May 26, 2023
If you have been following my ramblings, my desire was to combine my passion for riding and amateur radio into an enjoyable activity. POTA activations are perfect as they give you the motivation to get out there!
After slowly establishing confidence activating a few parks with the four-wheeler, I now had a compact POTA activation package that fit in a shoe box (See my first blog post for more on this). With this confidence I set out to Dodge #4 state park today. I put the shoebox into my top case and off I went for the 25 min ride to the park.
I arrived at the park a little after 2130 UTC (1730 local) and by the time I found a suitable spot, put the antenna up and got set up for my transmissions, it was close to 2200 UTC.
At this point in time I was still using my Alinco DX-70 with a straight key for my CW activations. I had no memory keyer. So all my CQ calls were keyed by me. After some initial CQ calls I got a few stations that were giving me decent reports, but the pace of responses were not normal. I had about 3 contacts in about half an hour. I tuned around the band and sure could hear quite a few activators getting good responses. Since I was running about 5W I thought I could persist and get the activation wrapped up before 0000 UTC.
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| Failed activation. Farewell to Alinco DX-70 although not its fault! |
How wrong I was! Over the remainder of the time I just managed 4 more contacts. I had come up short! Only 7 contacts that day. I was a little disappointed and as I was wrapping up, I noticed that the antenna wire near the balun had frayed! While it was sufficient for reception, it was not good for TX. Since I was low power, I did not see much SWR change. Lesson learned! Recheck antennas (and the gear) prior to each activation (even before you set out). Also carry a spare if possible!
With the cause identified, I returned home. I re-did the crimps and solders and was ready for the next day!
I had also just acquired my KX-3 that I was intending to use in POTA. I was waiting to get familiar with it, but I did not want to risk another failure. So I decided to take the KX-3 as well the next day. The fact that this rig had a built-in tuner that meant I can use the full power if needed was reassuring. If you recall, I used my Alinco at reduced power due to antenna mismatch and the lack of a compact tuner! In addition the KX-3 had a CW memory that is very handy for putting out repeated POTA CQs.
May 27, 2023
The next day.... I went to the same park and made 67 contacts using the KX-3. The KX-3 was a big difference from the Alinco in its user friendly layout. Just to make sure that the park learns its lesson, I went back the subsequent day as well and made about 30 contacts!
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| Dodge#4 State Park capitulates |
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger....
