{"id":21191,"date":"2016-09-05T13:52:40","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T17:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=21191"},"modified":"2016-09-05T13:52:40","modified_gmt":"2016-09-05T17:52:40","slug":"labor-day-fun-a-hamfest-an-npota-activation-and-a-new-elecraft-kx2-qrp-kit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/labor-day-fun-a-hamfest-an-npota-activation-and-a-new-elecraft-kx2-qrp-kit\/","title":{"rendered":"Labor Day Fun: A hamfest, an NPOTA activation–and a new Elecraft KX2 QRP kit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"NS07-Carl-Sandburg-Home\"

My station location on the trail near the Sandburg farm is indicated\u00a0with the small grey marker (lower left\u00a0quadrant).<\/p><\/div>\n

I’ve enjoyed\u00a0an especially “radio-active” Labor Day weekend. \u00a0Here’s hoping you did, too.<\/p>\n

On Saturday I headed out the door\u00a0at\u00a04:15 AM to meet\u00a0my buddy Vlado (N3CZ), the inimitable radio doctor<\/a>; we\u00a0aimed our headlights through the morning mist to the Shelby Hamfest. Though it took quite a bit more coffee to keep me going, the hamfest was a load of fun. Check out the photos I posted yesterday.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"ARRL-NPOTA\"<\/a>On Sunday, I enjoyed some family time. Conveniently, our weekend\u00a0travel took us near the Carl Sandburg Home<\/a> in East Flat Rock, NC. \u00a0I managed to carve out a little time for a quick–very quick–\u00a0NPOTA<\/a> activation of the site.<\/p>\n

I realized I would only have about an hour, though, to find a suitable site, setup my radio kit, make at least the minimum of ten contacts, then pack up and clear out. \u00a0Not an optimal amount of time, but\u00a0certainly a fun challenge.<\/p>\n

This was also a good excuse to try out my new Elecraft KX2<\/strong> portable transceiver kit in the field.\u00a0I haven’t even had the KX2 for a full week, but I quickly put together a field kit with the Elecraft as a centerpiece. \u00a0If you’re curious, the kit consists of the following:<\/p>\n