When we plotted our trip to Canada this year, I mentally set a goal for myself: to get better at Adaptive Urban Park Activating (AUPA).

Yeah, I just made that initiative up. Don’t laugh (too hard).

Let me explain…

Back home in North Carolina—and really, most of the parks I travel to in the eastern half of the U.S.—are large state and national parks. When I set up my field radio gear, I typically have a vast area with many choice sites to choose from. It’s easy to disappear into the void, and park staff have no issue with the antennas I deploy.

That said, I also activate quite a few small state historic sites, but in each case, I know the park staff and they know me. I always ask for permission before activating and describe the antenna I plan to deploy. We’ve built relationships over time, and they allow me to activate with essentially no restrictions. I can deploy wire antennas, verticals, loops—whatever I choose.

But the truth is, I have two conflicting interests when I’m in a park.

First, I enjoy being a public and (hopefully) positive impression of the amateur radio community when I’m approached by park guests and staff. POTA gives me an excuse to talk about the importance—and fun—of amateur radio. Since Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina, I’ve seen even more interest from locals who stop to ask what I’m doing because they heard that amateur radio played an important role in emergency communications during the aftermath.

That said, in general, I try to be as low-impact and inconspicuous as possible when operating in public spaces. I don’t want my antennas to be trip hazards or interfere with others’ enjoyment of the park. And if I’m being honest, I’m naturally introverted—I like to disappear and be left alone.

The balance I try to strike is deploying gear in a way that doesn’t interfere with others, while also not worrying too much if someone notices my setup. If I’m not bothering anyone but I’m visible enough to serve as a sort of radio ambassador, that’s the best of both worlds, right?

Right!

Adaptive Urban Park Activating

Which brings us back to this philosophy I made up five minutes ago…

When I packed for our trip to Canada, I knew most of the parks I’d be activating in and around Québec City would either be urban parks or national wildlife refuges. In both cases, I aim for field setups that are low-impact, sensitive to surroundings, and unlikely to attract negative attention.

I also had to pack compact and light—we maxed out our Subaru for this multi-week trip. So I brought my usual assortment of wire antennas (end-fed half-waves and random wires) and my self-supporting, low-impact verticals: the Elecraft AX1 and the new AX3.

If you watched my recent field radio pack video, you’ll have an idea of my core setup.

I left behind the Chelegance MC-750, the Radioddity HF-009, and the Chameleon MPAS Lite self-supporting verticals.

I did bring my POTA20 Explorer carbon fiber pole, which easily fits in my backpack. While the POTA20 Explorer mast is pretty conspicuous when deployed—no way around that, especially if I’m not backed up against a wooded area—I paired it with very short 4:1 and 9:1 EFRW antennas that are super easy to deploy, giving me a stealthier self-supporting vertical option.

In a sense, I chose my lightest, stealthiest antenna options.

When I feel comfortable hanging a wire in an urban park, I do it in a low-impact way: keeping the wire, throw line, and counterpoise all within view and away from high-traffic areas. I keep the footprint as small as possible.

The Propagation Factor

Of course, all of this depends on propagation…

In these urban activations, I’ve placed more emphasis on compromised antennas—either my 4-foot AX1 and AX3 verticals or 17-foot end-feds. And I knew before leaving that propagation’s been spotty these past few weeks (months?). I expected I’d need more time to activate parks with these setups.

Indeed, the first park I activated in Canada was Fort Wellington National Historic Site (here’s a link to the field report). That day, a festival brought a lot of foot traffic to the park, so I went very low-impact—not just out of respect for the historic site, but also the crowds.

I set up my KX2 and AX1, unsure if I’d manage to activate at all. Fortunately, I did.

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see a common thread in my Canadian field reports: stealth and the challenge of becoming a better, more adaptive urban activator. It’s been great practice.

A Few New Tools

I’ve also added some new tools to my kit.

My friend and mad-scientist 3D-print designer, Mike (KE8PTX), made clamp and strap mounts for the new Elecraft AX3 vertical in addition to a new KH1 knee board.

These have made it ridiculously easy to deploy that antenna pretty much anywhere. So far, I’ve mounted it to a park bench (you’ll see this in an upcoming field report) and clamped it to a picnic table in gusty winds.

In many of the Québec City parks I’ve activated, I rarely see staff—there’s no one to ask for permission. So if I’m using an AX1 or AX3 on a table, I feel like I’m having less impact than the average family picnic. If a park employee were to approach me, I’d like to think there’d be no grounds for complaint.

CW + Earphones = Super Stealthy

I’ve also been using earphones a lot more than usual. I actually enjoy using earphones for activations, but I typically rely on my speaker instead because, frankly, it makes for quicker and easier activation video setups.

But when you’re doing a CW activation with earphones, you’re super stealthy—no sound, no fuss. This is one major benefit of CW over voice modes: we can send without speaking out loud.

For this reason, I’ve been recording my audio directly from the radio for activation videos when I’m in an urban park setting.

To be clear, I actually think the sound of CW can be pleasant and even intriguing to many people. But I can’t assume everyone feels the same way—especially in urban parks, where visitors are often trying to escape noise. A quiet, discreet setup just feels more respectful in that context.

What About You?

Do you activate urban parks or low-profile sites where you aim to remain low-impact? What’s your default setup?

I’d love to hear how you approach this—especially if you’re working with limited space, increased visibility, or extra constraints.

You’ll see more on this topic in my upcoming videos.

72,

Thomas (VY2SW / K4SWL)