Editor observe – Please get pleasure from this visitor put up from Conrad Troutmann N2YCH.
Thanks “deputy” Vince, VE6LK, for aiding in managing some visitor contributor posts for QRPer.com. I’m so completely satisfied to listen to Thomas and his household rode the storm out safely and ship him my finest needs and hope issues return to regular quickly. Right here’s my contribution to assist hold QRPer.com going whereas Thomas will get his home again so as. 73, Conrad, N2YCH
September 22, 2024
Recently, the excessive frequency bands (15/12/10 meters) have been hit and miss, largely on account of latest house climate occasions. At present, having a look at WSPR beacon reception at my QTH on the High Spotters website, I seen that 10 meters was open and I used to be recognizing fairly just a few stations on the band.
The climate right here was sunny and delightful and my batteries had been all charged up, so it appeared like all indicators had been pointing to a POTA activation at Silver Sands State Park, US-1716. I normally activate on 20 meters, nonetheless with 10 open, I assumed I’d attempt for some DX and provides hunters that don’t usually hear me on 20 an opportunity to get the park. Once I was making an attempt for my Labored All States POTA award, I appreciated it when the Hawaii and Alaska activators activated on the upper bands so I had an opportunity to get all of them the way in which from the East Coast. I wish to return the favor once I can.
I made a decision to provide my Elecraft KX2 a exercise as nicely. Paired with my Buddipole vertical up 10’, I figured I might do nicely.
I received arrange, checked and adjusted my pc time utilizing JTSync and began calling CQ POTA on FT8. I known as and known as and nobody answered. I checked PSKReporter and I used to be being noticed, however nonetheless, no solutions. I used to be receiving nicely, the truth is, I used to be choosing up stations as distant as South Africa. “Whats up, is that this factor working? Are you able to hear me now?”
Simply to make sure my tools was working, I shifted to “hunt and pounce” mode. Quite than name CQ, I began answering stations who had been calling CQ. It’s not my most well-liked strategy to get the QSO’s wanted to formally activate the park, however generally that’s what it’s essential to do. I’ve JTAlert set to kind acquired stations from strongest acquired alerts to weakest. I’ve discovered primarily based on prior expertise that my possibilities of finishing a QSO are a lot greater with stations that I’m receiving with sturdy alerts. So, I answered a CQ for a station in Texas coming in at +19 and he answered straight away. One within the log.
I did this for the following half-hour or so and managed to get six stations, about half I known as and the opposite half answered my CQ. I moved across the waterfall searching for openings, but it surely was busy and difficult. Only for grins, I made a decision to see if FT4 was lively. Positive sufficient, I used to be receiving many stations there as nicely. I known as CQ and instantly had stations answering. I did the remainder of the activation on FT4 and had a gradual stream of callers. I accomplished the activation with 17 whole QSO’s, my map is under. I make these maps utilizing the Journey Radio log analyzer. You may import the identical log you add to the POTA web page and put the grid sq. in and it generates the map.
Apparently, the entire USA contacts had been on FT8 and once I moved to FT4, I picked up the entire EU ones. I used to be completely satisfied to see after I uploaded my log to the POTA web site that nearly the entire hunters who received me had been lively POTA hunters and had accounts on the POTA website. The truth is, one was really a park-to-park QSO. PA4PA was on the Sluiswaai Nature Reserve, NL-0219 within the Netherlands.
Gear I used for this activation included:
Mission completed!
73 de N2YCH
