Kickapoo Valley CWT Tour

The Kickapoo River Valley, about 120 km west of Madison, is one of my favorite cycling areas. The river flows southward about 100 straight line km to the Wisconsin River. This unglaciated part of Wisconsin is basically a rolling plateau, with deep valleys cut into it by erosion. Some of the valleys, including the Kickapoo, are up to 150 meters deep, creating some beautiful scenery, and sometimes a lot of work for cyclists. My plan was to operate the three CWT's on Wednesday from different locations, taking advantage of Cashton's location on a high ridge for 19Z.

Kickapoo Valley near Readstown

I started in Readstown, on the river, followed the West Fork of the Kickapoo up to Avalanche, climbed over the ridge, and ended up at Esofea County Park. It's a beautiful, isolated place in a valley, but fairly high up in the drainage.

Esofea QTH, 13Z CWT

Wednesday morning, I set up for the 13Z CWT in a big clearing. There was another spot a bit higher, but surrounded by trees, which looked to me like good attenuators.

13Z Antenna

13Z Operating Position

It was cool enough at 8 AM that sitting out in the sun was comfortable, and the mosquitoes weren't too bad. RBN's looked pretty good.

Esofea RBN's

The results, however, were a rather disappointing 49 QSO's and 40 mults. Good enough to top out the QRP scores, though.

The day's ride was a modest 65 km, with a stop in Cashton for the 19Z CWT. With all the time taken to set up, operate, and tear down twice, one has to keep moving this time of year to get the antenna up for the 03Z CWT before dark.

From Esofea, the route climbs up over another ridge, then plunges back down into another valley.

Heading Back Down

Back in the Valley 

That didn't take long!

En Route to Cashton

Oboe Ave climbs up out of the valley again to the ridge on which sits Cashton. I expected this to be a great QTH for the 19Z CWT.

Cashton, 19Z CWT QTH

The park in Cashton had a big shelter next to a big open space for the antenna, a common setup.

Cashton Operating Position

Cashton Antenna

RBN's looked very good:

Cashton RBN's

The lawn mowers kept a respectful distance this time, but there was some QRM from the guy who showed up with a truck to pick up an enormous number of aluminum cans collected in the shelter from some event. Still, I can't really blame him for the mediocre result of 44 QSO's and 33 mults. I probably should have gone to 40 earlier.

Ridgetop Road to Wilton

Most of the route to Wilton stays on the ridge, then drops down to the Elroy-Sparta rail trail at Norwalk, which I followed to Wilton. Along the way, I passed a bunch of Amish kids walking home from school, on the road, barefoot. It looked like they walked a ways, too.

Wilton is on the Kickapoo, not far from its headwaters.

Wilton QTH

There's a great campground in the park in Wilton, and a nice shelter right next to the volleyball courts. I simply lashed the fishing pole to the fence, and got the antenna up just before dark.

Wilton Antenna

I didn't really have the radio set up for the pictures, as I had to take them before dark, but you can get the idea.

Wilton Shelter

Wilton Operating Position

The RBN's around 0Z looked pretty good, but I checked 20 again just before 03Z to see if the band was open.  It was, in spite of the fact that I heard very few signals before the CWT started.

Wilton 20 M RBN's

 After 9 QSO's on 20, I went to 40.  The total of 38 QSO's and 31 mults was better than I expected at 03Z without 80 meters.

After the CWT, I took down a very dewy fishing pole in the dark. I'm glad I was sitting under a roof.

(End of ham radio content. Skip the rest if you're not interested in bicycle touring or Wisconsin scenery.)

Thursday's route back to Readstown followed the Kickapoo Valley all the way. On the average, it's downhill, but there are some challenging hills where the road cuts off the river's meanders.

Kickapoo River Crossing

The old highway through the Kickapoo Valley Reserved is closed to motor vehicles, and a very nice ride. This part of the valley was to be flooded by a dam in the 70's, but the project was cancelled after the federal government acquired the land, so it became  reserve. (That's a very complicated story.)

Kickapoo River along abandoned Highway 131

(Just a week after the ride, heavy rains flooded the Kickapoo Valley, the river in the photo above rising some 5 meters/16 feet. The road there would have been way under water.)

Kickapoo Valley Reserve

Last Bridge in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve
(Note shadow of fishing pole by bike.)

Kickapoo River Valley near Readstown

High Country CWT Tour

Well, high country for Wisconsin, anyway.  The Military Ridge bike trail follows the ridge west from Madison to Dodgeville.  Along the way, it passes Blue Mound, the highest point in southern Wisconsin.  Governor Dodge state park is one of my favorite campsites, an 80 km ride from my front door, so I rode out there Tuesday afternoon.  I figured a weekday just before a big holiday weekend would be a pretty quiet time in the state parks.  While there weren't many people around, I failed to consider the rate at which the grass has been growing after recent rains.

Operating Locations

Wednesday morning, I rode to a picnic area near the campsite to set up for the 13Z CWT.  It's up on the ridge, but not all that high.  It was pleasantly cool in the morning and, for some odd reason, the usual mosquitoes failed to show up.

13Z QTH

There was the usual picnic shelter.

13Z Operating Position

As usual, the fishing pole went up 16 paces away.

13Z Antenna

RBN reports looked pretty good on 40, but I didn't get time to check 20.

13Z RBN

Conditions were good, and things got off to a fast start, as I seemed to be getting out quite well.  At 1340Z, however, the first of the day's lawn mowers showed up, making it often very hard to hear the KX1.  Still, the final score was by far my best so far on the road.

13Z Results

After posting the score and packing up, I rode east toward Blue Mound, with a lunch stop in Barneveld.  Now, I know Blue Mound doesn't look like much, but it's a lot of work to pedal a loaded touring bike up there!  It's some 176 meters (577 ft) higher than the 13Z QTH, and there was a bit more climbing than that.

Blue Mound

19Z QTH

In any case, I got there in plenty of time to set up for the 19Z CWT.  RBN reports looked really good.  That was a bit surprising, except K9IMM, who is almost line of sight, because the top of Blue Mound is a big flat area, so all my ground reflections should have been long gone before reaching the edge.

19Z RBN

Unfortunately, as 19Z approached, like a swarm of angry hornets, the lawn mowers converged on the picnic area.  The whole hour was a struggle, though conditions were pretty good, as nearly as I could tell.  I did work several Europeans:  F5IN and F6HKA, as usual, and OK2RZ.  There may have been others drowned out by the roar.  I'd have given up, except for all the work of getting up there.  When it was all over, the log showed a disappointing 41 QSOs and 37 mults.

I've learned my lesson about doing the 03Z CWT outdoors, though at least there wouldn't be lawn mowers then.  After once again posting the score and packing up, I rode on home.  In the shack here at 03Z, there should be neither bugs nor lawn mowers!

Equipment

For those who are curious, here's a description of the equipment I've been using on the bicycle portable operations:

KX1, Paddle, Spare Batteries, Tools, Solder

The KX1 runs on four 800 mAh 3.6 Volt lithium-ion cells, with a linear regulator to limit the voltage to 14 Volts. This results in an output of 4 W on 40 meters and 5 W on 20. I carry a spare set of batteries, but one set is more than enough for 3 hours of operation. I have a small charger, which can charge two cells at a time, but I don't take it on short trips. I cover the power switches on the KX1 with tape when it's packed up, to prevent accidentally discharging  the batteries.

EFHW Tuner

The tuner is my own design, roughly based on the Pacific Antenna BLT+, using many of the same parts. It can match up to 6,000 Ohms on 20 and 40 with less than 1 dB of loss.

I'd be glad to share the design of both the KX1 voltage regulator and the tuner.

Antenna and Counterpoise

The antenna is a 21 meter wire, supported about 5 meters from the far end by the 11.5 meter pole. (Hence the safety pin.) The spools are about 70 mm (2.75 inches) in diameter. The one for the far end, the shorter wire, also has a long length of monofilament line on the spool, so I can attach it to a far object or, if necessary, a stake in the ground. The longer end goes to my operating position, where I attach it with more monofilament line to whatever is handy, usually the roof of a shelter. Sometimes I have to put in a tiny screw eye. The end just hangs down to the tuner on the table.

The counterpoise is just a short wire, about 2.5 meters. (The high impedance of the end fed half wave means not much of a counterpoise is required.)

I modeled several types of antennas using the 11.5 meter pole, and the 40 meter half wave looked like the best for 20 and 40 meters. It seems to work quite well.

Other Antenna Stuff

The flagging tape is for when that far line goes to the ground, to keep people from running into it. There's also a bunch of spare wire and fishing line. If I need to repair an antenna, I can solder it with a match and that piece of solder in the tool kit. The electrical tape is probably the most useful thing in the kit. Of course, I also have a pocket knife and the usual bicycle touring tools.

All but the Pole (1.06 kg)

11.5 Meter Fishing Pole

The carbon fiber fishing pole weighs just 600 grams (1.3 pounds), extends to 11.5 meters (38 feet), and collapses to about 80 cm (32 inches).  I've found it infinitely easier to use than trees. I can put it where I need it, it goes up fast, it's lighter than the EZ-Hang, and I don't have to tangle with thorns, poison ivy, or ticks. It's also less likely to get me arrested than the slingshot.  I put it up with three guys and tent stakes, the guys attached to the pole about 2 meters from the ground.

Typical Antenna Installation

With the pole the whole operation weighs about 1.7 kg (3.7 pounds).  The only things I haven't included are the logbook and crosscheck sheets.  If I ever find an iPhone app, I'll eliminate those.

Transport

It all goes on the bike with the rest of the touring gear.  Everything but the pole takes up about a third of one pannier, while the pole gets lashed onto the rack with the tent and sleeping bag.  The pole sticking out the back doesn't cause any problems. In cold weather, bigger and/or more panniers are required.

CWT Tour

For the CWT's of August 10-11, I decided to do them from three different locations, spending much of the day riding between them. The route that day was about 93 km. The whole loop from Madison to Albany and Blanchardville is one my friends and I have been riding for years. Tuesday afternoon, I rode the 48 km from Madison to Albany and camped by the river there.

Like many towns in this area, Albany is in a river valley.  Fortunately, there's a baseball park a ways up the hill, maybe 30 meters above the river.  There was no one playing ball at 8 AM, of course.  Not a very scenic spot, but the antenna seemed to work well. I broke the 50 QSO barrier for the first time QRP.  I should have gone to 20 earlier, though. The CWT's were all downhill from there, unlike the roads.

Albany Site

Single Op QRP 13Z
Call	QSOs	Mults	Op Time	Score	Club
NØUR	54	46	1	2,484	MWA
K9MA	53	41	1	2,173
W1UU	50	38	1	1,900
KI4MZC	21	16		336
K1SX	10	10	10m	100
W1TEF	6	6	:50	36	SFCG
VA3SB	5	5	.5	25	CCO

After everything was packed up again, which takes about 30 minutes, I hit the road to Cadiz Springs, with a lunch stop in Monroe.

Hilly Road to Cadiz Springs

Cadiz Springs is, of course, down in another hole, but I tried to make the best of it.

Cadiz Springs Antenna

Just as I was getting set up, a guy with a huge lawn mower showed up.  He agreed to cut the grass near the shelter right away, so he would be done by 19Z.  Unfortunately, in the middle of the CWT another guy showed up with another even noisier mower and completely drowned out the KX1 until the first guy caught up with him.  Missed a few QSO's there.

Cadiz Springs

When the 19Z CWT was over, I had 41 QSO's and 37 mults.

I had mobile phone data at Cadiz Springs, so I spent some time uploading the scores, and didn't get on the road until 21Z (4 PM).

On the Road to Blanchardville

I rolled into Blanchardville about an hour before sunset.  By the time I got dinner and got the tent set up, it was almost dark and the mosquitoes were voracious.  Blanchardville, naturally, is in another river valley, and I could only get about 10 meters above it in the park.  I couldn't see much, but I'm pretty sure the wire wasn't tangled in any trees, as it loaded normally.  Even the RBN's looked pretty good.  Then 03Z came around, and things were really tough.  I just couldn't get through to anyone.  Lots of CQ's in my face, even from folks like K6RB who usually come right back if no one else calls.  (Sorry about the dupe, Lar.  I'm blaming the mosquitoes.)  When I got home, I checked the KX1 output, which was fine.  It's a mystery to me.  After half an hour and 17 tough QSO's, I packed everything up and crawled into my hot, muggy tent.  I'm not sure the 03Z session is worth it on the road.  I'm either freezing my tail off or getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, and not making many contacts.  It will get worse as the days shorten and 20 closes earlier, leaving me only with 40 meters, as everyone else goes to 80 and 160 early.

One neat thing about the 03Z session was the meteor bursts I heard.  (Persieds was going on.) Because the KX1 has such poor AGC, they were really obvious.  Signals just suddenly jumped up 20 dB for a few seconds.  

The ride home Thursday was the most uncomfortable one I've done this season, as the dew point got up to 76 F/24 C, and a gentle tailwind made for a virtual calm most of the way.  The tunnel I rode through had a long cloud of condensation coming out the downwind end. A brief thunderstorm served only to further increase the humidity.  Oh well, by the time I do my next bicycle portable CWT in late September, I'll be stuffing the panniers with cold weather gear again.

Sand Bar NAQP

NAQP is one of my favorite contests, but I rarely operate the August one because it conflicts with outdoor activities.  Since I've been operating "bicycle portable" this summer, I thought I would give it a try on a Wisconsin River canoe trip.  Bonnie and I have been doing these trips every summer for many years, and know the lower Wisconsin well.  We camped on a sand bar a couple miles downstream of Spring Green, one of our favorite spots.

I wouldn't have attempted operating from a sand bar without the 11.5 meter fishing pole I've been using on bike trips.  While there are often trees around, the woods are full of poison ivy, mosquitoes, and ticks.  It took only 3 sand stakes with a hundred pounds of sand piled on them to hold up the pole.  There was no shortage of sand.

Antenna Support

On sunny days, we always set up the sun shade if we're going to lounge around, so I had a shady place to operate.  We had to move it twice Saturday as the earth went around, but one position was good for the 3 hours I operated.  The longer end of the 40 M end fed half wave wire was supported by one of the sun shade poles, while the shorter end had a long piece of fishing line going to a stake in the ground.  The fishing pole supports the wire about a fourth the way from the far end, like an asymmetrical inverted V.  It seems to work fairly well on 20 and 40 meters.

Sun Shade

The KX1 puts out 4-5 W on 40 and 20 meters.  A little homebrew tuner matches the end fed wire.  The counterpoise is just a short piece of wire on the ground.

While I suppose I could have used the netbook for logging, I didn't have time to set it up, so I logged on paper.  (The netbook is way too heavy for bike trips, anyway.)

Logging

Remember those paper crosschecks?

Paper Crosscheck!

Three hours hunched over the radio from that little chair was enough for my aging back, but by then it was time for happy hour, anyway.

I ended up with 131 QSO's and 45 mults. When I got home, I entered the log into N1MM+, fully intending to send in, Sadly, I never could get N1MM+ to show the correct times, so I couldn't send in the log.  I'm still not sure whether it's a bug in the software or in the operator.

************

North American QSO Party, CW - August 2016

Call: K9MA
Operator(s): K9MA
Station: K9MA

Class: Single Op QRP
QTH: WI
Operating Time (hrs): 3

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:           
   80:           
   40:   25    15
   20:  106    30
   15:           
   10:           
-------------------
Total:  131    45  Total Score = 5,895


Comments:

The weather forecast looked great for a three day Wisconsin River canoe trip, so I took along the "Bicycle Portable" station and set it up on a sand bar. Just operated for a few hours at the beginning of the contest. Between setting up the antenna and the sun shade, I probably shoveled 5 pounds of sand for every contact, but it was fun anyway.


Canoe Portable:

KX1, end fed 40 M half wave, 11.5 M fishing pole support