FINALLY got to try my little MTR3B - works like a charm 😃

Several QSOs on 30m from my vacation QTH a couple hours north of Kristiansand /Norway.

Antenna is a dual band 20/30m, with #sotabeams mini-traps.

Got decent reports with my 4’ish watts TX power, tomorrow I’ll try 20m as well 🙂

#hamradio #cwops #cw #qrp #summervibes #vacation #rfengineer #antennabuilding #antennas

Other project for the day was W4AOX's PVC guyed mast mount via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II5bl1LfUCo

So much easier and faster to setup than the Sotabeams guying kit several feet up

The CamJam carabiners are pretty slick too, being able to tension all from the center is great

My #sotabeams 7000HDS mast is less than 2" OD and fits in 2" PVC securely but the base is about 2.5". Added a 2" x 4" reducer to the base to make room and a 2" x 3" reducer for the top to make room for the paracord loops

#hamradio

Wilderness is "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." - Wilderness Act of 1964

Last month's #WildWestHackinFest #hamventures as I slowly made my way back to Colorado. I managed to fit 10 summits in during my week-long stay in the #blackhills of South Dakota. It was busy and challenging but very rewarding! Some were simple drive-up peaks while others required miles of hiking.

For the uninitiated - #sota (Summits on the Air) is "an award scheme for radio amateurs that encourages portable operation in mountainous areas." Basically it's operating with portable radio equipment on designated mountain tops for fun and debt. Obtaining a certain number of contacts grants you points for that particular summit, and those that make contact with you also receive points. The rules are made up and the points don't matter. But there are awards! You can find out more at https://www.sota.org.uk/.

I made well over 200 contacts via #morsecode during the week, many of whom hunted me multiple times on different mountain tops! It's always interesting to see how far your signal travels using lower-powered setups. I managed to work F4WBN in France a few times with a mere 4-5 watts of power!

If you've never made it to the Black Hills area of South Dakota I highly recommend you check it out. It's extremely beautiful, especially Custer State Park.

Equipment used is a #LNR precision MTR4bv2, #SOTABEAMS Bandspringer wire antenna, #Elecraft AX1 whip antenna, #Elecraft T1 ATU tuner, and a #CWMorse paddle.

Enjoy some pictures!