CWT From Governor Dodge State Park

Governor Dodge State Park, about 70 km west of Madison, is one of my favorite portable CWT locations. There is a picnic area up on a ridge, with a big clearing to allow RF to escape. I've had good results there operating QRP when traveling by bicycle. This time, I came by car, so I thought I'd try low power.

To the usual KX2 QRP station, I've added a heavier 12 meter fiberglass pole, a 100 W power amplifier, a 100 W antenna tuner, a laptop computer, a battery voltage booster, and a 35 Ah battery to run the radio. Needless to say, I don't haul all this by bicycle, or by airplane, for that matter.

The antenna is still the end fed 40 meter half wave. As usual, I set up the pole about a quarter of the way from the far end of the wire, making a sort of lopsided inverted Vee. It works well on 40 and 20. Though I didn't use it on 80 this time, it is usable on that band with a couple longer radials.

I got up at 6 AM (11 Z), drove the short way from the campground to the picnic area, and set up the station. Getting to 100 W requires a lot more hardware. In any case, everything was up and running with about an hour to spare.

Smoke from western fires produced a red, hazy sunrise.

Hazy Sunrise

Antenna and Shelter

Picnic Table Station

Another View

A quick test showed that the antenna was working, and that propagation was good.

Good RBN Reports

The wind picked up a bit during the CWT, but the fiberglass pole held up fine. (It's much stronger, and heavier, than the carbon fiber fishing pole I use for bicycle portable.)

I spent the whole hour on 40, mostly S&P. I did have one short run late in the hour, but that dried up, probably because everyone went to 20. I probably should have, too. In any case, I ended up with 92 QSO's, my best so far with the portable station. 

It took about 45 minutes to take the antenna down and pack everything up.

These operation are a lot of work, of course, but I find the combination of being outdoors and operating the radio to be rewarding. I hope to do some more of these later in the fall during travels further afield.