Post on 18-Dec-2015
History
Ron Polityka de WB3AAL
QTH is in the Reading, PA area.
Married to Sue for 24 years.
No kids but we have two cats,
Louie and Scarlett, that act like kids.
Licensed as WN3AAL
June of 1975
Making QSO’s with QRP since June 1975
I like to work CW, SSB, PSK31, and RTTY.
I like to hunt States, Counties, DX, Lighthouses,
and all kinds of awards.
I also run contests with QRP.
On my 1st trip on the AT back in
July 1975 I did not realize that I was
going to be know as
the Ninja QRP Op out on the
Appalachian Trail.
Ron, WN3AAL, at the Pinnacle on the AT in July 1975. Rig was the Heathkit HW7, homebrew
antenna tuner with long wire and a car battery.QSO was with a station in Key West, FL.
Back on 2 Sept. 2000,
Ed de WA3WSJ and I were out
at the Shikellamy Lookout
which is four miles west of
Rte 183.
I asked Ed this question.
Why are you calling me the
Ninja QRP Op?
Ed’s response:
You have the red bandana on and
that makes you look like a Ninja.
The definition in the
Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
• a person trained in ancient Japanese martial arts and employed especially for espionage and assassinations
• Conceal
• Move stealthily
a person trained in ancient Japanese martial arts and employed especially for
espionage and assassinations
• I don’t know any martial arts
• I am not a super secret agent doing espionage
• I don’t do assassinations, well maybe on the CW in real cold
weather outdoors.
Conceal
• I do like to be concealed out on the AT with my radio gear.
• I do pick up trash that I find in the areas I visit.
• I like to never leave any trace that I was ever there.
Move Stealthily
• I like to hike quietly, you just never know what you will come upon out in
the woods.
• I like to operate CW out on the AT because I wear head phones. Too
much noise in the woods operating SSB.
Being know as the Ninja QRP Op
I had to hone my skills.
I first started out with big and
bulky semi-portable radio
stations.
Kenwood TS-50 @ 5 wattsTimewave DSP-599zx
MFJ-971 TunerWhiterook Products MK-65MB Red Keyer
Poqet PC for logging"Killer Vertical" as per QST June 1999 with 50 feet of
ladder line
Ten-Tec Argonaut 515 @ 5 Watts / 7.0 Ahour battery solar charged by a Uni-Solar USF-5 Flexible solar panel with a Solsum 5.0X solar controller. I was using the Poqet PC for keying and logging on Log Jr-EQF. I had the MFJ Portable Tuner MFJ-971 into a "Killer Vertical"
as per QST June 1999 with 25 feet of ladder line.
As you can see three months later out on the AT I still did not learn
anything. But I got a chance to see a new Elecraft K2 in action.
In August of 2000 I finally got a chance to operate a K2.
The hook was set and this fish took it deep.
It wasn’t until January of 2002 until I finally purchased an ElecraftK2. I was still using the Poqet PC for logging and CW keying. It never
hurts to have a little Wild Spirit out when on the AT with good friends.
In late 2003 I finely decided to start using a good portable antenna that needed no trees for supports. I purchased a
VBWFPA ( a.k.a. Black Widow Vertical) from Ed, WA3WSJ. I still use the prototype on my trips to the AT
today.
On 28 August 2004 the Bethel Troop #489 was hiking up a trail off of Rte 183 to a area on the AT that had a pond. It was rumored that the Ninja QRP Op frequents the area.
To the surprise of the Bethel Troup #489 they stumbled upon the Ninja QRP Op. He greeted them into his camp and explained what Amateur Radio is
all about.
Fast Forward to January 2005
The phone rang in the winter hiding place of the Ninja QRP Op.
The voice was a familiar one.
Ed, WA3WSJ, asked me if I would like to be part of a group that would go out on Full Moon nights on the Appalachian Trail.
I responded Yes!!
From that day on the Polar Bear group was formed.
The Four Original Polar Bears.(L to R)
Mark NK8Q PB #4 / Ed K3YTR PB #3ED WA3WSJ PB #2
Ron WB3AAL PB #1 (a.k.a. Ninja QRP Op)
Polar Bears agreement:
All Polar Bears will operate in the following months during the Full Moon.
• October
• November
• December
• January
• February
• March
The Polar Bears will operate their QRP radios
during the selected night or weekend
of the Full Moon. They usually operate
between the hours of 19:00 thru 23:59 UTC.
Basic tools to start a fire.
1. Knife or multi-tool
2. Lint from your clothes or dryer
3. Magnesium Fire Starting Tool
4. Dry brush or leaves
5. Dry twigs
6. Dry wood
Over the years the Ninja has settled into his basic station
setup.
• Elecraft K1 S.N. 1011
• Four bands 40, 30, 20 and 15 meters• Automatic Antenna Tuner built-in
• Black Widow Vertical with 25 feet of RG8X coax• Paddlette PK1 Key
• Palm with PortaLog program• Lithium Polymer Battery Pack 14.8 V @ 550 mAh
The Ninja QRP Op Log StatsI am out ever month since
March 2000
• 84 Months out on the AT
• 776 QSO’s at the present time
• 46 States worked
• 21 Countries worked
Time spent out on the AT and the people I meet . . .
Priceless!
A Special Thank You goes out the following person who could not be here
today.She put up with my hobby for the past
24 years and hopefully another 24 more.
My wife and companion.Sue Polityka
72
Thanks for listening to my
story about the Ninja QRP Op on
the Appalachian Trail
Ron Polityka de WB3AAL