AmateurRadio.com

Dave K1SWL and I spent a couple of hours at Winslow State Park at the base of Mt. Kearsarge this afternoon. It was 57F and really beautiful.

A nearby parking area serves as the trail-head for several hiking paths up the mountain. There are a few picnic tables in a small field nearby and we set up there.

Dave wanted to try out a new half wave wire and matching circuit he’d built. So he tossed a wire into a maple tree and pulled up the antenna. He used his KX3. He was already making a QSO on 20 meters as I was setting up.

A few feet away, I pulled up the 3-band LNR end fed wire. I supported it in the middle and used it as an inverted Vee. I had the 3-band MTR by KD1JV powered by 8 AA cells. The output is close to 3 watts. I made a quick contact with Ron K4UY in Alabama and received a 569 report.

As I finished I heard Dave working another station… VO1DD in Hearts Delight, Newfoundland. I called over and Dave gave me the frequency. When Dave signed, I gave the Newfoundland station a call. Doug gave me a 599 and we chatted for a minute. That was super.

In the meantime Dave was working a station in California. I never got the call, but had time to snap a quick photo of Dave before they signed.

I switched to 40 meters and happened to hear Joe N2CX calling CQ from an NPOTA site… the Clara Barton National Historic Site in Maryland. Fantastic! I gave Joe a call and received a 559. Joe left 40 meters before Dave could finish his California QSO, so Dave didn’t catch Joe this time around.

Now the sun started dipping below the trees and our picnic tables were in shade. Right away we began to feel the chill and packed up. It’s unlikely we’ll get another day this warm before the snow falls. Thank goodness we were able to take advantage of the opportunity.