by Teri (KO4WFP)

After a five week break from POTA, it was time to get back in the game! I leave for my North Carolina camping/POTA trip Sunday, July 14th and frankly miss being out on an activation. To remedy that situation, Monday, July 8th, I headed to Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area (WMA), POTA park US-1603.

Tuckahoe WMA consists of 15,000 acres purchased by the State of Georgia in 1990. Hunting for deer, turkey, and coyotes is allowed on the property in season. The property has over 10 small ponds for fishing and three designated camping areas. It is located in Screven county and its eastern border is the Savannah River.

When researching Tuckahoe WMA for this article, I came across information regarding the Battle of Briar Creek which was fought on March 3, 1779. Much of the battle site lies within the boundaries of Tuckahoe WMA.

The attack that day in 1779 by the British was a surprise and 150 Americans lost their lives. The aftermath proved especially bloody because the British were enraged over the death of one of their sergeants – Hugh McAllister – whose body was found hacked to pieces. As a result, the American wounded were hunted down and bayonetted. According to an article in the Athens Banner-Herald, “the British victory was so decisive scholars believe it prolonged the American Revolution by a year, changing the course of U.S. history.”

Back in the present day, Daisy and I left Savannah early under grey and sprinkling skies. The drive to Tuckahoe was pleasant and took us through Sylvania, Georgia again. Along the route, I spied a rainbow with a slight double-bow on its left-hand side. I hoped that was a good omen.

The map on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources website showed what looked like several entrances for the property. I opted to take the second entrance I found but that proved to be a mistake as a tree blocked the road. I backtracked to the first entrance (where the battlefield sign is) and found myself on a wide, gravel road.

The woods I encountered on the property were open, mostly pine, and, I think, managed for wildlife and hunting as evidenced by several turkeys I watched crossing the road in front of me. It wasn’t far before I saw the memorial for the Battle of Briar Creek.

Originally, I intended to reach one of the boat ramps on the Savannah River, deep inside the WMA, as my activation site. However, given the limited time I had for an activation and the availability of low branches in an open area, I opted for a place just past the memorial as my QTH. I set up the hitching system for Daisy so she could enjoy the outdoors while I worked with my equipment. I oriented the EFHW antenna toward the north running the coax back underneath it hoping that orientation would push my signal to the north and west. (The orientation worked as per my QSO map below.) It wasn’t long before I was ready to call CQ. I went to spot myself and discovered there was…

NO CELL COVERAGE! (A POTA activators worst nightmare!) Ugh. I couldn’t even text anyone asking them to spot me.

However, I didn’t let that deter me. I set up on 40 meters and began calling CQ POTA. After 15 minutes with no responses, I moved to 20 meters. I called CQ POTA again for nearly ten minutes. Still no callers. I needed another plan. I could move somewhere else in the WMA with the hope of better cell coverage but didn’t think that would be likely. I had no idea where other activators were because I couldn’t see the spotting page. But wait a minute? What about just spinning the VFO to see who I could hear?

I moved up the band and heard a POTA station around 14.058. What if I set up slightly beneath him or her? Surely someone would find me as they spun the VFO looking for that station. I moved to 14.0565 and began calling CQ POTA yet again. An op did find me but didn’t respond to my request to spot me. Then Dave VE3CMI found me. I asked him “PSE SPOT ME” to which he responded he would. Yes! The POTA Babe was in business!

As soon as he spotted me, callers began a comin’.

I worked twelve hunters in 30 minutes. Even though I received mostly good signal reports, the band was somewhat wonky as there were stations I heard once that did not come back to me. I wanted to work other activators for more park-to-park QSOs but without internet access, I had no idea who was on what frequency unless I tooled around the band and, given my tight schedule, I didn’t have time for that. I also didn’t dare jump to other bands because I couldn’t spot myself. No matter, by 10 AM, Tuckahoe WMA became #31 on the list toward my 60 new-to-me park activations.

(Note: After writing this article, Glenn brought to my attention an article by Thomas about the Reverse Beacon Network and that it will indeed spot me for POTA on the spotting page. I did check HamAlert on my phone after the activation and I had cell service again and saw it spotted me for POTA on 20 meters but not on 40 meters. Why it didn’t spot me on 40 meters, I have no idea. However, now CQ POTA, CQ SOTA, and CQ calls are programmed into my KX2 on key 1, key 2, and key 3 respectively.)

After calling QRT and putting away my equipment, Daisy and I took a drive further into the WMA. (How could I pass up such an opportunity?)

This WMA appeared well-maintained. Given the puddles and low spots on the road, it was obvious why the road’s composition is gravel. After driving a bit, I finally reached the road on which I originally tried to enter the WMA. I turned onto it with the intention of trying to reach the boat landing in which I was interested and found myself stymied by a road closure sign and water across the road. It was good thing I didn’t try to use the boat landing as my QTH as I originally intended.

I stopped my car and walked down to the water. It turned out there is a wetland on both sides of the road. The water crossing from one side to the other made a light burbling sound and moved swiftly. Sizable cypress trees occupied the wetland with their knees punctuating the water’s surface. I walked back to my car and found several interesting insects sitting on the hood, one of which was some kind of cricket with the longest antenna on a cricket I’ve ever seen.

At this point in the day, I had run out of time for exploration. It was time to head home. Despite the lack of cell service, I enjoyed my time at Tuckahoe WMA and plan to visit again, preferably on a day with more time for the activation. I’ve posted a short video on Youtube about the activation if you are interested.

With park #31 in the bag, I am ready to head to North Carolina for more adventures. My tent and tarp are finally waterproofed; most everything is packed; and, I’ve researched site conditions and how to do a SOTA activation. I’m about as ready as I’m going to be. This POTA Babe is ready to hit the road!

Where will I show up first in North Carolina on Sunday, July 14th? Stay tuned…

Equipment Used

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• Elecraft KX2
• Pressure paddle (David VK3IL design)
• Tufteln 9:1 EFRW Antenna
• Tufteln RG-316 Coax
• Tufteln Knee Board
• Weaver Throw Weight
• Marlow Excel Throw Line
• Blaze Orange Hunting Vest
• Sitka Ballistic Cap (blaze orange)
• Helinox Chair Zero High-back
• Ruffwear Campsite Dog-Hitching System