AmateurRadio.com

What an evening! Nearly 80 degrees and humid. Judy and I walked to Knox Mountain. I worked Spain, California, Cuba, Morocco, and Texas.

The hike in was fast in order to keep ahead of the mosquitoes. It was well rewarded by the view of the pond after the 1.5 mile hike.

As I approached the pond, a large gray heron swooped up in front of me and headed east to the other end of the pond. It was stunning. We walked around to the front of the cabin. Beautiful!

I tossed a line nearly 50 feet into the cherry tree at the edge of the pond and pulled up a 33 foot wire. I set up the KX3 and used the earchi.org 9 to 1 unun. At first I operated on 20 meters. I worked two Spanish stations in a row and lost them both at the very end to QSB.

After that things picked up a bit. California and Cuba on 20 meters, then I switched to 17 and worked Morocco and Texas. Here’s the log:

27 Aug-13 2134 14.008 EA5HFW CW 559 599 Spain
27 Aug-13 2140 14.013 EA8AGF CW 449 579 Spain
27 Aug-13 2145 14.022 N6QQ CW 559 599 CA
27 Aug-13 2146 14.011 CO6RD CW 599 599 Cuba
27 Aug-13 2155 18.086 CN8KD CW 599 599 Morocco
27 Aug-13 2156 18.075 WF5W CW 579 599 TX

Mid-way during the operating a hoot owl in the woods not far away let forth with several calls. It was remarkable. Down by the pond Judy was knitting some baby booties in the sunlight.

As I packed up the gear, a bunch of jays started squabbling down by the pond… a chorus of “Dee Dee… Dee Dee. As we headed down the path, I turned back for one more snapshot of the pond.

This afternoon I took a quick walk up the range road and into one of David Swain’s back fields. I worked France, New Mexico and Croatia.

The range road runs north from Hunkins Pond Road in Sanbornton… not far from where I live. I walked up about half a mile and then turned right toward the Dearborn farm. I stopped in Swain’s field.

The view was fantastic… to the south is the Belknap range. The grass is pretty high and David is doing the second hay cutting on his fields now.

At the edge of the field I tossed a wire into a maple tree. I sat right down in the grass along the stone wall and set up the KX3. I used a 33 foot wire with the earchi.org 9:1 unun.

I started out on 15 meters and answered Ollie F5IAE as soon as I turned on the rig. He was 579 and gave me a 559. “FB JOB UR NICE QRP,” he sent before signing.

Then I called Paul KW7D in New Mexico. He had just finished a contact with Ireland, and he gave me a 579. We chatted for a minute before saying goodbye.

Then I switched to 17 meters and heard Kiko 9A4WY in Croatia calling CQ. He gave me a 559 and was a strong 599. In all I made the 3 contacts in about 15 minutes.

I packed up the gear and headed back.

How fortunate to live in the countryside and have so many beautiful places from which to make radio contacts! To walk and bike through the hills, lane ways and fields of New Hampshire is a real privilege. And thanks to all of you who listen a bit harder for weak stations and make it all so rewarding.

This afternoon I rode my bike from East Andover to Dyers Crossing. I worked Cuba, Elba Island, Moscow, Tino Island and Slovenia.

I rode about 2 miles and turned off the trail onto an old road. Crossing the brook was a one-lane bridge. It was blocked off to traffic.

I walked out onto the bridge and heaved a 33 foot wire into a maple tree overhanging the bridge and sat down. I operated for 15 minutes on 17 meters and 20 meters. I used the KX3 at 5 watts. Both bands were in great shape. Here’s my log:

17 Aug-13  2042  18.077   CO8LY              CW 599 599 Cuba
17 Aug-13  2043  18.078   IA5/IZ5NFD   CW 599 599 Elba Island
17 Aug-13  2054  14.011   UA5C                 CW 599 599 Moscow
17 Aug-13  2055  14.012   IP1T                   CW 579 599 Tino Isl Light
17 Aug-13  2100  18.070   S51WO             CW 599 599 Slovenia

Tino Island Lighthouse – Italy

The afternoon was really perfect… about 75F and sunny. Ideal for a bike ride
through the fields and woods of New Hampshire. Working a little DX is
all I need to make the afternoon completely memorable.

This afternoon my wife Judy and I walked in some fields at the top of Shute Hill. I worked two stations in England and two U.S. stations.

We walked to the end of Rufus Colby Road, past Tommy Sheehan’s old house and up the range road through the woods.

After a ways we turned east toward Auger’s 20 acre field. There we turned right into a smaller field that had once been pasture. It was full of goldenrod, milkweed and blackeyed susans.

After walking across a few acres of land, we came to a break in a stone wall and walked into a second field.

It was at the edge of this field that I tossed a line into an oak tree. I pulled up a 10 meter wire and sat down on some moss.

There was a CW Ops sprint in progress and I quickly worked two stations in the mini contest: W6SX in California and K4VU in Alabama. Then I tuned down the band and heard my old friend Tom G3HGE finishing a QSO with another station. He was strong and answered my call right away. “It’s been a long time,” he sent and gave me a 579. Tom was a 599 as usual and we chatted for a few minutes. I’ve worked Tom many times while hiking, and I usually send him a picture or two. I promised him I would do so again and we said goodbye. I tuned down the band a bit and there was another English station, G4RFR. We exchanged quick 599s and signed. Romeo was operating a club station in Dorset.

What a thrill to take a quick afternoon walk in the countryside and work half way around the world. As G3HGE said when he signed, “It’s magical.”

It was a perfect afternoon for the NJ QRP Club Skeeter Hunt. I operated for an hour in Old Hill Village and made 13 contacts. Five QSOs were with fellow QRP operators. The rest were with DX stations from Finland, Germany, Romania, the Ukraine, Croatia and Italy.

This place has been abandoned since the 1940’s to make room for a flood control area. It was once a village. As I ride the bicycle along this road, I am transported back to the 1930’s. It has an old world feeling.

I turn east into a field that used to be the old elementary school grounds. One can almost hear the sounds of children playing from those years… or is it the crickets?

Up the slope several hundred yards is an ancient maple tree. This old tree certainly holds many secrets.

I throw my line over a high branch and pull up 33 feet of wire. I sit in the grass below with the KX3 and a notebook for logging. At first I go to 20 meters and work AB9CA and N0SS. But I don’t hear the QRP gang, and I start working the European stations in the WAE contest. I work both 15 and 20 meters. I stop by 40 meters and work K3RLL in the QRP sprint. Then I go back to 20 meters and log NK9G and WB4MNK. But I don’t hear many of the skeeter stations so I go back to the WAE.
Here is my log:

11 Aug-13 1822 14.060 AB9CA CW 559 559 AL 125
11 Aug-13 1825 14.060 N0SS CW 559 559 MO 20
11 Aug-13 1832 21.046 9A1AA CW 599 599 Croatia
11 Aug-13 1837 21.034 IR2C CW 599 599 Italy
11 Aug-13 1840 21.012 UU7J CW 599 599 Ukraine
11 Aug-13 1842 10.120 W3LN CW 549 579 PA ABE
11 Aug-13 1855 7.040 K3RLL CW 559 579 PA 25
11 Aug-13 1858 14.061 NK9G CW 559 559 WI 18
11 Aug-13 1900 14.060 WB4MNK CW 559 559 FL 95
11 Aug-13 1902 14.041 OH2XX CW 599 599 Finland
11 Aug-13 1903 14.042 DD2ML CW 599 599 Germany
11 Aug-13 1908 21.050 DJ8EW CW 599 599 Germany
11 Aug-13 1909 21.038 YP9W CW 599 599 Romania

After less than one hour, I pack up and head back down to the road for a bike ride.

I ride along the Pemigewasset River surrounded by the greenest green imaginable. The stillness of the afternoon is punctuated only by the sound of birds and crickets. Is there a nicer place in all the world?

This afternoon my wife and I took a quick bike ride along the old Northern Rail route in East Andover. I worked Spain, Paraguay, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg in 20 minutes of operating.

A mile or so down the trail is an old picnic table under a couple of pine trees… it’s a perfect spot for some quick operating. I heaved a line up about 40 feet and pulled up a wire. I set up the KX3 and opened the notebook. I started on 17 meters.

There were lots of strong stations and I logged three in a row. Then I switched to 20 meters where the WAE contest was going on. I worked three more and packed up to continue the ride. Here’s the log.

10 Aug-13 2053 18.070 EA8/DL7VOA CW 599 599 Spain
10 Aug-13 2058 18.075 ZP6CW CW 579 579 Paraguay
10 Aug-13 2105 18.079 I0JX CW 549 599 Italy
10 Aug-13 2111 14.019 SP9MZH CW 599 599 Poland
10 Aug-13 2114 14.010 PG2AA CW 599 599 Netherlands
10 Aug-13 2115 14.012 LX7I CW 599 599 Luxembourg

It was such a beautiful afternoon with warm sunshine filtering through the trees as we rode along. These glorious summer days are growing precious as August advances toward September. May this weather last…

Today my wife, Judy and I took a quick bike ride along the Winnipesaukee River. I stopped in a beautiful spot and operated for 15 minutes. I worked Macedonia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Italy.

What a glorious summer afternoon. The fields and farm land engulfed us as we rode along the trail in the warm sun. We stopped across from a small pond and walked into the woods and sat down on some rocks right at the river’s edge.

I heaved a 33 foot wire over some branches and set up the KX3 on the rocks. I operated on both 17 meters and 20 meters. There were plenty of strong stations on both bands. Here’s my log:

7 Aug-13 1950 14.010 Z320G CW 599 599 Macedonia
7 Aug-13 1955 14.009 9A2AJ CW 559 599 Croatia
7 Aug-13 2000 18.068 OK2AN CW 579 599 Czech Rep
7 Aug-13 2001 18.083 9A2YM CW 599 599 Croatia
7 Aug-13 2005 18.072 IK2SND CW 599 599 Italy

After making several QSOs, I packed up and got ready to head back. I’ve operated from this spot perhaps a half a dozen times. I’ve enjoyed it each time. I head up the hill to the bicycle and ride back.