QRV from a Sanatorium!

 The Elecraft KX-3 is what I usually use when activating the various parks around the region. It is the perfect rig to operate when sitting at a table or operating from within the vehicle during winder months. I have a KH-1 as well. I prefer to use it when I am pedestrian mobile (PM). I am still tuning the Elecraft KH-1 to become my perfect PM rig. 

The main issues I face with the KH-1 have to do its form factor. While one part of me cherishes its light weight and miniature design I found that holding it for long (especially when walking where I need to maintain a tight grip) really cramps my hands. It does not help that I have a relatively larger palm and longer fingers. I use paper logging using the provided pen and logging tray. The pen is a mini one as well and I did not want to lose it or drop it when walking.

Today I made a few modifications.

I added a hair rubber band at the back of the rig as shown in the picture below. This means I am able to now slip my hand between the rig and the band. I no longer fear that the rig is going to slip away if I loosen the grip a little. I find that I was able to keep the rig secure in the palm without having to tighten my fingers around it

KH-1 with the hair band mod

In addition I also used a piece of dental floss to secure the pen to the rig. So off to the sanatorium I went. [Maybury State Park US-1518 was formerly a sanatorium!]. It was pretty cold, around 20F (-8C) and the winds were icy. I found that I was able to slip the band over my gloved hand and the rig stayed put. Once ready, I used the built-in CW memory keying to put out CQ on the 20m band and started my walk along the paved trails. I had to be extra careful because there were quite a few patches of ice on the trail that I had to navigate around. The left hand stayed warm in the ensconce of the glove,  The issue was with the right hand (my paddle hand). I used cut-off gloves to get better feel when operating the paddles. But I lost all the feeling within about 10 minutes. 

My fingers were frozen like icicles. I forged ahead still seeking the elusive three contacts for a successful activation. When the responses came back, I could not write it down as the pen was too slim to hold in the cold and my fingers were not nimble. I yelled out the call to my XYL who took it down on her cell phone. The mild dyslexia added to the confusion. So I got a few calls wrong with transposed letters. Thankfully the hunters were patient and repeated the calls till I got them right! I got the required number of hunters soon enough and I was never so happy to wrap up an activation. I am confident that if I am able to operate the KH-1 pedestrian mobile in these cold conditions it should be much easier during the warmer months. The outlook for the upcoming year for my pedestrian mobile activations looks good.

KH-1 in the field with the mods

Note: The KH-1 has an automatic logging function where it logs all what is sent via the paddle into a durable memory. I have not yet tried it yet. But that should eliminate the need for a paper pen logging on the field

[Update: My attempt to use this in the field with limited success https://motopota.blogspot.com/2025/02/pedestrian-stuff.html ]

Yours truly at the park pedestrian mobile