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BUDDIPOLE ANTENNA PLUS
BUDDIPOLE ANTENNA PROFESSIONAL

I’m sure they were wondering what I was doing.ġ3 QSO’s later and an activated park, I decided to wrap it up and head back to shore. But, to my surprise, the lake traffic was busy and a fair number of boats went by and came in close for a look and a wave from me. What I didn’t expect was to get those looks while I was paddled out to and activating an uninhabited island in the middle of a lake. I’ve gotten used to those looks and questions after a few hundred activations. I couldn’t really put it down, otherwise it would slide away and into the lake.Īnyone who activates parks has surely had the curious onlookers staring as they walk by and had to explain what it is you’re doing. I managed to not drop anything in the water, although I was a little anxious about the computer slipping out of my hands. Here’s the rest of my coverage with an added benefit of a park to park with Clint, W9AV. Thanks to David, MM5DWW who confirmed me on LOTW from Scotland. QRP Power with a compromised antenna sitting on a rock in the middle of a lake and I was still able to make a contact in Europe. I didn’t bring the Buddipole this time, so I ended up using the Elecraft AX1 on a tripod as my antenna. The water wasn’t deep and I was able to step out into the water and saw that there was a steep trail up into the center of the island, but I thought the rocks were a good spot. I paddled all the way around it and found some rocks I could activate from. No easy place to land my new, used kayak.

However, no one told me there is no shore on Minnie Island, just rocks and steep drop-off. Nice calm water, the island not too far away, a boat ramp and dock, I figured this would be easy.

Elecraft AX1 antenna (with a Packtenna EFHW as a backup).

Sabrent USB external sound card adapter.

Samsung Galaxy Book Flex2 Alpha 2 in 1 Laptop with Outdoor mode.

Bioenno 1x 12V, 9Ah LFP Battery (PVC, BLF-1209A).

Mindshift 18L Camera Bag Backpack for radio, cables, battery and computer.

I decided to activate on 20 meters and this is the list of gear I brought along: Equipment List: Next stop, the Gardner Lake Boat Launch, which was about a 30 minute drive North. Also, I was able to fit it into my Jeep Wrangler. No trying to squeeze myself in and plenty of room to bring a backpack with the radio equipment in-between my legs. What sold me on the Vapor 10 was the open cockpit. The added benefit is now I own my own kayak…a friend suggested that now that I do, there might be IOTA activations in my future. It came with a paddle and life jacket and it was 50% of the price new. I visited their shop and after looking at my options, I ended up buying an Old Town Vapor 10 kayak. I visited their web site and was happy to see that they were having an end of season clearance sale, where they were selling their rentals. I was really looking for something simple.Īfter striking out on eBay, I found a fishing supply store at the end of the Connecticut River that also had kayaks you could rent. I had no idea how serious you could get with all of the accessories and options. Some have rudders, some have small, sealed cockpits and some even have motors. Some made for the ocean and dealing with waves and others for casual lake paddler. I started on eBay, looking for people selling used kayaks.

BUDDIPOLE ANTENNA PLUS

Add me, plus a backpack of radio equipment, and I needed to be sure I didn’t sink. I’m a big guy, six foot five inches tall. In case you didn’t know this, different kayaks have different specifications on how much weight they can hold. I did need a kayak, though, which I didn’t own. Unlike the challenges the river posed, I felt like I could manage the lake on my own. I DO have experience kayaking on a Lake, thanks to my uncle, who has two kayaks and has taken me out on Tillson Lake in New York’s Hudson Valley a number of times. The final boat-only accessible island is Minnie Island, located in the middle of Gardner Lake in the town of Salem, Connecticut.

BUDDIPOLE ANTENNA PROFESSIONAL

For those islands, I enlisted professional help from a boat captain with the navigation experience and proper tools (like radar and maps) to access those islands. You may have seen my recent field report here on about activating three islands located in the Connecticut River. There are 136 parks, and four of them are only accessible by boat. As many readers know, I am on a Parks on the Air (POTA) quest to activate all references in the state of Connecticut.