Driftless QRP is moving !

Blogging about QRP operation has been so much fun, I decided to upgrade, and earlier this month, I got the domain driftlessqrp.com , and I will be posting new content at that URL from now on.

Thanks for the great (free!) start, Blogspot.com and Google!


A picture of my Xiegu X-6100 field pack, taken in late September, 2022 on the back porch.



Early morning on the top of Mill Bluff in August.

Thanks for visiting Driftless QRP !











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Field Day 2022

Image
  I really had forgotten that it was Field Day weekend when I went out on Sunday morning to play with the new X6100.     Imagine my surprise when the first thing I heard was the words "CQ Field Day" ! The antenna is just two pieces of 26 gauge silicone-covered wire on a BNC / binding post adapter, which is within the 2:1 SWR range over the whole 20 meter band without using the internal ATU. I was able to get only 3 QSO's in the log before the internal battery gave out, so I am fairly sure that when the results come out I will be the lowest score in the WI section; still it was my first FD in several years and I am very glad to have gotten on the air for it !      I am also glad that I had plenty of coffee ! The site is the overlook on top of Mill Bluff in Mill Bluff State Park  , POTA # K-1463      UPDATE! - January 6th, 2023:   in category 1B - Battery, my 3 QSOs earned 265 points; whether that really was the lowest score in WI Section is still an open question pending f
Read more

My first POTA activation

Image
This was on June 12th, 2022 at Wildcat Mountain State Park , K-1480 , in Vernon County, WI; EN43rq.       I had been having only limited success with the end-fed random wire antennas in the 26' - 28' range I had been using on my last few hikes, so for a POTA activation attempt I brought out the Buddipole Deluxe set that I bought at Dayton years ago,  along with everything else I could think of; lots of room in a minivan ! Setup was lengthy because I hadn't actually deployed the Buddipole in a long time; on the spot I decided on making a 20 meter vertical from the Buddipole In The Field book: the 12 foot whip on top of 2 arms with 4 radials, all fed from the tee.   With the extendable pole and the tripod I could get it high enough without needing trees or other structures. Using 3 different colors of mason's line for guying helps keep confusion to a minimum!     (there will still be enough for everyone!)       The guy ring is homemade from an extra-large 3/8" stainl
Read more

Plenty of EFHW kits!

Image
 In addition to the QRPguys EFHW kit that I purchased and built recently, I have a K6ARK and a 4 States QRP Club kit, all for similar-but-different EFHWs. So much to think about!  What ratio to use?  Toroids to wind!  And then the fun of setting up, deploying, and trimming!   Comparing them (is there much difference?).  Also, I just received a small box of 82-43 cores for additional experimenting, woohoo! I suspect that this project will run all winter on an on-and-off basis, sharing my available time with household maintenance and upgrade tasks. To Be Continued!
Read more