Early Spring on Johnson Road
April 2018

Judy and I took a quick hike off Johnson Road in Sanbornton.
It was sunny but only 42 degrees. There was still snow on parts
of the trail, but it was grand! I worked Jamaica, Slovenia and
Virginia.



I set up under a tall pine tree with the KX3 at 8 watts. I used a 30 foot wire tossed
over a branch. I sat directly beneath the branch so my wire was vertical.

I started out on 20 meters after hearing Josh 6Y5WJ in Jamaica working stations. He gave me
a 579 and we had a quick exchange.

Then I switched to 30 meters. There I worked Milan S57V in Slovenia. This time I received
only 539, but it was good enough to complete the exchange.



Next I switched to 40 meters and worked two stations in Virginia. KI4XH
was first. Fred was calling CQ and gave me a 459. We chatted for a minute
and then signed. After a bit, Puck W4PM in Virginia called CQ on the same
frequency. He was very strong and gave me a 599. He was immediately
curious about how I could be operating while on a hike. When I explained
the setup, he sent, "Wow. Really nice signal for 8W and a wire."

With that I packed up and headed back to the car. It's so fantastic to be walking
on bare earth again after months of being snow bound. The birds, the warm sun,
the fresh air... thank goodness for spring.