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.

Moxie the gnome and Zarathustra the owl keeping us company at Gettysburg

Chilly, No Beans

January 14, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Hi kidlets. It has been 10 days so I feel that it is time to inflict you with another blog entry. The weather has been cold. Right now it is -4C with a slight breeze. Our ginger tripod kitty, Foggy, is laying in front of the pellet stove absorbing the heat. The inside temp is 27C as I like to keep it warm for the kittehs. This morning at 13:00 UTC SWMBO and I set off to a park armed with a thermos of coffee and a positive attitude. The temp was -5C and it actually dropped to -7C before we were finished. POTA has proven to be a great thing to keep us active. We made it to Big Spring State Park US-4355 and got on the air by 13:35 UTC. The park hadn’t been plowed so there was about 2.4CM of snow on the roads. I had decided to try 40M which is usually a good band for that time of day and it proved to be so. In around 40 minutes we worked 48 stations from Georgia to New Hampshire to Quebec to Michigan and several points in between. The contacts were coming in at such a pace that I barely hed time to sip my coffee let alone spotting myself on the interwebs. You gotta love those days. We even had a few pile-ups. It helps to have a second set of ears to decyphre the callsigns. All in all, a good day. Our phone app was able to hear winter wrens though no other birds showed up. There were a lot of tracks in the snow, some human but mostly animals such as squirrels, rabbits and those ruminants which I don’t name as they will hear it and run/jump in front of my car. I could paint 3 whole silhouettes and 4 halves on my car if I desired but I don’t want to tempt fate. We even had a squirrel throwing sticks down onto the car from overhead trees. Well I am going to go relax and interact with our kitties. Namaste and keep warm.

Tootsie and Moxie providing moral support.

Coffee In The Cup And 40 In The Log

January 4, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It was a great way to start the new year. We stopped off at the local Mom-And-Pop for coffee and Lo! and Behold! I had forgotten my wallet. SWMBO did not laugh too much, though and we only had to backtrack about 5 kilometers to get home and retrieve my wallet. We got back on the road and did a little drive through Maryland, scouting some possible future parks to activate. We finally arrived at Cunningham Falls State Park US-1566 and got set up. The wind was blowing a bit, peaking around 18 KPH and the temperature was about 1 C. I had brought my owl Ptolomey with us but when I placed him on the hood in his usual spot he got blown off and I had to chase him across the parking lot. It was a bleak and blustery day. There weren’t any birds around; wildlife seemed to be hunkered down. It took only minutes to get set up and we started calling on 40M. We started logging right away and in a few minutes had 10 contacts which made it a legitimate activation. We logged a total of 15 before swapping bands. The second band we used today was 17M. We quickly got answers from Texas, Louisiana, California, Florida and, from Europe: France and Italy. We made a total of 25 contacts on this band. For spotting I use the POTA.app page, a thread in Facebook Messenger, the FB pages of two groups I belong to and DXSummit.fi all of which seem to spread the word of an activation really well. After all was said and done. it was a good start to the year. Some might think I lead a boring life but it suits me just fine. Simple is much more better and a lot less stressful. Now I am in a nice warm house and enjoying coffee. Enough for today, kidlets. Namaste.

Winter bare trees in Cunningham Falls SP

Alpha And Omega 2024

December 31, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Wow, New Years Eve already. My plans are to sit here quietly and maybe have a beer or two and let other people go out doing the party thing. There are a lot of advantages to staying home on New Years Eve to include I can be naked with no fear of being arrested. No one here to complain except for my wyfe and the cats. We ventured out this morning to breakfast and then did an activation. We chose Big Spring State Park US-4355 because it was the first park we activated this year and now we have come full circle. The weather was nice and the temp was about 1.5 C (35 F) and the sun was shining. We set up just before 1400 UTC (0900 EDT) and got on the air. It was a bit slow at first. We were on 40 M and someone moved onto a frequency just below us. We took a short break, did a bit of hunting and then moved to a more open frequency. We made several more contacts and then we switched over to 12M. We worked several stations on 12 including some European DX. We did work the president of the Perry County Amateur Radio Club, Matt KB3PSN, from about 20 miles away in New Bloomfield PA. He had tried us on 40 but there was too much noise on his end. He had no problems on 12. Everybody seemed to be in the holiday spirit. We didn’t hear any birds today. We worked a total of 55 contacts in 65 minutes. I like Big Spring Park as it a small and park and doesn’t get a whole lot of people there. It is quiet and peaceful and you can sit back and enjoy nature. 🙂 BTW, when I refer to “we” in my blogs it is generally my wyfe (SWMBO) and I unless otherwise noted. It is nice to have her along as she makes good suggestions and also does a great job logging. Back in January she suggested that we streamline our operation and gear things towards working from the car which would make it easier doing portable ops and on vacation, etc. We have our set up down to my radio, a Yaesu FT-891, a LIFEPO battery and a tube of “ham stick” style antennae. I got the idea to keep the antennae in a PVC pipe with end caps from a video on Youtube;that way they are protected and easy to handle and store. I keep them in the back of the car mostly as it is easier than hauling them into and out of the house. One less thing to carry. Since it is New Years Eve, I guess it behooves me to wax in a philosophical manner. As I sit here drinking coffee and enjoying the heat from the pellet stove, I can think back to other years when things were less good. I have come a long way in my life and have earned everything I have. I am lucky to have found a wonderful wyfe who tolerates me and my idiosyncrasies and/or foibles. I have worked my way into a good job which I have had for 20 years. I still have my health for the most part. The best thing I can say that I have is my mental acuity. I have good friends and comrades out there who accept me and my eccentric outlook. So to all out there who may read this blog, Namaste and Happy New Year.

Moxie the gnome and Zarathustra the owl enjoying Big Spring State Park

Operating from Big Spring on Jan 02 24 in my shelter

Na And Nock

December 26, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

SWMBO and I decided to go for a little ride today and activate US-1601 Susquehanna State Park in Maryland. It was overcast and gloomy and the temperature was hovering just above freezing. We got set up and dove right in. In around 45 minutes we worked 28 contacts total on 40M and 12M. We had set up at the same place we did the last time we were here: the boat ramp. As we were working stations we got to watch loons, ducks and a bald eagle swimming and flying around. Our app on the phone heard American Crows, Downy Woodpeckers, Whited Throated Sparrows and Northern Cardinals. We made a Park-to-Park contact with someone working a 2-fer. Overall, it was a fun and successful activation. Then it happened: SWMBO said “how about we go to another park?” We tore down and set out. On the way we went over the dam at the Conowingo Hydro plant. SWMBO wanted to video the crossing so when we got across, we turned around and crossed it again. It is a monumental structure and dates back to 1928. The original town of Conowingo MD had to be moved when they constructed the dam and is now submerged in the reservoir. From there we travelled up river a few miles to Susquehannock State Park US-1425. This was the first time I activated this park but it won’t be the last. We set up in the parking lot for the overlook area and we were the only people . There were some beautiful holly trees in the median. We only heard Northern Cardinals there, though. In 25 minutes we made 19 contacts on 40M and 12M to include a 2-fer Park-to-Park with 2 operators. I was getting good signal reports and am hoping the solar cycle continues this way. Well I am back home, sipping coffee and enjoying the warmth of the stove so I think I will say Namaste. kiddos!

Moxie and Tootsie at Susquehanna State Park in Maryland

Moxie and Tootsie at Susquehannock State Park in PA

My Owl Was Blown Away!

December 22, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Yesterday was Decembre 21st, the first day of winter so, of course, we went out into the freezing (0 deg C) afternoon and did an activation. We didn’t go far, just to Little Buffalo State Park US-1376. Our previous activation there was on a foggy day. This time it was windy. On 2 separate occasions I had to go catch Ptolomey as he was being blown across the parking lot. Moxie was nice and cozy in the car and satisfied in guarding the radio. We started on 40 Metres at 1825 UTC, changed band to 12 M at 1843 UTC, went to 10M at 1900 UTC and finished up back on 40 M at 1924 UTC. We worked a total of 29 stations including Mexico and Dominican Republic. I wasn’t able to hear any European stations but did work as far as British Columbia. It was a satisfying activation, even though the conditions left us wanting. Anyway, I figure it is the time of year that kept folks off the air. People, for some reason, like to spend time with their families during the holidays. No, I am not a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas, I am just cynical about human-nature. For the better part of the year people can be real negative but let mid-December roll around and everybody is warm and cuddly and all is well. Of course some people are consistent and maintain their misanthropic attitudes year round. Boy, am I sounding glum. In reality, I am happy and content to be drowsing in the warmth of the pellet stove surrounded by my kittehs. Speaking of which, on the 18th we dropped Calamity off at the vet to be fixed. She wasn’t broken, we just wanted her fixed. We picked her up in the afternoon and were expecting her to be lethargic from the drugs but LO! and Behold! she was out of the carrier like a flash and running around and playing. She seems to be a happy cat ans likes to sleep next to me. absorbing warmth. Anyway, it is time to close this. I will leave you with a quote from my obligatory Christmas reading: “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.

” Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.

He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”

Namaste and Merry Christmas, kidlets!

Watching Snow Sublimate

December 17, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It was foggy this morning, very foggy. Visibility was about 75 Meters when I first got up. Between Sunday and Monday we acquired about 75MM of snow and then it started to warm up Monday afternoon it started to turn foggy and remained so for the first part of today. We had breakfast at the Blain Hotel and decided to activate Little Buffalo State Park US-1376. It is nice to have parks and game lands nearby. We arrived around 1410 UTC and got on the air about 1420. We started out on 40M and contacts were coming in at a pretty fast rate. We worked stations as far west as Wisconsin and as far south as Georgia. I had very little time to post spots as the contacts were flying in. I am thankful that SWMBO was logging for me as I would not have been able to keep up. Finally they tapered off a bit and I announced that I was changing bands to 12M. We started logging at 1458 UTC on 12 M and immediately started to get results. It was a mix of states to the west of us and stations from Europe. Propagation was a bit weird as some stations from Europe were very strong and we could barely hear others. We had Spain, Italy, Belgium, France and Poland in the log in short order. We worked out to Colorado and down to Texas. Overall we made 67 contacts in an hour before we decided to call it quits for the day. There was much happiness. Once again I used a strategy that has worked well before: start out on either 40 or 80 M for the eastern states and then swap to 12 or 17 meters to give the Europeans a chance. As I was putting the station and antennae up, Glory, SWMBO, used the app Merlin to check out what birds were around. It logged American Crows, American Blue Jays and Canada Geese (gooses?) so there was bird activity. Well enough for today. I have everyone has a great day. Namaste, kiddos.

Chilly Activation

December 3, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It was a beautiful day today if you care to ignore the temperature. After breakfast at the Newville Diner, we drove up to the ATV lot in Michaux State Forest US-5471. When we arrived the sky was blue, there was a light breeze and the temperature was 271 K or -2 C or 29 F, whichever you prefer. I like K in the winter because it sounds so much warmer. There were no birds to be heard today and also, luckily, the lot was not filled with the vehicles of hunters taking their rifles for a walk in the forest. There were 3 pickups but it is a big lot so no problems finding parking. We started out on 40 metres and the contacts started coming in fast and furious. I did not have time to spot myself online very often. Within 26 minutes we worked 37 stations from up and down the Eastern 1/3 of the country. Towards the end of that timespan, things started to slow up. I swapped out antennae and went to 12 metres to give the Europeans a chance. We made 21 more QSO’s on 12 and then called last call. Overall 58 contacts in about 1 hour. I know that Costa Rica isn’t Europe, nor is Mexico but I was happy to put them in the logs. We even had a contact from Finland. Overall a great POTA day. Yesterday we brought Calamity to the vet for the first time. She received a clean bill-of-health and will have a follow up in a few weeks for spaying. She is a bit older than I thought she was. The vet said she is around 6 months. That doesn’t make her any less loveable. After we got her home we let her out of the carrier and she was her usual self, apparently forgiving me for subjecting her to the indignities of a vet visit. Right now she is playing fetch with me. Well enough for today. Namaste, kidlets.

Calamity at the vet waiting to be taken home.

Moxie and Tootsie enjoying a sunny December day

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.