QRP in the Driftless

 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!

 So, filled with enthusiasm by my success a few days earlier, I went back to Mill Bluff S. P. on Tuesday, the 11th.     Same rig, same antenna, same location, but this time only 4 QSOs resulted. Did some useful stuff, like getting my new EFHW all ready to deploy, and learned that my abysmally cheap phone plan does not allow me to hotspot. I bought that 24 foot surveyor's pole at a hamfest back in the mists of time and it has been sitting in a corner of my workshop / shack ever since.  Maybe it will finally get some use!

Last Saturday morning, (October 8th, 2022) I was at Mill Bluff State Park , K-1463 to try for an activation.   Mill Bluff is a very nice park, not too far from home, that I often enjoy for hiking.    Its unique geological features make it a part of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve.     The trail around Camel Bluff is a pretty hike any time of year, the Nature Trail around the base of Mill Bluff is short, pleasant, and partially handicap-accessible, and the 223 steps on the stairway to the top of Mill Bluff offer great exercise as well as some fine views.   On a hot summer day, it's nice to refresh after hiking with a quick swim in the pond near the campsites.  I operated from the top of Mill Bluff on Field Day 2022 a few months ago.  Near the picnic shelter at one of the trailheads I found a table with two convenient trees, where I quickly set up the Xiegu X6100 and the simplest of wire antennas; 2 pieces of #26 silicone-co...

  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...