#Radio

A Warm October Day And Some 10M DX

/ KB3CVO / Leave a comment

SWMBO and I were at breakfast this morning at the Blain Hotel. We were discussing how we were going to spend the day and she suggested that we do an activation at the ATV lot in Michaux State Forest US-5471. I asked her to twist my arm harder. We ran an errand for my MIL and then we loaded up and set out for the ATV lot.

We arrived at the lot and got set up and on the air by 1530 UTC. As usual I was using ham-sticks on a mag-mount on the roof of my car. We started out on 40M after consulting the net directory to make sure we were not near any nets. As usual, I transmitted my call and a request if the freq was in use several times. Hearing none I posted my freq on the POTA.APP page. I started getting immediate responses to my calls. SWMBO had a bit of fun logging. It only took us 9 minutes to get 10 in the log. After 18 contacts I decided to change bands.

After checking the spots I found 10M to be open. It takes me only a few minutes to change bands. I get the ham-stick for the band I want to work out of the PVC case I keep my antennas in. I then unscrew the antenna I wanted to swap out from the mag-mount and screw in the new antenna. I place the mount back on the roof of the car and swap bands on the radio. I hunt for an empty freq and ask if it is in use. There were a lot of transmissions on 10M which was a bit surprising for a weekday but I was happy. Once I chose a freq I posted it on the POTA.APP page and then I self-spotted on DXSUMMIT.FI as this is a spotting group that is seen and used around the US and Europe.

I started working stations from the US such as Texas, California and Florida … and then the DX started coming in. For those not familiar, DX is ham-speak for distant stations (usually out of the country). Mixed in with stations from California, Louisiana, and Kansas, I was getting calls from Germany, Spain, France and the Netherlands. The reports were good, mostly 55 or better. I was truly amazed at how well 10M was running.

Alas, all good things must eventually end and this includes activations. I posted a last call and after a few minutes vacated the frequency, giving others the opportunity to work 10M. It doesn’t take us long to tear down. SWMBO coils up the power cord from the radio as I am putting away the antennas. Then we pack the radio into its backpack and box and put the battery back into the bag I carry it in. We put the gnomes away and put the owl in the back seat. Today, we walked around the lot for a few minutes taking pictures of nicely colored trees.

Well, kidlets, that is it for this episode. You all have a very enjoyable day and, as always, namaste!

Missie, Moxie and Ollie watching my 6 as I play radio
Some cool leaves. This is on an Amur Honeysuckle.
Nice!
more foliage
A cool little maple

Too Windy For Owls And Some Ruminations On Being A Ham

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It is March already and it’s living up to its reputation for being windy. Yesterday it was nice temperature wise but it was windy. We activated the ATV Lot in Michaux State Forest US-5471 and made 36 contacts in spite of the doom and gloomers warning of poor activity on a contest weekend. More on that later. There were a few trucks at the lot, ATVers out for rides, mostly. There was one guy who brought his dogs up for a frolic. They were cute little long haired dachshunds. Some riders came off the trails and loaded up to leave. We got some curious looks but no interaction. We were unable to hear any birds due to the wind. Neither yesterday nor today did we plan ahead, we just did it. Today we ventured to Caledonia State Park US-1337. We parked in one of the parking lots and got set up quickly. There were a few people enjoying the park and walking some of the trails. Again, we got some curious looks but the only person who said anything thought we were fishing when he saw me putting away my 40M hamstick. We made 37 contacts with one from England. All in all a good time in spite of the wind. The guy who asked about the fishing, when I told him it was ham radio, remarked that he has always wanted to be a ham. Then he walked away. I know how that goes. I always wanted my license but things like life and irresponsibility got in the way of my aspirations. Finally in July 1998 I got my license. I started out as a tech and then got tech plus then general and advanced and then I passed the Extra license 1 week before the FCC dropped the Morse Code requirement from 20 WPM to 5 WPM. I still use CW from home and enjoy the rhythm of it. As for contesting, I am not much of a contester. I don’t have the attention span to devote a whole weekend to radio. I try to keep things balanced and do my best to keep SWMBO happy. I like to think of myself as an all-around ham. I participate in the local ARES group and am ready and willing to help out in an emergency. Mostly I just enjoy talking on the radio and getting out into nature. SWMBO enjoys helping me by logging and she also likes to do day trips to get out of the house. As for working POTA on a contest weekend, it is easy. I start out on 40M as it doesn’t really go long during daylight hours. Usually, I can get enough contacts to be legitimate before I move to another band. During contests I like getting on the WARC bands where contesting isn’t allowed. I can always find people on 12 or 17M. Well I guess I am finished for today. Keep smiling, keep on hamming and POTA on! Namaste y’all.

A view looking down the ATV lot in Michaux SF
Moxie at the ATV lot guarding the radio.
Moxie at Caledonia SP
Calling CQ at Caledonia SP

I Got Some ‘Splainin To Do

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Ok, I guess my posts have been somewhat obfuscating and confusing to folks who are not familiar with ham radio and/or with my sense of humor, so I am going to strive to clarify a few things. 

First off, the owls. No owls have been harmed in the writing of this blog.  I like to take one of my owl decoys along with me when I am doing an activation as a sort of mascot/decoration. I have 3 owl decoys: Zarathustra, Tootsie and Ptolomey. I also have a plastic flamingo named Charade. Yes, I am a big kid and like to have toys. 

Next I should explain the whole POTA thing. Back in 2010, some hams got together and put together a program to get hams more physically active. There is a SOTA program (Summits On The AIr where folks can climb to a mountain top and operate from the top) but not everybody is cut out for that. Some hams are older or not physically able to climb mountains so HAMPARKS.ORG came into existence in September of 2010. The idea was to encourage hams to get outdoors to State and National parks and operate portable stations. It caught on and became very popular … so popular that in 2016 the ARRL (American Radio Relay League, a national organization for ham radio operators) ran a year-long event called National Parks On The Air. This sort of melded into the POTA program and it has evolved into what it is today. There are hams who go into the parks and operate (activate) and there are hams who contact these hams from home (hunt) and there are hams who do both. There are various awards and certificates for levels of achievement and thresholds crossed. The program is run by dedicated volunteers. It is also a way for hams to practice setting up in off-the-grid situations and to practice operating in less than optimum conditions. Myself, I use it as a way to keep active and maintain mental acuity and to have fun. It gets me out into the woods. 🙂

Well that is all for now. My fingers are all finged out from the typing. Namaste, kidlets until next time!