Last year the first day I operated outdoors was on March 17th. My outdoor radio colleague, Jim Cluett, W1PID was itching to get out because it’s been such a wretched winter here in the Northeast. The brilliant sun spoke to Jim in the morning like a singing siren serenades a sailor.

We were soon both to discover that Mother Nature can be such a teasing temptress.

Here’s Jim on the trail. If you stray from the path, you post hole down into the snow up past your knee! Photo credit: Tim Carter – W3ATB

We had to hike about a quarter of a mile from the parking lot at Profile Falls to the edge of the Pemigewasset River. The walk through the woods was magical even though you had to look down almost all the time to stay on the narrow hard-pack snow trail. If you strayed from the trail, you post holed up past your knee in cold snow.

Today the only condition that was the same was the sun. Last year it was 37 F and today it was 21 F. Last year there was no wind, this year a stiff breeze was lashing Jim as he was trying to get the halyard up into the tree to pull up my par end-fedz antenna. I was busy getting my HB-1B rig set up.

I’ve discovered working with Jim in cold weather that you need to waste no time getting antennas up into trees. If your fingers get cold, it’s hard to operate and the fun of the adventure diminishes as rapidly as water puts out fire.

Once the antenna was connected, I started to check the 20-meter band for activity. It was dead to me only because I had the filter on the HB-1B set too tight. Jim rotated it counterclockwise and then we could hear operators.

While I was trying to find a strong signal, Jim got out his small camping alcohol stove and lit it with a match.

It was just what we needed to take the chill off our hands. We both had thick wool mittens and gloves and it’s just about impossible to operate the radio and paddles with them on.

“Do you want to go? Are you cold?” Jim asked me as I was tuning around.

“No way. We’re not going to get skunked,” I replied.

Jim scored first lassoing NM2L/M. He was 599 into us and he gave Jim a 599. “I’m all warm now after that QSO, so it’s your turn!” QSOs do that to Jim. He loves CW contacts.

Moments later I was able to sneak in my call to W9JVW and he came back. He gave the little HB-1B a 459 and I gave him a well-deserved 579.

“Let’s get out of here!” Jim didn’t get an argument out of me.

Here I am on the way back to the car. we operated just under the large evergreen tree in the top center of the photo. Photo credit: Jim Cluett – W1PID

As we walked back towards the car, we stopped in the large field to just soak up the sun. The wind had died down a bit and the rays of the sun revived us and erased the pain we had just ten minutes before.

It didn’t take long to get back to the car and we both agreed it was the lower limit of us being able to operate outdoors.

Without the sun, it would have been impossible. In just a few weeks, bare ground will start to appear and our operating options will be as broad as the side of a battleship!

Yesterday was the 2015 Freeze Your Butt Off amateur radio contest hosted by the warm and cozy members of the AZ ScQRPions Club. Let’s see, it was a frigid 81 F in the valley yesterday in Phoenix, while the mercury in central NH was clawing it’s way at Noon past 20 F.

It’s no wonder the boys in Phoenix want us to freeze our butts off so they can snare QSOs poolside with their paddles. But I digress.

The past ten days in central NH had some bitter cold weather, with morning temperatures at or below 0 F. It did get near 32 F about three days ago, and it felt like a spring day to be honest.

So when my outdoor radio mentor Jim Cluett, W1PID, suggested we go out and try to see if we could compete in the Freeze Your Butt Off contest, I was all in. Without Jim knowing it, I invited a newbie ham, John Haven, KC1AAG to come see what outdoor radio was all about.

Jim suggested we go back to the picnic shelter at Profile Falls where we operated on a cold and rainy day before Christmas.

The shelter is at the center of the photo. It’s much larger than it seems, with three standard picnic tables under cover. Photo credit: Tim Carter – W3ATB

We decided to meet for lunch before and then head off to see what we could do. Jim brought along some nice hand warming alcohol-fueled camping stoves that would do well to keep our hands from locking up. We had a problem starting the first one, but the second stove put out a robust flame that really took the chill off our fingertips.

Jim’s hands are bare and the black-gloved hands are those of John Haven, KC1AAG. Photo credit: Tim Carter – W3ATB

Jim’s resonant dipole antenna trimmed for 20 meters worked well for us. He made a nearly perfect throw with his water bottle to an overhanging branch immediately next to the shelter to hoist the one end of the dipole up into the trees above. I thought the throw was perfect, but he would have preferred it to be 4 feet to the left.

This is moments before Jim’s amazing throw. He’s making sure the knot in the throwing line doesn’t produce a tangle in the tree. Photo credit: Tim Carter – W3ATB

Surprisingly, the Smith River, which is immediately adjacent to the shelter, was frozen. It’s a fast-moving river and I was shocked to see it encrusted with a layer of ice. But since the WX has been so cold, it made sense.

As soon as Jim connected the antenna to his KX3, he heard KS8M, Mike, booming in from OH. We had decided to share the antenna so as soon as Jim signed off with Mike, he handed me the antenna so I could work him on my trusty little HB-1B four-band transceiver with built-in battery.

“Hurry, send him your call!” Jim was worried I’d miss him. I worked my tiny micro Pico paddles but only heard dahs and no dits.

“My darn plug isn’t in all the way. Calm down.” Outdoor QSOs to Jim on a frigid day are quite possibly more valuable than gold bars are to Tommy Thompson.

Within seconds I was up and running and had completed a valid QSO with Mike.

I should have had my nice wool gloves on right there by my backpack. You can see the HB-1B next to my left elbow. Photo credit: Jim Cluett

Fortunately there was little wind and I was not getting cold at all. I should have had my gloves on more often, but I found it hard to use the paddles and write. It was so cold, the ink in the ball point pens froze so we switched to traditional pencils. John was kind enough to use his pocket knife to sharpen them.

It was time for me to hand back the antenna coax, and once again within a minute Jim, the pro, had found John KB2HSH. Jim and I were both able to work him and we got a generous 579.

I gave him a 599 RST as his signal was so strong I thought it might break my nice little AYL portable mini speaker that I use to hear the sweet CW sounds that seem to pour out of my easy-to-use HB-1B.

This was John’s first outdoor radio experience and he came prepared with snacks and all sorts of gear to make the expedition more comfortable. John’s always willing to pitch in to help and he seems to be excited to get deeper into amateur radio, although his busy travel schedule makes it tough.

What John doesn’t realize yet is that he can be traveling all through the Southwest with his new soulmate Trudie and be on the air with a thin wire and small radio at any number of gorgeous scenic locations. I think he’ll catch the bug just as soon as he upgrades his license privileges to General class.

After 45 minutes of the sub-freezing temperatures we decided to go get a cup of coffee and a fat pad (doughnut) at the nearby Dunkin Doughnuts in Bristol, NH.

It was agreed we had a great time, although we’d never win the fun Freeze Your Butt Off contest with so few QSOs. Maybe next year we’ll do it on my lower deck next to a roaring outdoor fire! We’ll show those boys from the valley how it’s done.