Yet another good time at an NPOTA affiliate today.
Set up at the historic Batsto Village in NJ - home of, among other things
bog iron cannonball source for the Revolution. It is part of the Pinelands
National Reserve, AA19.
Neat place in the pine woods which I first "discovered" on a grade school
trip many years ago. Home of a guy name Wharton - ever hear of the
Univ of Penn Wharton School of Business? Also hiked on the Batona Trail as a
Boy Scout 'way back when. Though I've not taken advantage,
many enjoy canoeing on the Mullica River.
Set up on 20 CW with a quarter wave telescoping whip on my vehicle so as to
give far out stations the benefit of a location they may not ordinarily
work. Kinda crummy condx but did work several on the Gulf and West coasts as
well as a good cross-section all over the country. Glad to work a
couple of folks known in the QRP community including Paul WA9PWP out in WI
and John K4ARQ down in FL. No NJ stations since 20 meters
skips over them.
Luck was usual for most of my activations - did I mention the wind and rain?
Stay tuned for a multi-day blitz of NPOTA activations next weekend in the
MD, DC, VA area. Gotta jack up the number of activations on the
Leader Board.
It was a good activation!
Spent the morning at the NJ History Fair in Monmouth
Battlefield in NJ where I chatted with some National Parks folks pitching
other parks about
the NPOTA operations. They were familiar with the program and quite
enthusiastic about it.
In the afternoon I went up to Morristown NHP (HP28) farther north in the
state. Its a Two-fer with the Washington-Rochambeau RT TR23
After scouting Jockey Hollow and finding it OK, I went up to Ft. Nonsense,
another depart of the park. It sits on a high hill overlooking Morristown
and was fairly empty so good for an NPOTA setup. Tried out a 16 foot Bass
Proshops telescoping pole attached to a mobile mount and a 16 foot
wire. Resonant on the high end of 20 meters, it works well on 40 with some
Miniductor as a loading coil. It is a backup antenna for my 33 foot pole
when the latter is impractical.
Worked fairly well with 29 Q's on 40 cw before the rain forced shutdown.
Alas, only one "local" W2AAB, but lots of OH, MI, NC and KY. I think
Fred may have "spotted" me on one of the cluster sites since things picked
up after working him. 40 is not good these days for close-in work with a
vertical antenna, a sloping wire on the 33 foot pole might have been better
for that.
Thanks to those who listened but could not connect.
Only two more NP sites left in NJ for N2CX, Gateway NP at Sandy Hook and the
Appalachian Trail; however the year is yet young. Will probably
be out of state next weekend.
As the
saying goes "well that was interesting!"
Set up along the Maurice River in Commercial Twp for a two-fer with WR24 and
AA17. 30 meter operation had been chosen to avoid
contention with QSO
Party activity on 40 or 20 meters. A prime goal was to break in use of a small
laptop for logging.
The favored spot was a boat launching area along the river near a handy bridge.
Noticed large puddles in the area and then checked the
river level - it was only
about 2 feet below the parking area. Guess the puddles had been made at high
tide. Fortunately the tide was on the
wane. NPOTA rules say that on Scenic
Rivers you have to operate within 100 feet of the river. Does that include tidal
puddles?
My intention was to use my 33 foot mast and drive-over mount with a sloping 23
foot wire as the antenna. Weather forecast indicated
10-15 mph winds at home in Brooklawn, but near the Delaware Bay, it was more like 30-35 mph. Got the pole
up, but the wind bent it over
so far that the antenna wire kept slipping off!
Time for plan B, a common Hamstick on the car. Less efficient, but probably good
enough for
the task. Did I mention the wind?
As it turned out, it was entirely adequate. Managed just under 20 contacts
before things petered out in spite of poor propagation predictions.
Even managed
to snag some of my NJ buddies though my signal was quite weak.
Oh yeah, and the computer logging worked out as well except for me hosing up the
location in my upload to LOTW. Should have entered
WR24 and AA17, but only did
the former. Now to figure out how to resubmit with correct Two-fer info.
Thanks to all who showed up to prove that 30 meters is a viable option.
[I can't find your recap for this one Joe.]
Yet another good activation! Set up in the Steamtown parking lot with my
33 foot pole and drive-on mount.
The hope was that the proximity to the Phila/NJ area would net a bunch of local
contacts on 40 CW. The ionosphere did not cooperate as has
been the case lately. Several "2" and "3" calls were worked but they were all
expats. In fact several contacts were from west of the Mississippi.
Apologies to my close-in buddies.
As has been the case when I activate lately it was a dreary, rainy day.
Operating from one's car is a definite advantage in those conditions. All
told there were 30+ contacts in just under an hour, so it was successful.
The "aftershow" was exploring the Train Musem exhibits afterward. Then the icing
on the cake was an hour long steam train ride, the Nay Aug
Gorge Limited which runs on Sundays.
Have I mentioned that I love this park stuff?
My paper logging was sloppy as noticed when transferring data to LOTW. So if you
worked me and don't show up on LOTW, or if there are
other errors in the info please let me know so that I can correct it.
See you next weekend from yet another National Park location.
Interesting time today.
Location was Ft Mott in Pennsville, NJ on the NJ Coastal Heritage Trail Route.
While my previous activations have been from my car, I wanted to see what could
be done with a self-contained fully portable setup. This will
be needed to activate things like the Appalachian Trail.
Set up with my Alex Walkham Loop and KX3. Ran 10W vs "true" QRP since the loop
is less efficient than my normal setup. 20 meter CW
was chosen since the loop is almost a dummy load on 40.
Results were not bad. 20+ Q's were made from ME to FL going north and south and
out to CA, OR and BC on the west coast. Now some
of those guys doubtless had great antennas, but I even so my peanut whistle got
thru. Obviously no NVIS on 20 meters but did manage to
snag N2APB in MD.
One of the bigger surprises was working NF0R who often uses a loop himself.
This stuff gets more addictive all the time!
Yet another enjoyable time out in the parks. Weather was great and was able to
use my 33 foot pole and sloping wire at Washington Crossing
on the PA side.
After the usual slow start, someone spotted me and it was off to the races.
Managed to log 60+ Q's before things petered out. As has happened
recently nearby stations suffered. However K2SQS, W2LJ, W2AAB and W2BVH in NJ
did make it as well as K0BAK (look up his last name!)
from PA did make it. For the most part most other contacts were beyond 150 miles
or so.
Enjoyed walking around the Park after the operating was through, noting all that
has changed since elementary school bus trips back loooong ago
deep in the last century.
Thanks again to all who tried and especially those who spotted me.
This makes a total of 20 Activations out of my goal for the year of 50. Guess
who is at the top of the Leader Board for NJ...
Look for yet another location next weekend.
Activated three-fer WR04, AA17 and AA19 today at the Weymouth Furnace Park.
20+ Q's total, not as good as hoped, all on 40 CW. Tried 30 and 20, but even the
RBN stations could not hear me on those bands!
The ionosphere seems to be very fickle.
As a trial I set up my 33 foot telescoping pole lashed to a picnic table, using
the table as my ground system. Tuned up fine and worked
many states, all over 150 to 200 miles away, in fact the first contact was in
IA! Vertical wire gave no NVIS. Confirms my suspicion that
I need the sloping wire on the car to work close-in stations.
Good time, however and I enjoyed some leisure time in the park when done
operating.
Thanks to those who managed to get thru and to all who tried.
Gonna do another nearby activation on Sunday, this time with some NVIS coverage.
Wow, what a difference from last weekend!
The sun was shining, the temp was comfortable and there was only a light wind at
Gettysburg Military Park on April 16. Propagation was so-so,
but not terrible.
Thanks to a tip from the ARRL NPOTA Facebook page I set up at Benner's Hill.
It's an out-of the way location with very little traffic - a good
place to set up a 33 foot pole. There was even a serenade of cannon and rifle
fire from a nearby Boy Scout encampment.
Arrived later than expected, but once on the air, contacts came at a steady rate
on 40 CW. When the sending wrist decided that enough was
enough after an hour of paddling, 30+ contacts were in the log. It was a
pleasure to work some regulars, N2CQ, W2BVH, W2AAB, K2SQS,
WD8RIF and a local NJQRP attendee AA2YO.
Another hour or two was spent getting reacquainted with the Roundtops, Devil's
Den and other familiar spots. A stop at the Visitor's Center even
netted a seat next to a statue of Abe Lincoln. This National Park stuff is
really addictive.
Thanks to all who worked me or at least tried and once again a special thank you
to spotters.
See you next weekend from another location yet to be determined.
It was a dark and stormy day...
Ah, the perfect end to an three-day NPOTA effort.
Approaching the Hampton National Historic Site in Timonium MD the wind picked up
and intermittent rain became a wintry mix of sleet, freezing
rain, snow and hail. Definitely not the best weather for putting up a 33 foot
antenna pole. So plan B went into effect. I had a 20 ft Black Widow
pole and 16 ft end-loaded wire used the week before at the Delaware Water Gap
outing - did I mention the wind? Fortunately this went up ok
and surprisingly loaded up quite well. Frequency was 7034 kHz
and mode was CW at a mighty 5W.
Once again after briefly topping off the ATU, WD8RIF sat there lying in wait.
After a couple of minutes things really started hopping once I got
"spotted" on one or more spotting sites. Conditions weren't great, but in 45
minutes or so 20+ Q's were in the log, thanks to some folks with really
good ears and well-performing antennas. Sorry that my antenna was not the best
for NVIS. As at the Water Gap the closest contact was over 100
miles away.
Oh yeah, the Hampton site is kinda interesting, in an Antebellum sort of way.
This National Park thing is really a blast!
Today,
Friday I ventured down to Shenandoah, VA on the Skyline Drive. Band conditions
were not as good so only a measly 12 contacts were
made in an hour of operation. I then tried 20 meters with a mobile whip with no
joy. Someone else had commandeered my favorite spot 14.061
so I went up to about 14.0615. Nil, not even a hit on the Reverse Beacon
Network. Even so the 12 Q's on 40 satisfied the minimum of 10
needed for a valid activation.
Thanks to all of those who waded into the waters and made these operations a
success, and a big thanks to the "spotters" who brought in the
non-qrp crowd to make things interesting.
So far this week now, I have 5 activations and over 90 contacts. There's more to
come though. My next post will lay out another planned activation
for Saturday, April 9.
Whew, quite a week so far.
On Thursday N2CX set up at Ft McHenry in Baltimore in a special place set aside
by the NPS for NPOTA operations. I recommend for those
who want to operate there to contact them two weeks in advance to get
permission. The site is well worth it and the folks are most gracious in
allowing hams to use it.
BTW, it is a 3-fer site covering Ft McHenry MN31 as well as The Washington
Rochambeau Route TR23 and the Star Spangled Banner Trail
TR22. So that's a total of 3 activations at one swell foop!
Using my new favorite antenna, a 40 meter 1/4 wave wire strung to a 33 foot
pole, I found good success on 40 meter CW. After a slow start,
things picked up and over 40 Q's were logged all over the East Coast and as far
west as MO. At times it was like a DX pileup - what a rush!
That evening I went down to Wolf Trap DZ11 in Va and set up at 5 pm. Once again
things went fast and furious on 40 m for about an hour resulting
in another 40 Q's from CT to FL and AL and as far west as MO and MN. A total of
40 contacts were logged. At that point my wrist was limp and
my "fist" was atrocious...
40 meters was superb on Thursday even with a measly little 5 watts.
Back to Top
[I need this
recap Joe]
Wow, another "interesting"
activation. First thing was the weather, temps in the 30's and steady winds in
the 30's with much higher gusts.
Best location found was close to the Delaware River on the NJ side with high
mountain walls blocking most directions.
Attempt to set up previous "killer"
antenna was unsuccessful due to high winds. This meant that the backup antenna,
a 20 ft pole with a
loaded 16 ft wire was used. Unlike the "killer" this was lower efficiency with
a mostly vertical orientation, thus minimizing NVIS for
close-in contacts. Not good for 40 meter operation.
First contact was immediate with
WD8RIF; Bill must have been lying in wait! Thanks!
With the signal blocked, a total of
only 10 contacts were made in spite of reasonably good SNR on the Reverse Beacon
Network, at
least from far out stations. Quick sojourn to 20 meters netted no contacts
with only one 4 dB hit on RBN and that was from Utah.
Going back to 40 netted one more QSO.
At least it was a success with more
than the minimum 10 contacts made. Sorry for the locals who couldn't get thru.
If I ever go back to the Gap it will
be under more benign conditions - did I mention the wind? Plus a site with
improved view of the
horizon will be imperative.
Wow, what a blast today! Thought that pickin's might be slim today what with it
being Easter and alll - not so. Managed an hour of
operation with 31 good contacts all over the place.
New antenna - a 33 ft sloping wire was much more effective than previous
Hamstick. Will use the wire when practical for future
operations. Managed contacts out as far as Nebraska and that was on 40 meters
during daylight!
Super "happening" was when WD8RIF called from TR04 in Ohio. It was my first
NPOTA to NPOTA contact.
Thanks to all who took time out from their Easter festivities to, as my son
calls it, "play beep-beep."
And a special thanks to those who "spotted" me causing some mini-pileups
[Need recap
for this one Joe]
Another successful NPOTA activation, this time on the Star Spangled Historic
Trail at North Point Park in Edgemere, MD. This makes
a total of 6. Log submitted to and accepted by LoTW.
Arrived a tad later than expected due to traffic but there were several folks
waiting. I had intended to use a more efficient 40 meter antenna
than the usual Hamstick type, but rain prevented setting it up - maybe next
time.
Even so, 20 CW QSOs were logged From ME to AL and out as far as IN. 40 petered
out after an hour or so and 20 was attempted but
competition with a European DX contest made the effort worthless.
All in all it was a good day and a nice park to further investigate during nicer
weather.
Thanks to all who took time out to contact me and spot me on qrpspots and
dxsummit. Spots truly work out well.
Look for the next activation from a location in NJ on Good Friday presumably
with a more efficient skywire. Details to follow later in the week.
Wow, yet
another fun activation. This time it was at Battery Kemble Park in DC:
<http://www.nps.gov/cwdw/learn/historyculture/battery-kemble.htm>.
Kinda coincidentally, this is a park that was a popular sledding spot when my
son attended nearby American University some years back. Just picture a
bunch of Poly Sci students sliding down the hills on cafeteria trays, flattened
cardboard boxes and plastic wading pools "liberated" from a nearby daycare
center...
I finally manged to get set up about a half hour after the announced time.
Firing up on 7.034 kHz there were no takers for the first 10 minutes or so.
Finally I self-spotted on qrpspots and things got going. 36 good
contacts were amassed during the next hour, all over the East Coast and out as
far
as Iowa. Not too shabby for a KX3 at 5 watts and a Hamstick (TM) on my car.
Oh, and the park is a neat place to stroll around and enjoy our recent warm
March weather. Lots of folks there used the opportunity to picnic and frolic
with their four-legged friends.
Thanks to all who took the time to work me and to post further on-line spots.
The latter makes quite a difference!
I'll to upload the log to Lotw later today.
Look for me next week from yet another location.
[Need recap
for this one Joe.]
All went well at WR39 with over 20 contacts on 40 meter CW, thus meeting the 10
Q NPOTA criterion. Once again, things picked up
after some kind soul "spotted" the operation on dxsummits.
Perhaps the best lesson learned was that early (1 PM) is better than late (3
PM).
Some very good news is that I've finally mastered LOTW, so the contacts "count"
now.
Look for me on Saturday the 6th at yet another location in the mid-Atlantic
region, details to come in a post on Friday.
Thanks to all who took the time to hook up. That, and enjoying yet more
historical locations, make it all worthwhile!
Wow, what a blast today! Thought that pickin's might be slim today what with it
being Easter and alll - not so. Managed an hour of
operation with 31 good contacts all over the place.
New antenna - a 33 ft sloping wire was much more effective than previous
Hamstick. Will use the wire when practical for future
operations. Managed contacts out as far as Nebraska and that was on 40 meters
during daylight!
Super "happening" was when WD8RIF called from TR04 in Ohio. It was my first
NPOTA to NPOTA contact.
Thanks to all who took time out from their Easter festivities to, as my son
calls it, "play beep-beep."
And a special thanks to those who "spotted" me causing some mini-pileups
Yesterday's operation from Bivalve (not Shellpile) NJ was pretty good.
Started of on 30 meters but was disappointed to only make 3 contacts. I thought
that perhaps I'd encounter more refugees from the
DX contest scent than that.
40 meters, though was different. My first Q there was from Fred W2AAB who
then spotted me on DXsummit! That started a mini-
pileup resulting in 16 more contacts. Thanks, Fred!
Guess the next activation will concentrate more on 40 and 20 where there
activity is greatest.
However I will stray over to 30 and, possibly, other WARC bands to stir up more
action on them.
Thanks to all who made it a worthwhile activity.
Logs will be on LOTW once I manage to jump thru all of the ARRL hoops.
[Place
commentary here.]
A Presentation
... (click image below to view)
[Right-click
to download PDF to your computer.]
Copyright © 2016-2018 Joseph Everhart. All rights reserved.
Last Update:
6/4/2018
