Family Camping

Turkey Creek Lake,  Scioto County Ohio

I had fun messing about with my tent during Field Day last month so I thought it would be fun to take the family out for a few days of real tent camping.  My wife LeeAnn usually handles the logistics and planning for our adventures away from home so I left it up to her to search out a destination and secure reservations at one of Ohio's many State Parks.  We have not done much camping in the past few years but because our son is ten years old now we thought we better let him in on the fun.  I grew up experiencing the magical adventure that is camping and I would deeply regret not giving the opportunity to my son.  

LeeAnn chose well and got us a great spot at the Shawnee State Park Campground through the State's Department of Natural Resources website.  We have our favorite locations that we have returned to over the years but lately we have decided to visit some of the other parks in Ohio that we have never seen.  The park is located in the middle of Shawnee State Forest a 100 square mile expanse of public land located in Scioto and Adams Counties and bordered to the south by the Ohio River.  As I was studying the map I noticed to my surprise that the nearest town was Portsmouth, Ohio which was once the terminus of the Ohio and Erie Canal I blogged about earlier this year.

The rugged and hilly topography of the area was created by thousands of years of erosion as surface water made it's way south to the Ohio River Valley.  This is as close to mountains as we get here in the buckeye state and I love spending time in the hills of southern Ohio.

    

  

Years ago I tired of flimsy and leaky department store tents so when we go as a family our home away from home is the Cabela's Extreme Weather Tent.  Our model is a 10' X 10' square dome that stands 7 feet tall on the inside with a huge rain fly I like to call the turtle shell.  The tent has numerous guy points and uses 45 tent stakes to keep it firmly planted to Mother Earth.  The Cabela's literature boasts that in testing the tent withstood a 75 mph blast from a jet engine and I believe it.  I have weathered a couple storms under the shelter of the tent and always felt safe and secure.  

The tent was furnished with high quality steel tent stakes but to cut down on weight I substituted generic orange plastic stakes.  The bag of 45 steel stakes alone probably weighs 30 pounds.  Although we are not backpacking I like to take it easy on the aging 4-cylinder of my compact SUV.

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When we are not out engaged in some outdoor activity our favorite pursuit is camp cooking of course.  A staple at our camp is something we call "Campy Potatoes"  This is a hearty dish packed with Carbohydrates and fresh colorful vegetables that satisfy after a long hard day afield.

The recipe is very simple and requires only a sharp knife and your imagination.  In this case we diced up our potatoes and red bell peppers.  When we were shopping for provisions we spotted carrots in the grocery already chopped so we saved a little effort there.

Next combine the pieces onto a sheet of aluminum foil with spices and a dollop of butter.  The possibilities are nearly limitless with this recipe.  Onions, broccoli, cauliflower, corn and even mushrooms could be added.  

Fold up the edges of the foil into a loose packet and wrap again with another sheet of foil.  Repeat this procedure until you have four layers of foil to protect the goodies and plop the package down on the grill. If the fire ring does not have a grate simply position the pack right in the hot coals at the edge of the fire and periodically rotate to prevent hot spots.

While our foil packs cooked we grilled some filet mignon to add a little protein to our feast.  The potatoes take about an hour to cook depending on their placement in the fire and this allows ample time to cook and eat the meat leaving the vegetables for a delicious second course.

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On the last night of our four day excursion I prepared my old standby Spaghetti with meat sauce and fresh mushrooms.  It's extra work carting along the pots and pans but well worth the effort.  Why is it that food just tastes better when enjoyed in the great outdoors?  

As an interesting side note the Coleman camp stove and matching cooler in the background are the first pieces of camping gear my wife and I bought together 20 years ago.  They look new in the photograph but they have dings and scratches from use over the years.  Most importantly they still function as flawlessly as their first time out.

Recumbent Ride

Thursday, July 14

I've been watching the Tour de France on satellite television and needless to say this little bike race across the French countryside inspires me to ride.  I planned to ride today after work and even had my route picked out.  Earlier in the day I was thinking of riding the Motobecane road bike but by the afternoon I settled on the recumbent as my machine of choice.

Ideal weather conditions with calm air and lower humidity made for a good ride.  As my loop progressed I continued to feel strong so I kept pushing the pace and increased my average speed by half a mile an hour over the last half of my ride.  I rarely reach speeds as high as 16.5 mile per hour average on the recumbent  so I am pleased with my performance.  Keep in mind that average speed calculations take into account slowing down for stop signs and sharp turns and accelerating back up to cruising speed.  Much of the ride was traveling well above the 16.5 mph speed.

If I were a serious racer of bicycles I would certainly include these recumbent rides into my training regimen.  The HP Velotechnik weighs in at 33 pounds or about 15 pounds heavier than the Motobecane road bike.  I'm sure its no illusion that when I hop on the road bike I feel like I can really fly.  I guess one could train with a bowling ball or two in a backpack and ride the race bike but that would not be fun or comfortable.

Local Loop (extended)

Bike:  HP Velotechnik Street Machine
Ride Time:  1:27:33
Distance:  24.22 miles
Average Speed:  16.5 mph
Max Speed:  30.00 mph

News From A.R.S. KD8JHJ

After the crazy logistics of Field Day I finally got my amateur radio gear returned to my basement ham shack and back operational just in time for the SKCC Week End Sprint on July 10th.  With the heat and humidity of summer settling into the Ohio valley the cool climate controlled environs of my "man-cave" is the place to be.

July's sprint theme was QRP low power.  QRP operation is encouraged with extra bonus points but not required for participation.  I really did not feel like turning my rig power all the way down or using my QRP specific transceiver so I just left the power set at my usual 50 watts and had fun all the same.

Conditions on the air were a mixed bag with great regional propagation Saturday evening on 40 and 80 meters.  Sunday morning and midday received signals were very low and hard to copy.  I held out as long as I could and then went swimming with the family.  By the last few hours of the sprint as the sun moved closer to the western horizon signals got louder and activity increased as SKCC members flushed out those last contacts.   

SKCC July 2011 Week End Sprint Log KD8JHJ

7.120    W1LIC    Maine

7.117    K4CNW    South Carolina

7.110    NE0S    Missouri

7.057    K5KV    Louisiana

3.551    NW2K    New York

3.552    W1LIC    Maine*

7.055    AA9L    Wisconsin

7.111    W5ZR    Louisiana

7.118    AC2C    Maryland

7.108    KB4QQJ    North Carolina

3.549    N3WT    Maryland

3.548    AC2C    Maryland*

3.550    NG3V    Virginia

3.554    N8AMM    Michigan

14.046    AE5VB    Louisiana

14.049    W4CU    Florida

14.052    W5ZR    Louisiana*

14.048    K4CNW    South Carolina*

3.551    K9SKC    Michigan

7.114    NW2K    New York*

7.055    VE3FUJ    Ontario, Canada

7.050    WA1AR    Massachusetts

7.050    AK3X    Maryland

7.053    W4NA    Virginia

*Denotes multiple band contacts

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Digital Goings-on at KD8JHJ


e-qsl received from K4VO confirming our excellent Feld Hell ragchew on 20 meters



After nearly two months of CW (Morse code) only operation I have been feeling the urge to boot up the laptop and  generate some digital transmissions.  With three years of ham radio under my belt I am a dyed in the wool CW nut but sometimes I like to give the decoder between my ears a rest and let the computer do the work. 

Yesterday after work I powered up the station and was purusing the digital watering holes around 14.070 MHz when I came upon the unmistakable cricket chirp of  Hellschreiber at 14.074 MHz.  I quickly switched modes in the software and tuned in the station.  Mark, K4VO in Birmingham, Alabama and I exchanged 599 signal reports and then had a pleasant keyboard conversation for half an hour.  With only 550 miles between us reception was very clear and strong using the 20 meter band.  I have been looking forward to playing with Feld Hell now that we have at least a few sunspots increasing the solar flux value.  I would love to make some DX contacts with other Feld Hell stations in Europe where the mode originated.  I have one or two in the log already from the past couple years but now with solar cycle 24 heating up even if only lukewarm I believe I will try a little harder and start sending out some CQs. 

  

Bike Ride with LeeAnn

In a stroke of brilliance my wife came up with the idea that we get up early on Saturday and go for a ride on the B&O Trail.  Our son had spent the night at a friend's house so we had a rare opportunity to go cycling together by ourselves.  The greenways of the bike trail were cool and peaceful and we even got to see a whitetail deer crossing the path ahead of us.

After a solid 20 miles I loaded up LeeAnn's Cannondale onto the bike rack and I took off on my own for the 16 mile trip back back to town from the trailhead.  By that time the temperature was soaring towards the 90 degree mark but breezes were light so I was able to keep fairly cool and maintain a decent pace along the smooth pavement of Ohio St. Rt. 97.

  

Near a small village called Blooming Grove I passed the birthplace of America's 29th President Warren G. Harding.  

As I rolled into town I spotted this perfectly good 8mm spanner and had to swing back around to pick it up.  It even says "Goodwrench" right on it.  One of many tools in my box I have found while out on the bike.

B&O Trail w/ LeeAnn 20 miles

Ohio St Rt 97 solo 16 miles

Distance:  36 miles

Ride Time:  2:41:42

Average Speed:  13.3 mph

Max Speed 28.3 mph

Motobecane Odometer:  248 miles

Insulator Post -- AM.TEL.&TEL.CO.

This is a cool insulator that represents a unique color in my collection.  Jade Green Milk is a shade best viewed under direct summer sunlight.  So instead of using my white background stock photo I decided to head out to the back yard, prop the little green guy in the maple tree and use that golden July sun.

The embossing reads: AM.TEL.&TEL.CO.  Today better known as AT&T.

Many, but not all CD 121 Am Tel & Tel Co insulators were made by the Hemingray Company.  Examples of insulators with this particular embossing are known to exist in a large selection of colors such as Aqua, Blue Aqua, Light Blue, Ice Blue, Hemingray Blue, Green, Light Green, Lime Green, Dark Yellow Green, Purple tint, Light Purple, Purple, Clear, and Corn flower blue.

Diving for Coins

Diving for coins is a game I did not invent but one enjoyed as a kid growing up with a back yard swimming pool.  This weekend I past this fun tradition on to my son with an interesting twist.  Instead of the same old nickels and dimes from the coin jar we used over a hundred coins from various countries around the world.

My son has been swimming underwater for just a year and like most kids he is good at it.  I narrowly edged him out by only four or five coins.

Tomatoes

Because of the unusually cold and wet spring it was not until the end of May that I got my tomato plants into the ground.  In the month since it has warmed up and the little fledglings are doing quite well.  I plant one bush of cherry tomatoes to satisfy our cravings while waiting for the full size versions to develop and ripen.

I have installed cages and stakes to support the big plants and this morning I noticed that they have begun to bear fruit.  Soon we will be enjoying sliced tomatoes at the dinner table, in salads, finely diced in tacos and fajitas, Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato sandwiches, and of course straight off the vine with a dash sea salt.  I also like to bag a few of the cherries and carry them in my lunch box for a little homegrown snack on the go.

July 4 -- Independence Day

Local Loop

On busy holiday weekends I taper down my rides so I have some energy left for the festivities later in the day.  The local loop provides the perfect mix of scenic views and distance for a short workout.  While I was having coffee and watching the first stage of the Tour de France passing thunderstorms worked through the area.  After a late breakfast of scrambled eggs and New Zealand kiwi fruits and more coffee the sun came out and dried things out.

I'm not sure what is happening here but the multi-colored spools of wire I had to photograph.

Local Loop

Bike:  HP Velotechnik Street Machine

Distance:  20.01 miles

Ride Time:  1:27:48

Average Speed:  13.6 mph

Max Speed:  28.7 mph

K2H 13 Colonies Special Event

While I was having coffee this morning and listening to 40 meters CW I heard this station calling "CQ CQ de K2H 13 COL" at a comfortable 18 wpm.  Usually short 1 x 1 call signs are assigned to special event stations.  I worked the station and then looked up the call on qrz.com and confirmed that the station was indeed part of a 4th of July Special Event celebrating the independence of the original 13 colonies.

I like making contact with special event stations and enjoy collecting these one of a kind QSL cards.  

more info at:  http://www.13colonies.info/



W3AO Field Day



Par End Fedz EF-40 at W8BAE

 Late Sunday morning I threw in the towel satisfied with my 102 contacts on CW for Field Day.  The very last entry in my log was amateur radio station W3AO operated by the Potomac Valley Radio Club located in Maryland.  What threw me for a loop was the part of the exchange that designates the station class.  I had to monitor the frequency and let W3AO run a couple stations to be sure I copied the "25 A" correctly.

The 25 is the number of individual operating positions working simultaneously under the club call sign.  The A designates a portable operation.  Most stations I worked during the Field Day event ranged between 1 and 8 participants under the same call.

Thanks to Jeff, KE9V at ke9v.net for posting a link to this club's Field Day page.  I thought the call seemed vaguely familiar and certainly the "25 A" rang a bell.  I checked my log and sure enough that was the station I worked.

Follow the link: W3AO Field Day Page to see a truly amazing display of logistics and good old ham radio enthusiasm.

ARRL Field Day 2011

This year's Field Day activities were some of the most fun I have had yet as an amateur radio operator.  Because of scheduling conflicts the site we used last year was unavailable so we had to scramble to find a place to set up.  In the end the club did find a great location on private property bordered by highway US 30 on one side and a CSX railroad line on the other.

The place looked like an average campground with the exception of each campsite having it's own working amateur radio station.  There was no electrical service on the property so we used a combination of generator and battery power for our operations.  Using the club callsign W8BAE (That's "Whiskey-8-Bacon-And-Eggs" for you phone guys) we covered 40 meters CW and SSB (single side band voice) , 20 meters PSK-31 and SSB, 15 meters SSB, 6 meters SSB and 2 meters SSB for VHF.  We even had a YL (female operator) gracing the airwaves with her voice on 15 meters.

Here is the 40 meter phone station of Roger WM8I and Wayne KB8ATE.  I love watching these two experienced hams at Field Day.  Besides making lots of contacts these guys are always swapping out equipment and trying different antennas.  This year they deployed a quarter wavelength vertical with a full compliment of ground radials.

I set up on the other corner of the pond where I had access to trees along the CSX right of way to hang my new Par End Fedz  EF-40.  I have no picture of this antenna because it is basically a 65 foot long piece of black wire that all but disappears when viewed against a background of foliage.  The heavy duty tripod is visible that I used to suspend the feed point/impedance matching box about 8 feet above the ground.  The wire then sloped up to a tree top 40 feet above the feed point.

  

A peek inside my spartan station.  I love the warm glow of a kerosene railroad lantern and with a LED light clipped to the bill of my hat I was able to work stations well into the wee hours.  When I finally heard one too many beeps of Morse code I got out my bed roll and caught a couple hours of shut eye with my head under the table.  Croaking bullfrogs and the rumble of passing freight trains definitely added a unique ambiance to the experience.

By late Sunday morning I had logged 102 contacts with various stations in 30 different states and 2 Canadian provinces.  This is my new benchmark being the most stations I have ever contacted in a single operating event.  A cool bonus from the Field Day rules states that cw contacts count as two points while phone contacts are worth one point.  My efforts proved a great contribution to the club's overall score and I got a huge workout copying fast code on a busy band.  Our main objective(s) was to have a great time, eat lots of good food and play radio.  I'm confident we succeeded on all fronts.