500 At Gettysburg

November 28, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Thanksgiving 28 Nov 24. Not a pretty day. The dismal sky was a morose shade of gray; a hue that guarantees feelings of despondency and morbidity. It is only in Autumn that such feelings can be invoked by the clouds. The forests of Southern PA were so dank that even Robert Frost could not describe them in an upbeat or pleasant manner. Light rain was attempting to fall and all the birds were in hiding. Of course, we decided to activate. We went to Gettysburg US-0027. We were surprised by the number of people that were strolling around the battlefield. We thought we would have the place to ourselves with most people being at home doing family things but there were pedestrians all over the place in the vicinity of Spanglers Spring and Culp’s Hill. We got set up and started out on 40 M. I figured that there would be a lot of hams at home waiting on their turkey to cook and sneaking away from the family to play on the radio for a brief time and I was right. We had a legitimate activation within 9 minutes which is pretty good for 40 M during daylight hours. We continued on 40 for another half hour, working stations from NH to TN and north to ON. I then made the command decision to change bands and mounted my 10 M antenna. It does not take long to swap antennae. I take the current one off, put on the one for the next band I want to work, tune the radio to an empty freq and get on the air. One thing I try to do is stay within the privilege areas for General Class Licenses. I posted our location on the POTA spotting page and also announced us on the DXSummit page. It did not take long for stations to find us. There were a lot of European stations, we even worked a park-to-park in Germany. We hung around for another half hour end finished up with 53 contacts which made my total for Gettysburg 500 … half way to my Kilo award. Now I am sitting at home letting the pellet stove remove the damp from the air and enjoying coffee as my cats snooze in the warmth. Enough for today. Namaste kidlets.

Moxie and Ptolomey enjoying a foggy and dreary morning on Culp’s Hill.

The flamingos are restless preparing to continue their northern migration.

Two Days And November Reminds Us That It Is Here

November 24, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It is November 24th and I am sitting here drinking coffee and wearing reading glasses on top of my regular glasses so that I can see the screen better. The weather has gone from 18.2 C to the current of 8.9 C and is starting to dip down at night to the minus numbers. We even had some snow flurries here at home and more snow in other areas of the state. Yesterday it was nice and sunny in the morning. We tried out a local breakfast buffet run by Mennonites. The food was good and the price was reasonable for an all-you-can-eat. I only had 1 plateful and SWMBO couldn’t finish her plate. after breakfast we trolloped off to Little Buffalo State Park US-1376 and did an activation. The sun was shining, there was a murder of crows hanging around and we watched the waterfowl swimming and even got to see a large fish jump into the air. It had a surprising amount of hang time. We worked 28 US stations on 40M and then I tuned in 10M. We worked 4 US stations one from Spain and then one from Bulgaria which is a new country in my POTA log. I decided to give 12M a try. We worked 11 stations, 4 from Germany, 2 from France, 1 from England and the rest across the US. We packed up and headed home with 45 in the log. At this time the weather was still nice but later on in the morning it clouded up. The temperature reached a high of 5.9C. With the cloud cover in the PM it started to look dismal. This morning we went to breakfast at the Newville Diner where we decided to active Mont Alto State Park US-1386. The weather was again dismal and the temperature slowly rose from 6.8 to 8.3 C. I chose to try 80M and worked a couple stations but the daytime noise level was annoying. I switched to my 40M antenna and we had QSOs with 25 stations, all from the US. We even had contact with a station from the state of Georgia which is surprising for 40 during the day. I then put on my 12M antenna and finished out the activation with 5 more contacts including Sweden, Mexico and France. 12 M has been open to Europe a lot lately. We did not hear any birds though we did have a flamingo sighting. After we picked up SWMBO wanted to go for a bit of a ride. We cruised around on some back roads in Franklin and Adams Counties and got a bit turned around. We found our way and then headed home with a brief stop at the grocery store. Now I am relaxing and about to try some hunting from my station. Namaste for now, kidlets.

Calamity the radio cat and me relaxing at home

A Short Road Trip and More Activations

November 14, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Let me start out by saying how much I enjoy long distance drives in the late night/early morning hours. The traffic is at a low volume and it seems, especially on back roads, that you are alone in your own little bubble. While the world is tucked away in their beds you cruise along blissfully. The only concern is watching out for any animal which may decide to walk or run in front of you. You don’t even need to worry too much about other cars because there are so few. We did this on Monday, 11 November. We set out in the darkness and made our way to West Virginia. Our first stop was in Morgantown, WV, to view the statue of Don Knotts. It sits in front of the theatre where he got his start. The statue is very easy to find. After we took some pictures and acted like typical tourists we resumed our trip. We had planned to stop in Pomeroy, OH, to video river barges but when we got there, a Veterans Day ceremony was going on at the pullout and there was no available parking spaces. We found a place for lunch and then continued to Point Pleasent, WV, home of the Mothman. We took some pics around the town and then it was still to early to check in to our motel so we drove to Tu-Endie-Wei State Park US-1823. It is a nice little park. Its name means “Between Two Waters” and that describes it well. It sits where the Kanawha river joins the Ohio. Propagation was good on 17 Meters so that is what we worked. We made a total of 23 contacts and then had fun videoing the barges and just enjoying a beautiful day. When check in time rolled around we crossed the river to Gallipolis, OH to our motel. We had no desire to just sit around so after we got our stuff settled in, we took a drive on some back roads. We found ourselves at the Old Holcomb Cemetery and took fotos there. It was getting dark so we made our way back to the motel, had supper and settled in. On Tuesday, Nov 12, drove back up to Pomeroy and took some footage of a barge heading up the river. Our next stop was at Forked Run State Park US-1951 where we made 32 contacts on 40 and 10 Meters. There were a lot of European stations on 10 which is an indication of how open the band was. The park itself was peaceful. We parked in an empty lot above the lake where there was an access path to the beach. After the activation we headed home. Since this was during the day the traffic was a lot heavier and more obnoxious. Today, 14 Nov, we went to Culp’s Hill in Gettysburg National Military Park US-0027. The bands were humming and in about 45 minutes we worked 56 stations between 10 and 40 Meters. We were even able to work a new Canadien Province: Manitoba. There were, again, a lot of European stations on 10 along with 1 contact from Mexico. We heard a red-bellied woodpecker as we sat there. As I started to drive away I realized I had left my phone on top of the car. I retrieved it before it could fall. The weather today had changed. It was overcast and chilly so we sat in the car with our doors closed. One memorable contact was with an op from England who was running a similar set up as I have: 80 watts to a hamstick. Myself, I use 75 watts but we both gave a 5-5 report. Well I guess it is time to close this. Namaste kidlets and happy trails.

A Really Nice Day

November 5, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Not sure what is happening with the weather but I am not complaining. It is 5 Nov and the temp got to about 23C. The sun was shining and it was just downright beautiful. SWMBO and I went to the ATV lot above Pine Grove Furnace SP in Michaux State Forest US-5471 and made another successful activation. As a raven flew around overhead, we began on 40M. It was about 15:50 UTC when we began so I did not have high hopes for 40. My first contact was a ham in NC who was activating a park. He was on the freq I had last had my radio on so I turned it on and there he was. It was an easy park-to-park contact and a good start. We worked a couple more on 40 and then spun the dial to 10M. The band was pretty active and we worked around 25 stations, mostly European. We started getting QRM’d (inadvertantly I am sure) by a station in central Europe. I went to the 12M band where we worked another station before we went to 17M and finished out the activation with another 7 contacts. All in all we made 38 contacts ranging from California to Poland. In the upcoming week we plan on getting a few more parks under the belt. Hopefully the weather will hold. Today I brought Ptolomey the owl with us and next time it is Tootsie’s turn. I do like to switch owls. All too soon it will start doing the “s” word and I will have to bring flamingos with us as they are my winter birds. Moxie as always sat on the dashboard and kept us company. A nice thing about today was when the contacts were coming in so fast that I didn’t have time to spot ourselves on the web. Also on a positive nots, both SWMBO and I are getting more adept at understanding callsigns of people with heavy accents. 🙂 Well I am going to finish here and relax for the rest of the evening. Namaste, kids.

Kalamazoo relaxing with his newest friend, Calamity

A 2fer and A Convenient Nearby One.

October 22, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Here I am, sitting down and enjoying a cup of coffee. It was a good day today. SWMBO requested that we do an activation in Maryland and, of course, her wish is my command. 🙂 We had breakfast at the Newville Diner and I considered our options. I decided to do a 2fer … a location that counts as 2 parks. We went down to South Mountain State Battlefield SP and Washington Monument SP (US-6390 and US-1604 respectively) and got set up. As per usual, I had my FT891 and was using “hamstick” style antennas on a mag-mount.We worked 37 contacts in a very short time; it took less than hour. Mostly I had the rig set on 40M but then I gave 10M a try. Europe and GB were coming in nicely. SWMBO suggested that we activate Greenbriar SP US-1575 as it was only a couple miles away. I opted to work 10M since I had good results. The first 2 parks are on a mountain and Greenbriar is down below in a hollow. In a short while we had worked 19 stations including France, Austria, Poland, Wales, Scotland and England. We worked as far west in the US as Colorado. 10M was booming. I even had a local ham come back to me. He was only a few miles away and surprised to work anyone this close on 10M.We didn’t have any encounters with people though we got a lot of curious stares at both locations. The sun was shining and it was nice and warm. We didn’t hear any birds today but maybe next time. I have been perusing maps and there are a lot of State Parks in Maryland to explore though I am nowhere done with PA. It is just good to go out of the state now and then. I have a long stretch at work coming up but afterwards we might take a little road trip. Who knows. 🙂 Well enough for now. Time to relax and drink coffee. Namaste, kidlets.

Though Calamity doesn’t go on activations, she helps me hunt!

Return to Mont Alto and a Little Surprise

October 17, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Great day today. We set out to Mont Alto after breakfast for an activation. The day started out cool but sunny. We got set up and decided to try 40M to start out with. In 50 minutes we made 38 contacts. I then decided to try 10M as it seemed to be open. Within a short time we worked 7 contacts including 2 from Spain, 1 from Austria and 1 from Poland. We also worked some stateside including Texas and Colorado. I figured that was a good activation. Mont Alto was nice and peaceful, as usual. after this we did some shopping. When we got back we found something sitting on our doorstep: a kitten. She appears to be abandoned. She is clean but was very hungry. She is socialized and affectionate. I don’t think she came from one of our neighbors, in fact I think she was dumped. It didn’t take long for her to bond with me. She likes my company. Our boy cats are curious about her but are not hostile. I am calling her Calamity as she was standing right next to the road when we saw her. She came to us and decided to be likeable. I will include a pic of her with this. Anyway, it was a great day. Namaste for now kiddos.

From Rain On The Lake To Sun On The Hilltop

October 3, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It has been a great couple of days! Yesterday I started off with a visit to my doctor. He did the usual poking and prodding and subjecting me to various and sundry indignities before proclaiming that I should stay the course for the next 6 months as my tests looked good and I was doing well. He then left and had the nurse stab my arm with the usual Autumn flu jab. This put me in a decent mood and we, SWMBO and myself, set out to Little Buffalo State Park US-1376 where we set up for my 99th activation. 40 meters was in fine shape and we worked 35 contacts at a leisurely pace which I thought was pretty good for a weekday afternoon. The part of the park where we were set up was pretty empty and we only observed a handful of cars. While we were there it went from a light drizzle to a constant rain and back to a drizzle. It was nice to watch the rain coming across the lake toward us in a line of disturbance. Today the sun came up! No, I mean it! The sun actually shone the whole day! This has been the first day in the past week and a half in which there has been no rain. Shit! I might be tempting fate by saying that. I just knocked on wood to ward against the bad luck. Anyway, it was warm and sunny today and we went to Kings Gap US-4361. I started out calling on 40 Meters but it was slow going so I switched antennae and began calling on 17 meters . That band was a lot more lively with stations from western Europe and all over the US and Canada answering our call. We finished up with 24 contacts to make a bonafide 100th activation and then SWMBO requested that we shut down as she needed to do some errand running. Since she is nice enough to keep me sane and to do my logging, I don’t argue with her requests. Well I am going to end this here with my usual line: Namaste kidlets!

Moxie the gnome, Tootsie the owl and Tom the ham at Kings Gap

A Wet End to September

September 29, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It has been moist and wet for the past few days and it appears that the trend will continue for a few more, according to the weather guessers. My weather station has recorded 49.28 MM of rain this month which is good for the plants and for my well but makes for a dreary scenery outside. The rain hasn’t been hard, mostly, primarily drizzle with some periods of real rain, making the early autumn landscape look droopy and forlorn. The leaves have yet to go all out in their yearly change but some are trying to get some colour. For the most part it is shades of the greyish green you get in the late season making you tired of looking at it and wanting something fresh and different. Today is 29 September 2024 and we did an activation yesterday and one today. Yesterday we activated Big Spring State Park US-4355. In a way I see that as our home base. It is close by and easy to get to. It is a go-to park when time is at a premium and is as comfortable as an old pair of slippers. There were people there yesterday over near the pavilions. We stayed at our usual spot and didn’t bother them. I think they were actually there for the restrooms though I did not investigate. I just set up and started operating. In a short 1/2 hour we made 30 contacts. It then started to make a serious attempt to rain and it was getting dark. Pennsylvania’s DCNR likes people to be out of the parks at sundown unless there is a campground there so we stopped our operation and made our way home. Today, 29 September 2024 (Sunday) we decided over breakfast to go to the ATV lot in Michaux State Forest US-5471 located over Pine Grove Furnace SP. The lot was almost deserted and the weather was again rainy and drizzly. This is not a problem as the only part of my rig that is outside of the car is the antenna and coax. We had sporadic contacts on 40 Meters, working 30 contacts over the course of about 40 minutes. Hmmm … I wonder if 30 is a magic number? lol. Anyway, we survived the dampness and made it home where we are safe and sound and surrounded by our loving kitties. Okay, enough for today. Namaste Kidlets

A wet Zarathustra and a dry Moxie at the ATV Lot.

A Dark, Dreary, Drizzly, Nice, Fun Day

September 25, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Yesterday, September 24th, SWMBO and I set off early to activate a park. I had an appointment at 0645 with the vampire to have my blood analyzed so we ventured out after that. Our destination was Susquehanna State Park US-1601 in Maryland. It was drizzling when we left and the weather guessers had promised the same for the rest of the day. We didn’t let this bother us as my radio sits in the car and the only parts of the rig exposed are the antenna and the coax. It was a nice drive down there, taking a little over 2 hours. We checked out the picnic area but it did not suit us for an activation so we proceeded further down the road to the boat launch area which was had a large parking area and a great view of the river. We observed seagulls flying around, fishermen out on boats and cormorants floating and fishing. It was no longer drizzling by the time we had arrived but the sky was an iron gray, making for a soul sucking dreariness (just kidding but the sky was gray). I made a short video of the area (see below) and got on the air. 40 meters was doing well for a while and then signals went away. I went to 17 meters and worked 5 contacts and finished out the activation on 15 meters which had a good opening to Europe. Overall it was a good day. We had a nice leisurely drive back including a stop at a Royal Farms store for some chicken tenders. Even a dreary day can be a good one, without a moss covered 3 handled family gredunza. Namaste for today, kidlets.

Ptolomey and Moxie at Susquehanna State Park

Requiem For Gnome and Return To The Grassy Knoll

September 5, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Today I bid a sad and final adieu to Lester the Gnome. During the setup at Barlows Knoll he fell onto the pavement and smashed to pieces. He will be missed. I do have another Gnome to take his place but Lester will be sorely missed. Yes, we did return to the grassy knoll this morning. We intended to activate from Culp’s Hill in Gettysburg National Military Park US-0027, but when we arrived at the top of the hill there was a crew working there so it was on to plan B. We drove to Barlows Knoll and parked there. As before, I backed into the parking space so that we were not facing into the sun. I got set up and ready to go (sans Lester) and then ascended the tower and shot a panoramic video. Tootsie the owl came with me for moral support and a good time was had by all. SWMBO wandered around doing her own thing videoing in the nearby fields. We then convened at the car and began operating. We immediately started making contacts and it went pretty steady. I was able to post spots for us on different places online and that generated activity. Another factor in our favour was location. People seem to like to work places such as Gettysburg. I am going to drive down to Harpers Ferry in the near future along with Antietam and see what kind of traffic I can generate there. We did not hear any birds this morning but we did watch a train go by at the bottom of the hill. Well enough for now. Namaste, kidlets and Farewell Lester.