On the activator side of things, Parks On The Air is often a solitary pursuit for me. I typically squeeze in activations as my schedule allows—usually at random times during the day in parks that happen to be along my daily route.

But every once in a while, the stars align and I get the chance to activate with a friend. When that happens, it only amplifies the radio fun. Saturday, March 22, 2025, was one of those special days. My dear friend—and frequent field report contributor—Brian (K3ES), along with his amazing wife and photographer, Becky, stopped by Asheville en route to the Outer Banks.

I was so happy everything came together and we were able to meet up for a short, relaxed, and thoroughly enjoyable activation.

Two-Fer Time!

When out-of-state activators come through the area, I always try to offer them the option of a two-fer—activating two parks at once—to maximize their POTA opportunities. I’m not sure Brian had strong feelings about this either way, but it was simply too easy to pair the Blue Ridge Parkway (US-3378) with the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (US-8313). Since we were meeting at the Folk Art Center, all it took was picking the right picnic table near the MST.

In my rush to leave the QTH that morning, I realized halfway down the driveway that I’d forgotten to pack my antenna. I could’ve turned around, but I knew Brian would have a few antenna options stowed in his field kit—and of course, he did!

He chose to deploy a homebrew end-fed random wire with a 29.5’ radiator and 17’ counterpoise. We paired it with my Elecraft K1 transceiver–a radio I knew Brian had never operated.

The only drawback of this particular picnic table is its proximity to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. When deploying a wire antenna, you have to be careful not to obstruct the path for hikers. We positioned the wire in a near-vertical configuration above the table and kept the throw line tucked away on the opposite side from the trail.

We were also quite conspicuous—another reason I usually avoid this picnic table when activating solo. On a busy day, it’s not unusual to have a dozen people stop by to ask what you’re up to. It’s a great outreach opportunity, but a string of interruptions can make it difficult to complete exchanges—especially while sending CW. Sadly, my internal CPU isn’t optimized for multitasking!

But when there are two of you taking turns at the key, it works beautifully—one person can handle the questions while the other shows just how cool Morse code still is in the 21st century.

It was a fairly quiet day at the Folk Art Center, but one curious family did stop by to chat with us during Brian’s turn at the key—and I really enjoyed the interaction.

Gear

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Radio

• Elecraft K1 (four band version with optional ATU and internal AA battery pack)

Key

• UMPP-1 Paddles by GM0EUL
• Senrog Bench Block base
• Key cable: Cable Matters 2-Pack Gold-Plated Retractable Aux Cable – 2.5 Feet

Antenna and Throw Line

• K3ES Homebrew 29.5′ End-Fed Random Wire with 17′ Counterpoise
• 15 ft RG-316 feedline with BNC male connectors at each end
• Weaver arborist throw line/weight and storage bag

Pack and Case

• Red Oxx Micro Manager
• Ape Case Padded Camera Insert

Logging Supplies

• GraphGear 0.9mm 1000 Automatic Drafting Pencil
• Rite In The Rain Top Spiral Notebook

Battery

• Bioenno 3 Ah LiFePo Battery (Model BLF-1203AB)

Camera/Audio Gear

• DJI OSMO 4 action camera with Joby Telepod Sport Tripod
• DJI Wireless Microphones

On The Air

Brian kicked things off, knowing that band conditions had been flaky of late. He tuned up on 20 meters using the K1’s ATU and started calling CQ POTA.

In about 19 minutes, he racked up 12 contacts—not bad at all!

Then it was my turn. I took the key and called on the frequency Brian had warmed up for me. Like Brian, I was pleasantly surprised by how well things went.

In just eight minutes, I worked 10 contacts.

The highlight? A little opening into California that let me log Fred (N6YEU) and my good friend Ara (N6ARA).

Running short on time, I called a final CQ and then Brian and I packed up the gear in short order.

Here are our logs:

QSO Map

Here’s what this six-watt activation looked like when plotted out on a QSO Map. Click on the map image to enlarge.

Activation Video

Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation.  As with all of my videos, I don’t edit out any parts of the on-air activation time. In addition, I have YouTube monetization turned off, although that doesn’t stop them from inserting ads before and after my videos.

Note that Patreon supporters can watch and even download this video 100% ad-free through Vimeo on my Patreon page:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Thanks, Becky and Brian!

As you probably gathered from the video, it’s a real joy spending time with Brian. Opportunities to meet up with an over-the-air POTA friend in real life? Don’t let those pass by.

POTA is always better with friends.

Speaking of which…

Thank You, Friends…

Thank you for joining us during this activation!

I hope you enjoyed the field report and my activation video as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon, and the Coffee Fund. While not a requirement, as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.

As I mentioned before, the Patreon platform connected to Vimeo makes it possible for me to share videos that are not only 100% ad-free but also downloadable for offline viewing. The Vimeo account also serves as a third backup for my video files.

Thanks for spending part of your day with us!

Cheers & 72,
Thomas (K4SWL)

PS: Consider joining our QRPer.net discussion board (in fact, K3ES is our Admin!)! It’s an active community of radio operators who enjoy helping and supporting each other. It’s also the best place to ask any questions you might have about radios, field activities, antennas, or pretty much anything amateur radio. Click here to join.