August 2025 – WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
5 posts published by WB3GCK during August 2025| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
5 posts published by WB3GCK during August 2025| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
Wait… It’s September already? Where did the summer go? Anyway, I observed the (unofficial) end of summer with a POTA/WWFF activation—and it was a fun one. I drove up to Norristown Farm State Park (US-4363, KFF-4363) for an early morning activation. I tend to do early activations to avoid the crowds. There was another reason … Continue reading "End of Summer Activation"| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
A while back I purchased one of AD8HK’s end-fed random wire (EFRW) antennas. I tried it for the first time during my ill-fated Flight of the Bumblebees (FOBB) outing. With everything that went wrong that day, the AD8HK antenna certainly deserved a better evaluation—at least one where I wasn’t in a panic over problems with … Continue reading "Round Two with the AD8HK EFRW"| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
Once again, the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt contest coincided with our annual family vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I’m certainly not a hardcore contester, but I wanted to set aside so…| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
In my last post, I talked about using a simple antenna comprising a 15-foot radiator, a 7.5-foot counterpoise, and a 4:1 unun. It worked well, but I found it a little touchy to tune on 40M. Today, I tried the same configuration, but with a slightly longer radiator and counterpoise. I wanted to add a … Continue reading "More Antenna Testing in Valley Forge"| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
On Wednesday, August 7th, I set out to do some antenna experimentation. So, why not get in a POTA/WWFF activation at the same time? To kill those two birds with one stone, I drove down to Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414). (Disclaimer: No birds were actually harmed during this activation.) I saw some discussion … Continue reading "Antenna Testing at Ridley Creek"| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
I normally have my old YouKits HB-1B nearby as a backup radio. In that role, it spends a fair amount of time tucked away under the backseat of my truck. I hadn’t used it in a few months, so I fired…| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
I have been off the air for the past couple of weeks, so I set out to do something about that this morning. Taking advantage of some milder weather, I did some picnic-table-portable operating from …| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
5 posts published by WB3GCK during July 2025| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
Actually, this bumblebee barely got off the ground at all this year. It started off with a heartbreaking rig failure and ended with some horrendous local noise. I had a late-breaking change of plans this week. I originally planned to operate in the Flight of the Bumblebees (FOBB) contest from a nearby POTA entity. Instead, … Continue reading "The Disastrous Flight of Bumblebee 24"| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
I’m at the stage in my life when I should be “thinning the herd” when it comes to radios. So, what do I do? Instead of getting rid of some stuff, I fire off an order to Elecraft for a KH1 Edgewood package. I need another QRP rig like a hole in the head, but … Continue reading "I Went and Did It"| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
Wanting to take advantage of the excellent weather today, I drove up to Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351) for a quick morning activation. I wanted to give my Gabil GRA-7350TC vertical some a…| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
I made some contacts in the monthly Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) Weekend Sprintathon (WES) this morning and completed a POTA activation while I was at it. My operating site today was Ridley Creek State Park (US-1414, KFF-1414). I rolled into one of my favorite spots and set up my table and chair in the … Continue reading "WES & POTA at Ridley Creek"| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
Another Boschveldt QRP Club Field Day is in the books. This year’s outing was a little different for our little group. Besides operating with a skeleton crew, we had a few weather challenges. But t…| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
The (far) better half and I took the trailer back to French Creek State Park (US-1355, KFF-1355) for a weekend of camping. We were hoping for some nice weather, but Mother Nature had other plans in…| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
1 post published by WB3GCK during June 2025| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
I recently spent six days out in Central Pennsylvania on house- & puppy sitting duty again. I got to spend some quality time with my grand-dog, Belle, and got in some radio time, too. Grand-dog…| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
I made a quick trip over to nearby Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761) this morning. It almost didn’t happen, but it turned out to be a fun morning. Located a few miles from m…| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
Whenever I buy parts for a project, I always buy one or two extras. Over the years, I’ve amassed a sizable collection of random parts. Some of it will never be used, but sometimes my collection of …| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
When camping or on vacation, one of my go-to antennas is a simple 29.5-foot wire and 9:1 unun. In these situations, the antenna is usually up for days, and I have to use plastic shopping bags to pr…| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
You have probably seen Amazing GOOP® in your local hardware store. This product with the funny-sounding name has been around for decades. I’ve been using it for ham radio applications for the…| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
Posts about speaker wire antennas written by WB3GCK| WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio
