The weekend

Saturday was a normal, busy Saturday and it was cool with on and off rain. As such, that forced me to operate indoors for QRPTTF - and in a way that was a blessing. As it turned out, the bands were so dismal, that had I went out and traveled to a river and gone through the whole outdoor setup procedure, I would have been bitterly disappointed.  Somehow, making only four contacts isn't as disappointing when you don't have to brave the elements and the added work of setting up a portable station in the rain.

I could not believe the conditions on 20 Meters!  I heard stations, but only to the degree that I knew they that someone was there. Signals were so weak and into the ESP realm, that I was not able to copy any call signs.  I knew Morse Code was being sent; but that was about it.

40 Meters yielded my four QSOs.  I worked North Carolina, Ontario and Maine. There was one station (call sign withheld as I can't remember it! LOL!) that was frustratingly loud that I called and called and called ....... only to get "CQ TTF" as an answer for my effort. I finally gave up, figuring that he was either in a high ambient noise location, or that once again, propagation was not reciprocal.

The bad thing (or maybe it's a good thing?) about being a home station is that when the bands are dismal you can trot off and do other things, like chores and stuff. If I were a field station, I would have stuck it out longer because of the effort of putting a portable station on the air. I think the frustration level would have been markedly higher, though, as you look for a return on your expended effort.

In other things, I would be remiss if I did not mention the passing of Jerry Haigwood W5JH on April 21st.  I read of Jerry's passing via an e-mail to 4 States QRP Group (of which I am a member) by Terry WA0ITP.  While I did not know Jerry very well on a personal basis, I have worked him numerous times on the air.  In addition, Jerry was the driving force behind the AZ ScQRpions Black Widow and Mini Black Widow paddles.  I still have my Black Widow paddles and at one time I did own a set of the Mini Black Widow paddles attached to my PFR3A.  Both were/are excellent paddles and are a testament to Jerry's machining skills.

RIP, Jerry - you will be missed.

Lastly, I finally had the opportunity to sit down and play with something that was sent to me by Richard, G3CWI, owner of SOTABEAMS.  A few months ago, Rich graciously sent me a WSPRLITE, to play with and evaluate. The WSPRLITE is a small WSPR transmitter beacon, if you will, that you can use to test your antennas.

I hadn't the time, up until now, to give it the attention it deserves. Mind you, it's very easy to use - as easy as falling off a log - but as John Lennon wrote in a song, "Life is what happens while your busy making other plans."  I don't want to give the impression that I put off getting this little beauty on the air due to it being a difficult process. Nothing could be farther from the truth!  It's just that things (obligations, chores, colds) always seemed to get in the way each time I had planned to get it up and running.

Well, last night I got it up and running within a few minutes and got results almost immediately!  This lil' guy is way cool and I want to play with it for a few more evenings this week and then I want to let it run for a few hours in the daytime before I let you know what my impressions are.  But so far, it's a very neat tool to have, especially if you have more than one HF antenna and you want to see how they stack up against each other.

I hate to keep you hanging; but that's all I'm going to say about it for now.  The WSPRLITE will deserve it's own post to properly give it the evaluation it deserves - and you can look for that either next Saturday night or Sunday.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Pleasant surprise

Today was a strange day.  It was my last day at my current job at Goldman Sachs. I've been there just over six years, managing all the Technology Department inventory (servers and networking and storage equipment) for the offices of the NY/NJ Campus.  I was the manager of the department responsible for receiving, inventorying, warehousing, and prepping for install a multi-billion dollar cache of equipment. I was also responsible for shipping re-purposed equipment both domestically and internationally. Believe me, you haven't lived until you've been tasked with shipping millions of dollars of used equipment to places like Seoul, Sao Paolo, and Kuala Lumpur, and you were told it had to arrived undamaged (even though the original shipping containers had since long been discarded) and it had to arrive "yesterday". I can proudly attest that in the six years that I was there, my department oversaw that inventory with a shrinkage percentage (loss due to theft, damage or mis-shipping) of less than 0.001%.

Last summer, Goldman felt that they had too many vendors, so they decided to downsize the number that they have on board. Our contract was farmed out to another vendor, and while my team was RIF'ed (reduction in force) I stayed on for six months to basically teach my replacements how to do the job.  My actual employer is Pitney Bowes Management Services, and through them, I will be starting at a new, non-management (actually glad for that, for a change) position with IBM next week.

My co-workers, the other outside vendors (IPC, Scholes, EMC, CBRE) who also serve Goldman Sachs are the best.  Totally unexpected, I walked into work this morning to find this waiting for me on my desk.

The head of the Security department phoned in for a bunch of pizzas and we had a bit of a going away party at lunch.  I am going to miss these guys like crazy.  Things could get pretty hairy from time to time and I slugged it out in the trenches with some of the best technical talent out there.  I am honored that they felt this way about little ol' me.

Anyway, when I got home, I took the opportunity to get on the air and relax and unwind a bit.  I worked some DX and another FOC station, W9FOC - Gene in Illinois.  But by far the best QSO of the night was when NG9D answered my CQ near the 20 Meter QRP watering hole.  When I heard NG9D, my mind immediately said "Lynn ........YouTube!"  Lynn has produced a bunch of YouTube videos that I have thoroughly enjoyed and it was so cool to be able to work him.  He was using his IC-703 at 10 Watts and he was a good 589 into New Jersey.  Conditions were good, so I received a 579 in reply

Lynn told me that he was trying to decide what radio he's going to take with him when he goes camping this summer. I naturally suggested that he take his PFR3A and he agreed that it might be a good choice as it has the internal battery holders and internal antenna tuner.  Being such a small package is nice when you're trying to keep down the amount of "stuff" that you take with you on vacation.  I asked him what antennas does he use when he goes camping and he told me about his Lambda antenna.  So happens that there's a video that he's done on it:

I thoroughly enjoyed my QSO with Lynn and I hope I get the opportunity to have another, soon.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to say the very least!

FYBO fun

FYBO was fun today.  No big effort as there were way too many other things going on that vied for my attention.  In between chores and duties, I was able to get out to the driveway, where I had the PFR3A on a battery in the back of my Jeep.  The antenna was the Buddistick on the magmount on the top of the roof.  Kudos to Bob W3BBO for suggesting this setup - it worked great!  The car body acts as a much better counterpoise/ground plane than the single wire and using the magmount eliminates the need for mast and guying.  So if you're not hiking - this is a great way to use a Buddistick.

It ends up being much taller than a standard Hamstick (definitely not drivable), but the SWR was very nice and I was able to use the PFR3As internal tuner to even get that ironed out flat.

Ham at work - excuse the mess!

First QSO of the day was with Hank N8XX operating as "Amigo" with the WQ8RP callsign.  In all, I made 11 contacts in between grocery shopping, baking some bread for my daughter's choir bake sale, etc, etc, etc.

Here's a better look at the antenna.

On 40 Meters, I undid the tap and extended the whip all the way.  That gave me about a 1.4:1 SWR.  I only made one contact on 40 Meters and that was with Mark NK8Q in Pennsylvania.  He was using only 1 Watt and almost blew the ear buds out of my ears.  I don't think I have ever heard 1 Watt as a 599 Plus before today.

The temperature was 45F when I started, so for simplicity sake, I used that throughout, even though I think it started dropping for my last couple of QSOs.  I think the lowest temperature that was reported to me was 32F and the highest was 76F.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

A good day on the radio

'Twas a fine day on the radio.  Lots of activity and lots of stations to be worked.  I added a few new ones, new ones as far as working for Diamond DXCC goes, that is.

C6AKQ - Bob N4BP in the Bahamas
UT7UJ - Dmitry in the Ukraine
OE5PGL - Peter in Austria
CT8/HB9CQL - Rudolf in the Azores

and .........

HK0NA on 17 Meters this afternoon.

Yay! Finally managed to break through the pile up.  The team has been there a few weeks now and the pileups don't seem to be diminishing at all, they're still in great demand.  Today was the loudest I have ever heard them to date and was lucky enough to get them in my log.

I also spent a few minutes this afternoon working on the antenna setup that I hope to use next Saturday for FYBO.  I hooked up the Buddistick to the magmount and stuck it on top of the Jeep.  Using an antenna analyzer, I found the settings that I need to be at for SWRs of 1.2:1 on both 20 and 40 Meters.  I didn't make any QSOs but did do some listening.  I heard Ken WA8REI in QSO and his signal was so loud, I thought my ear drums were going to burst.  One of the few times that I actually had to turn the volume control on the PFR3A almost all the way down.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Rookie mistake

 

I had a little bit of spare time today; so I decided to head out to Washington Rock State Park, which is all of about 15 minutes from home, in order to activate it for Parks On The Air.  All the equipment was in the car, so I took off and was there in short order.  When I got there, I decided to take a few snaps, first.

It was from this point on the first ridge of the Watchung Mountains, that General Washington kept tabs on General Howe's troops and troop movements back in 1777.  If you enlarge the picture directly above, by clicking on it, and look carefully through the haze, you will see the New York City skyline.

After taking the photos, I headed back to the car and set the 20 Meter Hamstick on top of the Jeep.  I had the PFR3A hooked up in very short order.  The problem was, that when I went to transmit, the radio thumped and kicked out.  I immediately knew what it was; and felt like the absolute greenest of greenhorns.

I have had the radio and all the accoutrement's in the back of the car in a knapsack for a couple of weeks now.  I have had good intentions of getting some lunchtime operating in, even though that hasn't been possible.  We've had some cold weather come through (including that snow storm two weeks ago) and I hadn't taken into account the cold sapping all the juice out of the very small sealed lead acid battery.  Sure enough, when I got home and put the battery on a volt meter, it had fallen to below 10 Volts.

It wasn't the strongest of batteries to begin with and the cold just did it in.  From here on out, I will keep bringing the knapsack into the warm house each evening; and I will also keep a heartier battery in that knapsack. It is said that experience is the best teacher; and I will agree with that, as you can be certain I will make sure to check the battery before heading out next time.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Kudos to CQ Magazine

What?!?  Wasn't he complainin' about having to pay for WorldRadio just week or two ago?!?

Yes, I was - but when credit is due, credit is due.  I received the newest issue of CQ on Wednesday and didn't have time to go through it until yesterday, while I was sitting and waiting while having the Jeep's oil changed and tires rotated (for free!).  This issue is devoted to Emergency Communications, and while I know a lot of you could probably not care less about that, it was a wonderful read, anyway.  This issue is a good weapon to have in your back pocket the next time you get hit with that "Amateur Radio is obsolete and has outlived its usefulness" lie.

And, as if THAT wasn't enough, there were two fantastic columns - one on building by Joe KØNEB and the other on QRP by Cam N6GA. These guys write so well, that I wish they had columns every month!  But that's a terrible burden to place on them as I know how difficult it is to come up with original material for a monthly column. (Correction: Joe DOES write a column each and every month - sorry for my error, Joe!)

The new issue of QST, received the same day, did not capture my attention like CQ did.  Although the article on homebrewing a DSP speaker is appealing.  But Rich Moseson W2VU does come up with a superior publication month after month - and I will probably let the moths out of my wallet and will sign up for the "new" WorldRadio".  BTW, just so we're clear on this - I don't work for CQ or any of its affiliate publications. I'm just a satisfied (most of the time) customer.

Unfortunately, I have not been on the air at all this weekend.  With the arrival of Autumn, and the leaves on the ground and the wet weather we have been having this past week, my leaf mold allergy has kicked in big time.  I don't feel ghastly (yet) but I don't feel like myself, either and sitting behind the radio just isn't as appealing as it normally is.  That, and like John K3WWP, I think I have a kidney stone on the move, too.  Maybe later today, I can hand out some points in the QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party.

I have been looking at more cases for the PFR3A and am also considering this one.

http://www.seahorse300cases.com/?caseclub=on

I like the fact that I can get it in yellow and that would match the PFR3A.

For those of you who like to participate in the Zombie Shuffle, Paul Harden NA5N has indicated that it will be held this year on Sunday night, right before Halloween. This should avoid conflict with the CQ WW DX Contest which begins that Friday night.

Lastly, for those of you who like to operate QRO, take a look at this.  THIS is a QRO station !!!!



72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

New housing for my PFR-3A

When I built my PFR-3A and applied the decals, I sprayed the housing with a clear coat of Polyurethane in order to protects said decals.  Unfortunately, in my haste to use the radio, I didn't let that clear coat dry for as long as I should have.  I thought a few days was enough; but apparently it wasn't.

As a result, when I stowed the radio away in my rucksack, something else came in contact with the housing and left a rather unsightly mark.  This mark isn't just on the surface, it is into the urethane.  It didn't disturb the yellow paint, it just left an unsightly scuff in the overcoat. When I run my finger over the scuff, it feels like a gouge. I am enough of a perfectionist and enough of a "Type A" personality where that really, really bugs me.  I take great care (or thought I did) to make sure my equipment doesn't get beat up.  My K1 on the other hand looks mint, and I built that back in 2003.

So I contacted Doug at Hendricks QRPKits and sprung (sprang?) for a new housing, which arrived today.  I will apply the decals; but I think instead of applying clear coat, I will buy one of those Pelican type cases with the form fitting foam and will make that the PFR-3A's new home.  I believe it has been mentioned on QRP-L that inexpensive knock offs of those Pelican style cases are available at Wal-Mart.

And then, there's this:

http://www.utility-cases.com/b8.5x6.0x3.0.htm?caseclub=on

This would work and the price isn't bad at all.  Any suggestions out there?

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

More things

It was a beautifully sunny day here in NJ, with warm temperatures.  I did get a chance to get out to the Jeep during lunch and did set up the Hamstick and PFR3A.  I didn't work anyone; but I did hear Paul WØRW/PM working KM6Z on 20 Meters around 1700 UTC.  I called Paul after their QSO was over; but he didn't come back to me; so either he QRT'ed or didn't hear me (way more likely).

I did call CQ for a bit before heading back in. Not so much with any expectation of getting answered (you never know); but I did want to see if I was picked up by the Reverse Beacon Network.  Sure enough, WE4S down in Georgia heard me calling CQ at 8dB above the noise level.  Not ear crushing; but at least I know I was getting out.

I bought these really inexpensive earbuds at the A&P to stick in the backpack for use with the PFR3A.  They're called Rock Candy earbuds and they're made by Mizco.  They cost me all of $4.99.

They're very comfortable and they're quite loud!  They deliver more sound than my Sony earbuds that I was using.  In fact, with the Sony earbuds, I had to use a Boosteroo audio amplifier and set PFR3A's volume control at the max to get decent sound levels.  Today, I was able to turn the volume on the PFR3A almost all the way down; and there was still more than enough volume.  Tomorrow, when I go grocery shopping, I plan to pick up another set or two; just to have in reserve.

Keep in mind that on Sunday, is the launch of  iHAB7, the latest effort by the Iowa High Altitude Balloon project.  There will be a 40 Meter beacon on 7.028 MHz.  Launch is at 1600 UTC.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Things

I started using a new template here on blogger; but today I took out the background image. Too distracting and it bothered my eyes.

I wanted to go out and do some QRP during lunchtime today at work.  I wasn't able to because one of my guys at another of our locations called out; so I sent the guy I normally work with, over there to help pick up the slack.  So I was flying solo today and couldn't leave the building.

However, this morning, I did throw a very small backpack in the back of the Jeep containing the PFR3A, Baby Black Widow paddles, battery, and a power cable.  I also placed the magmount and my Hamsticks in the back of the Jeep.  So hopefully tomorrow, I will be able to go to a local park or even just sit in the parking lot and get on for a few minutes around lunchtime.

As it turned out, I might not have been able to get on during lunchtime today as we've had thunderstorms periodically running through the area all day.  The last few days were very humid and muggy. As I left the building at work today, it was obvious that fresh, dryer air has swept into the area.  It's also been pretty breezy and the temperature has dropped significantly.  I think this weekend, the daily high is only supposed to be in the 60s (18C) with lows at night in the 40s (7C).  The seasons are a changing!

This weekend looks like it will be somewhat busy.  I am hoping to make it over to Washington Rock State Park next weekend to begin activating New Jersey's State Parks via the POTA program.  Definitely not Mt. Herman or Eagle Cap - but it's a start!  Next year, I hope to make it up to High Point State Park in the Northwest corner of New Jersey - the Appalachian Trail runs through there.  So maybe I can do double duty - activate the park and also start qualifying for some of WB3AAL's Appalachian Trail awards!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

PFR3 thoughts

My good friend Bob W3BBO just e-mailed me that he was able to nab K6JSS/6 from California before the Special Event station moves on to Massachusetts in all of about 7 minutes.

That got me to thinking how perfect the PFR3, and radios like it are for folks like my friend Bob, who are in antenna challenged circumstances. Bob lives in an apartment now after many years of house owning.  While he could have thrown a hunk of wire out the window (he lives on the second floor) he opted to go out to the car and hook up his PFR3 to a Hamstick.

Think of the situation .... it's dark here on the East coast already as Autumn is now officially here.  Throw the Hamstick on the car and hook up the radio.  In his case, Bob has the attached paddles.  The internal battery holders mean no fussing around with an SLA or anything else. The red LED frequency display is perfect for evening operations.  Hook up the antenna, power up the rig and go to town!  Set up is what - all of a couple of minutes in this case (if that) ?  And it worked for him, so that makes it all the more sweeter!

Thanks go out to Steve Weber, Hendricks QRP Kits and Elecraft for coming up with and offering these trail friendly radios. They are great - even when not used on the trail!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Fun day up at the Lake

Sunny and beautiful up in Lake George, NY.  It was in the mid to high 80s today and the kids had a great time enjoying the water.

I brought the Kindle along with three freshly loaded books and am already a quarter way into the first one.  This is the life and I am going to squeeze out every nano-second of enjoyment that I can!

I even got on the air today!

That's the Buddistick set up behind the cabin.  I brought along the 12' painter's pole mast and I set up for 20 Meters today.  I used four 11" arms, the coil and one of the extra long black whips.  I had a quick QSO with KD4NUL in Georgia; but the band quickly changed and did in our QSO.

I handed Randy KB4QQJ a contact for the SKCC Weekend Sprint.

The most gratifying QSO was a ragchew with Marc W4MPS who hails from Clayton, North Carolina.

I learned during our QSO that Marc and both call East Brunswick, NJ our hometown!  Marc moved to North Carolina in 2009 after retiring; while I moved to South Plainfield in 1998 after getting married.  But we both claim East Brunswick as "home".  What a small world!  A QSO from Lake George, NY to Clayton, NC to talk about East Brunswick NJ.

I started the day using the K1; but changed off to the PFR-3A, as it's nice having those paddles attached to the unit.  I was putting out about 5 Watts to the Buddistick using the small SLA that you can see in the upper corner of that plastic bin which I used as an operating table.  Using the Autek antenna analyzer that you see next to the SLA, I was able to adjust the Buddistick down to an SWR of about 2:1.  The built in tuner in the PFR-3a handled that with ease.

Later this week, I still plan to go across the street with the end fed wire and Fuchs tuner to see how that works as an "all band" antenna. But today is considered a success and I had fun; and got a little sun burnt in the process.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Indeed, 'twas a washout

No park as hoped for today.  The thunderstorms started at 4:00 AM and continued off and on throughout the day, curtailing my shack operations as well.

While it was wet and on the cool side here - 74F (23C), I had a QSO with Rolan W3FDK in Maryland who informed me that it was sunny and in the 90s there - just two states away!  I also actually worked one of the 13 Colony Special Event Stations, K2H out of MA on 40 Meters.  He's the only one I've heard on CW and he was calling CQ, sounding quite lonely with not many takers.  I even posted his whereabouts on the DX Cluster and that didn't seem to draw him any takers, either. Too bad.

I did get the Baby Black Widows finished and operating. I used them in a very nice ragchew on 40 Meters with Ernie AA2YK.  He sounded great, too!  He was using a Nye Viking straight key and I would've sworn he was using a keyer and paddles also.  His fist was that good; and that's a joy to listen to.

 

They feel great and work FB, too.  I need to do just a little more adjusting to get the feel exactly the way I want; but these are a winner!  If you have a KX-1 or a PFR-3 or PFR-3A, I would strongly suggest getting in touch with W5JH before he runs out of stock.

Lastly, as I pine away for some outdoor operating, here's a video that Steve WG0AT (portable ops expert extraordinaire)  posted on YouTube today.  He was using that Tinker Toy set that we Hams call Buddipole parts and his ATS-3B with a 9V battery, folks - about 1 Watt out - maybe?

Enjoy the video !

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Hoo Yah!

So here's the deal ...... the long Independence Day weekend is coming up!  And the weather looks like it may cooperate.  Sunny and in the lower 90s (about 33C)   Sooooooo - I am hoping for an hour or two in the park on Sunday with the PFR-3A and various antennas and a chance to play for a bit.

Cotton Street Park is located about 1/4 mile from my house and it's where I usually walk to for FOBB.  It has HUGE trees.  No kidding, on some of these trees, the closest branch to the ground is higher than the top of the maple tree in my backyard!  The trees are dense enough to produce a lot of nice shade, too - keeping the sun at bay for some comfort.

I will take the PFR-3A (with battery and key, of course) the antenna line launcher, end fed wire and Fuchs tuner and perhaps the 88' EDZ speaker wire doublet as a back up.  This will be a "shake down" to make sure everything still works for our annual Lake George trip this Summer.  Of course everything still works; but call me paranoid, or anal, or whatever.

I'll bring my BlackBerry along so that when I am QRV I will post a spot to QRPSPOTS.

I am looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend for a change!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Breaking the pileup!

Watch as John K7HV breaks the pileup and works S9DX, Sao Tome & Principe with 2 Watts from a PFR-3.



Next time you meet a "QRP Naysayer" who says it can't be done - show him this!

Way to go, John, nice job!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Fun afternoon on the radio

The weather this afternoon turned out to be as dismal as promised - maybe even more dismal than promised!  The kids and I went grocery shopping late this morning.  When we went into the store it was drizzling - when we got out of the store it was drizzling. When it was time to transfer the grocery bags from the car to the house it started raining in earnest and was just plain miserable.  It was a day where you could feel the cold and wet all the way, deep down into your bones.

The cruddy weather notwithstanding, I did manage to put some time in on the air this afternoon.  In honor of it being FYBO day, I decided to forgo the K2, and instead broke out the PFR-3A.

My "Summer Station" was on the air.  I was using my Bulldog clip paddles, and headphones along with a Booster-oo audio amplifier (which these old ears find most helpful).  I didn't use the AA0ZZ keyer, I just manually called "CQ FYBO" instead.  The power source was a 12V SLA battery which had been charged via a solar panel.  If I end up sending in my score, at least I can qualify for the "alternate power source" bonus.

In all, I made seven FYBO QSOs and had a couple of nice random ragchews in between.  The contact I envied the most was Bob N4BP who was giving out 82F (28C)  as his FYBO temperature part of the exchange.  It was 58F (14C) in my basement!  I know I was confusing people as one or two expected a NJ temperature in the 30s.  So when I was asked for the temperature a second time, I would send "58F INDOORS".

The stations I worked were N4BP, VA2SG, WQ0RP, WA2DAC, N8KBG, AE8M and WD8RIF.  Anyone that I heard with the PFR-3A, I was able to work.  It was nice using it again and "rediscovering" its ins and outs.

All in all, it was a great way to spend a dank, gray, miserably wet February winter afternoon.  Maybe next year it will be sunny and dry and I can operate from the back yard!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Do not miss this blog post !

From W1PNS's blog -

“Lean-to” homebrew stand for Elecraft’s KX1

This is a good one and will work for the PFR3A also. A perfect solution for a vexing problem. I don't own a KX1; but I do know this happens with a PFR3A - when the radio is laying flat on a table top, it is hard to tell if the RIT is on unless you are looking right down onto the LED display. More than once I have used the PFR3A on the shack table and since the angle wasn't right, I came to realize that I wasn't listening where I thought I was. I had inadvertently left the RIT on and didn't see the illuminated decimal point in the display. This homebrew tilt stand will get the angles just right so that won't happen again.

I am going to have to construct one of these. Thanks, Pete for sharing the great post, plans and idea!

Are QRPers neat, or what ?!?

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Lessons learned

As always, FOBB taught me a few lessons,

1) Really have to get a Buddipole mast. The plastic insert on my painter's pole can't handle the weight of the Buddistick. Those 10 foot whips add A LOT of weight! It did the job yesterday; but at the end, the antenna was listing pretty badly.

2) Have to finish the Fuchs tuner, so I can play around with an end fed tossed up a tree.

3) It always seems the weather for the major QRP outdoor events will always end up being less than desired. Have to account for all kinds of possibilities. Yesterday's thunder crept up on me very quickly. I was definitely paying too much attention to the radio and not enough to the sky.

4) Have to tear apart the PFR3A and find out why the internal batteries didn't work. One must have gotten jostled out of the battery insert on the trip back from Lake George.

5) Wish I had been able to put in the whole four hours. From what I have been reading on the QRP reflectors, 40 Meters got WAY better during the second half.

72 de Larry W2LJ

Flight of the Bumblebees 2010

I think that today, it should have been the Flight of the Butterflies.


My wife Marianne, who is a nurse, was on call today. That meant, at any given moment, she might have been called in to go to the hospital to administer dialysis to a patient, had the need arisen. With her schedule so uncertain, and not being able to leave the kids home alone (yet), I decided to operate FOBB from the backyard. We have a few butterfly bushes out there; and while I was operating, I glanced over to see a multitude of butterflies feasting on the nectar that the flowers contained.

I set up the Buddistick for 20 Meters, and got on the air shortly after the 17:00 UTC start time. I was glad to be under the patio umbrella as it was about 92 degrees (33C) outside. The first 45 minutes or so went well, and then I heard rumbles of thunder. The sky was starting to get dark and a breeze was picking up; so I decided to take the station apart and head inside. I'm glad I did. The station was packed away in the rucksack and the Buddistick was being put away as the first huge drops of rain began falling.

I waited for a half hour after the last rumble of thunder and got back on the air again. This time from the basement shack and the HF9V. That lasted for all of about 4 QSOs when a deafening static crash advised me that the local thunder was becoming active again. Closing down the station yet again, it was only a few minutes later that I heard a loud, "BZZZZZT" and the power went out. The transformer on the utility pole down the street died yet again; and we were without power for over 90 minutes. I guess I could have hooked the K2 up to a battery to continue, but sitting in a dark basement wasn't appealing as far as logging goes.

A few minutes after the power went out; the downpour really began in earnest. After the last of the lightning and the last rumble of thunder was long gone, and after last raindrop had fallen - the temperature had dropped, too. It went down from 92F to 72F (22C) in about the stretch of about 90 minutes. The scorching heatwave of the week and the Flight of the Bumblebees 2010 edition were both over.

72 de Larry W2LJ

Portable operating thoughts

The PFR3A is a very good radio. Better than I was willing to admit given the sour taste I had towards it as a result if my building experience. Still not quite as good as the K1; but a solid performer. Major need for improvement in one area - the display. Man, is it hard to read an LED display outdoors in the daytime. An LCD would have been the way to go; but I guess that would have raised the price of the radio considerably. I found myself shielding the display with my hand, so I could know what frequency I was on. Tuning is a breeze. Even with the initial bias I had against push button tuning, I acclimated myself to it quickly.

The receiver is solid and the built in tuner works like a charm. I would recommend this kit to anyone with more than one or two kits under their belt. You will have a very good time using this radio in the field. Another built in advantage is the color. Many scoff at the bright yellow enamel coating; but as a side benefit, the radio does not get hot. The dark gray case of the K1 can heat up the radio and cause it to drift in the hot sun, Not so with the PFR3A. All in all, I am very glad that I ended up not selling this radio. It will not replace the K1; but it will get used.

I am going to ditch the doublets as part of my portable operating antenna arsenal. From now on it will be the Buddistick and maybe an end fed wire. Doublets and dipoles are ideal for a camping set up, where you might be situated in a base camp for a few days to a week. For just a couple hours of operating, they are more a pain than it's worth. The Hamsticks will also remain a part of the scheme when operating solely from the back of the car. My kind of outings are very temporary in nature. I want to get set up and get in as much operating time as possible.

72 de Larry W2LJ

Practical things

With the Buddistick out of commission until the new whips arrive, I was forced to resort to using my zip cord 88' doublet antenna (always good to carry SOME kind of backup!). It is quite a pain setting up a doublet antenna for just an hour or two of operating. If "in and out" quickly is your main goal - then the Buddistick or PAC-12 is the way to go. The time it takes to set up a doublet or dipole takes away from operating time.

Getting back to setting up the doublet - I used a hint from Jim W1PID. Instead of using my slingshot and fishing weights to get line over a tree limb, I tied some line to a 20 ounce water bottle and flung it up over a couple of tree branches about 20 - 25 feet high or so. While doing this, a couple of women came into the park I was using - once they saw me heaving a water bottle over a tree limb, I think they took me for a crazy person and left! I was waiting for the police to arrive shortly thereafter; but they never materialized. In case they had, I always make sure to carry both my driver's license as well as my Amateur Radio license.

The 88' zip cord doublet loaded up easily on all three bands that the PFR3A has - 40, 30 and 20 Meters, using the PFR3A's built in tuner. There was a little activity on 20 Meters; but it was all at the low end of the band and at the noise level; so I didn't bother. 30 Meters was dead; but 40 had a very few sparse loud signals. I called CQ for a while and was picked up by Don KU4WE who hails from Lexington, VA.

Don was using a Flex5000 at 100 watts to a rotatable dipole at 65 feet. He was a solid 599 and I got a 459 report from him, which I don't consider to be all that bad considering the antenna. We chatted for a few minutes until QSB started killing my QRP signal and we each bade our 73s.

I was going to continue on for a bit; but some workmen started using the park for a lunch spot and some local kids came to start using the basketball hoop. I decided to call it quits and packed up everything for the day. I took the advice of Jeep off roaders whose motto is, "Leave no trace behind", and made sure that there was no sign left of my excursion for the locals to complain about.

72 de Larry W2LJ