Yes it was a long video. I thought it would be boring, but it was really good! I especially liked the preparation and the SSB portion of your activation. 73
I've been to Weaverville numerous times but never over to Vance. I recognized pretty much the whole drive. Thanks for the memories. I haven't been in the area since last July. It's time to get back up to God's country.
Thomas - It was great to tag along through the process and great to make your log again. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only op to get sidetracked by an opportunity to hunt a POTA activator while doing something else in the shack! 😉 73 de Brian - K3ES
Super happy to be your 2nd CW contact on 20m. I always listen for you when I see you spotted (secretly hoping to make the video hi hi ). Coincidentally I was drinking pour over coffee when I worked you! 73 Thomas, de fellow POTA activator K7CO Jon Utah
The Deployment & the QSO”s were solid. I wouldn’t fiddle with the coffee. I know you’ve baulked at an instant coffee. But this one is really good. Medagalia D’Oro, instant espresso. Even at home, I prefer it over my french press. In fact, I drank two cups while watching this super long video… Thanks Thomas! 72 de W7UDT (dit dit)
I like your no edit approach, just record everything, it's realistic and let's you do your thing without worrying about the camera all the time, plus saves a lot of time not having to edit. Another great video, and nice to see the whole process. I didn't notice if you said where you got those coffee filters that hook into cup, neat idea and nothing wrong with cowboy coffee if it did fall in, sometimes i like to chew my coffee, lol.
I picked up that coffee pack at our local REI, but I've been seeing them in groceries stores now as well. Not cheap, but a very good lightweight way to have a proper cup without the chew. :) (A cold spoon across the top of cowboy coffee helps! Ask me how I know!) :)
Well I for one enjoyed the "Total" video'ing of a complete activation. nice to see how you prepare for an activation. Agn love the over the shoulder views I follow along with you and love the fact I can see the rig. the log. and your sending also even the "fumbles". as for K3XLS's slightly off freq been using that trick for well over 45 yrs now both on cw and fone. sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. in this case it did!. Food for thought for Hazels comfort, why not bring an old blanket you can toss on the concrete for her to lay on? I kept thinking about her on that cold floor. anywy thanks again Tom for a great video, and for taking the time and for sharing. Oh1 gt u in the log the other day nice!72 de Ellis WA1RKS.
Hazel thanks you for the suggestion. Actually, she has both a winter vest and blanket we use when out and about. This particular time, though, I din't have either. Cheers!
Love seeing you use the 705. I got it mainly for CW. As a somewhat new tech I wanted a scope and things too learn more and faster. I’m still learning CW. Technically learning the format of the exchange. Everyone does it differently. Think you could explain yours and why you do it your way?
The Adirondacks (K-2001) in northern New York is 6 million acres and it too only gets one tiny dot way up in the northwest corner of the park. Took me a while to figure out why there was a big empty spot of yellow dots on the map.
Good to see your process for POTA park selection. It would have been good to show a potential 2 or 3 for on the BRP for our people with park boundries. I get to field the Map questions for Texas!
Mapping POTA entities is no small challenge. Here in WNC, many of the entities are separated into chunks but under the same designator. It must be a true challenge to represent everything on a map! Frankly, though, many POTA entities (Game Lands, WMAs) require a little research by activators anyway. The map is a brilliant resource.
Hi, Michael, It is fun! So all of my gar links are in the field reports (the links is always the first in my video description on RU-vid). You'll find everything here: qrper.com/2022/02/video-a-complete-pota-field-activation-from-planning-scheduling-to-qrt/ Cheers, Thomas
I've got a link to it in my activation report under the "gear" section: qrper.com/2022/02/video-a-complete-pota-field-activation-from-planning-scheduling-to-qrt/ It's made by Write In The Rain and works very well.
A day in the life of a pota op. Hehe. Looks just like KY there in the background. Have you ever gotten caught in a wind storm while activating? I did today es it was not fun. Some days are diamonds and some are stones. 😁
I have. Sometimes I'm able to continue with the activation, but there have been times the wind was so strong, I had to go to a "plan B" site with less of a wind profile. :) SOTA almost always includes wind, but that's to be expected (and even appreciated in the summer). :)
Couldn't help but notice the old school looking trackball on your shack pc - interested if you could share any details on it. Thanks for fresh take on your activation videos.
I got used to using a large trackball back in 1998 when I worked as a web designer. I've always loved them, but left the last one I had in the UK. Maybe 5 years ago, I purchased this "Expert Mouse" and it's worked brilliantly.
Yes, it's a little alcohol burner. There's a bit more detail about it in this field report and video: qrper.com/2021/11/pota-field-report-coffee-qrp-at-tuttle-educational-state-forest/
Thanks for sharing your process Thomas! My ADD kicked in and I noticed the little box below your ASUS monitor. It looks like it has an LED display and powerpoles, what is it used for?
@@patricksharimccarthy9495 if I could only have one, it would be the Elecraft T1. The reason is because the mAT-705 Plus *only* pairs with the IC-705. It requires a command cable to operate. The T1 is RF-sensing and will work with any radio. Also, I've found it's matching range is a bit better than that of the mAT-705 Plus. If you only plan to use the IC-705, the mat is not a bad ATU at all. It's just limited to working with the 705.
