Author: n4mqu

K-8010 #26

Amateur Radio, K-8010, Portable, POTA

 


My original thought was to use my 17 meter MFJ Short HF Mobile Ham-tenna I received for a birthday gift.  I tried answering a couple of CQs and called on SSB but no joy today. I then used my MFJ-1984MP ENDFED 1/2 Wave 40-10M modified it was tough putting that up I guess I was affected by the heat. I was able to make 2 CW and 14 SSB contacts.  I read something about activators activating a park every day. I applaud all that do. I try to do something in POTA every day but I may miss that. Thanks for the hunters and p2p. And I had to buy a newspaper for the article about working the 4 h campers from K-6947 Wednesday.

K-6947 #23

Amateur Radio, K-6947, Portable, POTA

K-6947 NC Sandhills State Game Land #23

* MFJ-1984HP, ENDFED 1/2 Wave 40-10M
* IC-706MKG HF/VHF/UHF All Mode Transceiver
* MFJ Model MFJ-969 Deluxe Versa Tuner II antenna tuner
* Bioenno Power 12V 20Ah 240 Watt-hours Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery
* Bioenno Power 28 Watt Foldable Solar Panel
* Bioenno Power 12V/24V 30A Solar Charge Control
Operators N4MQU and KE8WDY 37 contacts

It was a good day yesterday but hot. It was OJ’s second activation. My 23rd for the park. OJ made the hot sun more comfortable by bringing her canopy. We really enjoyed the contact with 6 youths from the 4H camp in Pennsylvania from K3PMC and KC3EVL. I noticed some youth are shy about getting on but others are a little more engaged. Thanks for the hunters and p2p.

K-3891 #1

Amateur Radio, K-3891, Portable, POTA, SC

K-3891 SC Campbells Crossroads and Angelus Tracts Wildlife Management Area

As I know my shortcomings it is easy for me to get instructions wrong and get lost. This was no exception but I did find the park. The instructions say Turn left onto SC109 and proceed 0.4 miles but it left you with choices left or right without signs I chose left but I turned around checked google earth and found the facility and a church I could use as a land mark. I made 36 contacts using the MFJ Short HF Mobile Ham-tenna. I do not want to get in the habit of using just this set up but with the grey clouds and rain in the forecast I chose this today. I know I get better signals with the Endfed. Thanks for all the contacts and p2p.

Activating 3 Parks K-4987, K-3975, K-0717

Amateur Radio, Portable, POTA, Virginia POTA

I picked out five new parks to activate while I was staying at my friends house in Virginia

Yesterday I did accomplish activating 3 of them.

K-4987 Lake Curtis State Fishing Lake 36 contacts

K-3975 C.F. Phelps Wildlife Management Area 10 contacts

K-0717 Fredericksburg and Spotslvania National Military Park 12 contacts

I used   MFJ Short HF Mobile Ham-tenna mounted on the car. It was challenge for me since I was totally unfamiliar with the area but technology was helpful but the third park the name on the sign was different from the POTA name but I was able to verify the correct park by a sign at the park. I failed to take a photo of the sign displayed at the parking area. The cool temperatures made working from the car more tolerable.

I was trying for 5 but finding K-4983 Lake Orange  got to be a challenge  and decided to head home after not finding the park.

I appreciate all the hunters and p2p and the multiple park and band  hunters. W4JE, N4AWP, and N4UHH. I hope I didn’t leave anyone out

The following parks will have to wait.

K-4983 Lake Orange Fishing Lake

K-7640 Oakley Forest Wildlife Management Area

K-9224 #3

Amateur Radio, Portable, POTA

SC K-9224 Lake #3. Wallace Wildlife Management Area.

Nice day for an activation but I had to operate from the car. Since there are no tall trees to use I chose MFJ Short HF Mobile Ham-tenna mounted on the car my friend retired engineer n4awp came up with this mount to use with the ham-tenna.

Contacts for today

40 m 3 CW

15 3 phone

20 43 phone

5 P2P

Thanks to all the hunters and p2p

NC K-3871 #1 White Pines State Nature Preserve

Amateur Radio, K-3871, Portable, POTA

NC K-3871 White Pines State Nature Preserve

Another fun and productive activation. This was a new park for me. I had to run up north and decided to activate a park outside my home area.

20m 13 4 p2pgy

40m 31 phone 1 cw 2 p2p on cw and phone N4NTO 1 DX Canada VE3TH

15 2 phone 2 DX Poland SO5CAL

No solar power today I was in the shade of the woods.

  • MFJ-1984HP, ENDFED 1/2 Wave 40-10M
  • IC-706MKG HF/VHF/UHF All Mode Transceiver
  • MFJ Model MFJ-969 Deluxe Versa Tuner II antenna tuner
  • Bioenno Power 12V 20Ah 240 Watt-hours Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery
  • CW Morse Blue Micro Morse Code Key W/ Aluminum Base

K-6934 #4

Amateur Radio, Portable, POTA

Activating NC K-6934 #4

Another nice day for activating. Today I chose to activate the park that stretches from my home county over to the next county but I chose to activate from the Anson County side. I was able to get the antenna up in 3 throws.
* MFJ-1984HP, ENDFED 1/2 Wave 40-10M
* IC-706MKG HF/VHF/UHF All Mode Transceiver
* MFJ Model MFJ-969 Deluxe Versa Tuner II antenna tuner
* Bioenno Power 12V 20Ah 240 Watt-hours Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery
* Bioenno Power 28 Watt Foldable Solar Panel
* Bioenno Power 12V/24V 30A Solar Charge Control
* CW Morse Blue Micro Morse Code Key W/ Aluminum Base

Here are the numbers

20m 31
40m SSB 10 CW 5
15m SSB 4
17m SSB 1

51 contacts total.
Two operators worked me Two bands 20 and 15 VE2YYC and KI4YZN thanks to all the hunters and p2p

And on the way home I was lucky not to have hit a turtle crossing the street. I turned around and stopped and put it on the grass to the area he was headed but I noticed it had turned back around and was headed to cross the street,

K-6947 #20 Air Plaque Event

Portable, POTA

What a weekend!

Thanks for the new Air Plaque Event. On Saturday I helped KE8WDY Olivia get started activating her first park NC  K-8010 and learn how to set up the antenna and upload all the logs.  We had a two operators until we got the park activated then I turned it over to her and she made 25 more contacts. She did a great job. We decided to call it a day.

On Sunday I got to NC K 6947  park about 3:00 and hung the MFJ-1984HP, ENDFED 1/2 Wave 40-10M. I kind of rushed out with the battery not fully charged.  About 730 I answered a CQ from PA I heard him call a couple of times  and decided to answer him I told him I was portable and he looked me up on QRZ and he found out about another interest  I have in astronomy and scouting turns out studies radio probation during the eclipse and participated in Jamboree on the air as a scout. Interesting QSO.  After that I decided to finish up with CW contacts and called cq and the battery died. That was ok because I was ready and I need to remember not to rush things. 138 QSO’s prior record was 120 under the tutoring of  NC4XL.  Thanks to all the hunters and p2p. And thanks to  N4CMD  an eyeball visit. I don’t know how he found me in the 65000 acres. De n4mqu