Fall Bike Ride in Andover
September 2015

Judy and I went for a bike ride on the rails-to-trails route in Andover. It was
a perfect day... sunny and 75F. I set up alongside a beautiful wildlife area and
worked Rhode Island and Virginia on 40 meters.



The old Northern Rail trail is ideal for cycling. It's straight and flat and
goes through some beautiful countryside. We rode about 2 1/2 miles and
stopped in front of a 20 acre marsh.



I tossed a line over a maple branch that hung over the trail. Then I pulled
up the center of the 65 foot end fed wire to make an inverted vee. The far
end was tied to my bicycle. I sat at the near end with the KD1JV Mountain
Topper running 3 watts. The rig was powered by 8 AA NiMh cells.



I tried to make a few contacts on 20 meters. But the stations were weak and
no one answered my call. So I switched to 40 meters and had much better
luck. WA1SKQ, Rich in Rhode Island was calling CQ. He was really
booming in and I was pretty sure he'd hear me. He gave me a 449 (he said I
peaked at 569) and we chatted for a couple of minutes. I told him I was
on the trail running the MTR. "Wow... UR QRP rig makes my KX3 look
like a boat anchor," he sent when I told him the rig fits in my shirt pocket.
As soon as we signed, WY4R, Jim in Virginia called. He'd been listening
and just wanted to see if we could hear each other. We sure could. Jim
was a 599 and he gave me a 459. We had a quick exchange and signed.

These early fall days are just right for radio outings, and I'm trying to make
the best use of each sunny opportunity. The cold weather will be here soon
enough.