| K0ZK | Operating portable from the studios in Kennebunkport, Maine, next to the Trolly Museum. I had to set up here because I do a radio show on W-BACH network stations from 6-10 p.m. and "babysit" the opera from the Met, which comes in by satellite to this location and is then re-transmitted on four different stations. I set up a vertical antenna within a cluster of three large satellite receiving dishes and hoped my might 5 watts would not appear in the middle act of "Faust." It didn't. My vertical was the first time I have tried a light-weight 30-foot aluminum mast made from various sections of flimsy tent poles. I guyed it with nylon twine to wood clamps on the railing of the WBQQ sun deck (or Rain deck, as it never stopped raining thorughout the contest). I used a K2, S/N 692 at 5 watts, running from a 7ah gel cell battery. I forgot to bring a clock, so I had to twist around to read the time from the built-in microwave oven in the WBQQ kitchen. My station was between the sink and the door to the "rain deck." I operated the contest while listening for cues from the opera announcer so I could trigger the breaks. I was able to make coffee and even make lunch while operating from the kitchen area. Multi-tasking that's called, I hear. Conditions were terrible. All signals were weak and I know I was not receiving well. |
| W3ZMN | It was a rainy day here in Pennsylvania, so I decided to enjoy QRPTTF as QRP to my enclosed patio room. I did set a toy train on the operating table. I look forward to next year and hope for better wx. |
| K1PDY | I was located about 200 yards from Centerbury NH Railroad Station, which is now a real estate office, and next to the railroad track. |
| N2CQ | Thanks for the always fine QTTF. Could only operate a little more than 2 hours, but it was great to see the usual QRPers. |
| W7SW | I operated in the railway yard in the city of Surprise AZ, and used a box car to support the endof my LW antenna, which was 230 feet long. |
| W9TO | This was a great TTF theme and I was thrilled to operate from the Illinois Railraid Museum. The old trains and other equipment were plentiful and extremely interesting. Operating condx were less than optimal, however, with high noise levels and a wicked wind howling through the museum grounds. I stuck it out as long as I could, then packed up and headed home. I will definitely return on a more pleasant day. Thanks for running the contest and to all who pulled out my signals. |
| AA7EQ | I was planning to operate from a park in town as we are located at the crossroads of two railroad lines, but our club changed the date of the spring picnic to coincide with TTF so I had to improvise. I was able to string up a wire and get on the air, but only for a half hour or so. When I moved here and joined the club, about 6 months ago, the members told me "life is too short for QRP." They were pretty impressed when I worked both coasts on 5 watts and a piece of wire. |
| K4JSI | I set up on the outskirts of Sykesville
MD, on the old main line of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. The town has
both railroad history and current CSX freight traffic. The history includes
a couple of old cabooses on sidings and a Chesapeake and Ohio passenger
car, which now houses a local club's model railroad layout. In addition,
there's a handsome train station of Baldwin design, which now houses a
restaurant. Two CSX freight trains rumbled by during my five hours in 'TTF
2005. The rig was my Elecraft K1 and my antenna was a 44-foot doublet,
fed with twinlead and held aloft by one of the ubiquitous Crappie poles.
I used my LDG automatic QRP antenna tuner rather than a manual ATU, since
I'd decided to operate from the car, thanks to the rain which plagued much
of the east coast. Propagation was pretty poor, though as the afternoon
wore on, 40 & 20 intermingled the poor and the weird! On 40,
I heard few close-in stations, but worked Alabama, Minnesota and Texas.
On 20, little was heard from the 9th call area, yet I worked Arizona and
California. Five hours of battling the propagation gods yielded 21 QSOs
in 15 SPCs. Still, as ever, QRPTTF was fun, and I wouldn't want to see
the theme aspect dropped
for coming QRPTTF events. |
| K4THL | K4THL (Tom) and NE4LS (Nelson) operated QRP To The Field 2005 from Bahia Honda State Park on Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys (IOTA NA-062). Bahia Honda is best known for the abandoned rail bridge that stands as a reminder of Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad. This railroad was a feat of engineering in its day and connected Key West, the southernmost point of the United States, with the mainland. In 1935, on Labor Day, a hurricane struck the middle keys and destroyed the railroad and killed over a 100 WWI veterans that were returning from a well deserved rest. This tragedy was later known as the Labor Day disaster. The hurricane ended the railroad's reign over transportation in the keys. The right of way was sold to the state of Florida for $600,000. A highway was build right on top of the existing rails and trestles and remained in use until the last section was replaced with a modern highway in 1995. The field station operated under the callsign of K4THL and was operated in alternating one hour shifts for 6 hours. Tom used a brand new Vibroplex bug and Nelson operated a Brown Brothers straight key. The band conditions afforded openings to the eastern states for the first three hours as well as a couple opportunities into Arizona. As the day progressed, stations in the central part of the U.S. were also heard and contacted. |
| K7TQ | For this year's TTF, I operated adjacent to the Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound RR in the mountains of Idaho, up north in the skinny part. Yup, Idaho, not IL, WI or WA. The CM&PS was the main line logging railroad and connected to the Washington, Idaho and Montana (WI&M) which ran up nearly every creek that they could. Both operated from around the turn of the century, previous one not ours, until the late 1920s, cutting White Pine timber and hauling it to mills. Now they are both gone, but you can still find the old grade in lots of places in the forest. As I did for the 2003 "Nobody Home" version of TTF, I operated near one of the short-term logging camps. Most logging camps of that period were of a temporary nature built to last until the timber was removed, then the entire outfit would move on to the next location. A W7EL "Field Day Special" for 20 m served well. It is a two element wire beam that takes only 10 to 15 minutes longer to put up than does a dipole. Today it went up between two trees especially easily. It was headed just a bit south of due east, but the beam width is wider than most and covers the entire US well from here in the Northwest. A K2, 12 AHr battery, GO log on a Palm V and keyboard completed the setup. |
| K9EW | I was all set to "Ride the Rails" from coast to coast, but the train sure was slow. K5DI said, "This train's got the disappearin' railroad blues." But perserverence paid off with 12 contacts (from coast to coast), and I even met a few old friends on the ride. Oh, almost forgot ... I was running 100mw from my K1 into a 20m dipole. All aboard!!! |
| KA0GGI | Bob Patten, (WN1GIV - N4BP), did a good job of advertising the upcoming TTF via the Florida Contest Group internet Reflector. Seeing his post, I searched for www.zianet.com to see what the event was about. The weather was nice, so I decided to search for somewhere to operate mobile in the single op railroad station category. The Zepherhills Railroad Depot is 39.5 miles from my house and provided a good opportunity to do a bit of exploring. My operation from the Chevy Silverado was with a hand key and TS140 using Hustler 20m/40m resonators mounted on a M01 mast off the trailer hitch on the back of the truck. Power output was as low as possible to effectively key the radio. Information on the facility follows: Location: Pasco County, FL. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACLR) Depot was built in 1927 and was used as a station/depot for passenger service and for shipping citrus, produce and other goods, thereby stimulating economic development and residential settlement. With its wide overhangs and high ceilings, the depot represents the southern architectural style of the first quarter of the 20th century. Built at a cost of $13,207.21, the building was constructed of red brick and hard pine. It featured segregated waiting rooms, an office, a ware (freight) room, a raised outside platform and concrete concourses. ACLR trains traversed through Florida serving Zephyrhills from Jacksonville and Ocala to southern cities including Tampa, Bradenton and Miami. Famous trains such as the “Orange Blossom Special” and “Gulf Coast Limited” were among those stopping at the Zephyrhills station. With assistance from state and federal grants, the City of Zephyrhills acquired the depot in 1988 and restored it to its original appearance. In October 1998, it opened to the public as a local railroad and historical museum. |
| KC0BBE | Only operated for an hour because of 40F temps, sleet, wind, red ants. But I had fun! |
| N0EVH | My location for QRPTTF 2005 was along the Missouri River near Lexington, Missouri (EM39 - Lafayette County). This site has three historical modes of transportation, which have left their influence on the region. The Sante Fe Trail (1821) wagon wheel marks are still visible on the bluff over the river and the 200-year old campsites from the exploration by Lewis and Clark are within gun shot along the river (1804). But, the third mode of travel was my focus for today, the convergence of an abandoned line used during the Civil War and the present day Union Pacific that follows the Missouri River. I dropped the XYL off on the square of Lexington to shop and then drove down to the tracks to find a good spot to launch my 5 watts. Found a great view (see photo) of the river and hooked up my FT-817 to the Hustler. Unfortunately the XYL ran out of stores in a mere two hours. But, the logbook gained 27 q's on 20 and it was great fun. Thanks for all that came out for the event. |
| N7NLU | Our station was adjacent to a rail trestle on a branch line of the S.P. & S. railway, which was built between 1919-1922 to access timber above the town of Vernonia, Oregon. In 1926, the annual revenue of this line was $1.1 million. The track was abandoned in 1973 and converted into a 21 mile long recreation trail. Had a great time operating the contest. Hope to do it again next year. NR5A 20m was hmm? Different. For the most part only heard West Coast stations. What happened to the East Coast?? 20m very poor but still had fun. |
| NR7F | I enjoyed my second QRP contest. Alan (KB7BI), Doug (W7RDP) and I went up into the Cascade foothills to operate out of the Northwest Railway Museum. Although we operated in the SOR category, we shared a table and antennas. The bands were worse than I'd seen them in a long time, so we probably spent more time talking about radios than actually using them. But as always, it was fun. I got to give my new K2 a little bit more portable air time, and we learned a little more for the next time. The picture is of Alan and Doug. |
| PA0CMU | Here is my (poor) log of the QRPTTF
2005. Like last year and 2003 I used my homebrew "Manhattan Style" NC20
and 3el. beam to pick up the very weak signals from the States. The 20m
band was as good as closed here in the Netherlands, but sometimes there
was a small opening which I immediately used trying to make a QSO. Unfortunately
the qso's with K4THL and K0ZK were lost in the noise otherwise my score
had been higher, hi! Again I worked from home because 1500 UTC is five
o'clock in the afternoon, so most of the contest is during the dark evening
hours and I don't want to be outside alone near a railway station during
those hours. Although my score is very low, I enjoyed the participation
and I will certainly join the party next year. At the 18th of May my friend
Rien, PA0TRT and I depart from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to visit the
Hamvention in Dayton. Perhaps we'll meet there.
[Indeed, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Carel and Rien at Dayton this year. What fun it is to be able to put a face to a callsign. I look forward to seeing you another time my friend. -- Jan] |
| VE3GAM | I set up my HW9 on my kitchen table for this contest, ran it off an automobile battery and used a 40 M mobile whip attached to the deck out back as my antenna. Weather forecast here was not too good. Tried 20M as well, but I never did make any contacts on 20M, although I did hear a few weak stations, heard WN1GIV but could not work him. All in all, had fun, but better band conditions would sure help. CW was pretty rusty, contest was probably first CW contact in over 10 years, not that many phone contacts in that time either, mainly at Field Day. Local club is operating QRP for Field Day so need the practice. The picture is of HW9 on table, setup used for the event. |
| VE3WMB | I operating for a bit less than 3 hours. It was a toss-up as to which was worse, the Weather or the propagation. The temperature was 45 degrees F with rain all day which made for a cold and damp experience. I used a 1952 Vibroplex Original Deluxe Bug that belonged to John S. Ewasiuk, a telegrapher who worked for CP Rail in Manitoba in the 1950s. Logging was on a Palm PDA using Golog. |
| VE6AMA | This year, VE6YD (Colin) and myself (Jacques, VE6AMA ARS# 1,485), both avid QPRers, participated in the QRPTTF. Although I have held an amateur license since the 1970s, and Colin since the late 80s, this was our first TTF! We worked as single-ops, to have fun contacting other TTFers while testing gear for Summer wilderness trips. With us for part of the day, was VE6HMV (Robert) who got his basic license a month ago, does not know Morse code at this stage, and was there to assist in setting up. Our location was a reconstructed railway station (ca. 1890) in the town of Stony Plain, Alberta. Adjacent to the station is an assortment of railroad equipment. Because of its related nature, we considered the location ideal for this year's event. Our equipment consisted of an Elecraft KX1 (2W) running on the internal pack, and IC-703 (5W) powered by two 7.2V NiMH batteries. Antennae were an ATX Walkabout, and a home-brew crappie pole vertical. We both had gloves on and used Vibroplex Brass Racer paddles. For us, the TTF was extremely challenging. Weather conditions were very poor for this time of the year: temperature of roughly -4C, 2 inches of wet snow on the ground (and falling), and a strong wind that cut to the bone ... not exactly what we had initially envisioned! Once on site, we discovered that only 20m and 40m were "sort of open" and that in addition different kinds of interference were very perceptible: intermittent S8 bursts of unidentified QRN, a modulated whistling sound that came and went, and constant QSB. We started on 40m, and kicked off the day by shamelessly working each other with fantastic RSTs ... thereby unequivocally defining the moment's true historical significance! This was our only contact on 40m, as the band closed almost immediately thereafter. Realities called for switching to 20 meters. There, although conditions remained extremely poor, we managed a few more contacts under our respective call signs (CA, NV, CO, OR and MO) all with QRPTTF participants. Both of us worked the band, outdoors, from 16:15 to 19:40 UTC with very few short breaks to check QRO signals, but even those were dismal here. By the time we ended we were almost frozen, Hi. We hope you enjoyed reading about what the 2005 QRPTTF was for us in the North, and we will definitely give it another try next year! Thanks for the spirit-lifting contacts folks (eQSLs have been sent), and best of 73's to all from VE6AMA, VE6YD and VE6HMV. |
| W2AGN | Not greatest conditions, either weather or band. Rained entire time. No way I could have called all those CQs with a straight key! |
| W5KDJ | Poor props but a good turn out from the field. |
| W5MSQ | Lots of fun! We experimented with antennas, and let everyone have a chance to operate. |
| W7FST | We set-up the motorhome about 100 feet from the tracks in the railroad station parking lot; 5 freight trains and one Amtrak came by during 6 hours of operations. Two of the discomfitures of QRP operation are apparent. First, there will be fewer contacts than a QRP station. Second, fewer ragchews than a QRO station. Thus, a congregation of QRPers results in a nonstop chat with operating, a secondary importance. |
| WA8REI | Band condx very poor with much QSB and very weak signals. Great to work W0RW pedestrian mobile in CO. That’s how I did my scoring. I operated outdoors for 3 hours ... about froze due to wind/cold, but still a fun contest. I had two visitors and both were fascinated by my use of the straight key. One man said, “I didn’t think they used those things any more!” Was he surprised! |
| WB3GCK | I actually operated from 2 railroad stations during the event. The Port Kennedy and Valley Forge stations (both closed now) are located a mile or two apart from each other in Valley Forge National Park. I operated part of the event from the Port Kennedy station and finished up at the Valley Forge station. Not my best showing but still a fun afternoon watching the trains go by. |
| WN1GIV | (N4BP) It was fun, although a little slow. First time I've been able to participate since the TTF has been on the same weekend as the FL QSO Party in previous years. Location was at MM50 on the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys. The roadway was originally Henry Flaglers Overseas Railway from Miami to Key West. My location was on Marathon Key where the original terminus was built before track was laid the rest of the way to Key West. My station was an Elecraft K2 and 4BTV. The operating position was the tailgate of my truck. The vertical antenna was guyed to two palm trees and the front of my truck. Logged with NA on a 486 notebook computer. |