Ragchew and Activations

 I am conflicted; being both a POTA activator and rag-chewer. I am mostly a CW operator and I love both the long and sometimes pointless rag-chews and also the excitement of working pileups during POTA. Unfortunately, pileups are rare for me; but nevertheless enjoy park activations. However, even on the days where the hunters are slim, I rarely engage in rag-chews during activation. Allow me to explain...

In addition to being an activator, I hunt POTA stations as well. I do not prefer busting through pileups and will look for easy pickings. Occasionally I will run through an activator involved in a long running exchange with a hunter. I will usually wait for about 2 minutes before moving on. The activator certainly has the prerogative on how to run their activation and this is not a complaint about their practice. But based on how I react, I have decided it is a trite impolite to keep hunters waiting.  I have also encountered hunters who basically come with their call once. If I ask for a repeat, they're already gone. Therefore, even if I encounter familiar hunters and known rag-chewers during an activation, I keep my exchange short; usually a sentence of two of banalities...

Are you a POTA hunter? If so, how long will you wait to get your callsign in?

Barring such narrow activities such as POTA activations and contests, I'm always open to a nice conversation. So if you hear me calling CQ, please do stop by and let's chat

The KH-1 Debut

 I was giddy and ran to the door like a child to a candy store! I had missed the UPS delivery man the day before and was disappointed to see his sticker on the door. This made his arrival yesterday highly anticipated for multiple reasons. I did not want to go to the facility to pick up the much awaited delivery of my Elecraft KH-1. I am not sure if the delivery man sensed my sense of relief and glee, but I was beyond care. The KH-1 was here....

Unfortunately, I was working from home that day. That meant, I had to curb my excitement to open it up right away. I set the box aside and dove into work. When the time to log off came, I went straight to the box. When I opened it was a little underwhelming.  I had ordered the Edgewood package which included the carry case, the whip antenna, the CW paddle, the cover/log holder, a ball point pen and the built-in tuner. The box just contained individual pieces of these items wrapped up in bubble wrap. No fancy packaging or anything. If the money saved goes towards the development of radios, that is fine by me.

I played with the radio for an hour or so and put it through its paces. The included manual was well written and after my familiarization routine I felt reasonably comfortable taking it for the POTA activation the next day. The only complaint is that the printed manual is black and white, but refers to arrows in Red on a page with multiple arrows, but one can always refer to the online variant if there is any confusion...

The day of activation:

I decided to perform a pedestrian mobile activation while also recording it. I do not have any action cam or microphones. I just picked up the cheap and unused dashcam from my scrap bin and used a long shoelace to hang it from my neck. I used a USB power bank to power the camera through my activation. It may not amount to much, but one can at least get a feel for what it was like. 

The video of the activation [nearly unedited and unscripted ] is available here. Warning this is about an hour long...

So here are my first impressions

The KH-1 is an impressive package packing a wealth of functionality into a small form-factor. Turning on the radio is via a small SPDT switch near the bottom on the left hand face of the radio. The switch does not seem to be beefy and thus does not feel very reassuring. Only time will tell if this switch will take the heavy use on the field. I like the KX-3 approach of pressing multiple buttons. I am not sure why Elecraft went this way for the KH-1.

I've liked Elecraft products for their attention to user interface. Despite having just 4 buttons and two knobs, they have done a wonderful job of getting to any radio controls quick and easy. Their usual philosophy of having long and short presses on each of the buttons and sensible grouping of their functions makes learning using the rig a breeze. I am confident after a few days of use, I may not even have to look at the bright [even under direct sunlight] display.

The design to stow away the built in paddle for carrying and flipping it over for field use is clever. However, the paddle still seems a little mushy to me. I can see one operating the paddles with the rig placed on a table or other surface with ease. But trying to use the paddles while walking and holding the rig in the other hand is a little tricky. I resorted to using lower CW speeds than usual. 

The hard cover that comes with the Edgewood package, doubles as a log sheet holder. Elecraft provides a PDF template to print them out. I was skeptical about this at first. But on the field, this proved to be a fantastic design. I was able to keep logs and flip sheets of paper with ease. Further, the this cover or tray can be interchanged for left or right hand operation as desired. This clearly reflects the attention the detail that their engineers. The included 13ft counterpoise wire is also of excellent quality and will hold up to field conditions very well.

Everyone has opined about the weak internal speaker and the need to use a headphone for better copyability in real world conditions. However, as you will see in my video linked above, that built in speaker is adequate for normal outdoor conditions. But using an amplified speaker considerably increases the audio quality. 

The built-in antenna is good for 15, 17 and 20m. The BNC connector must be used for other bands. I only tried the 20m band on this activation and found that the SWR was changing considerably as I was roaming around. I even spent a stint of about 15-20 mins not being able to get a good match. I eventually (duh!) figured out to play with the whip length and once I did that I got a consistent SWR even on the 20m band. About the only thing I would want for the antenna is some kind of a joint so that I can keep the antenna vertical, while I hold the receiver tilted away from me. I did try the BNC connector on my home OCF dipole and got good match with the internal tuner for 40m as well.

Another difficulty I encountered was that I was inadvertently changing the frequency on the VFO as I was operating the rig. This was entirely my fault. I did not read the manual fully. The rig has a VFO lock functionality exactly for these situations.

So for such an excellent package, it is hard to find faults. However, here are somethings that stand out for me

• Operating with gloved hands is going to be difficult with tiny buttons and switch
• No weather resistance is evident. I will hesitate to pull this radio out under damp, foggy or misty conditions
• With the logging tray enabled for right-handers, the use of headphones will require a tiny right angle adaptor if the headphones have straight jacks
• The CW key [despite their claim of being improved] is a little mushy
• Trying to grip the radio for long time makes it difficult. Elecraft mentions some mount points behind the radio. Perhaps a pop-socket like attachment will take the stress away from having to grip a tiny radio. This may NOT be a problem for people with smaller hands, but with large hands, you will most likely fatigue after holding it for a while.

At the end of my outing, I had great fun using this rig. It is a pleasure to use and the attention to detail in the design and execution really stands out. Personally I would have sacrificed a little more compactness and have the power jack and the headphone adapter moved to alternate locations so that they would not interfere with the logging tray when mounted either way. A slightly larger planar dimensions similar to that of a modern smart phone would make holding the rig for extended period of time easier.

I believe that the KH-1 will be wildly successful with the SOTA community where compactness and portability is the primary concern. For most of the rest of us, it comes with a steep price that may not be justified especially when compared to the venerable KX-2 or KX-3.

A Tale of 2 (Straight) Keys

The Vibroplex and the Begali

I never thought I would become one! But like the cliched cat lady with many cats I have become an OM with many CW keying devices. However, that will be the subject for a discussion another day! Today I want to talk about two of the straight keys and the interesting differences in the way I operate them. The following video demonstrates the difference:

I made a gross simplification in the video. There are subtle differences in the keys in terms of their heights above the table plane and the height to the top of the knobs as shown below. But the difference is subtle and I did not think they would have mattered, but yet they do

Differences: Vibroplex on the left

I did not know of the operating style differences between Europe and North America when I initially tried both keys and was having issues with the Begali. But I ran into the following this link which prompted me to try the variations. The results really surprised me...Does the Begali know it is European? Does it want to be operated the European way? Pray tell me...

No worms for this early bird!

As some of you know, I have a few POTA entities near work and have been activating them if and when I find time for a quick activation [See here for my earlier post on this]. I find that I really like starting off the day with POTA: I find it energizes me and starts the day off right. This routine is ingrained in me so much that I am finding to want to start the day off with an activation even on days when I work from home.

Today, was one of the days I planned on working from home. To get an activation in, I headed to the closest POTA entity to my QTH -- Maybury State Park [K-1518]. I reached there at around 6 AM (1200 UTC). I had planned on doing a quick activation, take a quick walk and head back home and log in to work. I noticed I was the lonely warrior; the only one activating any park on SSB or CW in North America. This is not unusual and I have found myself in this scenario before. Undeterred, I started my CQ sequence on 40m [ the longest band I can do with my antenna ]. 

Lonely on POTA

I spotted myself and waited .... and waited... I netted a meagre 3 contacts in 25 minutes. It was now 30 past the hour. My spouse was getting restless. I decided to suspend my activation and head out for a walk. I did manage to complete the activation after the walk about an hour and a half later....

My experience has been that I usually get my activations done before work; but I start those activations closer to 1300 UTC.  I will get my required contacts within 15 to 20 mins. This is one of the earliest activations for me. Given that the band was about average and nothing unusual that is going on, I believe that the hunter community starts their day around 1300 UTC.  So, does the early bird get the worm? Depends on how early it is!

Hope to catch you in the air soon!

Beyond 5NN exchange!

Our daily discussion group at the local repeater has a few POTA activators. So naturally, POTA comes up as a topic quite often. On one of these occasions, a participant remarked that he does participate in POTA hunting or activation. "Quick contacts are not for me", he said. He said that he preferred long chats with a microphone, it allowed for a more personal connection he opined.

The group is very friendly and no one takes offense. Amateur radio is a hobby with a wide range of participatory choices. To each his/her own is my deeply held opinion as well. We accepted his opinion at face value.

However, when the discussion ended, his remarks got me thinking! I am both a rag-chewer and a POTA nut. I am mostly CW; but by no means a CW snob. My choice of CW is purely mathematical; more distance per watt with my less than ideal antennae. I frequently have CW rag chews, and have had some deep and meaningful exchanges. So I don't think SSB is essential for a personal connection. With that out of the way, I wanted to see if his opinion about short contacts and POTA held water for me. 

Here is where the surprising fact surfaced. I found that POTA provides for more meaningful ham radio partnerships and have allowed me to bond with some of my fellow operators in its own unique way. 

Please allow me to explain...

In recalling my rag chews and long QSOs, I see that they go beyond the typical ham radio stuff such as the rig and weather. They have ventured into something trivial such as the new car they were buying ... to homebound ham with injuries who was having trouble with his kids. But the deep connection ends with the end of the QSO. I rarely ever get to hear from them again. There almost seems to be some unwritten rule about not working the same call again. These meaningful exchanges fade into oblivion...their call signs forgotten..

Not so with POTA. My typical activations net about 20 QSOs; I am not a power activator. This low volume comes with several advantages. When I come back home to log my QSOs I look up each and every call sign on QRZ. I will also glance into any blogs or websites linked on their profile.  Over time, I started recognizing frequent hunters. Every time I hear the call of  a repeat hunter, I will try recollect their names. I do not use a computer during activations and my phone is strictly used for spotting. So when I respond to hunters by name, it is because I recall them from the QRZ lookup. Over time, their profile picture and significant details in their page are also recollected as I respond. I now have a clearer picture of who I am responding to. These days, I am more efficient and good at recognizing first time hunters. I circle the calls and try to pore over their profiles when I get back home to see what they are all about!  [Note to Repeat Hunters: If I do not respond with your name when you hunt, don't despair, it is only a matter of time before I get your name into memory :-) ]. 

I am sure that most hunters also look up the activators QRZ. If not, I sincerely encourage them to do so. It is really fun to form a fuller picture of the ham on the other side of the QSO. 

POTA is about fellowship even when you treat it as dealing with anonymous entities. Every time I head out I know I can always count on hunters to make my activations successful. Being an activator, I appreciate the effort that goes into making one and the fear that grips you when your CQs go unanswered at the beginning of every activation. I have been surprised by hunters in the west coast respond to my CQs at 6:30 AM [ 3:30AM their time] when I have activations before getting into work. 

The fellowship extends in the other direction as well.  I realize that for many HAMs hunting POTA is a major activity for the day. I am happy to have done my little bit in making their day a little sweeter. I once worked a hunter in WA state from one of my state parks. I got a letter with his QSL a few days later. In the letter this HAM mentioned that he used to frequent the park in his childhood days in Michigan. He also added that he has not been back here in over 40 years. He fondly recalled his summers spent in the park and thanked me for the park and the reminiscence. I was deeply moved that a simple activation can have a powerful impact on a person's day. Now, I don't get to work WA state every activation, but every now and then I will work this hunter and we always exchange a quick sentence or two.

POTA also brings people together as common interests do. Our morning group is planning joint activations over time. This is another way POTA enriches participant experience and brings people closer together.

That being said, I am a participant in a few HF SSB nets. The camaraderie of a regular gathering of people with frequent exchanges is indeed hard to beat; you really build bonds and friendship over time. But short of that, to me, POTA is indeed the next best thing if one is willing to put in the effort. If you go beyond the 5NN exchange you'll find that it is better than rag-chewing with strangers whom you may never see or hear from again!

What do you think?

Contests and POTA

 My experience of POTA activation on a contest weekend!

This weekend was the ARRL CW contest. I have never been a contester other than answering a few random CQs for contesters in the past. This weekend, I decided to take a plunge (well dip my toes). I had been working on getting my rig set up for integration with N1MM+ logger and had successfully tested it. Since my CW skills aren't the greatest, I decided to S&P (search and pounce) rather than calling CQ. This way I had the time to decode the callers call sign after hearing it multiple times.

Here's what I gleaned: Contesting (especially when running CQs) would require immense focus and is a test of endurance. I am not sure I can last more than a hour decoding CW at those speeds; or even if I will be able to decode callers on the first try. However, as a novice contester, I do recommend the S&P approach. It gives you an opportunity to listen to various styles of operation. In addition, you control who you respond to. The greatest advantage I found was that the entire world was available to you. I worked Asia (+Oceania), Africa, Europe and both Americas (including AK and HI)  with ease. There was almost no pileup and almost always got in on the first call to the station.  I was 100W max during my entire operation. Almost all the contesters were running 1KW stations that makes them an easy copy. I also believe they must have good antenna setups and hence can hear you better than most stations.

So why am I talking about this in a POTA blog? I need my POTA fix; contesting be darned! I went out both on Saturday and Sunday to activate K-1518. On Saturday, I activated around 1800 UTC. I found that I was able to get a slot on the bands relatively easy and completed my activation with ease. The only issue I ran into was my antenna (EuroCom vertical) fell down a couple of times in the windy conditions. I was not able to get the anchors in due to frozen ground! Note to self: Carry a mallet or a hammer to push the stakes in. 

On Sunday (near the final few hours of the contest) I activated around 2000 UTC. Now that proved to be a little difficult. The bands were full. Only 20m seemed possible as I did not get any RBN hits for my CQs on other bands. I thought I managed to find a an empty slot. But thrice I was run out (outgunned by a contester) off my frequency. Of the three who started CQs only one of them put out a QRL. Even then they did not even allow the time for me to respond to it. I am sure that contest-haters would pounce on it to extol the evil of contesters. That is not my intent here. I am just noting my observation that the bad reputation for discourteous contesters may not be without basis. For all I know, the contester could have been listening on the frequency and not heard my weak signal.  On the flip side, I had a few contesters who came back to me in response to my CQs. A win-win in my opinion.

POTA activation at K-1518. Frozen ground meant no guy lines for antenna on a windy day

I eventually managed to find a little corner of my own and was able to get the activation done. I was surprised there were enough hunters around, though I was the only one on the POTA spotting page for a while on the band.

I realize that this was much easier because I was CW and there is lots of room. I would never even think of an SSB activation during SSB contests (at least not with my low power rig)

I found that I enjoyed both contesting and POTA this weekend. So, next time I may not be foolish enough to go out on an activation during peak contest times and sneak activations in during lean periods. I could also try to work the contesters from the park to make my activation if the bands are good. Do you think I was foolish to try POTA activations on a contest day? And in case if you do ask: Yes, I am aware of the WARC bands.

Note:  I did meet other activators on both the days, but none were CW. On Saturday, I bumped into KU8RLY who had just wrapped up his SSB activation as I pulled into the lot. I had known him from HF nets and it was nice to meet him in person.  He said he had quite a few contacts including one to Alaska.

On Sunday, I saw another ham with an antenna. I went up and introduced myself to KE8YVH, who was on FT-8. I decided to go for a walk to give him time to complete his activation. When I came back after 4 miles of walking, he was gone and I was able to start and complete my activation.

AK Calling

It was a tossup decision: K-1518 or K-1495? Both these parks are about the same distance from my QTH. The toss came up in favor of K-1518. So I headed over there early Friday evening to enjoy and to have fun with POTA. 

Surprisingly for a warm [ for the season ] afternoon, the park was empty. I started my way at 20m and worked 30m, 17m, 15m and 40m. 20, 17 and 40 were the most productive. I got contacts from all parts of the country. 

When on 17m I got a KL7... and the band faded away. My heart leaped! Could it be? I went back with KL7?  No response...After a few breathless moments, I was almost about to put out CQ calls again, when the KX-3 awoke to the sweet sounds of KL7AC. Oh please... please... please... say your QTH is Alaska. Much to my relief I got a RST of 539 and QTH of AK.  I am just Hawaii away from being HFAS (Hunted from all states on POTA -- is there such a thing?)

I am glad I decided to go out today instead of staying home. To make the outing even sweeter, I also got to work a P2P from my friend W8SCS [from the Canadian American Net ]. He was coincidentally at K-1495 [ about 15 miles away ]  my other choice for the day. He was on his KX-2 at 5 W and I was on my KX-3 at 5W and JPC-12 vertical. It is interesting that I got the furthest and closest contact for the day on 17m. 

This has to be one of my most memorable activations to date. 

Edit: Feb 4, 2024. I was at Maybury again today and worked KL7AC as P2P from K-1518 to K-7238 on 17M.