Just got back from our last scheduled QRP in the Park outing with the Lake County Amateur Radio Association. We operated on wire antennas and worked lots of Kolifornica QSO Party stations on the left coast, as well as England, Wales, Ireland, Germany and Cuba...all on 5 watts. All stations this time were Yeasu FT-817 stations with home brew antennas. I used my newly constructed Carolina Windom OCF antenna, with a 4:1 balun I wound on a 5/16" stick ferrite, and a line isolator in another ferrite rod at 10' below the balun. I had it in an inverted vee at 30 ft., and worked more stations than the other guys with plain dipoles. We may do another informal outing later this month as the weather permits.
Here's the antenna and me operating today. You can see another station across the parking lot. Trees are a necessity for us.
Here's the antenna and me operating today. You can see another station across the parking lot. Trees are a necessity for us.