First Time POTA Activation - New CW Operator

Having just finished the CWOps Basic Course and completed my assessment, I took to a local State Park to try to activate it. This is my first time activating a park - ever - and was even more enjoyable by doing so with CW.
I cut out most of the CQ calling and just left the actual QSOs. It is also my first time filming myself and recording audio separately, so all in all a tremendous amount of learning this weekend which was very fulfilling.

[@chrisbillings2050]

Hi Adam....a friend from Iowa just forwarded this video on to me. Proud to be your first CW POTA contact. 73 de Chris WA7RAR in Oregon.

[@kd0hbu674]

Hi WA7RAR. So awesome to hear from you! I appreciate your taking it easy and slow with me for that outing, and I look forward to seeing you on the air again next time!

[@learnhamradio]

Though not on this video, I had the honor of being your first CW contact a few months earlier. It's awesome to see new CW ops perform well under pressure.

[@kd0hbu674]

K9NUD!!! - Great to hear from you and thanks again for being my first CW contact. I cannot tell you how amazing it was to have someone patient, slow, and willing to continually allow mistakes to be made in order to get through and complete the QSO. You're an awesome operator.

[@shadowlab9543]

thats so cool !!! its a small world

[@DXJungle]

200+ POTA contacts via phone so far. Time for me to switch to using morse code and CW. Thanks for the great video.

[@alibaby4761]

Great to see this one.

[@BrooksBarrow]

What a great video. Inspiring!

[@robertberry5735]

This is awesome. Working on getting to POTA activation and this is so helpful. Thanks! Learned a ton.

[@martidav1]

Great video! Inspiring. What’s going on with your gear here? Do I see are you piped into an Olympus recorder? Is your video camera picking up the audio as well? Great job using CW ops. Would love to see an anatomy of a POTA QSO video. Noob style. Fourth grade level for those of us just starting out with CW. 🤓 Thanks again 73 de KI7VLV

[@kd0hbu674]

Thanks Dave. I haven't considered a "how-to" video before. I am using a Sony audio recording with line-in and line-out, with the KX3 audio piped into it and then out to my earbuds. Let me see what I can put together. For additional reference, I am also getting audio out of the camera (a cheap 4k video camera off of Amazon) and then in post-processing overlaying the Sony recording on top of the video recording. A bit of a hassle to line up the two audios so that they match the keying on screen, but I like to hear both. I just started the CWOps intermediate course this week, so I'm hoping my next outing is smoother and a little quicker. I guess it depends on the effort I put in eh? Hope to see you on the air sometime! 73, KD0HBU

[@andrewesselbach7564]

Nice job! I made my first CW contact on October 10. I am still slow, but I am slowly trying to improve my proficiency. Since then, most of my CW contacts are hunting POTA activators.

[@CoveiraoPS3]

Nice! Next, try filming yourself setting up the station. It's something nice to watch. Like K4SWL 73's

[@kd0hbu674]

That's the plan!

[@BikingHikingRadio]

You should be proud of yourself for the fantastic job you did on this activation. You looked very relaxed and you handled the calls very well! Hope to work you sometime, maybe a P2P. 73.

[@raceon4]

Great video! I'm taking the cw ops basic and one of my main goals is to activate pota. This is helpful to hear the exchange and at a speed I can actually figure out too! And to see how others come to you at your speed as well.

[@kd0hbu674]

Glad it was helpful. Taking CWOps Basic made a huge improvement in my ability and confidence to copy. Currently in the midst of the Intermediate class and already seeing improvements. Keep it up and I hope to do P2P with you some time!

[@somarmd]

Same here, I’m in the CWOps beginner class.

[@stevekj5t]

Nice job for someone new to CW! Great video and hope to work you sometime. 73 de KJ5T

[@k9kj]

I know this video is a year old, but great job on the activation for a first-time activation!

[@miketaylor6700]

Soooooo cool. I’m learning Morse Code now and listening to your POTA was very helpful!! Especially when you added the contacts and their location down across the bottom!! That was massively helpful! Thanks!!

[@dandypoint]

Congratulations! Nothing beats CW!

[@MidlifeRenaissanceMan]

What about CW with a spark gap transmitter….. ….yeah I know, it’s CW, but it’s dangerous too

[@mrdinx]

Congratulations on the POTA activation. Hope to catch you on the air.

[@hgjobe]

IN MN??? Why?

[@AMERICANRTO]

So very cool as I am learning as well and was able to follow a lot what was being said!!!! First video ever at my speed!!!!

[@keivanshahrokhi8346]

This video inspires me. I've signed up to do the CWOps course for their next session. I really want to do CW on HF. Thanks for sharing this video.

[@KU9L]

I see a real resurgence in CW operating since POTA came about, reminds me of my Novice days in 1979 where the solar cycle was hot and my eagerness to get on the air was very strong. Thanks for sharing and POTA looks like a lot of fun. I am currently searching for a portable Qrp CW rig for my to go bag. The code is coming back to me, the more I listen the more I can copy it in my head like the old days. Dave - KU9L

[@Sparkfly88]

Thx for the heads up about CWops! I never knew about it. I've been trying to figure out a way to learn CW that makes sense to me, their course layout seems doable to me. :)

[@SM5YRA]

Great and nice to see you working CW from a POTA, hope to work you in the future!

[@denf0j881]

Enjoyed your video! I lived in Bloomington for 47 years and retired to southern New Mexico in 2021. CUL on the air. 73 de NF0J

[@garystout4300]

I finally got brave enough to do a cw activation today at K-4098. I set out to get 10 to make it an official activation and was then gonna switch to SSB or FT8. Ended up with 30! The hunters were great and patient and it went much smoother than I expected. 73, Gary, NY9R

[@kd0hbu674]

Congratulations! I still get a wave of nervousness when I go out, but I have found exactly the same experience. This last summer I got my first CW DX. The poor OM had to repeat his call 5 times because it wasn't registering in my head that I wasn't missing a US prefix and needed to keep hearing it. Super patient and awesome. That has been my experience with hunters and CW operators in general to date. Keep it up!

[@4x5au]

Nice job. Always nice to see people doing POTA activations. I see a kx3 awesome? awesome! Also your keying is really good

[@bluagavegroup]

I totally enjoyed listening to your activation. I’m working on my CW skills and will be there with you soon! Thank you for the video, it’s so encouraging to see this! Thank you!

[@kd0hbu674]

And yes, I know I messed up spelling North Carolina on that second contact - too lazy to go back and redo the whole upload.

[@JayN4GO]

Fb man ! Very good es congrats on ur first Cw act. Stick with it!! Hope to wrk u soon OM

[@micahhaislett1863]

Good job! I’m hoping to do some pota stuff myself this year. Just getting back into cw, you did great.

[@jeffg7358]

Great activation.👍

[@w2msa]

Thanks for the video. I’m learning cw and can’t wait to do an activation. I did some hunting but not ready for an activation. 73, Noel-W2MSA

[@kd0hbu674]

Thanks Noel. It is a journey for sure. I highly recommend the CWOps program. I finished the Basic course and am starting Intermediate next month. Good luck in your journey and I hope to see you on the air sometime.

[@frankdries9543]

Adam, nice video of a POTA and CW Ops. Congrats! This is good learning for others (myself included) who want to get there also. -- Frank AF0DR

[@kd0hbu674]

Thanks Frank. I highly recommend CWOps - the progress I was able to make was directly proportional to the time I invested, but their course layout and guidance made a huge difference in my learning. I have a long road to go still, but my confidence has greatly improved. Hope to see you on the air sometime.

[@AA0Z]

Good video. Glad to see some CW POTA on KZbin.

[@kd0hbu674]

More to come!

[@lukebergen6313]

Looks like fun!

[@brettbauscher2833]

Excellent. Gives me more courage to get out there (likely make a fool of myself) and try.

[@kd0hbu674]

Go for it! I'm excited for some warmer weather so that I can get back outdoors and play radio - also likely to continue making a fool out of myself ;).

[@aaw5]

Very nice job, Adam. Congratulations!

[@kd0hbu674]

Thank you very much!

[@theexperimentalcqdx4208]

Great video de ZS6MSW 73's

[@kd0hbu674]

Many thanks! 73

[@TridentMissileTech]

Great job. Thanks for sharing. Hope to see more

[@kd0hbu674]

Thanks!

[@justinelliott3529]

I have 200+ qsos but you’re a far better operator -AC8LZ

[@kd0hbu674]

That is beyond kind and I hope to work you on air sometime so I can prove it wrong ;) Thanks for your comment!

[@mikes6844]

Great to see you going for it. Well done 73 de M0AZE 👍🏻

[@HZ1XB]

Good job my friend 👍 Keep going, all the best. 73.. DE HZ1XB

[@kd0hbu674]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@freedom35pedrick]

I’m new on hf with my general, and do cw - at 11 wpm. Using IC 705 at 5-10 watts. I have a hard time following cw that sends faster than I send. I have contacts all over but freaks me out until I can receive better - love this video. KN6SSO

[@kd0hbu674]

I won't deny a certain *ahem lots* amount of anxiety - especially when there is more than one station. Heart rate goes up, cognitive abilities goes down. Check out CWOps and their courses - makes a big difference in abilities. Hope to see you on the air sometime.

[@mikes6844]

I know what you mean, every time I venture into CW I get responses that sound more like machine gun fire than Morse. Best of luck and don’t give up, I did and really regret it. 73 de M0AZE

[@MidlifeRenaissanceMan]

Try the _shallow end_ of 40m. The Straight Key Century Club hangs out around 7055KHz. Guys there will slow down for you. I send NEW TO CW SO PSE GO EZ HI HI and everyone has been kind Haven’t been on the air in a while. I know I’m out of practice and I wasn’t that good to begin with !!

[@stevewarner8880]

Send QRS to the speed demons with bugs. If they don’t slow down, no big loss. I’m SKCC with many thousands of CW QSOs and welcome all operators. I’m glad to slow down, I still remember being overwhelmed when first starting out

[@CalSextons]

Great Video, thx fur sharing, from a new cw SOTA operator to new cw POTA operator. Hi Hi Hopefully we will connect someday.

[@kd0hbu674]

Thanks Donald. Unfortunately Minnesota is quite flat, but there are some SOTA opportunities up north. I hope to see you on the air some time, and doing so S2S would be amazing!