1,055 Miles to Get Back on the Air
Back on the Island: Rebuilding the Station After 14 Years Off the Air
In April, I made the 1,055-mile drive north on Interstate 5 — yes, I know Paso Robles is off Highway 101, but I-5 was the play — winding through Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle before catching the ferry at Mukilteo Terminal for the final 35 miles across the water to Coupeville. It was a long day, nearly 18 hours door to door, pulling in around 9:30 PM.
Why drive instead of fly? Because I was hauling cargo. Anna’s mom had given me the green light to relocate all of my radio equipment and antennas to her home on Whidbey Island — no small thing. Her husband of 48 years passed in 2021, and his office sits largely unused unless Anna, her grandson, and I come up to visit. It felt like the right home for the gear, and honestly, the right setting to finally get back on the air.
How It All Started
The story behind this equipment goes back to 2021. It was a turbulent time in my life, and somewhere in the middle of it, an ad appeared on our radio contesting club’s email reflector — an Elecraft K3 and accessories for sale. I reached out immediately, exchanged a few emails with Saraj, KU6F, and had a deal struck before I’d had much time to think it over. By then I’d been off the air since 2012, all my gear mothballed in a storage unit. Amateur radio was the one hobby I’d carried since the 1970s, when I used to watch my dad and his ham friends calling CQ late into the night from the shack in Poway, CA. I didn’t know much back then, but I loved spinning those dials. Buying that K3 felt like reclaiming something.
Getting the Station Back Online
I spent the last seven days in Coupeville working around the house, but carved out enough time to unpack the radio gear and start piecing the station back together. What I quickly rediscovered is that radio, like any technology, doesn’t sit still while you’re away from it — and after nearly 14 years, I’d forgotten more than I realized.
The Elecraft K3 shares a lot of the same controls as my old rig, but operating it confidently is another matter. Getting the PC software properly configured to interface with the radio was even more humbling. For that, I called in a favor from Bob, N6TV, who generously gave about two and a half hours of his time walking me through the setup. The goal was to have everything ready for the CQ Worldwide WPX Contest — one of the biggest CW events of the year. Unfortunately, I’ll be back in Paso Robles by then, so that one goes in the “missed opportunity” column. There’s nothing quite like contest weekend seat time for shaking the rust off.
The Antenna: A Rat’s Nest Situation
On the software and radio side, Bob and I confirmed everything is working. The antenna was a different story entirely.
When I had packed up the station years ago, I hadn’t bothered to disassemble the antennas properly. My hex beam — the main antenna — had spent years as a jumble of fiberglass tubes and a rat’s nest of wire. It took parts of three days just to sort through it and get the antenna reassembled.
The next challenge was building the transmission line — the coax cable that connects the radio to the antenna. For that I turned to Dick, K6KR, a fellow Northern California Contest Club member who relocated to Whidbey Island after time on the Central Coast and in the Bay Area. Dick supplied 50 feet of RG-58 coax and a handful of PL-259 connectors. All I had to do was attach them.
That turned out to be easier said than done. I watched a few videos to make sure I was doing it right, but I’m far from experienced with a soldering iron. The evidence: four burns — three of which make sense — and one mysteriously on the inside of my right elbow. I genuinely cannot explain that one.
Even after making the connections, I haven’t been able to hear any signals. My best guess is a poor electrical connection somewhere, but I haven’t had the time to troubleshoot properly. The likely solution is simply ordering a pre-made cable run with connectors already attached from DX Engineering. Could also be the antenna itself, but that’s a problem for another visit.
A Good Start
I didn’t accomplish everything I set out to do this trip, but I’m leaving satisfied. The station is configured, the software is installed, and the foundation is there. The next time I fly up, I should be able to walk in and actually play radio.
I’m already scanning the contest calendar looking for a weekend that works. The next trip north isn’t until August — which may just have to be the target. There are worse places to spend a contest weekend than on a bluff overlooking Penn Cove.
73 de N6SV
