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| Bike, KX2, folding drone, antenna mount/17ft (5m) whip |
Let's see if I can pull either of these off:
TAT with QRP
For the past few months, I've been outfitting an off-road motorcycle that will allow me to ride the Trans-America Trail. Off pavement, from Florida to Oregon - with a QRP rig, of course.
If (a big "if") this comes to fruition, I'll depart FL in late June or early July.
If you've worked any of my park activations recently, it was during a test run of the bike, radio, antenna mounting ideas and a bit of trail riding to get there. I think I've got my system down and have settled on which radio to take and which antenna to use.
I rode part of the TAT 10 years ago but had to quit before finishing (in Rico CO) due to the need to get back to work. Being retired now, I have all the time I need - but I'm 10 years older...
That was on a Suzuki DR-650 - a carbuerated, air-cooled motorcycle that wimped out at the high elevations of the Colorado portion. Engineer Pass, Ophir Pass - the bike had very little power at 12,000+ feet and a lack of forward momentum going up steep inclines was quite problematic.
During that ride - no matter if I was in Colorado or the Mississippi Delta - I never wished for a larger, more powerful bike.
I now have a QRP fuel-injected bike that weighs less and is water-cooled to boot. We'll see how good it is at hauling me and a KX2...
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POTA-DXpedition from El Salvador
The POTA program has breathed new life into the HF bands, particularly on CW. I activated four parks in Iceland 18 months ago and had a great time doing it.
I hope to return to TF-land someday, but before that we'll be heading to El Salvador for some hiking, photography and a few POTA activations. There are only 5 in the whole country.
Likely to be early in the year rather than later.
Got pupusa?
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Good morning John "if" the trip comes true it sounds like at this end it will make some interesting reading from your blog. As for me and an off road adventure with a motorcycle at 65 I would have no problem getting on the bike but at the end of the day getting off is another whole story.
ReplyDelete73 and Happy New Year.
Mike
VE9KK
Hello Mike,
DeleteI'm no stranger to the effects of time - I notice it in a wide variety of ways! But I do ride often and try to not become unconditioned to it, realizing that if I do, I won't bounce back to where I was. By the time I leave on this "maybe" trip, I'll be 65 and it will mark my 50th year of being a motorcycle rider. And I won't be the oldest to have done the TAT.
Living in a retirement community has given me a new perspective on age. There are numerous people here in their 60's and 70's in bicycle clubs who ride 40 miles (65km), three times a week and do "metric Centuries" periodically. 70 is the new 50 around here - there truly are some fit people.
But it remains an "if" until I start rolling.
73,
John