March 2000 QST

By Stephen Stuntz, N0BFImagine riding abicycle built for twothrough thepicturesque countryvistas of France andHolland. Add a fewquaint sidewalk cafesand unending historicaland artistic relevanceand you have the trip ofa lifetime…almost.What’s missing? A onepoundQRP ministation, of course!Cross-Country QRPCMC bikers at a cafe in Provence.“PA/N0BF DE ZS3JDR 599 CFM”zipped through my headphones at 35 wordsper minute. I had broken through the pileupto South Africa with 1 W and a wire danglingfrom my apartment window inRotterdam. A warm glow of accomplishmentspread from head to toe. The decisionto take a compact QRP station along on mybicycle vacation through France and Hollandhad been the right one.When my girlfriend, Jeannie, and I beganplanning the one-month vacation(riding our tandem cycle through parts ofsouthern France and Holland), I decided topack a ham rig that was small, lightweightand easy to set up and operate. The NN1G30-meter QRP CW transceiver I’d built fouryears ago for my first trip to Holland woulddo nicely.The NN1G circuit board was mountedinside a 2×3.5×6-inch plastic box with batteryholders and a touch key. To operate thekey I held the rig in my left hand (makingsure my fingers touched the bottom metalplate) and tapped a bolt on the plastic boxwith my right index finger!The only external devices required foroperation are headphones and a 30-meterdipole antenna. The antenna was made from24-gauge wire and was fed with 10 feet ofRG-174 mini coax to minimize weight andbulk. The antenna was stored on a nylonspool by wrapping the antenna around theoutside and tucking the coax inside the hole.The entire station, minus batteries, weighedonly a pound (AA batteries are readilyavailable in Europe).28 March 2000Planning and PreparationI was preparing to apply for a temporarylicense, previously a bureaucraticnightmare, when the CEPT announcementappeared in QST. The article described howthe reciprocal licensing agreement betweenthe United States and many foreign countries,including France and Holland, hadeliminated the need for a temporary license.The ARRL Web site explained how to operatein CEPT countries. I simply packedmy ham license, a copy of “Amateur ServiceOperation in CEPT Countries,” and apassport.Our plan was to spend the first twoweeks participating in an organized tripbeginning in France and ending in Holland.Thirty-two other riders would participatein the ride, which was sponsored by theColorado Mountain Club (CMC). Jeannieand I would stay in Rotterdam for an additionaltwo weeks after the other club membersreturned home.A Week in ProvenceTraveling through “Van Gogh” countryin Provence was inspirational as we rodethrough the fields of flowers that Vincentpainted more than 100 years ago. Ridingfrom Tarascon, we stopped for coffee inSaint Remy, where Vincent painted “StarryNight,” his most famous painting. We pedaledon to Arles, where we spent two nightsand visited the Café La Nuit that Vincenthad captured on canvas. I recognized it immediatelyfrom his impressionist painting.Our days were filled with 35-mile bikerides and historical exploration. Eveningsincluded dining together, drinking wine,telling stories and singing songs until wecouldn’t keep our eyes open. Operating hamradio in the midst of all the activities hadto be quick and easy.I found some time to operate the NN1Gin Uzes before going to bed. I installed nineAA batteries I’d purchased in the smalltown for 15 francs (five dollars) and hungthe antenna from our second-story room. Itwas 10 PM, so there wasn’t time to installthe dipole in a conventional manner. Instead,I put the dipole up in about five minutesby tossing the hot dipole leg out thewindow so it hung next to the outside walland draping the grounded leg around theroom (over pictures, mirrors and light fixtures).To my surprise the little rig came tolife with signals from all over Europe—some with exotic call signs!I answered DL8VL’s CQ as F/N0BF.Klaus, in Dresden, answered me with a 549signal report. John, GW0UWM/QRP,called me from Cardiff, Wales, with a solid599 5-W signal from his MFJ rig. He gaveme a 569 with QSB. He signed 72 after afive-minute QSO when the noise got worse.Klaus, DL8MTG, in Lehre, called me witha 529 report. He was looking for DX, so heQSYd after I gave him a 599 report.Bill, G2FDF, gave me a 559 RST after Ianswered his CQ. We chatted for 30 minutes.Bill was running an FT-1000 into adoublet vee from Oswestry, England. “100km west of Birmingham on road A5 and 32