By Mike and Becky — 05 Feb 2025

Trying the NEW CFT1 QRP Radio at 🐊 BeaverDam Creek

The Beauty of Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

Hello, radio friends! Today we're sharing our adventure from the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. This swampy area in Alabama is both beautiful and close to our home QTH, so we decided to give it a go for a POTA (Parks on the Air) activation. It was a fantastic spot if you love being surrounded by wildlife and the soothing sounds of nature while making contacts, but the day we went it was chilly and not many people. It probably wouldn't be the best POTA site on a more busy day due to the lack of anywhere to activate out of the way.

Trying Out the CFT1 CW Field Transceiver

Despite the overcast chill and threat of a drizzle, we were excited to test the brand new CFT1 CW Field Transceiver from Jonathan (KM4CFT). Becky was up and running with the CFT1 and her straight key in no time. The intuitive menus and setup were very straightforward. The transceiver worked beautifully, making it an easy POTA activation. We were both pleasantly surprised by both the quality of the audio and good signal reports in both directions. It was my turn next with the new to us QMX, which gave us a good comparision. We concluded at the end that either the CFT1 outperformed it our we have an issue with our specific QMX.

Ham Radio Fun at BeaverDam Creek

During our trip, we made 20 contacts across 15 states and 2 countries! Special mentions go to KM3STU in New Jersey and NB0W in Nebraska for connecting with us from so far away. It's always amazing to get contacts on QRP, especially when far away.

We hope you'll join us to checkout the activation, maybe practice some morse code, and we can't wait to get you in the logs. There's a little something for everyone, whether it's the gear talk or the serene scenery.

Our Radio Gear Essentials

Our adventure gear included some essential items: the CFT1, our QMX, K6ARK EFHW antenna, and Becky's cherished Putikeeg Straight Key. Silicone cable ties always come in handy, helping keep everything tidy. We love sharing this hobby, and trying out new tech.

Support and Favorite Links

If you want to support our radio adventures or are curious about our favorite gear, check out the links below. Some are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps keep our travels and activations going strong!

Thanks for joining us on this adventure! We can't wait for the next one. Until then, 73 from Michael N4FFF and Becky N4BKY.