A Grand Day Out - QRP Portable

With apologies to Wallace and Gromit.

I was able to operate portable four times this year.  Briefly, here are some photos and comments.

Texas State Parks on the Air (TSPOTA)

I operated only on Saturday - April 7th.  As it was cool (~39F), damp and threatening rain, I elected to operate while sitting in the car at Longhorn Cavern State Park (EM00tq).  I only made 15 QSOs  No other Texas state parks were heard.  As of this writing, no scores have been posted.  Used the K1 @ 5W with a 20M dipole.  This is a pleasant and scenic location, and my closest state park.




QRP to the Field (QRPTTF)

Two weeks after the TSPOTA event, I was out again - this time at Black Rock Park in Llano County (EM00ss).  More on Black Rock Park later.  Rig was again the K1 and this time I hung a 40M EFHW in addition to the 20M dipole.  25 QSOs was good enough to get me into the top five..  Got to meet a dog named Gussie.  She was interested in my stash of Ritz crackers.


The Flight of the Bumblebees (FotBBs)

This was on the 29th of July and again at Black Rock Park.  I made 29 QSOs and had another good time.  It was very warm and lots of folks were enjoying the park.  Same rig as above.


The Skeeter Hunt

This was on the 29th of August and once more at Black Rock Park.  Again 29 QSOs with the K1 @ 5W, the 20M dipole and the 40M EFHW.


More on Black Rock Park

This park, on the west side of Lake Buchanan, is operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA).  This is not a state park, but is operated in a similar manner.  In my experience, these parks are very popular with families, especially in the summertime.  I would strongly suggest reservations or getting there early and being flexible.  Here are some links:

LCRA

Black Rock Park

I had a very good experience at this park.  The staff was both friendly and very helpful.  I did a scouting run through the park early in 2018 and made note of the sites with 20 and 40M spaced trees.  :-)   No one seemed to have any problem with me hanging antennas - and on my last visit, I was greeted with, "Oh, you're that radio guy."




cln - Nick
WB5BKL

2015 Skeeter Hunt

The New Jersey QRP Club's Skeeter Hunt will be the last QRP field event for me this summer.  Here's a photo at my favorite spot in Longhorn Cavern State Park:

My score this year was not as good as in previous outings (I will blame it on propagation), but I did have a good time - as usual.  Also, temperatures were not as hot as in previous years - it only reached around 104F - but there was a breeze most of the time and I had nice shade from two cedar trees.

This year - just for fun - I tried my first video:  Click here.


Since I run Linux, I used 'Openshot'.  After a couple of tutorials on the web and a couple of misfires, I got the basic concepts and I had a lot of fun working on it.  

This year had a couple of other firsts - I visited with my first park ranger/employee (this location is quite a ways from the main park area) and explained how I managed the antennas (a fishing pole, 7-pound-test line and a brightly colored sinker along with nylon twine).  And, yes, they went up and down each visit.

Also, I found this, which was interesting.  This area is moderately popular for its view of the Colorado River, Kingsland (the closest town) and Packsaddle Mountain (SOTA:  W5T/EF-003).  Not too bad a location for that purpose, I guess.  Not exactly my first choice, but as my old friend Murel used to say, "That's why there are red cars and green cars and blue cars..."

My thanks to the NJQRP Club and to W2LJ (the organizer - who I actually worked!).

Had fun.

WB5BKL - Nick