Got Those Bad Band Conditions Drizzly Day Lazy Afternoon Blues

April 2, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Howdy kidlets. It is the second day of my “weekend” as I work a weird schedule. This week my days off are Wednesday and Thursday followed by work on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday then off again on Monday and Tuesday followed by work Wednesday and Thursday then off until Monday. I do get every other Friday, Saturday and Sunday off so I guess it is ok. You get used to the schedule sometime during the first decade.

We didn’t go anywhere yesterday though I did go to Big Spring State Park US-4355 again. The temperature was about 28C (83 F) and it was making a serious attempt to be sunny. Band conditions were not good and there was a lot of noise. I started out on 40M but soon went to 17M as there was very little activity on 40. I made 9 more contacts on 17M (making my activation bona fide) and then went back to 40 for 9 more. All this took around an hour. The park was, as usual, nice and quiet with the sounds of nature only occasionally being interrupted by passing vehicles. Being in a remote park has its advantages. Anyroad, my total for this park is now 873. I am getting there.

In my last entry I neglected to itemize the birds which my app heard. Here they are now. We heard in Maryland: Carolina Wrens, House Finches, House Sparrows, European Starlings and Brown-headed Cowbirds. In Shepherdstown WV, we heard: Chipping Sparrows, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmouses, American Goldfinches, Canada Gooses, Northern Cardinals, Golden-crowned Kinglets, White-breasted Nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos and Eastern Phoebes. I guess Spring might really be here.

I am including a link to the contents of my radio box that I take to activations. Of course, my radio, but also various tools, some meters, a flashlight and other items. I also include my logbook as I do paper logging in the field, my exposure guide printout (per FCC regulations), band plans, a copy of my license and other paperwork to include a description of POTA for anyone who might be curious. I keep my antennae in the car as I have shown before. These days I like to travel light. It all fits into a plastic storage tub.

Well enough for now. I am going to sip some coffee and enjoy some slack. Namaste, kids.

A rescued possum at Possumbilities in Fredericksburg, VA

Almost Flamingo Season

March 10, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Wow! Currently the temperature is 28C (85F for you that use outdated systems). It has been nice all day. It almost makes me want to dig out the flamingos and place a platoon of them on the lawn!

SWMBO wanted to go to a couple of stores in Chambersburg PA, today so we set out about 0700 and went to Caledonia State Park US-1337 and did an activation. We got set up by about 0835 and got on the air. I wanted to start on 40M and ended up staying there as the contacts were flying in. I found an empty space at 7196 Khz and spotted myself online. A net came on about 1 or 2 K down but they didn’t bother us too much. I do my best to avoid nets as the folks who participate can be prickly sometimes when you are too near “their” frequency. Anyway, we had 10 contacts within 5 minutes, and they just kept coming in fast and furious. I like this type of activation. I barely had time to put spots on some of the groups. When we packed it in we had 41 contacts over the course of 31 minutes.

The weather was nice. Partly cloudy and it was 4C when we started and climbed at a steady rate. We even were able to log some birds which is a good sign of improving weather. We heard Black-capped Chickadees, Carolina Chickadees, Carolina wrens, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Dark-eyed Juncos. A nice assortment and we did hear them in spite of the chain saws running nearby.

When we finished up we went to Sportsman’s Warehouse looking for sleeping pads but were unable to find anything that suited us for camping use. We crossed town and went to Better Days Animal League thrift shop. We usually find dvds or books there and the money goes to a good cause. They also have adoptable kittys there and we interact with them.

After all this we went home and relaxed for a bit before going to Blain Hotel for a nice lunch/supper. All in all a good day though some might find my life a bit dull.

The UPS truck just stopped here and dropped an order which included “The POTA Antenna Book” by Don Dickey WV1W. Now I have something new to read.

Well enough for now. As always, namaste kiddos.

Missie, Tootsie and Moxie watching me operate

A view looking south from our parking space at Caledonia State Park

Looking south-east from our parking space

In front of the building where the restrooms are is a “little library”. I think this is a great idea.

Steamy Windows, A Wet Owl, And A Milestone Reached

March 5, 2026 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Greetings and salutations, kidlets. It has been a good day in spite of the weather. Today was rainy then gloomy then rainy then drizzly and back to rainy. We were out this morning running some errands and, when we got back, I decided to do an activation. SWMBO decided to remain home.

When I arrived at Little Buffalo State Park US-1376, the temperature was around 7C (45 F) and remained so for my time at the park. During my activation it got very warm in the car and the windows fogged up. I had to take off my coat and finish in shirtsleeves. Holman Lake is the manmade lake occupying 88 acres of Little Buffalo State Park. The ice on Holman Lake was that gray color that old ice gets when it is thin and rotten. The fishing shacks are gone as are the homemade skating rinks. I pretty much had the park to myself.

It did not take long to set up, and I was soon on the air on 40M. I worked 26 contacts before switching bands. One thing that I thought was fortuitous was that my first contact was a park-to-park … this one from Ontario. So after 26 contacts the band seemed to dry up. I swapped antennae and started working 17M which is usually a good daytime band. It proved to be today. I was able to work Italy, Oregon, St Kitts, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, California and a lot of other stations. A good time was had. Part way through my operation I realized that I was getting close to my Kilo award for this park. This gave me incentive to keep working stations until I had reached a total of 76. I had started the day with a total of 928 so I had only need 72 contacts to reach 1000. This was exciting as it is my first Kilo award (hopefully not my last). I want to thank everybody who helped me achieve this.

I was able to hear and identify (with my app) the following birds: Ring Billed Gull, American Crow, Common Raven, American Herring Gull, Blue Jay, Wild Turkey and Sharp-shinned Hawk. I think the birds are getting sick of winter and are anticipating the return of Spring and nice weather.

Well, once again I am sitting near the pellet stove and enjoying some coffee. I hope all is well with my readers. Namaste

2 gnomes and a wet owl

Looking South across Holman Lake from the parking lot at the boat launch

More In Maryland And West Virginia

August 7, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Great day today. SWMBO and I set out early (after I had to go to the phlebotomist) and made our way down to Gathland SP US-1574 which the Appalachian Trail US-4556 runs through. It was out intent to activate and then go to Burkittsville Union Cemetery. Well, we did and then had a change in plans (more in a minute). We worked a total of 24 contacts including a couple of Park-to-Parks. The weather was nice, warm without being humid and the birds were out in full force. We heard: Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmouses, American Goldfinches, American Crows, Carolina Chicadees, American Robins, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Chipping Sparrows, House Finches, European Starlings, Worm-Eating Warblers and Cedar Waxwings. Before we finished with the activation, SWMBO suggested that we go to Harpers Ferry US-0735 after the cemetery. Of course, I thought it was a great idea. We finished up and went down the hill to Burkittsville. One notable in the cemetery was a Dr. who died under mysterious circumstances. We took some photos and walked around and then set our course for Harpers Ferry WV. We got to the visitors center and I let the ranger on duty know that we wanted to activate the park. She was all in favor of it. We set up in the car at the far end of the overflow parking area so that we would be away from any people. We made 15 contacts and SWMBO said “Why don’t we go take a walk around the town as long as we are here”. Again, I concurred, and we wrapped up operations at 15 contacts. The only birds we heard were: Tufted Titmouses, Chipping Sparrows and Eastern Bluebirds. A nice shuttle bus took us to the town and we meandered around. We went first to the park shop and I got a few stickers. We strolled about and found a small book store. After browsing around, we decided to have lunch. An interesting cafe was nearby, the Coffee Mill. We sat down for a burger and then continued walking around. Then we took the bus back up to the visitors center and headed home with a stop in Hagerstown ad a home decor shop and a stop at Wyse’s store in Newville PA for some necessaries. All in all, I was happy with how the day went. Now I am relaxing with some coffee and interacting with our kitties. Namaste, folks.

Lunch at the Coffee Mill in Harpers Ferry

A mysterious death noted at Union Cemetery in Burkittsville MD

A Good Weekend To Not Work

August 3, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Nice weekend, overall. Yesterday, Saturday the 2nd of August, SWMBO and I took a ride to Towson MD to the Prospect Hill Cemetery. It is located in the middle of the town and easy to find though there are buildings all around it in close proximity. We went there looking for the grave of an actor. SWMBO likes to photograph celebrity graves and she has a web page devoted to the photos. We then took the scenic route home and enjoyed rural Maryland and Pennsylvania. We did stop off at a pet store and picked up a couple of hermit crabs for a tank on her desk. We have a large tank with a crab colony but she wanted some small ones for her desk. When they get big enough they will go into the larger colony and we will get some more small ones. After getting settled we went to Big Spring State Park us-4355. We were last there back in May. It took us about an hour to make 22 contacts on 40, 20 and 15 meters. What matters is that we made the requisite 10, I guess. After we got home and took care of a few chores, I got on the radio and was surprised that the bands had opened up since we left the park. I made several contacts in a short period. I heard other operators talking about it, too. We did not hear any birds while we were out yesterday. Now today, Sunday 3 August was a great day also. The weather was a bit warmer than yesterday and sunny for the most part. We set out early. SWMBO wanted to check out a couple of cemeteries in Sharpsburg, MD which happens to be right near Antietam National Battlefield us-0700. We got set up just after 8AM at the visitor center at the end of the parking lot away from anybody else who might pull in. The contacts were coming in at a fast rate at first and it did not take long to get the required 10 for a bonafide activation. In fact, it only took 5 minutes to get 10 in the log. After that it slowed a bit and we worked a total of 19 on 40 meters before changing bands to 20 meters. We ended up working 33 contacts total in less than an hour and went to the visitor center to check things out. After that we set out to the Antietam National Cemetery and the Mountain View Cemetery which sits across the street. The National Cemetery is a nice, peaceful place and is well laid out. The Mountain View Cemetery is the typical mixture of old and new stones with some interesting art work. After this we took a drive to the Newville Diner for lunch and then came home. Today in the Sharpsburg area we heard the following birds: Chipping Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats, Field Sparrows, Northern Mockingbirds, Northern Cardinals, Scarlet Tanagers, American Robins, Grasshopper Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Blue Jays, House Finches, Carolina Wrens, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Cedar Waxwings, Least Flycatchers, Barn Swallows, Mourning Doves, American Goldfinches, Eastern Bluebirds, Tufted Titmouses and Indigo Buntings. Quite a list. Now I am at home drinking coffee and trying to entertain my pocket panthers, Kalamazoo and Dipper. Ok, that is enough for now. Have a great week and namaste, y’all.

Missy, Moxie and Tootsie at Big Spring SP

The Number 13, Owls On The Hood And A Flamingo’s Day Out

July 6, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It has been a busy week. I had to work 4 consecutive days, Monday thru Friday (12 hours at night) and that makes a person tired. This was also the week for the 13 Colonies Special Event, which is a major event in ham radio with thousands of stations vying to contact all the stations. Well, I was able to complete a clean sweep as of Friday, 4 July. I was pretty happy with that. Most of those stations I worked on CW, the rest SSB. Yesterday, 5 July 2025, SWMBO and I set out to get an activation in before it got too hot. We went to the ATV lot in Michaux State Forest US-5471. The last time we activated the lot was in March. As usual there were a few people there but not enough to make it difficult. One thing I like about the place is the fact that the people up there mind their own business and don’t worry about what other folks are doing. We made 31 contacts in an hour (9 of them park-to-park) and then the heat started building so we packed up and left. We came home and did some grocery shopping. Today, 6 July 2025, we went to the State Game Lands #169 US-8867 and spent some time there in the morning, again before the heat. We brought along Charade, the flamingo and Ptolomey, the owl. The lot we park at is on a back road so there is not a whole lot of traffic. This one we hadn’t activated since back in October of last year. Since this is a game land, I do try to avoid it during hunting seasons. It is a nice quiet area and a good place to park and play radio. Surprisingly, it has only been activated a total of 18 times. We made 14 contacts in about an hour as the bands were not that great today. We had a visit from a guy in his early 20’s who left when he discovered that I was holding an antenna rather than a fishing pole. On Friday, we brewed a batch of IPA which is currently bubbling away in the fermenter. The only other significant activity this week was we finally had the chance to cut Satan’s Putting Green. The plant growth was pretty high as this was the first chance we had to deal with it since our return from vacation. The amount of rain we had in the past 2 weeks did its work and made the place look like the pastureland it originally was. Here is the list of birds our app picked up today: Northern House Wrens, Gray Catbirds, American Robins, American Goldfinches, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Cardinals, Song Sparrows, Tufted Titmouses, Yellow Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats, Indigo Buntings, House Finches, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Eastern Peewees, Cedar Waxwings, Carolina Wrens and Field Sparrows. I guess this is my latest update. I am attaching a couple of pictures and a link to a video of the IPA boiling. As always, namaste kiddos.

Moxie and Missy guard the radio as Zarathustra watches our 6

Ptolomey, Missy, and Moxie at State Game Lands 169

Charade the flamingo enjoying his day out.

Funny, This Doesn’t Look Like Hawaii

May 20, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

It was a beautiful day today so SWMBO and I set out this morning to do an activation and checkout a cemetery. We decided to go to Gathland State Park US-1574 which is a 2-fer as the Appalachian Trail US-4556 runs right through it next to where we were parked. We were going to park in the lower parking lot, but another ham was there, and we didn’t want to crowd or bother him. We got set up and made 25 contacts within about 40 minutes which was pretty good as the bands were pretty bad. We had 3 park-to-parks and then set out for a nearby cemetery for some video and photography. You can find some interesting things in cemeteries such as the carvings on the older stones. The cemetery we went to was Union Cemetery in Burkittsville MD. I found an interesting carving which I will include below. From there we went to Gettysburg PA US-0027 for another activation and to get lunch. We had stopped at one of our favorite spots, Culp’s Hill and making contacts was like pulling teeth. It took almost an hour to make 22 contacts, 3 of which were park-to-parks. Of the 22 contacts, 19 were on 20M (not my favorite band) and the first ones were on 40M. As I had said, conditions were bad and sometimes things got a bit lost or garbled which is what happened to my park number. One of our contacts re-spotted me on the POTA app as US-0037 (Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park) instead of US-0027 (Gettysburg National Military Park) which caused a slight bit of confusion. I was wondering why people were thinking we were in HI and not PA as I kept identifying. I hope this didn’t screw up their logs or ruin their days. I didn’t find out about the spotting error until we were sitting in the Lincoln Diner in Gettysburg and I saw the mistake on my HAM Alert app. In any event, I chalk it up to mistakes happen. At least the log I uploaded to the app is correct. We did hear a lot of birds today both in MD and PA. The list is as follows: Red-Eyed Vireos, Yellow Throated Vireos, Wood Thrushes, Blue Jays, American Goldfinches, Mourning Doves, House Sparrows, Black and White Warblers, Eastern Wood Peewees, American Robins, Scarlet Tanagers, Cedar Waxwings, Chipping Sparrows, Jack Sparrows, European Starlings, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers and Great Crested Flycatchers. I would have to classify today as a success but I really will be thankful when the bands get better. I will be uploading a few new videos to my Youtube page soon. Until next time, namaste kids.

Usually the finger on tombstones points up. Makes you wonder…

A cool stump in Union Cemetery in Burkittsville MD

3 Great Days At The End Of March

March 30, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Well here we are, at the end of March. Spring has sprung and what a spring it has. The Daffodils are blooming across the road, both yellow and white. Friday the 28th was nice temperature-wise and we took a drive down to Boiling Springs, PA, where we used to live long ago. It is a nice quiet little town with a man-made lake in the middle of it. SWMBO wanted to try out her new camera and I took some pictures of the wildlife there along with a video I will link to at the end of this entry. The lake had lots of geese and was just stocked with trout as Saturday the 29th was the first day of trout season here in PA. One cool thing about this lake is that at the lower end where we were it is restricted to youth fishing only. This gives kids a chance to catch some and makes for some nice parent-child time. As we walked around the area I had my app open to hear the birds. We heard Northern Cardinals, American Goldfinches, Song Sparrows, Gloden Crowned Kinglets and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers. A rather nice assortment. We then trolloped home. Yesterday, March 29th, was a very nice day with temps up near 28C. It started clouding up in the afternoon but stayed warm. SWMBO wanted to check out this one cemetery and we went there. After we were done there we went to Mont Alto State Park US-1386. Conditions were a bit rough on the bands but we made 13 contacts with several being Park-to-Park contacts. We then had a nice lunch at Newville Diner and went home. Today has been cloudy but warm. Temperature os 20C and the sky is overcast. We went to another cemetery today after doing our grocery shopping. This cemetery is located in Middletown PA and buried there is Helen Twelvetrees, a famous actress from the early days of silent and talking films. While SWMBO did her filming, I walked around and checked out the gravestones. I also had my app open and heard American Crows, Northern Cardinals, American Robins, House Finches and European Starlings. Well that is how we spent the final weekend of March. Namaste for now, kidlets.

Moxie and Ptolomey at Mont Alto State Park

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.