Category Archives: Activities

Nashua Area Radio Society activities. Included is Field Day, our Annual Picnic, Tech Nights, On The Air Activations and much more.

Activities, Education and Training, Featured, General, Station Equipment

My Portable Gear and Organizing for a POTA Event

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One of the problems I face when I think of doing a POTA activation is what to bring and how best to organize my gear so I have what I need. The easiest thing to do is consider what you MUST have in your POTA equipment cache. Secondly, list the necessities to get your station on the air in the field. If you forget to bring the manual for your transceiver, some coax adapters, or various lengths of complete jumper coaxial cables, it might make the difference in whether or not you get on the air. I have two ‘bags’ plus my accessory bag containing everything I need to get up and running.

The first ‘bag’ is a hard case for my HF rig, VHF/UHF HT, power source, microphone, keyer, and antenna analyzer. Also included in this case are the operating manuals for the HF rig, the VHF/UHF HT, the power source, and the antenna analyzer.

The second ‘bag’ contains my antenna and coax. Within the confines of this small bag is my “Super Antenna” vertical, the precut-tuned radials from 80m through 10m. A mounting tripod, a ground spike antenna mount, a locking plier with a 3/8” to SO-239 connector welded to it, an HF frequency chart, and a 25’ length of RG-8X coaxial cable with PL-259 for the connection to the antenna end and a BNC connector on the other end for the input to my KX2 Rig. Plus, the tools to set the antenna up and set adjustments.

My accessory bag has various items I have sometimes seen needed on a portable radio setup. Although I am new to the POTA activations and hunting them, I have operated from many field locations in my 66 years as a ham radio operator.

MY GO-BOX CHECKLIST:

  • POTA Gear
    Elecraft KX2

    Elecraft KX2 w/KXPD2 keyer paddle & MH-3 Mic

  • Wouxon UV3D 2m/70cm HT & Whip Antennas
  • FlashFish 200W Solar Generator
  • Heil BM-17 earphones
  • Vibroflex Vibrokeyer CW paddle
  • AA-30 Antenna Analyzer
  • Solar-powered clock/thermometer
  • LED Light powered by Solar Generator
  • Frequency Reference Guide
  • Mini Log Book
  • FCC License
  • Elecraft KX2 Manual
  • FlashFish Solar Generator Manual
  • AA-30 Antenna Analyzer Manual 

MY ANTENNA GO-BAG LIST:

MP1C Super Antenna includes:

  • TM1 Low-Profile Tripod
  • UM2 Universal NVIS Super tilt Clamp Mount
  • SW1 Titanium Super whip

    POTA Gear
    MP1TRDX80 Superantenna
  • SP3 Super Spike Ground Mount
  • MC80 80-Meter Coil
  • MR Super Radial Sets = (40m-10m); (30m-17m); (80m-75m); (6m-4m-2m)
  • FG1 SWR Ruler
  • GB2 Super Go Bag
  • ER1 Extension rods
  • TW1 Telescopic Whip
  • PC1 HF Propagation Chart
  • Clamp and U-Bolt

Tools:

  • Hammer
  • Allen wrenches
  • Long-nose pliers/wire cutters
  • Adjustable crescent wrench

Extra Antenna items:

  • Locking pliers with 3/8”- SO-239 fitting
  • ~ 90’ of Extra flexible antenna wire
  • SIZE: The antenna extends to about 8ft tall. Collapsed Size: 12 inches. Go Bag Size: 13″x9″x3.5″ WEIGHT: The antenna weighs 1 pound. The antenna with accessories in the Go Bag is about 5 pounds. Maximum Power Rating: 500W SSB, 300W CW/DATA.
  • FREQUENCIES: ALL BANDS 80m, 75m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 11m, 10m meters (3.5MHz to 4.8MHz and 7MHz-30MHz) HF, plus VHF 6m (30MHz-54MHz) with a good SWR. Continuously tunes all frequencies: Marine, Government, NGO, CAP, MARS, EmComm, Shortwave, CB, etc. Direct Manual Tuning SuperSlider Coil, with Good SWR.
  • ANTENNA: The MP1C Antenna is at the heart of this high-performance system, with its high Q coil made of military-grade nickel beryllium resulting in repeatable precision.
  • TUNING: The FG1 Frequency Guide SWR Ruler calibrates a rigid polymer card in MHz and meter bands. With it, a good SWR is dialed in on all HF and VHF bands and then fine-tuned with my AA-30 Antenna Analyzer. There’s no need for an autotuner, but it can help extend the frequency range.
  • SUPERWHIP: The included SW1 ruggedized Titanium SuperWhip puts the Super Antenna in a ruggedized durability class beyond most regular ham antennas.
  • TRIPOD: The collapsible TM1 Low-Profile Tripod enables the antenna to be set up on any convenient flat surface, outdoors or indoors. 

ACCESSORY BAG CONTAINS:

  • 30-watt soldering iron w/solder
  • 3M waterproof Super 88 electrical tape
  • 3’ 50-Ohm BNC/BNC Coax Jumper Cable
  • 2’ 50-Ohm PL-259/PL-259 Coax Jumper Cable
  • AA Battery Pack for Wouxon UV3D HT
  • Assorted VHF/UHF, BNC, and SMA adaptors
  • AC/DC Power supply for KX2 and External Lithium-Ion

Fast Charger for the KX2’s KXBT2 battery

  • Wouxon UV3D battery charger
  • Bongo ties
  • LED flexible lamp
  • Multimeter
  • RCA to twin RCA splitter cable
  • USB to Micro cable
  • 5mm to 2.5mm 6’ audio cable
  • Programming cable for Wouxon UV3D
  • USB cable with AC to 5 VDC adapter
  • 2-Meter flexible J-Pole antenna w/BNC/PL-259/SMA adapters
  • Mini-bud earphones
  • External battery for cellphone – 9.6-watt hours – 5VDC in/5VDC out
  • Wall-wart power supply charger for Solar Generator 110/240 VAC in/15.0 VDC out
  • Transient voltage surge suppressor
  • MFJ Model 281 ClearTone external 8-ohm 4” speaker
  • 25-watt dummy load
  • Extra 2m/440 whip antennas

When building the case for the KX2 and the other items, I chose a hard-sided, oversized briefcase instead of a Pelican Box. I reasoned that I didn’t see the need for that order of protection with the way I operate on POTA activations. History may change my mind, but it has been more than adequate to serve my needs so far. I bought the case at Harbor Freight for $40.00. It came with pre-sliced foam for the bottom and an acoustic-like foam rubber top panel. The precut foam made it easy to make exact-size cuts to insert my Solar Generator and the KX2. The divider strips came with breakable stops to make it easy to make custom-divided sections in the case. I made a door-like cut in the top panel, and with Velcro, it now serves as a storage area for my manuals and paperwork. The total weight is around 15 pounds when loaded. Most of that weight is attributed to the 200W Solar Generator, about 4 pounds alone.

POTA GearThe internal KXBT2 Lithium-Ion battery pack In the KX2 provides 11 VDC @ 2.6 Ah, giving you about 8 hours of operation. It slowly recedes in power as the voltage decreases. The Solar generator plugs into the DC input of the KX2. When the power is less from the Lithium-Ion battery than the Solar Generator output, the KX2 automatically switches to the more prominent voltage source. I have a 100-watt foldable solar panel that inputs to the Solar Generator. However, you can’t charge its battery while it is running. Multiple Charging Outputs on the Generator Provide More Options: Features with AC/ DC/ USB OUTPUTS: 110 VAC output (200W), 2 DC outputs, 2 QC 3.0 quick charge USB ports, and 1 USB port (2.4A auto). It provides 151Wh (40800mAh) to power your transceiver, smartphone, tablet, laptop, camera, light, drones, fans, in-car appliances, CPAP machine, and more anytime. Triple Rechargeable Modes = Efficient Solar Generator: FlashFish power station’s Lithium-Ion battery pack can be charged by a 15-24-volt solar panel (not included), AC wall adapter, and car charger efficiently. There is no memory effect and no worry about battery capacity reduction.

Other items worth bringing along for your activation should include a lightweight, foldable table and a comfortable folding chair. A pop-up canopy is also a good idea if the weather is too sunny or the weather turns to rain. With all this gear, you might want to invest in a foldable wagon to haul it to your chosen spot after leaving your car. They typically cost about $70, but you will also find many uses around your home for them caring for household chores and at hamfests carrying about your newfound ‘treasures.’

A solar-powered 24-hour clock set to UTC gives me the exact time and the corresponding UTC date whenever I log my QSOs in a paper log book.

I now bring a wireless ‘Hot Spot’ from my cellphone carrier on these POTA activations. I can run my logging program on my tablet and use the wireless keyboard. I can still be online because I’ll have an Internet source at a reasonably remote location in the ‘Great North Woods’ of New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine.

Although not required, legally, having a photocopy of your FCC license handy or mounted somewhere on your Go-Box is a good idea. If law enforcement, park rangers, etc., question what you are doing, it usually alleviates their concern about your presence and actions once a Federally-issued license is recognized. If you are entering a State or Federally-owned National Park, it is always a good idea to ask the person at the entrance about your antenna and whether they have any rules about using the trees as a support source.

Always try your gear at home or a nearby field location before heading out on your outdoor radio adventure. Set it up approximately the same as you will at the POTA event. You will be better prepared after doing so and could benefit from any faux pas you encounter during this practice session.

73 es GL de Jack WMØG

Activities, Featured, General

October POTA Activation October 15th – Mount Kearsarge

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October’s POTA activation will bring us back to Winslow State Park on the flanks of Mount Kearsarge. This park has a huge picnic area that we have used in the past . I’ve personally talked to the ranger in charge so she knows us and she loves hams!  The plan is to meet at the Winslow trail parking area this is at the end of Winslow House road also known as Kearsarge Mountain rd In Warner at 11 am on October 15th .  Here is a link to a map detailing the area. In addition the route is well signed from the highway to destination  so it’s an easy to follow drive.

You’ll also want to go to the NH State parks website to get a parking pass. Here is a link to The NH State Parks page where you can get that pass. In addition you’ll want to bring a fleece jacket and rain jacket, bug spray, sun block and a picnic lunch if you’d like. Also bring your  HT if you have one.We’ll be at a higher altitude so you might like to get a few VHF/UHF contacts as well.

Mount Kearsarge POTA
typical POTA setup

This is a POTA mentoring event so we will have multiple stations and antennas setup on different bands with a POTA coach at each one quite similar to a field day setup. If this is your introduction to POTA (Parks on The Air) fear not we can answer your questions and help you get on the air. All that’s needed is a willingness to learn. You don’t even need a ham radio license the coaches can be the control operator so bring an unlicensed friend!

If you have a mobile rig we will be listening to the N1IMO network of repeaters and  146.52 as well for chatting on our way up. If you have a GPS the physical address is 475 Kearsarge Mountain Rd. Wilmot, NH 03287. Make sure your GPS doesn’t try to default to another town. There are multiple towns in the area with Kearsarge Mountain in the name . If you have any questions email me and I can send more detailed instructions. It would be a good idea to email me anyway so we can get an idea of how many people to expect. My email is [email protected].

Hope to see you at the Mount Kearsarge POTA!

73′

Jim K1BRM

Activities, General, Station Equipment

Using My “Shack-In-A-Box” on a POTA Activation

Recently, I was asked not only how I made out during the Nashua Area Radio Society’s Sep 3, 2023 Club POTA activation from Rollins State Park (K-2676) and Kearsarge Mountain State Forest (K-4918) (it’s a two-fer), but what the gear was that I used.  So I decided to “pen” an article with some of the details.

The Box

Jay Francis, KA1PQK and I decided to put my go-box to the test in the field during this activation.  It is an unassuming, little old “shack in a box”… although it is a large box… a large dayglow yellow box. So, maybe it isn’t all that little or unassuming after all.  But I digress.

Apache 4800 for POTA
My unassuming go-box (the name plate in the center came from HamCrazy.com)

The go-box itself is built around Harbor Freight’s largest protective waterproof ABS case, the Apache 4800. Despite its size, the case lends itself to portability.  I literally only need to grab it and my trusty modified Lenovo N23 Chromebook (more on that later) and head out the door. I’ve used this same model Apache case to ship photographic gear all over the country.  It works exceptionally well at protecting my gear at roughly 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of a similar Pelican case. I like that, after all, I am a ham.

The go-box contains everything else I will need for an activation in any mode…  SSB, CW, or digital. Altogether, the go-box weighs in at around 8 pounds… light enough to easily deploy to most places, but heavy enough that I don’t want to hike with it for a SOTA activation.

The Station

The Radios

The station itself is designed around a Xiegu G90 SDR Transceiver. The G90 is a 20w, all mode, 10-160m SDR radio with some incredible features for such a reasonably priced rig. It has a built-in antenna tuner that will match nearly anything you can throw at it, a (small but useful) waterfall display, DSP noise reduction, etc.  The G90 is powered by a Talentcell rechargeable 12V 6000mAh Lithium-ion battery pack. While intended to charge cell phones via it’s 5v USB ports, the Talentcell has a very convenient 12v output port as well, and provides me with up to 2.5 hours of operating at reasonable output power for the radio.

For SSB, I use the stock Xiegu mic that came with the G90.  Surprisingly, for a $450 rig, I have received several positive comments on audio quality! For CW, I use a CW Morse paddle.  It is small, but hefty enough that it won’t move around the table when I am using it. As the G90 requires additional hardware for digital interfacing, I use a Xiegu CE19 digital interface kit connected to a Raspberry Pi 4b to allow me to operate FT8, RTTY, and other digital modes.

Finally, I have the Xiegu OEM CI-V USB cable that connects the radio to the Pi allowing for rig control and automatic frequency capture in the various software apps that I use.  Xiegu radios use the ICOM CI-V protocols for rig control, which makes them (generally) easy to set up and use.

The go-box also contains a QYT dual band mobile FM radio, powered by an external battery.  However, we did not use this radio on the activation.

The Antennas

All the RF is forced out of the radio into an MFJ-1899T portable vertical (which also lives in the Apache case when stored). The antenna  attaches at the back of the rig to a right-angle connector with a PL259-to-BNC adapter on it.  I also have a premeasured and marked counterpoise connected to the G90’s ground point that I deploy to improve the signal.

Jay brought his portable vertical setup as well.  It’s an MFJ 2286 portable 7-55MHz antenna on a Husky telescoping tripod.  We switched antennas from the 1899T to Jay’s 2286 roughly halfway through the activation.  Although I don’t have any empirical data, and my memory is like that of a 130-year-old, I recall that Jay’s vertical worked quite a bit better.  No surprise, given that the 1899T is a true compromise antenna.  But it does make Q’s.

WE1H go-box bottom
View of the bottom of the go-box containing the radios and stored antenna.

The Computer

The Pi is powered separately from the radio’s power source by an Iniu 10,000 mAh 5v battery and can run for 6 or so hours on a single charge.  As the Pi’s integrated audio hardware is insufficient for use with digital modes, I use an inexpensive Sabrent USB audio dongle which works nicely. For time synchronization, I either manually update the time on the Pi (as was the case on this POTA activation) or use a U-Blox USB GPS dongle connected to the Pi for a GPS time source.  I did bring a new solar charger setup with me on this activation, but never deployed it.

The Software

The software on the Pi is a critical part of the entire solution, without which, the whole “shack in a box” concept goes out the window (ask me how I know this).  At the base is the Raspberry Pi O/S, which I built from KM4ACK’s awesome Build-a-Pi solution. Although BAP is being replaced by 73 Linux, it is still an excellent quick deployment solution for a Raspberry Pi.  The Pi contains a host of software applications that you would find in any shack, as well as some that are specifically EMCOMM related, and some that facilitate portable operation.  I’ll go through what we used during the activation and leave the other details for a future article perhaps.

The Pi also has a hot-spot solution that auto starts when no known network is detected.  The hot-spot is the real key to the overall shack-in a box solution though… but more on that later. For rig control, FLRig is my go to – it allows FLDigi, WSJT, and my logging program, CQR Log, to have connectivity to the radio.  When operating SSB or CW, I simply fire up CQR Log and it starts FLRig, which connects to the radio, and I am off to the races.  If I am instead  operating digital using WSJT or FLDigi, I need only to tell CQR Log to start either program, and it seamlessly connects and shares QSO data (I say seamlessly now, not so much until I truly figured out how to integrate the software pieces… but that’s for another article too).

WE1H go-box top view
View of the top of the go-box case. All of the components are secured to the  top by industrial strength Velcro fasteners. Some improvements were made post-activation to control the cables and wires better, and clean things up.

The “Other” Computer

Truly attentive readers may have noticed something missing though…  a screen with which to view the Pi desktop.  That’s kind of important.  This is where the hot-spot feature of the Pi is really handy.  It’s also where my Lenovo Chromebook comes into play.  Although in reality, the Lenovo is no longer a Chromebook per se, but more of a “Linuxbook”.  I removed Chrome from it and installed Debian Linux instead. There are videos on YouTube as to how to do this.  It’s a great way to “rehab” an outdated Chromebook that cost $7 on eBay, and Linux is a great choice for portable ops as it is so much more flexible than Windows (in my opinion).  I use the Linuxbook to VNC into the Pi and view the desktop.  It is a slick solution that I admittedly copied from others.  Any device with a VNC software app can be used, provided it can connect to the Pi’s hot-spot network (you do however need to know the password to the hot spot, which I now have written down).  This includes Windows systems, iOS devices, Linux devices, Android devices, etc. In a real EMCOMM situation, that level of flexibility is nice.

The decision to include a Pi in the go-box was a simple one for me…  having a preconfigured hardware / software solution with all of my apps in a single self-supporting enclosure requiring only a VNC capable device to operate it seemed like a pretty cool idea.  So far, barring some experimentation and poor decision making by yours truly, it has proven mostly reliable.

Results

So, how did it do during the activation?  We made 23 QSO’s running anywhere from 5 to 20 watts:  21 FT8, and 2 SSB.  We contacted hunters all over the country…  TX, OK, MS, NC, SC, IL, NH, GA, and even a DX station in England.  Several park-goers stopped and talked to us about what we were doing, and we got to explain Ham Radio and POTA to a number of them.  While it certainly proved a useable solution for the activation, I am constantly looking at ways to refine it and make it better and more “bullet proof”.

Deployed WE1H go-box POTA
The “fully deployed” box ready for operating.

Here are some links to the various components of the go-box in case you are interested in more details:

Apache 4800 case: https://www.harborfreight.com/4800-weatherproof-protective-case-x-large-yellow-56865.html

Xiegu G-90: https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-016772

Raspberry Pi 4b: https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-4-desktop-kit/

Sabrent USB Audio: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

KM4ACK Build-a-Pi: https://github.com/km4ack

WSJT: https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/wsjtx.html

FLDigi: http://www.w1hkj.com/

CQR Log: https://www.cqrlog.com/

U-Blox GPS: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NWEEWW8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

MFJ 1899T Antenna: https://mfjenterprises.com/products/mfj-1899t

MFJ 2286 Antenna: https://mfjenterprises.com/products/mfj-2286

Husky K40366 Tripod: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Universal-Telescoping-Tripod-K40366/319012088

Iniu Battery https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MBQS368/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Talentcell Battery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ME3ZH7C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Apache case ID tag: https://www.hamcrazy.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=44

If you decide to build your own go-box, have fun, get creative, and post some pics on the N1FD.org site!

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