W1PID's Outdoor Radio

This afternoon I borrowed Uncle Don’s bicycle and rode a mile or so east from my daughter’s house. I stopped along Rice Patch Beach and worked Newport Beach, CA.

The little strip of beach is only 5 or 6 feet wide… just enough room to sit down under a Kiawe tree. I threw a 33 foot wire over the tallest branch. The wind wanted to tangle the lines, but it went together without a problem. As soon as I hooked everything up, I heard Earle, AB6WL calling CQ. He had a very strong signal and came right back to me.

“Very nice to meet you on Molokai. Hope UR having a good time,” Earle sent. I told him the wind was nearly 35 MPH and the waves were lapping at my feet! I was afraid the water would wash over the rig any minute.

Earle gave me a 559. He was certainly 599. What fun to make a quick contact from along the roadside. The forecast for New Hampshire is calling for 12 to 16 inches of snow! We’re leaving here in four days. (sad)

Location is everything! Today we are at the Fishpond Cottage on the south shore of Molokai, Hawaii. No wind. No steep surrounding mountains. I made contacts easily… Alberta, Canada and Japan.

The fishpond is an ancient rock enclosure used for trapping fish. The fish enter at high tide and are trapped as the tide goes out.

I set up under a kiawe tree at the edge of the fishpond. I used a half wave wire as a vertical. As soon as I turned on the rig I heard VE6QX calling CQ on 20 meters. Dwayne gave me a 549 from Red Deer, Alberta and sent “UR SOLID JIM.” We chatted for a minute and the band changed. I was so glad to make a contact easily. I was a bit discouraged after the difficulties making QSOs at Yamashita Bay.

I tuned up the band, and just as quickly heard Shin, JA1NUT calling CQ. He answered right away and also gave me a 549. We chatted for 15 minutes. Shin asked about the equipment and the antenna, then sent, “UR QRP doing a great job.”

Yesterday, we hiked in a remote rain forest and ended up at Pelekunu, a high mountain peak with waterfalls and views toward the north shore. The place is known to few, but one of Catherine’s friends used to be a forest ranger and worked in the remote area every day for several years. Tyson was a perfect guide. What a treat!

I had never seen a rain forest. I can’t begin to describe the vegetation, but everything was covered with moss and droplets of water fell from every plant. It was like visiting a different planet. We walked along an 8-inch board walkway… not just to preserve the environment but also to keep us from sinking into the soft, muddy ground. A few times we lost balance and went nearly up to our knees in muck. Overhead branches provided frequent opportunities for head banging.

At the top we peered out from a sheer cliff over several thousand feet of forest below. I stayed back from the edge!

Merry Christmas to you all. Jim

Today we left Yamashita Bay. I operated for 4  different days from here. I made contacts every day, but it wasn’t easy. My throw-it-up antenna that works so well in New Hampshire doesn’t cut it. Five watts may not cut it either. At home I make several contacts in 5 or 10 minutes. Here it takes 20 minutes or so to make just one. I’ll get a chance to try in a different area tomorrow. We are going to the Fishpond Cottage on the south shore.

I thought being right on the salt water would make everything really easy. But this place is REALLY isolated. I know being surrounded by steep hillsides isn’t helping either. So far all the contacts except for one were made with a horizontal half-wave wire. Only one was made with a vertical. If I come again I’ll ship an 88 foot dipole and a tuner ahead of time. Here’s my log to date:

14 Dec-12 2259 14.030 KB6VSE CW 449 599 CA
15 Dec-12 0032 14.012 7L1WII CW 559 579 Japan
16 Dec-12 0307 14.017 KH6MB CW 559 559 Hawaii
16 Dec-12 1905 14.013 KN7T CW 559 599 WA
17 Dec-12 0114 14.006 W7SW CW 599 599 AZ
17 Dec-12 1955 14.026 AH6V CW 539 579 HI
18 Dec-12 0010 14.025 N3MD CW 559 599 CA
20 Dec-12 0100 14.012 N6VR CW 559 599 AZ

Here’s a picture from the shore:

Yesterday, Judy and I flew from New Hampshire to Molokai, Hawaii to visit our daughter, Catherine. We are staying at a friend’s house while the owner is away. The place is stunning. Think of a classic South Pacific getaway… and this is it! Today I made two QSOs… one with California and one with Japan. Operating here is SO different from being portable in New Hampshire.

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Before leaving I had mailed a box containing the HB-1B, the Par End-Fedz tuner and wire, a lithium battery, and accessories. Late last evening I ran a 33 foot wire vertically from a palm tree. I didn’t have any luck. 20 meters had already gone to bed. I used a 66 foot wire to try 40 meters. No luck there either.

There are a few problems. First we’re roughly 3000 miles from the nearest land. There aren’t a whole lot of signals. Secondly, we’re surrounded by hills and have no access to the horizon except for an opening of about 35 degrees toward the Southeast. I have to relearn a few things.

This afternoon I strung the 33 foot wire as a sloper to a palm tree. The wind has been nearly 40 MPH and it’s pretty wild. The wire is bobbing up and down. Anyway, just before lunch I tuned around 20 meters. After trying a dozen weaker stations, I finally made a QSO. KB6VSE was calling CQ and he was strong. Steve in California gave me a 449. He was running 75W to a doublet, and was 599. I was encouraged.

Right after lunch, I tried again. This time I heard 7L1WII calling CQ. He gave me a 559 and I gave him a 579. Now, I am elated. I know there’s hope for making some more contacts over the next several days here.

I’ll post again

Fall colors are starting to show. I could see them everywhere during my brief bike ride in East Andover. I stopped on the trail at a small brook, and set up at a picnic table. I worked Russia, Czech Republic and England.

It was a short afternoon ride… maybe three miles. On a whim I stopped by a small bridge and set up some gear. I stayed on 20 meters with a half wave wire and 4 watts from the HB-1B. Right off I heard Alex, R2UZ in Russia calling CQ. He answered and gave me a 559.  Up the band a bit, Jan OK1RO in the Czech Republic gave me a 569. A few minutes later, I came across Dave, G0GKH. He gave me a 569, but said there was lots of QSB on my signal. Non-the-less, he copied all of my information. He was running 100 watts to a G5RV.

After 15 minutes of operating, I packed up and continued on the ride. It was a perfect day for an outing. The sun was warm even though the ambient temperature was only around 60F. I kept a light fleece jacket on throughout.

October 28, 2011

In just a few days, every thing’s changed at Knox
Mountain. Yesterday it was fall. Today the trees
are covered with snow.

But even though the weather has changed dramatically,
the bands are still strong. Today I worked Lithuania,
Bulgaria, Russia and Oregon.

Last night there was an inch of snow. By early
afternoon most of it had melted off the trees
and gold adorned the beeches along the
trail.

The trail was a carpet of fall colors and as I stopped along
the brook to admire the sunlight illuminating the leaves,
I noticed three large deer in the woods to my north.

But higher up, at the pond, the changing seasons  were
easily apparent. Here is the picture that greeted me as
I arrived at the cabin.

I threw my line over the cherry tree in front of the porch
and I pulled up a 22 foot wire hoping to work 15 meters.
I did make a quick contact with Dennis, W7WHO in Oregon,
we exchanged the basics, but he couldn’t hear me well and
gave me a 329. I didn’t hear many stations on 15 and switched
to 20 meters where I had better luck. Right away I made three
QSOs: R5ZAA in Russia, LZ11PPE in Bulgaria, and LY775A in Lithuania.

I stayed at the cabin for about 40 minutes before heading
back down the trail. The weather office has issued a
winter storm watch for six to 10 inches of snow for the
weekend. Life will not be the same.

I’m just getting started here. Please see my web page at

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