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Author: Stuart, KB1HQS

Parks on the Air Demo Follow up Report

Parks on the Air Demo Follow up Report

Posted by | Oct 22, 2017 | , , | 0 |

I was recently asked by the President of the Washington, DC radio club (W3HAC) to give a brief presentation/demo on the popular Parks on the Air (POTA) program and some tips on portable radio operating. We met up at Rock Creek Park, which is very beautiful and hidden gem of the district. The park is property of the national park service and runs in a north/south direction from Maryland down towards the white house. Upon arriving we set up three stations: 2 QRP (low power) stations with vertical antennas and one 100W stations with a dipole. We had some...

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Special Event: Summits on the Air (SOTA) Activation DEMO!

Special Event: Summits on the Air (SOTA) Activation DEMO!

Posted by | Oct 14, 2017 | , , | 0 |

What is Summits on the Air? Summits On The Air (SOTA) is an amateur radio operating program that started in the UK in the early 2000’s and now can be found throughout the world including the USA. Activators, those who operate temporarily from mountain summits combine their love of hiking and amateur radio by attempting to make contact with other licensed amateur radio operators throughout the world. With a minimum of four contacts, they have “activated” the summit which awards them points. As they accumulate points, they can then apply for awards. Those who contact the activators are called chasers...

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Special Event: Parks on the Air Demo in Washington, DC

Special Event: Parks on the Air Demo in Washington, DC

Posted by | Oct 12, 2017 | , , | 0 |

Please join the HacDC Amateur Radio Club for a SPECIAL EVENT PRESENTATION occurring on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 2:00 PM in Rock Creek Park, in Washington, DC. Stuart Thomas / KB1HQS will be our very special guest. During the 2016 ARRL National Parks on the Air initiative, Stuart earned top honors by racking up over 500 activations. He will be giving us a hands-on demonstration in the field of the types of equipment and antennas he utilized to help him achieve his first place status in the initiative. In addition to being an accomplished author and experienced outdoorsman,...

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2017 Summer SOTA and POTA Activations in NH and ME

2017 Summer SOTA and POTA Activations in NH and ME

Posted by | Jul 22, 2017 | , | 0 |

After months of recovering from a badly sprained ankle, summer has arrived which of course means vacation time. I’m heading to New England, specifically New Hampshire and Maine. Note: these dates are all tentative due to the variable weather and the fact I like a flexible schedule when traveling. Bands: 20/30/40 CW & SSB; Power: QRP I will self spot on Facebook, Twitter and SOTA SWATCH2. Radio Gear:  Elecraft KX3 with external battery Yaesu FT1DR Delorme InReach Packtenna Dipole & Endfed antennas Wolf River Coil Vertical Alexloop Assorted Delta Loops One (1) trusty canine “Trail Dog” Track me in real...

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