Many due to Jeff (VE7EFF) who shares the next visitor publish:
by Jeff (VE7EFF)
My purpose this summer time is to do extra backpacked-in POTA activations. That is my third POTA outing over the previous week. Being in Canada, I don’t have a lot time left this season to do that earlier than the climate turns too moist, chilly or snowy for my liking.
I tried to activate Wrinkly Face Provincial Park, CA-4307 final summer time. Nonetheless, I couldn’t get there as a result of the FSR forestry service street was washed out about midway to the park. My Subaru Forester is a tremendous SUV on outback FSR roads, however this washout was an excessive amount of to even try.
So, this 12 months I made a decision to try to hike to the park on foot which turned out to be a 2.5 km trek with about 653 ft elevation acquire. As at all times, my spouse Alexis (VE7LXE) is my journey companion.
Our trailhead begins about an hour’s drive north of Kelowna, BC which is the place we reside. We park on the aspect of a gravel street close to the trailhead. We shall be following a 2.5 km section of the Okanagan Excessive Rim Path, which can take us to our vacation spot in the midst of Wrinkly Face Provincial Park.
We aren’t certain precisely the place the path begins from right here. However simply across the nook forward of the automobile, is an adjoining FSR street. Right here we discover a signal and map of the Okanagan Excessive Rim Path (OHRT).
A more in-depth take a look at the signal reveals the OHRT path begins close to the signal. I’ve circled our start line and ending level on the map photograph, marked in yellow. (We ended up setting down about halfway in Wrinkly Face Prov. Park.) So, off we go.
We discovered the path!
Apparently, there was a heavy rain downpour early this morning. So, the path is sort of soggy and damp for many of the trek up. It’s additionally feeling fairly chilly this morning. We truly felt the necessity to put gloves on.
The start of the path is a gentle uphill trod. Nonetheless, it additionally crosses a few FSR roads, which supplies us some flat areas to stroll on. Whereas many of the path is effectively marked with small markers, there have been just a few areas the place we received off monitor for a brief distance and needed to backtrack. There are additionally free-range cows up right here they usually are inclined to create their very own community of trails which frequently crisscross the OHRT path, which causes periodic confusion as to which one for us to observe.
Thank goodness, I pre-plan these journeys on my Garmin GPS and Google Maps to assist with navigation.
I don’t suppose the OHRT path could be very closely traveled. In some areas, the pathway is nearly overgrown with vegetation.
Together with overgrown vegetation, fallen bushes may create an occasional impediment. Usually, the path doesn’t quantity to far more than a recreation path.
Lastly, some open views to the south! This might be a viable working space. One drawback although – we haven’t crossed the park boundary but. Excellent news – the sky is beginning to clear! Onwards and upwards…
Making good progress. We at the moment are crossing into the park boundary.
Welcome to Wrinkly Face Provincial Park, CA-3407. You gained’t discover any parking stalls, camp websites, picnic tables, or outhouses right here. However what I do hope to search out right here is… POTA heaven!
After trekking about midway into the park, we lastly got here throughout an open meadow. Appears like this might be our POTA ops spot. Within the far distance is a glimpse of Kelowna and a part of Lake Okanagan.
It’s good to lastly offload our packs.
Time to start out breaking-out my shack-in-the-pack.
My antenna immediately is an experimental homebrew ½ wave “Vertical Coaxial-Sleeve Dipole”, reduce for 20m band. That is the first time I’m deploying this antenna within the area. I constructed it the day earlier than particularly for backpack ops.
Usually, I activate with my 20m or 30m middle fed dipole, constructed and bought by N9SAB (wonderful transportable dipoles). Dipoles take extra time and work to deploy the middle feed in addition to guying the dipole finish wires. I usually would deploy as a flat dipole or inverted-V.
Then again, coaxial sleeve dipoles are usually oriented vertically for omnidirectional propagation. Right this moment, I’m deploying it as a barely slanted vertical, maybe at a 15 or 20 diploma angle off vertical middle and oriented such that I hopefully maximize propagation to the SE course, which supplies me good protection of the SE USA from the pacific NW.
Whereas the dipole is bodily end-fed, electrically it capabilities as center-fed dipole, as a result of magic of RF pores and skin impact over the primary half of the dipole. I used RG-174 because the medium for the coaxial sleeve dipole. The coax is electrically reduce for ~ ½ wavelength on the 20m band. The underside finish of the dipole is terminated by a Honest Ceremony #43 1.4” toroidal core. This core blocks any RF from touring again beneath the toroid in the direction of the transmitter and units the general size of the ½ wave dipole above the toroid. On the obvious middle of the RG-174 coax antenna, ¼ wave above the toroid, I separate the shields. I soldered the higher defend to the coax middle conductor to boost the higher radiator conductor floor space.
The underside half of the RG-174 coax acts as each a 50-ohm transmission line and because the decrease half of a dipole (this outcomes from RF pores and skin impact on the defend outer floor). For additional particulars, you possibly can Google the subject of coaxial sleeve dipoles. On the finish of the day, we’ll see the way it carried out…
Time to get the antenna as excessive as I can into the treetops.
With my trusty Weaver Arborists Throw Bag I’ve success on the primary throw.
I’m guessing that I made it up about 30 ft. or so.
It took a bit of maneuvering to untangle among the line from the decrease tree branches.
The coaxial sleeve dipole has now been hoisted as excessive as it may possibly go. If my help line have been up a bit increased, it might function as a very vertical dipole. Nonetheless, I’ve it pulled out at a couple of 30 diploma angle in the direction of the SE course. This offers me a bit of increased angle of radiation to the SE, which is what I would like. Too low a propagation angle will simply be hindered by the close by mountain tops.
The blue extension transmission line I take advantage of to connect with the antenna coax is the equal of RG-316. On this case it’s Enviroflex 316, a top quality low-loss small diameter 50 transmission line. It may be bought by way of Digikey.
All of the whereas that I’m organising the antenna system, Alexis is stress-free and having fun with the present.
Time to start out calling CQ POTA. My KX2 energy degree is ready at 8 watts. (Uh-oh, is that QRO?)
This shall be my working place for the following 4.5 hours.
The climate is a combination of cloud and solar. When it’s cloudy, it’s chilly. When it’s sunny, it’s scorching.
As at all times, I begin on 20m and attempt to bag no less than 10 contacts earlier than I transfer onto 17m and up.
My first 20m contact was made at 17:41 UTC (10:41 PST) with K2UPD in NY. Not dangerous for starters.
Over the following 25 minutes I bagged 14 contacts which included NY, CA, NC, NV, TX, CO, MO, OH, and UT.
Then I moved as much as 17m. From 18:37 to 18:45 UTC I bagged 3 extra contacts together with NM, TX, and CA. Then 17m died (or the 17m hams are taking a siesta).
Subsequent, I transfer as much as 15m. Solely 2 contacts which included TX and LA.
12m and 10m have been fully useless. No motion.
Shifting again all the way down to 17m. It has picked up. Over the following hour, I logged 9 extra contacts together with TX, FL, CA, OH, ON, MI, and NC.
For my finale, I drop again to 20m and take a look at some P2P contacts. I picked up 4 P2P contacts together with AK, MA, ND, and CA.
In spite of everything is claimed and carried out, I made a complete of 32 contacts over the course of about 4.5 hours. The coaxial sleeve dipole no less than appears to work and get the job carried out. How effectively is difficult to say. Nevertheless it does perform.
I don’t rush by way of my activations. In spite of everything, it’s a variety of work to stand up right here. I attempt to get as a lot airtime in as I can earlier than the trek again to the automobile.
All in all, it seems I used to be in a position to cowl most the USA from coast to coast, together with Alaska. As at all times, 20m is the bread-and-butter band with 17m and 15m because the gravy bands.
Now it’s time for the trek again to the Subaru Forester.
We hope you loved studying about our POTA backpacked-in activation from Wrinkly Face Provincial Park in southern BC, Canada.
Cheers,
Jeff – VE7EFF and Alexis – VE7LXE
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