N1CMD in W1 (an introduction)

People Introduce yourself
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Hello, from Bennington New Hampshire. My name is Curtis, live at the bottom of W1/HA-047 and started doing activations back in March of this year (2024). To date I’ve done 14 different activations. The progression has been from activating via VHF/UHF only, to incorporating HF bands as well. My next step is to start activating with CW. This mode is new to me, and I have to say that chasing summits has been the best way for me to improve my CW abilities. Thank you to all the activators that have worked me in this mode.

My HF rig is a heavy IC-7000, so any suggestions for a lighter solution would be much appreciated. Also let me know what HF antennas you like to use. I’ve been using an EFHW, and I’m going to try out a random wire on my next activation. Most of the summits near me have trees to utilize for antenna placement, but for the treeless summits I don’t really have a solution for working HF.

Generally speaking, I try to do an activation on Mondays. If anyone in the region wants to join me for the hike, then let me know in an email curtis@curtis.org

73 de N1CMD

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Well, your questions can lead to complex long answers.

Briefly… there are many advantages to an endfed halfwave, stick with it. The random wire requires a tuner (additional losses, weight, size, failure points). It also wants a ground radial, note the term, “radial,” as it is RF hot meaning some of your RF signal is on the ground, not the best place for it. Probably the easiest way to make your EFHW multiband is to install mini-SPST switches in the wire.

Pole support: IF, I said, IF you do things with a purpose of light, you can use the lightest weight and least expensive fishing pole to support the wire. You can find cheap poles on EBAY that will extend as much as 7 meters. I use hot glue to permanently glue the thinnest section inside the second thinnest section, and there we go!

The wire can be #26 or #28… thin/light, preferably teflon coated as such wire is especially low resistance and flexible. Deploy the wire as an inverted-L, fed at the bottom of the pole, no coax in the air, don’t let the wire wrap around the pole, have the wire going out away from the wind, and do NOT stand the pole straight up, but lean it in the direction of the wire.

Also, pull sections of the pole straight out, and push them straight in. NEVER twist them. That crackling sound is the sound of fibers permanently separating from one another.

No need to ever guy the pole. Lean it in a bush, or against a tree limb if there are any, or stick the base between a few rocks. EZ and quick.

Radios such as the Mountain Topper are light, need very little battery, and do very well. There are many others. CW is the way to go, your skill will improve with experience.

Have fun! Be innovative! 73, Fred KT5X / WS0TA

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HF rig recommendations are really price and mode dependent. There are a number of affordable CW only micro rigs, then there is the ever popular Elecraft KX2. Some people are willing to carry extra weight and bring something like a Xiegu G90 because of the pricepoint and 20w output (heavy but much lighter than the IC7000).

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When starting CW, it’s important to say QRS as often as needed. If a chaser slows, but not enuf, say QRS again … and then again until they get down to 5 wpm.

Elliott, K6EL
Been there

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Welcome to the reflector!

With CW you don’t need as much power so you are right to choose a smaller, lighter rig. The batteries will be smaller too.

I use an EFHW for 40m, 30m and 20m - I don’t know why a random wire is any better. For higher bands I use a ground plane. Playing with antennas is easy and fun. I use standard 7/0.2mm hookup wire.

Almost all summits here are treeless. I have a 6m fibreglass fishing pole and guy with 3 cords. For the GPs the radials are the guys.

I always do. Or at least try to.

I almost always do.

I always do!

As you can see there are as many ways of doing things as SOTA activators. You will learn a lot here but don’t take everything as gospel.

73 de Richard G4TGJ

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What Richard is saying would seem appropriate for a “mast.” What I am saying is about a light weight fishing pole. I use a 17 section 8 ounce fishing pole that extends to 19 feet and collapses to 18 inches. It has never broken in over one thousand activations and some in high winds.

FD

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Hi Curtis, you can look me up on sotl.as and you’ll see my setup photos at your familiar summits…

I use vertical antenna with elevated radials almost exclusively. I use Carbon6 or Travel mast for SOTA. I mount Carbon6 on a dead tree, live tree or support from the ground. This setup is very simple but quite effective for DX, including S2S with the west coast, Alaska, Japan and Europe. Wire thrown on trees in a horizontal, slope, inverted V or inverted L form is better suited for local services.

I use KX3 with roofing filter installed. This has been very helpful in southern NH where there are many kW stations on the band during contest weekends. But otherwise KX2 or other simpler rigs would be ok. QRP is quite ok with CW. Antenna tuner is super handy because the soil condition, which affects the antenna impedance and matching, vary a lot across summits and the tuner can absorb that difference.

So far, the only summit I activated that didn’t have any natural support structure was Monadnock. I was lucky because I chose a mild day that didn’t have much wind, so that I could just lean Carbon6 mast on a big rock (photos on sotl.as) but even then the wind knocked it down a few times during my activation, and during QSOs of course. On Rose Mountain I sat on that rock and tied the mast to my leg (I brought a much longer Travel Mast).

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I’d love a link, that’s 7” shorter (when closed) and 3oz lighter than my 18’ tenkara pole.

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It’s not better, just different. The 41’ “random” wire and 15’ counterpoise will get you on all bands from 40m to 10m, with a tuner.

Short video demonstrating this:
https://youtu.be/bvmz0ESQGGM?si=upJOnCfPj_jOC3uF
No need to worry about efficiency. Chasers gonna Chase.

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Welcome, Curtis! Happy to have another member of the NE SOTA crew!

Vy 73 de Jonathan “JB”
KC1MXB

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