by Teri KO4WFP

Friday, September 13th, I headed to Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (US-0265) for a POTA activation and was without Daisy as dogs are not allowed at this refuge. Pinckney Island is a 4,000+ acre wildlife refuge off Highway US 278 on the way to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The refuge consists of four islands and numerous small hammocks with Pinckney Island being the largest of the islands and the only one open to the public.

The refuge is named after Major General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and is one of seven refuges managed by the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex in Savannah, Georgia. Prior to my time as a ham radio operator, I volunteered for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and spent time at four – Savannah, Harris Neck, Wassaw Island, and Blackbeard Island – out of the seven refuges they manage. I never made it to Pinckney Island so I was excited to finally see this property.

Most of Pinckney Island is accessible by foot or bicycle only. After parking my car in the designated lot, I began hiking to my destination – Ibis Pond, a large pond for waterfowl about a mile from the parking lot.

Just before I reached the information kiosk, I got a great look at an armadillo doing what most gardeners and lawn aficionados hate – tearing up the ground in search of food. This mammal eats mostly invertebrates including insects and especially likes grubs. They have horrible eyesight but keen hearing and I was surprised this guy or gal let me get as close as he or she did.

Pinckney island is an important link in the chain of wildlife refuges along the Atlantic Flyway and attracts thousands of migratory birds each year, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The Atlantic Flyway is a major north-south route for migratory birds and it generally follows the Atlantic Coast of the US.

I saw and heard many birds while visiting the refuge including a flock of White Ibis feeding in the marsh and tidal flats, a Great Blue Heron fishing with a Snowy Egret walking nearby, American Coots, a molting male Painted Bunting, crows flying overhead, and I swear I heard a pair of Sandhill Cranes calling to one another at Ibis Pond. I could have spent all day watching the comings and goings of the refuge inhabitants let alone do a POTA activation.

However, I was here for POTA and, in short order, arrived at Ibis Pond. It is one of five manmade ponds on the island and exists to preserve feeding and nesting areas for birds. The pond has cattails around its edges and much of the water is covered by duckweed.  I figured I would be less likely to have any human visitors if I followed the trail around the pond to the far side. But I was wrong. Ten to twelve people walked by my station while there, more than I usually encounter at any park.

The path around Ibis Pond was wide enough, however, that I could set up my antenna and people avoid it. Most of the trees here were either very tall pines or lower, scrubby trees; however, I found a pine with branches low enough for me to reach with my arbor line. I hadn’t seen any rules prohibiting antennas in the trees so I relied on the Tufteln EFRW antenna as usual. (I did bring my AX1 as a backup just in case.) I actually ran it over the branch into a partial inverted V since the branches were that low.

With Ibis Pond in front of me and a view of anyone walking up the path, I got down to business and quickly discovered I had no internet access at this park. I know the RBN is supposed to pick me up since I scheduled my activation but no one responded to my calls on 40 meters. I then moved to 20 meters and Bruce N9DGL found me after seven minutes of calling CQ on that band. I asked Glenn W4YES to spot me on the POTA site and then the calls began coming in – six of them in seven minutes. Then, click, it was like someone flicked a switch – NOTHING!

I called and called CQ for 40 minutes. I adjusted my antenna to that of a sloper, the configuration I usually use. I remembered that when 40 – 20 meters do not have great propagation, sometimes the higher bands still work so I moved to 17 meters and gave that a go. But all this was for naught and, after 15 minutes on 17 meters, I called QRT.

What I didn’t realize is a G2 magnetic storm was expected that day and it must have hit during my activation. Maybe if I had started earlier in the day, I would have gotten the ten contacts necessary for a valid activation. However, that would have meant rushing through the sights and critters I saw on the walk into the refuge and I certainly wouldn’t want to have missed those sightings! Besides, not getting a valid activation meant I’d need to come back. Oh woe is me! 😉

As I dismantled and packed away my station, I hatched a plan for my next visit, something a bit more ambitious involving the tide and cooler weather. You’ll have to wait for a future article to see how my plan turns out.

No valid activation for today means I remain at 39 parks out of the 60 valid activations I hope to achieve for 2024. Where will I go for #40 in the meantime since it will be a month or so before I return to Pinckney Island? Stay tuned…

Activation Video

If you are interested, here is the link for the activation video on POTA Babe YouTube channel:

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
  • Helinox Chair Zero High-back