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Old February 20th 17, 06:47 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.moderated,rec.radio.amateur.dx,rec.radio.amateur.equipment
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Default [W2LJ] Warm!


W2LJ QRP .... Do More With Less

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Warm!

Posted: 19 Feb 2017 07:11 PM PST
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February 19th and it was warm! It felt more like a Spring day than the
middle of Winter; as it reached a high of 68F (20C).So what does a
relatively young man's fancy turn to when it warms up like this? Why,
Amateur Radio of course! In particular, portable QRP operating. Too nice
to stay cooped up inside, right?

I decided on a very impromptu activation of Washington Rock State Park,
which is designated as KFF-1635 in WWFF (World Wide Flora and Fauna
nomenclature). Probably not my brightest idea as it's the ARRL DX Contest
weekend; but I decided to head out, anyway. Before heading to the park, I
had to stop by Dick's Sporting Goods to pick up some fishing swivels (with
clasps).


I use these to attach the "bullet" of my Joplin ARC Antenna Launcher to the
fishing line. This allows me to quickly detach the projectile and attach in
it's place the Mason's twine that I use as support rope during these
activations. A package of a hundred (a lifetime supply) cost all of about
$5.

I got to the park and it appeared that everyone else from Central NJ had
the same idea that I did! There was a small crowd at the park. It's very
popular, because as I've mentioned before, Washington Rock is located on
the first ridge of the Watchung Mountains and provides an unobstructed view
of the NJ Shore and the Piedmont. On a clear day, like today, it is even
possible to see Manhattan and Staten Island with the help of binoculars or
a telescope. This is why General Washington used this spot during the
Revolution. By going up there at night, he was able to clearly see the
campfires of all the British troop encampments.

But I digress.I found the last empty picnic table and claimed it by placing
my equipment on top. Then I got to the business of hoisting the antenna.
Again, the Joplin ARC Launcher made this an easy task. I become a better
shot each time out and once again, the "bullet" cleared the tree and went
exactly where I wanted it to go. The PAR END FEDZ 40/20/10 went up easily
and within minutes, I was on the air. Actually, I arrived at the park at
about 1850 UTC and was calling CQ by 1900 UTC,

I really like the PAR END FEDZ 40/20/10, as it deploys easily and with the
KX3's autotuner, it also loads up and seems to get out really well on 30
Meters and 17 Meters in addition to the three bands it was designed to
operate on.

I started out on 40 Meters with no takers, despite spotting myself on DX
Summit as well as the WWFF/POTA Facebook page. That was a disappointment,
as I was hoping for a decent amount of local activity. At that time of the
day, DX from Europe (and thus any contest QRM) is minimal, so I was hoping
to work folks along the East coast and up into Canada. After about 20
minutes or so of no answers, I went up to 20 Meters.

Calling CQ POTA in the midst of the ARRL DX Contest was probably pure
folly, but I did get answers. I worked S52A, EA8KW, S50Q, C6ARU, FY5KE and
CO2JD at various points. They were probably wondering what the
heck "KFF1635" was. I think they probably just wanted the "599 NJ", but
that's neither here or there. They were QSOs made from the park; and they
count whether they were looking specifically for me or not.

17 Meters yielded contacts with KG5CIK, WR2E and WB2MKX, both of whom were
in New Jersey.

30 Meters was good for two contacts. One was with KA9CFD and the other was
a half hour or so rag chew with N1KW, Bob in IL. Bob was also enjoying the
warm weather in Illinois and was in his back yard, using his K2 at 10 Watts
straight off a solar panel - no battery. I really enjoyed the QSO with Bob
and it's made me anxious to try out the solar panel that I bought from
Harbor Freight last October. I purchased a voltage controller from
Bangood, and once I wire it up, I should be able to get a good and steady
12 Volts on a decently bright day - more than enough to power the KX3.

After the rag chew with Bob, I realized I had been at the park for close to
two hours, so I decided to pack up and head home while there was still
plenty of light. I did have a few people come up to me, asking me what I
was doing. I was able to give Amateur Radio, QRP and portable operating a
couple of good plugs.

With that, I'll close this post with a very short and hastily made video
that I took just prior to tear down. I apologize for the quality - Steve
WG0AT has nothing to worry from me as far as video expertise goes. But
maybe, just maybe, if I keep this up, I can get better at that, too. Lord
knows, I've come a long way from my first attempt at portable QRP ops!


72 de Larry W2LJQRP - When you care to send the very least!

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