Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Super Portable & Super Fun: Pairing the KX2 and AX1 at Duke Homestead State Historic Site
by Thomas (K4SWL)
On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, my wife and I were in Durham, North Carolina, visiting a few places for the day. Earlier that morning, I had already activated Bennett Place State Historic Site using my Xiegu G106 and my Just OK Mini antenna—a really fun activation.
That afternoon, we had just enough time to squeeze in one more short activation before meeting our daughter for dinner in Raleigh. I had already picked the spot: Duke Homestead State Historic Site (US-6838)—a park I’d been wanting to visit for a few months.
We drove over to Duke Homestead, which is very close to downtown Durham, and the grounds were beautiful. The site has quite a bit of open space, and as soon as we pulled into the parking area, I noticed a large section with picnic tables that looked ideal for Parks on the Air. I also saw plenty of people walking across the road and onto the grounds—walking dogs, taking strolls, and simply enjoying the space. It’s obviously a well-loved gathering place for the community, and it looked like the grounds were open pretty much all the time.
My wife decided to tour the grounds while I set up for the activation. The plan was simple: I’d get on the air, make my contacts, then track her down and do a quick tour myself before we had to head to Raleigh.
Keeping it simple
To keep things easy, I grabbed my Elecraft KX2 and Elecraft AX1 combo from my LowePro CS60 hard-sided case and walked over to one of the picnic tables.
Setup was quick because this is a combination I’ve used so many times before. I opened the logbook, found a clear frequency on 20 meters, pressed the ATU button for a quick match, and I was off to the races.
Gear
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Radio
Antenna
- Elecraft AX1with 3D-printed Bipod (clip and knob by K6ARK and bipod legs by KE8PTX)
Pack/Case
- GoRuck GR1 USA (21L)
- HEROCLIP Carabiner Clip (attached to my backpack)
- LowePro CS60 Hard Side Case
Logging
Camera/Audio Gear
- DJI OSMO 4 action camera with Joby Telepod Sport Tripod
On The Air
As soon as I started calling CQ POTA and spotted myself, the park hunters started calling back.
I ended up logging a total of 15 contacts in just 14 minutes—quick and easy.
Honestly, I probably would have stayed on the air a little longer, but after that 15th contact there was a brief lull where no one was calling.
I took that as my cue to go QRT so I could meet back up with my wife and spend a little time exploring the site.
QSO Map
Here’s what this five-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map. Click on the map image to enlarge.
Activation Video
Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation. As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have YouTube monetization turned off, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.
Note that Patreon supporters can watch and even download this video 100% ad-free through Vimeo on my Patreon page:
Click here to view on YouTube.
The museum and the history
After packing up the radio and camera gear and putting everything back in the car, I walked into the visitor center and met up with my wife. We spent some time in the small museum, which tells the story of the Duke family and the role tobacco played in North Carolina’s history.
It’s impossible to separate tobacco from the story of North Carolina. For generations, it shaped the economy, communities, and livelihoods across the state. Preserving that history matters—not because it should be celebrated uncritically, but because understanding it helps us better understand where we came from.
That history, of course, includes both progress and deep harm. Tobacco wealth was closely tied to systems of exploitation, including slavery, harsh labor conditions, and later the well-known health consequences tied to tobacco use itself. I appreciated that the museum presents this history as something complex—something that brought prosperity for some while carrying very real human costs for others. It’s important history, and I’m glad it’s being preserved with that context in mind.
The grounds
After the museum, we walked the grounds, which were expansive and really beautiful. I’ve included a few photos below of some of the original buildings from the old homestead and the tobacco barn.
Just like when we arrived, there were people all around enjoying the pleasant weather and the park itself.
I’m looking forward to going back and activating Duke Homestead again—next time with a little more time to really explore.
This site gets activated a lot, and it makes sense. It’s so close to Durham, Hillsborough, and Raleigh that it’s a very convenient POTA stop.
As with all State Historic Sites, I try not to put any spikes in the ground—or even toss lines into trees—until I know from the staff that it’s allowed. Most historic sites don’t want stakes in the ground, and while some will allow lines in trees, it’s always best to ask first.
That’s one of the great things about the setup I used here: it requires none of that. It’s simple, effective, and very low impact—perfect for places like this.
Thank you!
Thank you for joining me during this short activation!
I hope you enjoyed the field report and my activation video as much as I enjoyed creating them!
Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.
As I mentioned before, the Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me!
Spread a little kindness wherever you go in the world!
Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)
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Three Types of VHF SOTA Contacts 15 April 2026 by Bob K0NR
When I talk about doing VHF SOTA activations, people often wonder about what kind of contacts to expect. VHF propagation from a mountaintop can be surprisingly good, and the range of possible contacts runs from the routine to the remarkable. Having done a lot of these activations, I’ve noticed that VHF SOTA contacts tend to fall into three broad categories. Let’s take a look at each one.
Type 1: The Local Contact (20–30 Miles)
This is the most common type of VHF SOTA contact, and it’s what keeps most activations from getting skunked. A simple 2-meter FM handheld radio, a decent half-wave antenna, and a summit with good Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT) — that’s all you need to make contacts with stations in the surrounding towns and valleys.
The typical range for this category is roughly 20 to 30 miles, with some variation depending on terrain. From most Colorado summits, this covers small mountain towns, outlying suburbs, or rural homesteads with a radio operator and a 2m FM rig. These are the chasers who have 146.52 MHz programmed in, monitor for activity, and are happy to give you a quick contact. Often, I’ll catch mobile stations driving through the high country with their radio set on 2m simplex.
These contacts are the bread and butter of VHF SOTA. Mostly reliable, repeatable, and very useful for getting the four QSOs to get the activator points. Don’t underestimate them.
Type 2: The Extended Contact (30–150 Miles)
Now it starts to get interesting. This category requires a bit more effort — both from the activator and the chaser. We’re talking higher power, a better antenna, or both. On the summit end, a 3-element Yagi like the Arrow II provides about 6 dB of gain over a half-wave antenna, which makes a significant difference. It also helps to run more power than a handheld radio can, with 25 watts making a big difference. A home station using 50 watts with a quality high-mounted omnidirectional or beam antenna can significantly boost range on the chaser side.
These contacts are mostly still on 2m FM, although SSB and other modes can really help at these ranges. The contact might require pointing the Yagi in the right direction, asking the chaser to try a different antenna orientation, or just working a little harder to pull the signal out of the noise. These contacts are made at the margin, so every decibel of signal strength matters.
This category represents a real challenge, and that’s part of the appeal. When you complete a contact at 100 miles with some rough terrain in the way, it feels like an accomplishment. You earned that one.
Type 3: The Exceptional Contact (150+ Miles)
These are the contacts that make you stop what you’re doing and say “wow.” Distances beyond 150 miles on 2m FM are not routine — they happen when something special is going on. Three factors drive most of these exceptional contacts:
Favorable geography. Two high summits separated by a long distance can sometimes “see” each other in a way that lower-elevation stations cannot. In the Colorado high country, summit-to-summit contacts across large distances are possible when both operators are at altitude. The geometry just works out.
Favorable propagation. This is where it gets really fun. Sometimes enhancement occurs on the VHF bands, which means the signals become significantly stronger. Several elements contribute to this, though most link to tropospheric conditions. Tropospheric ducting can have a very strong effect, occurring when atmospheric conditions create a temperature inversion that takes VHF signals well beyond normal range. The ionosphere can also play a role, with Sporadic-E propagation opening up the 2-meter band unexpectedly, providing path distances of over 800 miles. This is rare on 2 meters and more common on the 6-meter band.
Modulation type. FM is a great mode for local and medium-distance contacts, but it is not the most efficient modulation for squeezing out long-distance QSOs. SSB and CW require significantly less signal strength to complete a contact compared to FM — a difference that can easily be 10 dB or more. That’s a huge advantage when signals are marginal. So when the conditions are favorable but not quite strong enough for FM, switching to SSB or CW can make the difference between completing the contact and just hearing a ghost signal in the noise. This is one of the reasons I’ve been enjoying the 2026 SOTA Challenge on 2m and 70cm CW/SSB — it pushes operators to explore what’s really possible on these bands.
My best 2m FM contact from a SOTA summit is 245 miles (Mount Scott (W5O/WI-002) — that one was a keeper. My best 2m SSB contact was 372 miles, from Three Mile Mountain (W0C/SP-107) to N0LL in Kansas. Longer contacts are possible, but you have to be on the right summit at the right time, with the right chaser listening.
Which Type Is Most Common?
Type 1 is by far the most frequent, and Type 2 contacts are a regular occurrence for activators who show up with the right gear and a good summit. Type 3 contacts are not predictable, but they are not as rare as you might think.
The key takeaway is that VHF SOTA is not a one-size-fits-all experience. You can tune your station and operating strategy to optimize for any of these categories, or just show up with a handheld and see what happens. Either approach can work, and both are fun.
That’s the universal purpose of amateur radio, after all.
73 Bob K0NR
Monday, January 5, 2026
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