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

Not Idle On The Ides

March 15, 2025 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Hi kidlets. Had a bit of a busy day. SWMBO wanted to do some videoing down in Gettysburg so we set out early to get there before too many people were moving around. Even in Winter and Spring, Gettysburg PA can get quite busy. The weather was dreary with mist and chilly temps so we didn’t take the radio with us. We drove down and drove around the battlefield, stopping now and then to do some videos. As SWMBO was doing her videos, I used my app to see what we could hear for birds. We heard: Northern Cardinals, American Robins, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Tufted Titmouses (titmice?), European Starlings, Song Sparrows, Common Grackles (as opposed to uncommon ones I guess), Cedar Waxwings and Brown-Headed Cowbirds. Quite an assortment. When we were finished, we trolloped back home. I fully intended to do some POTA hunting but then I looked at the forecast for tomorrow. The weather-guessers are calling for rain and winds. Well, we decided to do a quick activation today to get in the logs. It didn’t take us long to grab the gear and drive to Little Buffalo State Park US-1376. We started on 40M. It was a bit hard to find an empty frequency as the VA QSO Party is going on. I found an open spot and we worked 9 stations before we had to surrender the frequency to a rude individual who started calling CQ on top of me without even checking to see if the freq was clear. He wouldn’t leave even after being informed the freq was in use and had been for several minutes. Oh well, it takes all kinds. Rather than put up with this I changed bands to 17M, a WARC band where contesting isn’t allowed. As I was changing antennas, WA3ENQ, Rich, came by and we chatted for a minute. He was in the park de-watering his little doggie. Well I got back on the air and we made a bunch more contacts (17 to be exact) before we packed up and called it a day. At one point a Park Ranger did a slow drive-by but he didn’t stop. I think he was on a routine patrol of the park rather than checking out two weirdos in a car talking on a radio. Overall the day went well and now here I am, sipping coffee. I think I will sign off for today. Namaste kidlets.

Ptolomey, Moxie and the ranger driving past

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

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 Wandering Owl and Back On The Home Front

June 30, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

I have had a few days to reflect on our vacation and mourn its rapid demise. Thursday the 27th, we decided to active Franconia Notch State Park US-2653 which has only been activated 32 times. We found a good spot and quickly worked 13 contacts. My wyfe recorded red-eyed vireos, oven birds and black and white warblers. The most notable thing to happen was a pickup that had a horrible ignition noise pulled into the pull-off. Thankfully they left immediately. We then found our way into Bethlehem NH to Strawberry Hill State Forest US-4967 where we worked 11 contacts. Glory recorded red-eyed vireos and oven birds. The Forest is on the edge of town and has only been activated 5 times. It is quiet and very beautiful. This being our last day in NH, we wanted to do other things so we took off. We spent the rest of the time playing tourist and catching up on things which were on our list. Then we went back to our lodging and cleaned it up and got some sleep. At 23:45 we took off. There is no feeling like cruising down the interstates at legal speed (I had gotten pulled over earlier in the trip and was still paranoid about speeding so I kept the cruise control at 2 mph above the limit), strung out on a massive amount of caffeine flowing through my system (by 4 am I could see sound) and blasting Scandanavian Heavy Metal on the stereo. We made it home in 10.5 hours. It was nice to have a couple days to recover and let our cats re-acquaint themselves with us. Mayhem was very put out with us but finally let us back into her good graces. Marley and Kalamazoo and Foggy haven’t let me out of their sight and are competing for attention. Today, June the 30th, we went to breakfast at the Newville Diner and then went up to the 3 Square Hollow Vista in Tuscarora State Forest US-5479 where Glory recorded northern cardinals, indigo buntings, scarlet tanagers, red-eyed vireos and eastern towhees as I set up. We dived in and worked 34 contacts in an hour, watching fog move in and out of the area and squirrels playing. It finally got too hot and the humidity went over 8000% so we packed up and did some necessary shopping. When we got home we got rid of some trash and did some much needed exfoliating. Ok kidlets, ’nuff for now. Time to relax and enjoy the AC. TTFN and namaste y’all.

Ptolomey enjoying Franconia Notch State Park

Back in PA Tootsie at Tuscarora State Park

Portland Head Lighthouse Cape Elizabeth Maine

It May or May Not Be a Great Day!

May 21, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Yeah, more activations. Yesterday, Monday May 20th, we had to go to the store to get some cat treats so we grabbed the POTA gear and stopped off at Little Buffalo SP US-1376. While I was getting my antennae out, WA3ENQ, stopped by. He had been walking his dog and saw us pull in. We chatted for a few minutes and then he went off home. Not too much later he gave me a call and just happened by luck to be my 10th contact, making the activation bona fide! Rich is a fellow member of the Perry County Amateur Radio Club (https://perrycountyarc.org) and it was nice to see him and log him. We totaled 25 contacts in less than an hour on 40M and it was so busy I only took one picture! Today, Tuesday the 21st of May we set out early. We started out with breakfast (the most important meal of the day) at the Newville Diner in Newville PA. We then drove down into Maryland into the Catoctin Mountains. We were going to try Catoctin Mountain Park but the road to it was closed due to construction. We later found out there is an alternate route which we will try another time. We ended up at Cunningham Falls State Park US-1566. This was my first chance to use my Golden Age pass which lets us into the park free. We found a nice out of the way place to park and worked 12 contacts (6 park-to-park) on 40 Meters and 1 on 17 Meters before deciding to trollop up to Gettysburg PA US-0027. Now the battlefield in Gettysburg is big … very big and there are lots of places to work from but I chose Culp’s Hill as being a shaded and less travelled hilltop. Yes it does have a tower and is a destination for bus and car tours but is less of a draw than places like the “high-water mark” or Little Roundtop (which is currently closed for cleaning). It being mid-day I started out on 17 Meters and worked 6 stations. I then changed to 40 M and worked 3 more before swapping to 20 Meters. We worked 18 overall there including 2 park-to-parks. Now when I use “we” in my blog I am actually using the first person plural, not the “royal we”. Without the help of my wonderful and long suffering wyfe, these activations would not go so smoothly and also most of the good ideas are hers. Ok, kidlets, cheers for now. Namaste.

Zarathustra on Culps Hill

Overlooking the Susquehanna

February 4, 2024 / KB3CVO / Leave a comment

Activated a new (to me) park today: K-1421 Shikellamy State Park. The name is almost pronounced like “she’ll kill me”. lol There are 2 parts to the park. One part is down at a boat launch on the river. The one we went to is located on top of a 120 meter high cliff overlooking the Susquehanna River. The view is remarkable. Since it was such a nice day, there was a lot of activity in the park, people walking and playing and enjoying an unusual February day. The lot where we were parked was pretty much deserted, which suited us. I placed my antenna on a slight rise towards a pavillion and started out working 20 meters. Between 20 and 40 meters I was able to make 37 contacts including 6 park to park. I will have to try this place again. When the weather is like this during the winter you really have to take advantage of it. Someone posed the question online why do people do POTA? I have to stick with the fact that it is a great way for chubby older hams to get outside and be active. I have always enjoyed the outdoors and though I am not in the shape I used to be in, I still like to get out and about. POTA gives me a reason. It also gives my long-suffering wyfe some togetherness time with me as she logs for me. It is a win-win situation. We plan on making more and more forays further from home as the weather improves and the days get longer. We would both like to go back up to Elk County and I might try a park or 2 up there. Who knows what time will bring. We are also looking forward to our yearly vacation and see these activations as practice runs for activations up in New England.

Well enough for now. Time to drink some coffee. Namaste, kidlets

Nature, Radio, and Me

A POTA Explorer's Diary

#photography