Ham On A Bike

  My Parks on the Air Activities - NOT about "The Numbers" Parks on the Air has never been about numbers for me. I became aware of Parks on the Air (POTA) in June 2021. This was during the height of the COVID pandemic. At that time I was recovering from surgery and treatment for liver failure and treatment for Bladder cancer.  My body's ability to fight any type of infection was basically non-existent, so social distancing was a MUST for me. I was not going to totally isolate myself from the world by staying indoors, knowing how vital exercise, fresh air and mental stimulus was vital to my recovery. Parks on the Air has been the BEST medicine for me over the last 3 years.  I've been able to combine bicycling with my Ham Radio activities as part of my health treatment plan. What a great combination . Lewis & Clark National Historical Trail Along the banks of the Ohio River at Waterfront Park Louisville, KY. USA POTA is not about the numbers for me.  Oh, I've ha

  WITH using James Watt As some of you know I do some QRPp Parks on the Air activations using the QRP Labs QCX Mini. For the past couple of years I've had GREAT results using my 40 and 20 meter QCX Mini with what I call, "My Smoke Detector Battery" setup This spring and so far this summer I've used both 40 and 20 meter QCX minis with a 9 volt/200mW battery for WSPR operations.  And most recently I've used the 9 volt/200mW battery with my 40 meter QCX Mini for for early morning CW Parks on the Air activations. While using my YouKits HB-1B during a POTA activation on April 29th, 2024, I set up another vertical antenna with my 20 meter QCX Mini to use as a WSPR station with a 9 volt/200mW battery. I ran this setup for almost an hour and was amazed with the distance and how many beacons picked up my less than a watt signal from Kentucky, USA.  QRP Labs QCXX Mini 20 Meters   A few days later on May 1, 2024; I decided to give it another try but this time on 40 meters wh