As promised......my very first CW POTA activation!

So I'm either brave, or stupid.....or both. This is my very first CW POTA activation ever. I'm at K-5211 Oakley Corners State Forest in Upstate NY. I've worked plenty of stations on CW, but I'd never activated a park until today. I figured I'd film the whole thing, mistakes and all, so people can see what it's really like. I probably should have increased my speed some, as I find it difficult to send that slow with paddles. I was running like 15 wpm. I was afraid that if I sent at my usual 18-20 wpm I wouldn't have been able to copy callsigns, but in retrospect I don't think it would have made a difference. For anyone on the fence about giving it a shot, or for new CW operators with key fright, don't worry. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just jump in and do it. You're going to make mistakes (some of mine were hilarious, like sending QTH instead of QRT at the end, even though I knew it was wrong LOL), but everyone does. Don't sweat it. Just get on the air and make contacts!
Thanks for watching and 73!
Evan
K2EJT
www.buymeacoff...

[@BillPfaffenberger]

Evan, I just completed my first CW activation yesterday. I’m sure glad I left the camera at home. You did great! I’ve been hamming 56 years but it was a whole new experience. Thanks for sharing. AE9R

[@EvanK2EJT]

Awesome! I'm glad you got out and did your first CW activation! It's definitely crazy the first time you call CQ and get a pileup. Thanks for watching! 73

[@ShoesOnTheTrail]

Great job! Man, takes a lot of guts to film and post your first CW activation. Handled it very well IMO. Camera angle worked out too. Nerves still get me when running. Thank you for taking us along! 72/3 de N4AAJ

[@AA0Z]

Awesome. Just rip the band aid off and drive head first! The first two contacts...then the pile up.... You handled it well. Pick them off one letter at a time. Keep at it. Hope to see more CW videos in the future.

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thanks! Yeah, there will definitely be more videos in the future.

[@w4arb]

nice job man! that’s a great first CW activation! i’m pretty sure i asked for 3 times as many repeats in my first CW activation (which was just last September hihi) 72 de W4ARB dit dit

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thanks man! I appreciate it

[@rabbit6914]

Congratulations! Excellent job. Do many more! 73, Roger N4GF

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thanks! Just went out again this morning.

[@spencerhochstetler]

Love this. I've been learning CW for the past few months and I've nearly worked up the nerve to activate. I will be an absolute pro at "?" when I begin. Thank you for recording this and sharing!!

[@EvanK2EJT]

Definitely! You'll be a pro at "?" and "AGN" LOL. You can definitely do it. Rip the band aid off and go for it. It was a blast.

[@spencerhochstetler]

@@EvanK2EJT You inspired me. I activated by CW for the first time this evening. I was a bit ugly, but hunters were patient... Guess who I just realized that I worked? YOU! Thanks for hanging with me (and my semi-cooperative dit paddle!!)! de KQ4CWK @ K-2982 on April 13, 2023

[@EvanK2EJT]

@@spencerhochstetler Yeah! I did work you! I saw your spot, spun the dial, and you were calling CQ. Good job man! I'm glad I got you in the long. Keep it up!

[@EvanK2EJT]

​@@spencerhochstetlerOh..... And this totally made my day! This is the reason I made the video to begin with, and I'm stoked you went out and gave it a shot!

[@spencerhochstetler]

@@EvanK2EJT thank you so much for making the video. It's nice to see someone work at a pace that us newbies can actually kind of tell what's going on and what a real back and forth sounds like that isn't necessarily "perfect". Like you, I also like Thomas' videos. The 100% 'real time' CW QSO video format is extremely useful!

[@kn6eze]

Huge congratulations, Evan! You did great! Operating portable using CW is one of the loves of my life, and luckily one that my wife is very supportive about. In fact, my wife and sons often join me on activations. Loved your reaction when you heard your first pileup 😂. I get the exact same rush every time I hear a pileup on a SOTA activation. CW was extremely challenging at first for me, and I remember spacing out more than a few times when I first started activating... it's very different than chasing/hunting,. What's really helped me is long form rag chew QSO's, which is an entirely different skill than activating or chasing in CW, but which will help tremendously in improving your CW proficiency. Now, almost three years in, my brain does CW with very little conscious effort and is an extremely relaxing activity. I love your attitude towards activating with CW - "just do it." That's really all there is to it. Hope to catch you out there on the bands one day. VY 73

[@zeedoodeez]

Just recently joined the LICW Club and your vids have been great to see what I'm aiming for. I watched along trying to pick out the letters I knew as you went. Nice one!

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thanks! I'm an instructor at The Long Island CW Club. It's an awesome place to learn CW

[@zeedoodeez]

@@EvanK2EJT I did not know that when I commented but I do know now; as I was in your BC1 class on Thursday 😀

[@EvanK2EJT]

@@zeedoodeez That's awesome! Hope I see you again this Thursday

[@thebushman2572]

Great job Evan, really enjoying your LICW classes, best instructor .

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate Tim!

[@yeahitsk]

Congratulations Evan! I have plenty of activations under my belt but this is my goal- a CW POTA activation. It's really inspiring to see other people get there.

[@EvanK2EJT]

You can do it! It definitely wasn't a bad as I thought it'd be.

[@ve3ngn]

Nice work! Inspiring me to work up the mettle to get out there and activate here in Canada! 73

[@W4EMB]

DE W4EMB, I found it to be way less crazy than I thought... "They" want you as a QSO... You can do it! just gotta try it. GL

[@EvanK2EJT]

You can do it! It was way less painful than I thought it would be.

[@EvanK2EJT]

@@W4EMB Agreed Ed. When you activate YOU'RE the DX. Everyone wants to work you

[@horsetrainingresources]

Great effort! All the hard work paid off and now you're off to the races! Hope to work you on POTA in the future. 73

[@vk2ter]

Great first activation Evan, 73

[@joeblow8593]

Congrats! I saw your post with the link to this video on Thomas K4SWL's channel

[@EvanK2EJT]

Awesome! Thank you for checking it out. I really appreciate it

[@barrydubetsky8450]

For your first time that was awesome. I did my first last Saturday 3-15-24. I was terrible. I good friend helped me through it. You did this on your own. And i love your comments. I was laughing along with you. Great job. Hope my next is half this good.

[@EvanK2EJT]

Congrats! They only get easier from here. The fact that you got out there and did a CW activation is an accomplishment in and of itself. Many people never build up the nerve to even try, so good on you! Hopefully I'll work you some day. Thanks for watching!

[@betterbprepared]

Hey Evan, loved the video. It amazes me how fast you picked this up. From nothing to this in 2-3 months and from this to where you are now is inspiring to newbies like me. I can't wait to get my first QSO, let alone an activation. I know the characters to speak them out, but man, trying to get the instant character recognition to follow along on the radio is a struggle. I am hoping to keep plowing through it and by summer get my first activation. We'll see. Love your videos. Between you and Thomas, you guys are what's keeping me moving forward. 73

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thank you! Yeah, I progressed pretty quickly. The trick is to just keep plugging along. You'll get there. It's weird because you'll hit plateaus that feel insurmountable, and you'll be stuck for what seems like forever, and then all of a sudden you just progress quickly. Just keep working at it and you'll be there before you know it!

[@Lyndon_K]

Thanks Evan, I am really enjoying your videos on doing POTA with CW! I have done some CW hunting but my long-term goal is to start activating on CW. Being able to watch a first time CW activation in real time is extremely valuable. I am glad that the video is an hour long as I plan to watch it several times for practice. It's just like being there with you brother... I even felt a bit nervous, LOL! 😄 Thanks again for the great video. Salome!

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thanks for watching! Good luck with your first activation. It's nowhere near as painful as you think it'll be.

[@mattsartori2624]

Great job brou congratulations!!!

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thanks!

[@philwright5970]

Nice going

[@darrenrhoads4874]

Evan - THX FER QSO, starting around 50:42. -KC0NAH

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thanks for the second QSO about an hour and a half ago LOL!

[@shadowlab9543]

cool video !!! i love that table and chair set !!

[@EvanK2EJT]

Yeah it works well. The chair is from Klymit. There are a lot of chairs similar to it. The table is a Big Agnes Woodchuck table.....and it's awesome. Thanks for watching!

[@shadowlab9543]

@@EvanK2EJT thank you !! im going to have to film my first first activations for sure. 73-ko4wpd

[@EvanK2EJT]

@@shadowlab9543 I'll definitely check it out if you do!

[@RC-rv1mo]

Well done Evan! Inspiring and fun at the same time! AG7UW

[@EvanK2EJT]

Thank you!

[@hcy0]

I recently did my first CW activation too. Simply because I forgot my microphone.

[@EvanK2EJT]

LOL now that's a good a reason as any! Thanks for watching!

[@Brian-WR1W]

How do you like that key? I just got one and it tends to give me a shock when using it with my FT-891. I am going to try it out with my TX-500 and see if that makes a difference.

[@EvanK2EJT]

Interesting. I've never had a problem with shocks. The only radio I've used it on is my TX-500 though. I could try it on other rigs and see what happens. I really like it. The one downside is that it's easy to accidentally activate it because the sides are open and you can inadvertently hit the side of the paddles. I think I might try to make a kydex cover for it to alleviate that issue. Aside from that it's a really nice key.

[@charlesfritzii8991]

How did you pick the Lab 599 tx 500 out of all the qrp radios out there?

[@EvanK2EJT]

Well, to be honest, it's not my only QRP radio LOL. I like the Lab599 because it's more weather resistant than just about any other radio out there. The weather here in upstate NY can be schizophrenic. It could be 70f and sunny at 11am, and 32 and snowing by 2pm, so I wanted something that wouldn't die if it got caught out in the weather. I also wanted a radio that was light and compact enough to throw in my day pack and hike way out into the woods. The TX-500 fits the bill for all of those requirements. On top of all of that, it's a phenomenally good radio from a radio standpoint, so it has a lot going for it. Is it perfect? No. Does it meet my requirements for a field radio? Absolutely. Do I regret buying it? Absolutely not. It's definitely worth the money.

[@Redhawk03a]

Random: what radio stand do you have on that tx500? Looks like an after market stand and possibly bumpers.

[@EvanK2EJT]

Good eye! That's from theQRPstore.com and it's awesome.

[@W4EMB]

Great Job. Inspiration to others. DE W4EMB.