisticks”. Some take along verticals that they made based on “Wolf River Coils”. I am not going to tell you which to use, I can only state what works best for me. I would rather not have anything conspicuous. I also hesitate to hang anything from trees unless absolutely necessary. It is part of my nature to be un-noticed and in parks, I want to stay under the rangers’ radar and leave only my footprints. As an aside, if you are using an arborist bag and it wraps around a limb, the best way to free it is to tie a moderately heavy stick to the other end of the throw line and throw the stick over the branch in the opposite direction as the bag is wound. You do that as many times as necessary to pull it free.

Today SWMBO and I activated Gettysburg National Military Park US-0027, one of my favorites. Culps Hill was deserted when we arrived and in the 45 minutes we were there we saw less that 8 people. I watched an older couple get out of their car with their dog who pulled them over to the tower. We did depart before they descended. Anyway, the activation went very will. I stayed on 40 M and worked 47 stations in about 40 minutes. Not too bad. Towards the end there were a couple stations that had moved in about 2 up from us in the band but they were not strong enough to really be a bother. As for birds, the only one my software heard was a red-bellied woodpecker. Afterwards we stopped off at Hollabaugh Brothers farm stand.

We did our groceries and then went home. As we were eating our lunch, SWMBO had a tooth that had been repaired about 25 years ago break. The good thing was that she had had a root canal back then and she wasn’t in any pain. We finally found a dentist who could take us on short notice as our dentist was busy. We got her looked and, in the process, got a new dentist. That whole ordeal destroyed other plans we might have had but I am glad we got things resolved.

Oh yeah! I can hear again! I had one of my ears get clogged, so I syringed the hell out of it and saved myself a trip to the doctor and a bill. Life is good. Well kids, time to close. Namaste and keep your stick on the ice!

Tootsie the owl and Hubert the gnome enjoying Culp’s Hill

The monument for Battery K 5th US Artillery

They told me to take a seat. At Hollabaugh Brothers in Biglerville, PA

Come On POTA People, Put Your Hands In The Air

October 6, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Greetings one and all. After a 4-day work stint, SWMBO and I decided to relax. We did our shopping yesterday and took a short ride looking at leaves, much to our disappointment. Rather, it met my expectations. The trees are trying to change but here in this area they seem to dip their toes into the water by only changing 1 branch or starting with just thew tips of some of the branches, spreading it out over several weeks. Some trees just give up and, instead of donning their bright party clothes to show off, they just let their leaves turn gray and brown and shrivel up, the arboreal equivalent of wearing ratty clothes complimented by fuzzy bunny slippers for a trip to the local dept store. Contrast this with NH and Maine where you go to bed to forests of green and wake the next day to an explosion of vivid colours that are almost painful to look at and are gone within a week.

Today we went to Fort Frederick State Park in MD (US-1570 and US-0015 C&O Canal) We got there just about at opening time and were the first ones through the gate. We drove past the fort and down to the beaver pond where we heard American Robins, Northern Cardinals and Bluejays. There was a mist rising off the surface of the water and we stopped and took some pictures. We then went to the parking lot which is right next to the C&O Canal, making it a 2-fer. Over the course of 50 minutes, we worked 58 stations including some park-to-parks. I barely had time to spot our activation online and SWMBO’s fingers were almost on fire trying to keep up in the log. It was a bit surprising for a weekday but I am not complaining. We even worked a station in MO. I was also using my club callsign so anyone who worked us got 2 2-fers: 1 for me and 1 for the club, K3SRZ.

Well, I am anticipating a quiet evening (I can say “quiet” as I am not at work) and will be participating in a couple of radio nets. For now, namaste and keep your stick on the ice!

A view of Big Pool taken by the boat launch

An Unanticipated Adventure

September 22, 2026October 3, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Harken! one and all to a tale filled with peril, woe and culminating in pleasant joyfulness!

I posted last time about a malfunctioning mic. I ordered a replacement and yesterday I got word of its impending delivery along with an updated 40 M hamstick. Well, they arrived! I opened the box with anticipation and removed the contents. The antenna was packaged as expected and there was also a smallish box containing the new mic. I set up my FT891 and attached the new mic (after, of course, removing the old one). I attached my house dipole and turned on the rig. It tuned up just fine. I turned the power up to 75W and keyed the mic giving my callsign and the word testing. I had the meter set to “power out” and observed … nothing. As with the old mic, the transmit light came on but there was no modulation. Drats! I was hesitant to believe a new in box mic could be bad so I went through the menu and verified every setting. I tried again and got the same result. I performed a factory reset, re-adjusted all the settings and … no change. Still not modulating the carrier. Non-voice modes seemed ok. I turned the rig off and replaced the mic with one off of my FT450. I immediately worked a POTA station from Canada with no problems. Tarnation! I guess the new mic was bad right out of the box. This led to today’s adventure.

Since mailing back and forth would cost money and take a few days each way, SWMBO and I decided to take a ride to the dealer where I had purchased the offensive item (microphone that is). We left home (in the rain, of course) at 0700 and had a good ride down to the store. The manager was polite and professional as he listened to my tale of sadness and disappointment. He gladly replaced the mic with a new one and we tested it on an FT891 had set up for such purposes. The new mic worked well and then we replaced it with the one that they had previously sent. It did not work! That vindicated me and made it apparent that the issue WAS a bad mic and not a problem with the radio.

Since it was not too distant and was located upon a route that would take us in the direction of home, we departed for Havre De Grace in the hopes of going to the Maritime Museum located there. It was still raining hard as we arrived at our destination and we realized that we had not checked the hours-of-operation prior to going. They are closed on Monday and Tuesday. CRAP! well now there was nothing left to do but test the new mic with an activation.

Located about 10 miles North of Havre De Grace is Susquehanna State Park US-1601. I set up my new antenna and fired up the rig. When I attempted to tune up I received a high swr error message. Sigh. Wait! I had neglected to adjust the stinger length on the antenna. I made the appropriate adjustment and it tuned up just fine! I self-spotted on the POTA app and got on the air on 7267 MHz. Over the course of 1/2 hour we logged 15 contacts. Not too bad considering it was daytime and on the 40M band.

I guess that troubleshooting is a matter of 1) always look for the simplest cause first and 2) if you hear hoofbeats, think horses and not zebras. Yes I realize that both those things are pretty much the same. Now for some coffee and relaxation. Autumn begins at 20:04 EDT today so this was my last activation for the summer. Namaste and keep your stick on the ice.

Hubert celebrating the fact that he is not out in the rain

For no reason, here are some yellow flowers.

Dead Mic Redemption

September 17, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Greetings kids. You could say that we had an interesting morning by the broadest definition of the word. It started out ok. A bit dismal with mist and a temp of 21 C (70 F) but still it had promise. We drove for about 1 1/2 hours to Swatara State Park, which for some reason, my GPS did not acknowledge its existence. We arrived and got set up and ready to operate. I posted a self spot and started calling with my voice recorder (which is built into my rig). I started getting responses, but they did not hear me. WHAT??? The transmit light was coming on but they could not hear me. I did some field troubleshooting and discovered the culprit … the mic. The PTT button worked but it was not modulating. I said several choice words as I had no spare with me. Sigh. We decided to go do our shopping and head home.

Once I got home, I attached the mic from my FT450 to my FT891 and, LO! AND Behold! it transmitted. From my driveway I worked W1AW/1 with ease … sorta … my signal was weak to him but considering my location, it was good. SWMBO decided to stay home when I took off to activate Little Buffalo State Park US-1376.

It was raining when I arrived at my usual spot near the boat launch. Surprisingly, there were several people around doing things like walking their dogs. I set up and got on the air but soon the 23 C temperature and the 1000% humidity had the car unbearable. I was able to work 16 stations in a short time though propagation was up and down. The only birds I heard today were bluejays laughing at me.

The biggest thing to take from this is to always try the simplest fix first and also you will always find things in the last place you look. Kudos to SWMBO for putting up with me. Now I am going to sit here and interact with my katz.

Namaste, y’all and keep your stick on the ice!

Second To Last Weekend Of Summer

September 13, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Greetings, kidlets. Another great weekend here. Took care of some chores and did an activation.

First, a few words about “the basics”. I started a series of presentations called “Back To The Basics” at my club’s meetings. I did the first presentation this past Thursday about RF Exposure limits and the FCC and ARRL rulings on the subject. My slide presentation will soon be posted on our webpage: https://perrycountyarc.org All interested people are invited to check out the page. My next presentation will be on SWR , what it is and why it seems to be more important now than it was in the past. The purpose of these presentations is to catch up and reinforce basic knowledge about ham radio.

Also, if anyone is interested and in the area, you can pre-register for our next VE session on Sunday, 22 Nov 2026 at 14:00 EST (the clocks get turned back on Nov 1). To register or inquire about more information you can go to perrycountyarc.org or email kb3psn@perrycountyarc.org

This morning, SWMBO and I set off to activate Avondale Wildlife Management Area US-7724 in Westminster, MD. It was dark, misty and drizzle was falling when we departed our house, but we were hopeful for clearing. Luckily, when we arrived in Westminster, it had mostly dissipated, though the ground was still moist. The drive into the park was interesting and it was a good thing I read the directions on the MD parks page as, the second you pulled into the road ascending the hill, you are visually assaulted by signage declaring it a private drive. If you continue up the hill, on a gravel road, of course, you reach the parking lot on top as directed by the DNR page. We got set up and on the air by 12:25 UTC and got immediate contacts. We operated until 13:13 UTC, which I consider to be an auspicious time. We made a total of 53 contacts from as far as Florida and Georgia which is pretty good for 40M during the day. We also heard Bluejays and Gray Catbirds serenading us. Overall, a very successful activation.

We returned home by way of Gettysburg where we stopped and ate sandwiches on top of Barlow’s Knob, right near the peace light. We then took a scenic drive towards home with a quick stop at a local grocery store to get some milk for my Mother-In-Law. All in all, it was a great day.

For now, this is all. Namaste, kids, and as always, keep on keeping on.

A pic from Michaux ATV lot on 8 September

A Month Of Sundaes And Weird Frustrations

August 30, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Howdy kidlets. Another week gone. I had a bit of a frustrating time this afternoon. I was in the middle of logging a contact and my ketboard stopped working. I changed the batteries and nothing. I removed the device and nothing. I ended up re-adding the keyboard and re-booting and, voila, it works! Gotta love it. Now combine that with trying to navigate government websites looking for information, I was really feeling disgruntled. Now I got the stuff straightened out and got the answers I need so I have been regruntled. 🙂

It has been a nice time since my last update. This weekend was pretty mellow. We did some shopping, we got stuff for my mother-in-law and we did a bit of work around the house. Also, I played radio.

Yesterday we took a drive up to the Hemlock Road Overlook in Western Perry County in Tuscarora State Forest US-5479. It is a nice spot to sit and watch the valley and has a good elevation for working radio. The 40 Meter band was not in good shape, though. Lately the bands have been up and down and this weekend was pretty dismal, but I was able to work 11 stations, including 3 park-to-parks. A few cars rolled past us and we had a courteous motorcyclist drive up. He parked next to us, took some pictures and, seeing what we were doing, he pushed his bike away from us before starting it. Kudos for him. 🙂

Now a few words about band conditions. We have past the peak of the 11-year cycle and for the next few years, conditions will be less good than they have been. The higher frequency bands will seem to diminish, and more and more activity will shift to 14 MHz and below. I would suggest making sure you have capabilities on the 40- and 80-Meter bands as they will really start to shine, especially at night. If you do CW or digital modes, 30-meters might be an option as the antennae are shorter than for lower bands (14.1 meters for 10MHz ad opposed to 19.8 meters for 7.18 MHz or 38.3 meters for 3.725 MHz). The other bands will not go away but there will be fewer openings. One band that might surprise you, though, is 6 Meters. It can open at seemingly random times and stay open for various intervals. I have known people in the past who keep a radio tuned to the 6-meter band on frequencies where beacons are, listening for openings. Some of them have, with patience, achieved the “worked all states” award on 6 from the ARRL, which is a real accomplishment.

Well that is all for now, I guess. Namaste kids and keep your stick on the ice.

A couple of ruminants having a snack at an undisclosed location.

And The Days Toodle On

August 25, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Hi kidlets. It has been a very nice break for the last week, but now I am facing a return to work tomorrow. We spent the day doing chores like beating Satan’s Putting Green into submission with a mower, a weed wacker and some agent orange for the remaining bamboo. Unless you are prepared for a very intrusive plant which is difficult to get rid of, never plant bamboo.

SWMBO and I had a nice day yesterday. We went to Susquehanna State Park US-1601 in Maryland. It was raining when we got there but it soon stopped. It is a nice quiet park and we worked 26 contacts in less than a half hour. When we first pulled in, we had a little cute thing approach the car before trolloping back into the woods. You can find a link to the video of the approach below. On the way back we took the secondary roads and had a very scenic drive before stopping for lunch in Carlisle PA.

One item I carry in my POTA box is an RF Exposure worksheet which details the exposure limits for the frequencies I use. If anyone were to ask, it is available as required by the FCC since 3 May 2021. If any are interested, here is a link to the calculator: https://www.arrl.org/rf-exposure-calculator It is easy to use and understand and I have over-estimated my output and antenna gain to fall well within the limits for safety.

I also have on hand documents which I have printed from the internet detailing what POTA is, what ham radio is and why I am sitting there in a State Park talking on a radio. So far, I have had a few people interested who came over and asked questions. I have done my best to answer them and make a good impression.

Wello, for now I am going to say adieu. Namaste and keep your stick on the ice.

looking downriver from the boat ramp at Susquehanna SP

Hubert the gnome and Ollie the owl look on as I play radio

Our brief encounter

Folly Of Follies, All Is Folly

August 21, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Greetings kids. At this point in classic prose would be an invocation to the muses. Oh, great and frivolous muses I beseech you (and I seldom beseech) to guide my fingers on the keys to reveal only the truth and calamity of arrogance in blindly accepting the veracity of a GPS.

Wednesday, SWMBO and I set out for Hacker Valley, West Virginia where we had reserved a campsite at Holly River State Park (US-1814). The day was cloudy, hot and humid. The drive took us a bit longer than intended. One of our GPS units directed us to take this road. When I turned onto it, we discovered that it was unpaved. There were lots of tire tracks, electric poles along it and houses so I figured it would be ok. We drove for about 6 miles on this road as it narrowed and got more rutted and washboardy. Finally, we emerged to another road which was paved (WOOHOO!!). Still accepting guidance from the GPS in question, we followed it for about 2 miles until it also became unpaved. We continued on for about 5 miles up over a ridge and back down to the other side, dodging potholes the size of Rhode Island. Eventually we emerged back onto a primary road … the one we had originally been on before turning. This lead us to the State Park where we found our campsite and got settled in.

I like comfort. The older I get, the more comfort I prefer. We bought some small mattresses (actual bed mattresses) as nothing I have found has been totally comfortable when sleeping on the ground. They fit perfect in the back of the car and everything packs on top of them nicely. Let me tell you, they did the trick. Had a good night’s sleep. But I am diverging from the path my muse is directing me to take.

After getting all ready, I set up my radio and started calling CQ POTA. We were down in a hollow in the West Virginia mountains and, though my signal was getting out, reception was bad … very bad. I was finally able to log 15 in the log and called it a night as trying to pull out these signals from the background was very exhausting.

Thursday the 20th, we went to Cass WV and prepared to take a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad to the top of Bald Knob. This was a 5 hour ride which we both enjoyed immensely. There is nothing like being pushed and pulled by a steam locomotive., Mostly it was pushing the cars but for a section between 2 switchbacks it pulled us. The scenery along the way was beautiful and culminated in a vista from the top of Bald Knob, the second highest point in WV.

It rained all day, off and on, and on the drive back to the campsite we decided to head home if it was still raining. I like camping but am not fond of sitting in a tent during a downpour. SWMBO agreed. We packed up and got on the road around 1930 EDT (2330 UTC) and drove until 0100 EDT (0500 UTC) when we reached home. The roads were teeming with trucks and, after 2200 EDT, very few cars. We made it safely thanks to good music and lots of coffee. There is a lot to be said about the virtues of caffeine!

Anyway, I am relaxing tonight. Sometime over the course of the next few days you can expect at least 1 more activation and maybe some more adventure. For now, keep your powder dry and keep your stick on the ice. Namaste, kidlets.

True, Goats Imbibe Freely (TGIF)

August 14, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Howdy kids. Before I get into my latest activation, I would like to take a few minutes to discuss SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) which is the ratio between forward and reflected power. The more of a difference in impedance between the final amplifier of your radio and the antenna, the more power is reflected back. Older transmitters commonly used vacuum-tube final amplifiers with adjustable output networks. Those networks could accommodate a fairly wide range of impedances. Modern transceivers generally use transistors/MOSFETs designed around a nominal 50-ohm load. Excessive reflected power can create voltage/current stresses the output stage wasn’t intended to handle. Most modern radios have circuitry that protects the radio from excessive reflected power by reducing the output. Your 100 watt radio might not put out 100 watts if there is a difference in impedance between the rig and the antenna. Basically, you want as much of your power going out over the air as possible, otherwise you are just heating up your equipment and coax. This is a simplified explanation, but I think it serves our purpose here.

I did have a successful activation this afternoon at Little Buffalo StaTE Park US-1376. It was a nice sunny day, and I found a spot in the shade to park. I was able to work 20 stations in about 50 minutes and one thing that I believe helped was using the club callsign, K3SRZ, along with my own. That way people were getting 2 stations instead of 1. In between contacts, I watched people paddling around the lake and fish jumping. A nice view. 🙂 I was able to hear Ospreys, American Goldfinches, Cedar Waxwings and American Crows.

On another note, I believe we misidentified the sex of our youngest cat, Muffin. It appears that he has a pair of furrballs emerging. That is a good thing as the procedure for fixing a male is less expensive than for a female.

Now I am going to sit and relax and enjoy a “Trick or Treat” which is a chocolate pumpkin porter made by Evil Genius Brewing Company from Philly.

Stay balanced and focused, keep your stick on the ice and namaste kids.

Nature, Radio, and Me

A POTA Explorer's Diary

#Nature