Many due to Bob (K4RLC) who shares the next visitor put up:
by Bob (K4RLC)
In December, I did the ARRL 10 Meter Contest from Jordan Lake State Recreation Space US-3844, close to Apex, North Carolina. This contest shouldn’t be as aggressive as a few of the classics just like the CQ WW CW or ARRL DX CW contests, so it could afford an individual with a smaller station and/or much less contesting expertise a great time. As the competition is held the second week in December, it mainly is a daytime-only contest since propagation is nearly nonexistent after darkish on 10 Meters.
For this contest weekend, I had a number of competing private and household actions. I selected Jordan Lake State Leisure Space (US-3844), about 30 miles from our home, so I may return to Raleigh Saturday evening, then drive again Sunday.
I took our Winnebago Solis, the smallest Winnebago, as Alanna and I gave up tent tenting just a few years in the past. The Solis is an excellent camper van on a Dodge ProMaster chassis that sleeps three, has a propane-powered furnace and two-burner range, and a fridge that may be powered both by propane or by the 140 W photo voltaic panels on high of the van, loading up two 100 amp-hour AGM batteries. You’ll be able to boondock for days or benefit from the luxurious of “shore energy.”
I went out to Jordan Lake late Friday afternoon and arrange an inverted V which I hoped would supply a little bit of acquire. I had large plans for constructing acquire antennas for the competition (equivalent to a Double Half-Sq. Curtain array or vertical Diamond), however for numerous causes, this sadly didn’t occur. I additionally needed to function transportable simply as I do my POTA and SOTA actions and never from the house QTH. The rig was the Elecraft KX2, an impressive rig that you could pound away on for a contest, simply as we do with the Elecraft K3 on Subject Day.
It was already darkish when the competition began Friday evening. Whereas consuming the stereotypical solo male dinner of Dinty Moore Beef Stew proper out of the cooking pot (Alanna didn’t accompany me for this outing), I heard solely two stations—large gun stations in my very own county. Nevertheless, the band got here alive after dawn Saturday, with the Western and Northwestern Europeans booming in. After making an attempt the non-resonant inverted V, it quickly turned obvious I would wish to make use of my fallback antenna: a 10-foot telescoping whip, no coil, on a tripod, resting on a 3’ x 7’ piece of display screen wire from Lowe’s.
Shortly, I used to be working such various stations as Finland, Germany, Scotland, and Croatia. Regardless of being much less intense than some contests, most stations have been working between 30 and 34 phrases a minute. For the DX change, after a sign report, they provide the serial variety of your contact. This required some fairly intense focus and listening for my previous mind, notably as I operated within the “Unassisted” class. That’s, working with out use of a pc or some other recognizing and/or decoding units. As an alternative, all my decoding occurred strictly between the ears—the unique decoder—helped by a number of robust espresso from a Stanley French Press Espresso Maker our daughter Lauren KA4LHC gave me. Logging was with an previous authorized pad and Bic pen.
I used to be amazed at how nicely I did with 5 watts and the KX2. Within the early phases of contests, contesters are avid to make as many straightforward contacts as doable and sometimes will surrender on a harder-to-copy low-power station after one or two tries and transfer on. On my finish, I needed to attempt a number of occasions for a station to repeat my name, which actually slowed down my QSO price. GM5X in Scotland was sort and affected person sufficient to take 5 tries to get my name and change. Having fun with the gorgeous park website and making good contacts, the morning rapidly morphed into afternoon, at which level the primary of my “different obligations” required me to cease and drive again to city.
Alanna and I had been invited to a Christmas occasion on the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion by outgoing Governor Roy Cooper, a beautiful and type chief. Alanna could be very tolerant of my radio adventures, however she would kill me if I missed this one. Nor would she prefer it if I confirmed up unshowered in my radio activation apparel. 🙂 Notably, Gov. Cooper is a fan of novice radio, particularly appreciating its very important position in previous climate emergencies and notably latest catastrophe operations after the tragic outcomes of Hurricane Helene this fall in Western North Carolina.
As entry to the park was closed for the evening, Alanna and I went again residence nonetheless having fun with the fantastic thing about the previous Victorian governor’s mansion and its 5 Christmas timber, in addition to being handled to North Carolina delicacies equivalent to smoked mountain trout.
The subsequent morning, I had volunteered to be a fill-in instructor for our grownup Sunday faculty class, having forgotten concerning the contest manner again. It labored nicely. The primary scripture I taught was from the Prophet Isaiah on endurance. God is aware of it takes a variety of endurance to be a QRP CW operator. 🙂 The second scripture was from our previous good friend the Apostle Paul, on the advantage of pleasure—transferring past temporal happiness to appreciation and reward for the enjoyment of life infused by Our Creator.
What brings you pleasure and provides your life that means? For Alanna and me, household is all the time first. However ham radio brings me unimaginable pleasure, each from the technical facet of working radios and designing antennas, in addition to the unimaginable mates I’ve met by radio, although I’ve by no means talked with some face-to-face. After educating Sunday faculty and attending a spirit-filled Christmas cantata service, I rushed residence to alter again into radio operations apparel and headed again to Jordan Lake to arrange the vertical once more and get again to contesting.
Sunday afternoons in contests are considerably extra relaxed. A lot of the Huge Weapons have labored 1000’s of stations by then and lots of occasions will take time to hear for and work a QRP (weaker sign) operator. There are additionally the extra informal contesters then accessible for contacts. So, in some methods, it was extra gratifying working Sunday afternoon.
The bizarre factor is that in inspecting the propagation sample, Saturday morning I used to be mainly working Western and Northwestern Europe. Sunday afternoon, it was virtually all Western United States and West and Northwest Canada, together with the Northwest Territories. I even received two Hawaii contacts, however darn it, none from Alaska.
For North America, whereas the vertical ought to have been omni-directional, I didn’t work any stations in Areas 1, 2, or 3, however principally west of the Mississippi. Will need to have been a great takeoff angle for DX.
More often than not, I used to be “looking and pouncing” for stations. I attempted working, however only some stations answered my name. I assume as a result of I used to be QRP and sending within the decrease 20s, the Huge Weapons didn’t wish to reply. I additionally thought that since I used to be at a POTA website, I’d have labored a variety of POTA stations; not so.
Earlier than packing up Monday morning, I assumed I’d attempt 40 M with the inverted V and labored a number of stations with good sign studies. I nonetheless can’t determine why the inverted V didn’t do nicely for 10 M, however I’ll attempt to determine that out earlier than subsequent December. Or, construct and take a look at one of many acquire antennas at residence nicely earlier than the subsequent contest.
Total, it was a really attention-grabbing weekend between tenting within the Solis; being on the Governor’s mansion reception; educating Sunday faculty and attending the Christmas cantata at church; and working the competition from Jordan Lake. The climate was chilly, however the Truma VarioHeat furnace saved the Solis tremendous toasty—not like my previous winter tent tenting days in northern Michigan.
Whereas I used to be usually glad I may work and duplicate the stations working within the 30s, I actually acknowledged the necessity for extra follow at larger WPM, because the 30s shouldn’t be but a straightforward or snug pace for me. This generally is a New 12 months’s decision.
Glad New 12 months to all and wishing you a lot nice activations in 2025!
73 DE K4RLC Bob (Edited by K4AAC Alanna)
