Tag Archives: Guest Posts

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Portable, QRP, Videos

The POTA Babe Checks In

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By Teri KO4WFP

Glenn W4YES and I headed to Camden, SC the first week of April for some much needed rest and relaxation. Usually when I travel, I schedule a POTA activation or two. However, this trip I decided to try something new – getting on the air QRP at our Airbnb.

Camden is the oldest inland community in South Carolina. According to the town’s website, the earliest permanent settlers arrived in 1750. They experienced a crushing defeat during the Revolutionary War when the Patriots were defeated in the Battle of Camden. After the Civil War, the town “evolved into a tourist mecca for Northeners and Midwesterners seeking a warmer winter climate.” Those tourists brought money and an equine culture developed around racing and polo.

Our first day in Camden, we visited the Revolutionary War Museum. Though small in size, the museum’s exhibits are of excellent quality. They do a great job explaining who lived in the area, the quandary they faced as to whether to be a Loyalist or Patriot (it wasn’t as easy a choice as it might appear), and battles fought there.

Our second day, we explored the National Steeplechase Museum. This museum explores the history of steeplechasing and the personalities involved – owners, trainers, jockeys as well as those who care for the horses. The museum pays homage to Marion duPont Scott who developed the Springdale Race Course where the museum is located. This race course hosts two prominent annual competitions – the Carolina Cup and the Colonial Cup.

National Steeplechase Museum

an old scale used to weigh jockeys
trophy room

We also spent some time driving through and walking in the historic neighborhoods of the city. The weather was gorgeous! Everywhere we looked, there were flowers – azaleas, wisteria, viburnum, and dogwoods (including the pink variety we do not see in Savannah).

a dogwood in full splendor
azaleas at the corner of a home
viburnum
pink dogwood

After exploring the area, it was time to explore the airwaves QRP at our Airbnb. To do this, I brought Craig, my KX2, and a home-brew linked dipole antenna. This is an antenna I built three years ago, when I first got into ham radio. At that time, I had no home station but wanted to get on the air portable for POTA. Despite knowing almost nothing about antennas, I built a usable dipole that became my main POTA antenna for quite a while.

the homebrew linked dipole (photo from GA State Parks on the Air event)

Why did I bring this antenna to Camden? I have the opportunity this month to try the CFT1, a QRP transceiver, by Jonathan KM4CFT. Because the rig does not have an internal antenna tuner, I am reacquainting myself with the subject of resonance and why it matters in antennas.

I set up a home-brew linked dipole Wednesday evening under some trees in a space between the Airbnb and a small lake on the property. The antenna was roughly 20 feet in the air.

the lake from the Airbnb
2nd location for antenna by lake

 My RigExpert Stick analyzer gave me 2.1 at 7.040 –

Thinking I could do better, I moved the antenna (a real pain to do with a dipole) to a different tree with a limb 30 feet high. (Frankly, Glenn and I were amazed I could snag that limb.) This setup generated better a SWR reading – 1.61 at 7.040 MHz.

Now the true test – how well would I be heard?

the bench at which I operated Wednesday evening
RBN picking me up Wednesday evening

On Wednesday evenings, I check into the OMIK CW net. OMIK is a ham radio club founded in 1952 by “Black amateur radio operators from the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky to deal with discrimination” at that time. Though the club membership today is primarily African-American, others like myself are welcome.

CW nets are a great place to get on-the-air experience with morse code. It was my code buddy Caryn KD2GUT who first introduced me to the OMIK net. I found those who participate in this CW net to be welcoming and accepting of CW operators of all levels of proficiency. Over the past several years, the ops in this net have watched my skills grow and become friends.

Dennis NT4U and Steve W0SJS split net control station (NCS) duties. This evening, it was Dennis’ turn as NCS. As he is located in northern Georgia, I figured he would hear my QRP signal. He did and checked me into the net with a RST of 589. The icing on the cake was that I heard a station he was unable to hear – Charles AI4OT in Virginia – due to the S9 noise at Dennis’ location this evening. I notified Dennis of Charles’ check in so he was added to the check-in list for that evening. Way to go homebrew linked dipole and Craig!

The next day, Glenn did some exploring and found a better location on the property – a hill behind the Airbnb and some sheds. Several large oaks in this relatively open area offered prime limbs to snag with an arbor line. I installed the antenna on a limb roughly 25 feet up in the air.

open area at back of Airbnb property
looking up into canopy at limb I used Thursday evening

Before attempting to check into another net, I spotted myself on QSO Finder, a new website and spotting tool by Mike N4FFF and Becky N4BKY of Ham Radio Duo. I had three exchanges, one each with Joel KE8WIC, Tom NG4S, and James KJ3D.

Spotting myself on CW QSO Finder

On Thursday evenings I check into the Sideswiper Net, a wonderful group of guys who meet on 40 or 30 meters (depending on propagation). Most of those who check in use a sideswiper (also known as a cootie) key but, like the OMIK CW net, they are welcoming of anyone who wants to participate no matter the level of proficiency or key. I’ve asked lots of questions of the members and appreciate their patience schooling me about CW nets.

The NCS this evening was Darrell AA7FV who is located in Arizona. The noise on 40 meters was rough but Darrel did copy me with a RST of 349. Two other stations – Bill WA4FAT in Alabama and Steve W1SFR – also copied me at 559 on this band.

When the net moved to 30 meters, my signal was worse. However, I expected that, as by this time it was dark and I didn’t want to mess with lowering the antenna to disconnect the link between the 40 and 30 meter wires. Darrel in Arizona could barely hear me (he gave me a RST of 129) but Bill could still copy me and acted as relay between our signals. I was thrilled that I had now checked into both nets QRP this week!

the RBN picked me up again

Even better, after the Sideswiper net, my code buddy Caryn KD2GUT and I were able to have our weekly code buddy QSO. We managed a 20 minute QSO on 40 meters before being swallowed up by noise and QRN on her end. Caryn is located on Long Island, NY. The previous night in the OMIK net, my signal was a 229 at her QTH. But tonight, we were both 599 and rocking it on the airwaves.

operating in the dark

During the Sideswiper net and my code buddy QSO, I sat head copying in the dark under the moon and thought, “It doesn’t get any better than this, right?”

Before we left the Airbnb Friday morning, Glenn spied several pitchforks sitting by the sheds. We picked one up and decided to have some fun, with our version of the famous piece “American Gothic” by Grant Wood. I had a difficult time keeping a straight face (watch the video linked down below) but eventually we got the shot.

“American Gothic” by Grant Wood    source: Wikipedia
us goofing off creating a version of the piece before checking out

QRP has its limits; however, I was sufficiently impressed by my experience on this trip that I will travel with a rig from now on. I’d like a better antenna and have ordered an EFHW as that is probably my best bet for a resonant antenna. This hobby NEVER becomes boring because there is always something to learn.

I look forward to trying the CFT1 and my new EFHW antenna when it arrives. How will that turn out? Stay tuned…

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Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

The POTA Babe Loses Weight

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By Teri KO4WFP

I love living in the state of Georgia. The state contains diverse natural spaces – mountains and valleys in the north, rolling hills and forests in the middle, and a plain extending to the coast with wetlands, marshes, and forests.

source: Georgia DNR
source: GA DNR

The Georgia State Parks on the Air event celebrates and draws attention to state parks scattered throughout these spaces. For this year’s event (April 5th and 6th), I signed up to activate George L. Smith State Park (US-2179), a park located a little over an hour from my home. I’ve activated this park several times in the past – for POTA as well as the K2D special event.

To do something different and to qualify for the hike-in bonus (100 points) for the event, I planned to hike the Deer Run Trail. This trail runs past the historic mill on site and through a wooded area on the southeast corner of the park. To qualify for the bonus, I had to hike at least 1 mile from my vehicle so I walked a section of the outer loop trail.

water released under the mill on the lake
iris blooming

The hike was pleasant. Daisy and I walked through a forested area bordered by cypress bottomlands and farmland. Several benches along the path offered hikers a quiet place to relax. I was surprised by how many people we encountered.

the path leading from the mill – somewhere I’ve wanted to explore
the trail is well marked
a spot to relax on the trail

We finally reached the junction of the loop and .7 mile trail, the latter having a power line running along it. Here was another bench set admist a mixture of pines and hardwoods. A tall pine directly across from the bench had a branch about 30 feet high, just perfect for the dipole antenna I brought, that is if I could reach it.

the junction of the .7 mile trail and 3 mile loop trail
pine tree I spied for my dipole antenna

I removed my throw bag, arbor line, and throw weight, and tossed the line to see how close I could come to that branch. My line and weight ran over a broken branch forming a notch about 10 feet lower. I tugged to remove them and stared in amazement when the line abruptly broke free and fell at my feet…WITHOUT the weight attached. Oh crap! I was so gung-ho to nail that branch that I forgot to securely tie the weight to the line. (doh!)

my throw weight lodged in the notch

I stared in amazement, my mind slowly processing my situation. I did not bring an additional weight because I stopped carrying it since I never needed it (until now that is) and wanted to travel light for today’s hike. Shoot! Now what?

I spent the next 15 minutes trying to find a branch long enough to reach that spot as well as throw sticks at the weight. Nothing came close to dislodging it.

Well, I could just throw in the towel. But POTA Babes don’t give up that easily. I had an obligation to the event as I signed up to activate this park and hunters would be looking for me.

The only items in my pack I could attach to the arbor line and throw were an insect repellant bottle and my Nalgene water bottle. The insect repellant bottle I rejected because of its spray trigger which could definitely get stuck on a branch. But the Nalgene bottle might work. Daisy and I drank some water to lighten it. I tied the arbor line to the lid, found a branch about 15 feet up in the air, and tossed the bottle. Would this even work?

Nalgene bottle

It did! I know you antenna purists out there are shuddering. However, I figured a lower antenna was better than no antenna at this point. I brought two antennas with me for this activation: the Tufteln EFRW and a home-brew linked dipole I built roughly three years ago. A dipole is an amazing antenna, even if homebrewed. I figured my signal needed all the help it could get with the lower height and power lines nearby so I chose to use the dipole.

homebrew linked dipole antenna (40-30-20 meters)

Daisy and I settled across the trail in the understory to shade ourselves from the sun. One leg of the dipole ran across the hiking trail. To give the antenna as much help as I could, I secured both ends of the dipole roughly 6 feet up in foliage. Where it crossed the trail, it was high enough anyone would pass easily underneath it.

I took a breath, pressed the ATU button to activate the internal antenna tuner, cleared a frequency, and began calling CQ. I had no idea what to expect. Continue reading The POTA Babe Loses Weight →

News

More Dogs for the POTA Babe

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By Teri KO4WFP

Spring has arrived in Savannah bringing great POTA weather. There are still parks within a two-hour drive of my home QTH that I have yet to activate.  To check one more off the list, Daisy and I headed to Di-Lane Wildlife Management Area (WMA) this past Wednesday, March 26th.

Di-Lane WMA (US-3744) is located just south of Waynesboro, Georgia. You may recall this town because I mentioned it in a previous article. It is known as the Bird Dog Capital of the World. Why? The town hosts the Georgia Field Trials – a competition that evaluates a bird dog’s ability to find and point flocks of quail. Waynesboro is well suited to the sport given the layout of land and large numbers of quail in the area.

Waynesboro water tower     source: thetruecitizen.com

By now you are probably wondering what the heck bird dogs have to do with POTA. The land Di-Lane WMA occupies was formerly owned by Henry Berol, heir to the Eagle Pencil Company in New York. (A side note: he named the plantation for his two daughters Diane and Elaine.) Mr. Berol was an avid bird dog supporter and developed the plantation to host the trials. After Mr. Berol’s death, the land was eventually purchased by the Army Corps of Engineers as wetland mitigation for Lake Richard B. Russell. It is currently managed by the  Georgia Department of Natural Resources with a focus on bobwhite quail.

There are several entrances to the Di-Lane WMA. The one I chose off Herndon Road is flanked by a brick wall and iron bird dogs atop the two pillars which pay homage to the plantation’s past. Just inside the gate is a large barn and check station for hunters.

entrance to Di-Lane WMA
barn by check station inside entrance
WMA map Source: GA DNR

I drove past this area and found a quiet spot at the edge of Dove Field 1. Despite sunny skies, the temperature was quite comfortable in the mid-seventies.

driving in the WMA
our road along dove field #1

Everywhere I looked, spring was evident. Flowers were prevalent – bluish and yellow wildflowers, white flowers on wild blackberry vines, and big clusters of flowers on a large bush. Not to be outdone, the sides of the roads were edged with lush, bright-green grass.

There were several trees beside this road of a sufficient height for the end-fed random wire I prefer to use. What I didn’t realize is that instead of a POTA activation, I was actually here to practice throwing my arbor line as it took me ten or so tries to snag a branch at the height I preferred.

tree for EFRW antenna
feed-end of the EFRW antenna

I posted on the CW channel of the Discord POTA server the day prior that I would activate this park. I received a request from Cainan N9FZ that I use a frequency to assist regional hams working to hunt all the Georgia parks. Hence it wasn’t a surprise that Cainan was the first to work me when I called CQ on 40 meters. He was followed by five ops before I moved to 20 meters. Continue reading More Dogs for the POTA Babe →

Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

QSO Party, POTA, and a Touch of Winter: Bob and Alanna’s Radio Adventures on the Outer Banks

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Radio Adventures on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

by Bob K4RLC & Alanna K4AAC     

February 2025

My YL Alanna K4AAC had been advocating for a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for some time. She had never been there to see its incredible natural beauty, and I had not been in decades. In planning, we needed to go in the off-season, especially when it was a bit chilly, as she is a “bug magnet” and that can ruin her vacation. Not being totally unselfish, I wanted our visit to coincide with a radio event.

We first tried for Winter Field Day at the end of January, but Eastern North Carolina was socked in with five to seven inches of snow in places where it never snows. We rescheduled the trip for a month later at the end of February, to coincide with the North Carolina QSO Party. Just so happens, Eastern North Carolina got another freak snowstorm of several inches, but we only had to put the trip off one day. Even then, parts of the roads going down east were still covered in snow and ice.

1585 Map by Governor White
Current Map of Outer Banks

The drive is only a bit over 3 hours straight down US Highway 64 to the Outer Banks, where it dead ends in a T intersection with infamous North Carolina Hwy 12. Locals call the intersection “Whalebone Junction.” Going either north or south of this intersection, within a few miles one can explore lots of really beautiful natural areas, including six (6) POTA sites! Eight miles south of the intersection is the Oregon Inlet Campground on Bodie Island, part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (US-0682), where we camped. That time of year, the campground was really deserted with only a few other campers including a few brave souls tent camping. It is a flat area campground that backs up to huge dunes, separating you from some of the most beautiful but austere beaches on the Atlantic coast. A word of caution though, there are no trees or light poles to secure a mast for an antenna.

Alanna K4AAC enjoying the beach
Antenna at Oregon Inlet Campground

We took our Winnebago Solis again. The Solis is a wonderful camper van on a Dodge ProMaster chassis that sleeps three, has a propane powered furnace and two burner stove, and a refrigerator that can be powered either by propane or by the 140 W solar panels on top of the van, loading up two 100 amp hour AGM batteries.  You can boondock for days, or enjoy the luxury of “shore power.”

As the North Carolina QSO Party was Sunday, we wanted to explore the islands Saturday. About 20 miles north of the campground is the incredible Wright Brothers National Memorial, commemorating the first flight ever, and also POTA site: US-0797.  This is part of the National Park Service, on 428 acres with an interactive Visitor Center whose exhibits include a full-scale reproduction of the Wright Brothers 1903 flyer. We particularly enjoyed climbing to the Wright Brothers Monument standing 60-feet tall atop Kill Devil’s Hill, a 90 foot high grass-stabilized sand dune. The original runway is there with First Flight Boulder and Markers charting the short distances of the first four flights. Incredibly, a few yards over and parallel is an actual 3000 foot First Flight Airstrip where pilots from all over the world fly in to celebrate their flying heritage. I decided to take the KH1 up to the top of the Monument, a steep but accessible walk for almost anyone. The day was clear and sunny; the white granite monument was gleaming against the Carolina blue sky.

Wright Brothers Monument
Bob K4RLC & Elecraft KH1 w/AX1

It was a beautiful day to set up on the wall around the monument. Unfortunately, the temperatures were in the 40’s, and I didn’t realize there would be a 20-25 knot wind blowing. The beautiful thing about the KH1 is that it is so easy to deploy. Some have complained about the stock key in cold weather, but for me the problems are not the key but old, cold fingers. To help a little bit, I set up the AX1 on a small camera tripod and threw one 13 ft radial over the wall into the field. This modification worked really well when I operated at a Greek Navy lighthouse in the Aegean Sea. For some reason, the KH1 was fussy that day, and would not hold a tune consistently on 20 CW. Nevertheless, I pounded away until I got the minimum number of contacts about the same time my fingers just wouldn’t work anymore.

Alanna, with freezing extremities after fully exploring the monument and taking pictures of me operating, hiked off to explore a bronze sculpture garden which recreates the scene of the historic 1903 flight. This included a sandy plot with a life-size bronze replica of the original Wright Brothers airplane (being piloted by Orville laying on his stomach), along with bronze sculptures depicting the guys from the Hatteras Life Saving Station who were there to support Orville and Wilbur, help them launch their flyer, and capture a photo of the First Flight. The memorial was gifted by the State of North Carolina to the NPS,  and dedicated at the Centennial of the First Flight in 2003, by then Governor Mike Easley. Alanna and I were both really cold and tired after hiking in the chilly weather at the park, so we sought out one of the few open seafood restaurants there and were treated to an incredibly tasty buffet.

Full size replica of original aircraft
Full size bronze replica of aircraft

Weather Sunday morning was milder so with a strong cup of coffee from the French press coffee maker our daughter gave us, I set up on the picnic table with my trusty old ICOM IC – 706MkIIG at about 60 watts on 20 CW. I do have a trailer hitch mount for the Solis that can hold a 30 foot fiberglass mast, but I knew we were going to be traveling that day. So I set up my trustee default of a 17 foot whip on a 4 x 7′ piece of aluminum screen wire from Lowe’s. With one CQ, the calls started coming in, with the first one being from HA9RE in Hungary. Continue reading QSO Party, POTA, and a Touch of Winter: Bob and Alanna’s Radio Adventures on the Outer Banks →

Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA

Christian’s 100th POTA Activation at Tsatelet Nature Reserve

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My 100th POTA Activation at the Place It All Began

by Christian (IX1CKN)

Mathematics is a finite science. So, for a while, I knew that my 100th POTA activation was coming. The only thing left was to decide how to organize and experience it. Initially, I considered activating a new reference (paradoxically, I still have quite a few left to do in Valle d’Aosta). However, with snow covering everything above 1500–1600 meters, I reconsidered my plan.

In the end, I asked myself—what’s the beauty of this program? It’s in the experiences it awards. From discovering forgotten places or ones you’ve never visited to the strong sense of community among participants—friends who, even on your 20th activation at the same park, are still happy to log you. So, I thought it was only natural that this activation would be from IT-0120, the Tsatelet Nature Reserve. It’s the closest to home, the place where I’ve learned the most about field operating, and also where it all began for me (back in November 2022).

I started early in the morning of Sunday 9th March 2025, following my wife’s advice (she knows me too well): “Have breakfast at McDonald’s”—because while she may not like their burgers, those croissants and coffee do make sense.

It was just after sunrise, but not too cold—3°C in the air suggested that once I reached the reserve, I wouldn’t be freezing. And so it was when I arrived at about 800 meters, on the promontory between Aosta and Saint-Christophe.

I decided to take things slow and fully appreciate the memories that these two years of POTA have given me.

I had my G90, a 15Ah battery (thankfully, the hike wasn’t endless, and my back thanked me), and a 40m half-wave end-fed antenna (by Ricky IU1PZC). I didn’t bring my vertical—I wanted nearby Italian operators to have a better chance of making contact.

I started on 7 MHz at 08:32 local time. The band was responsive, and by the time I switched to 20m, I already had over 30 QSOs in the log. 20 meters weren’t performing as usual, likely due to the K-index at 5, which signaled less-than-ideal propagation. It came in waves, though—not entirely bad. In one of these, I logged Don G0RQL. As strong as ever, he told me, “I wish I had logged you all 100 times, but I was there for quite a few of them”.

He was right—if I had to guess, I’d say at least 30–40 times. Funny enough, I saw his QTH in Devonshire on vacation before I even joined the POTA family. The band continued its ups and downs, but I logged several park-to-park contacts, including an eclectic group from IT-0135 (I ended up logging three of them). Shoutout to Austrian colleagues OE3BIY, OE4JHW, and OE4ENU, who were even live on YouTube.

I also took the time to enjoy the scenery and the moment—especially when a lively group of Scouts arrived. After all, this is their place, and I’m the guest. Tsatelet is known as Quota BP, named after Sir Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, who is honored with a plaque in the reserve.

Back on 40m, I managed a somewhat challenging QSO with Dario IZ3QFG (sadly, no luck with Andrea IW0HK today). But something special happened—I heard a female voice calling me, and I almost couldn’t believe my ears: Helga IN3FHE, had picked up the microphone again. She said, “I know you’re having fun, but this morning, have the most fun, okay?” Mission accomplished! You can’t hear hugs on the radio, but I swear today’s felt real.

Back on 20m, the conditions remained unpredictable, but the QSO flow continued. I logged several French stations (mainly from the north), two new YL hunters (one in Wales, the other in England), and a mobile operator in Richmond Park, London—we had a laugh about how it’s Mick Jagger’s neighborhood (another “Sir”…).

A couple of local IX1 stations called in—there aren’t many of us with this prefix, but we do exist, and sometimes there’s more than just two of us in HF at the same time! Looking at my log pages, I suspected this might be one of my most productive activations ever—but in that moment, the numbers didn’t matter. I kept going because the thrill was in communicating, answering, and finding other people out in the middle of nowhere with just a radio and an antenna, sometimes barely holding together.

Spanish stations stood out—some of them are regulars in my log (EA2DT, EA5W, EA2CPG, EA6FM, and many others), and they always have a strong presence. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and they always deserve the “abrazo” and “suerte” that close every QSO with them. 15m wasn’t too promising, but on 10m, some stations from the South America contest came through. I called them, skeptical about my 15 watts, but I still logged two Brazilians, one Argentinian, and two Turkish stations. There it was—the DX!

At 12:03 local time, after 3 hours and 31 minutes, I had relived practically all the highlights of my time as an operator. It was enough—but what a fantastic activation. I packed up, hiked down, and headed home.

Then came the logbook surprise:

  • 136 QSOs
  • 21 park-to-park contacts
  • ODX: LT3E (Argentina) at 11,454 km—a new personal best from Tsatelet! (My previous record was 135 QSOs.)

If someone had asked me how I wanted my 100th activation to be, my answer wouldn’t have been far from this.

Now, onwards to the next 100! But not before saying thank you to everyone who makes this program so special.

Chris Diemoz

IX1CKN

Field Reports, News, Portable, POTA, QRP

The POTA Babe Shakes It Up

5 Comments
By Teri KO4WFP

January and February have been such busy months that not much POTA has happened for this POTA Babe since my trip to southwest Georgia. Wednesday, February 26th was too gorgeous a day to sit inside. I set aside my projects and Daisy and I headed to a new park – Mead Farm Wildlife Management Area (WMA).

source: Google Maps

Mead Farm WMA (US-9776) is a two-hour drive from Savannah, GA, my home QTH. I visited this area last year when I activated Yuchi WMA (US-3778) in January 2024. Within sight of Yuchi WMA is Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power plant on the Savannah River managed by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company. I spied the four cooling towers (all complete and now active) in the distance during the drive.

cooling towers at Plant Vogtle
daffodils on the side of the road
quaint post office in Girard, Georgia on the drive

Mead Farm is one of the smaller WMAs. It consists of 200 acres, almost equally split between uplands and wetlands. Unlike other Georgia WMAs I’ve visited, the roads back into the park were blocked so I opted to set up in the parking area. Thankfully, the road near the entrance to the park was not busy so vehicular noise didn’t present an impediment to my activation.

entrance from the road
parking area with information kiosk
signage at the far side of the parking area

The weather in southern Georgia has been uncharacteristically warm – high temperatures in the upper 70s. With clear skies overhead, I parked on the eastern side of the parking area taking advantage of shade provided by pine trees. Those pines would also allow me to orient the Tufteln EFRW antenna toward the northwest.

source: GA Dept. of Natural Resources
scenery outside the fenced-in parking area
arbor line and antenna in pine tree

POTA, at this point, has become comfortable. (Notice I didn’t say easy because you never know what unexpected event will happen during POTA as noted in my past QRPer.com articles.😉) In an effort to shake things up, I decided to use all three keys currently in my POTA kit: the VK3IL-design paddle gifted to me by Brian K3ES, the BaMaTech III paddle, and the CW Morse Pocket Single Paddle/Cootie key.

VK3IL-design paddle, BaMaTech III key, CW Morse Pocket Single Paddle/Cootie key

Once my antenna was installed, Daisy was comfortably lounging in the shade, and I was seated in my Helinox chair, it was time to have some fun! Continue reading The POTA Babe Shakes It Up →

Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel

Activating on the Road:  Gems Along the Way – Part 1

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Activating on the Road:  Gems Along the Way – Part 1

by Brian (K3ES)

This two-part article continues my series from our 2024 road trip across the United States (Six Weeks and 7300 Miles:  Activating on the Road).  I hope to wrap up the series with one or two more articles (not yet written) over the next few weeks.  In this report, I plan to cover some of the parks and places we found during the trip that were interesting and spectacular beyond our expectations.

As we traveled across the country from Pennsylvania to California and back, we spent a lot of time looking for parks to activate, and sights to see.  While we tried to keep the sights and parks interesting, some of them were unexpectedly amazing, and I would like to share a few of those here.  Part 1 covers our westward trip from Pennsylvania to California.

Moraine View SRA, IL

Since I had already activated parks in Ohio and Indiana, we planned to do our first activation of the trip in Illinois.  To be honest, we chose Moraine View State Recreation Area (US-2311) as our Illinois park, because it was at the right place and the right time.  We had committed to arrive at my niece’s home in Minnesota at the end of our third travel day.  To stay on schedule for this, I needed to complete two activations (Illinois and Iowa), along with ending the the second day’s travel in Prarie du Chien, WI.  We picked US-2311 as the park for Illinois, because it was close to our travel route, and at the right distance from home for our first day’s drive.  That way I could do an early morning activation and be on the road quickly.

Activating US-2311 from a picnic table.  The perforated table top provide a perfect method to hold the collapsible fishing pole that I used to support my antenna.

Choosing a park based on proximity to the travel route might seem like a poor way to find spectacular parks for activating, but that does not account for having Becky engaged in the process.  In this case, she picked our first gem of the trip.  I set up in a shady picnic area to activate, while she and Molly took a walk along the lake that is the centerpiece of the Recreation Area.  They found beautiful views and some spectacular birds.  I finished the CW QRP activation in about an hour, with 11 contacts split between the 40m and 20m bands.  It turned out that six of the contacts were with activators working in other parks, and one of those activators was working from a 2-fer location, so I got credit for 12 contacts in total.  Following the activation, I packed up, and we headed out toward Iowa and our second activation of the day.

Becky captured this picture of the glassy-smooth lake.  Beautiful.
Molly posed for a picture during her walk beside the lake.
This Great Blue Heron was looking for breakfast.
Map of CW contacts from US-2311.

Great Salt Lake SP, UT

The Great Salt Lake is one of the state’s best known geographic features, so it was natural to look for a park near the lake as we planned for an activation in Utah.  Great Salt Lake State Park (US-3075), on the southern tip of the lake, seemed like a good choice.    We had no idea what a GREAT choice it would be.  Stopping at the park was also convenient for eating our lunch, since we would arrive there mid-day.  US-3075 has scenic views of the lake and surrounding mountains, a marina for pleasure boats that sail the lake, beaches for swimming, and it had at least one unoccupied, shaded picnic table that worked well for activating. Continue reading Activating on the Road:  Gems Along the Way – Part 1 →

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The Fun Continues for the POTA Babe

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By KO4WFP

Note: This is the fourth article for my trip to southwest Georgia at the beginning of January 2025. If you didn’t read the previous article, it is available here: Doerun Pitcher Plant Bog WMA

January 5th, Daisy and I hit the road again for one more POTA activation toward my goal of activating 30 new parks in 2025. The trip to southwest Georgia, though cut short, was productive in that I had three successful activations, I worked through the obstacles I encountered, and I got the break from my obligations and responsibilities I needed.

There are still quite a few parks on the eastern side of Georgia I have yet to activate. As I had no time constraints today, I picked a park close to the Georgia – Florida border: Ceylon Wildlife Management Area (US-9772), an hour and a half drive from my home.

source: Google Maps

Ceylon WMA parcel map     source: https://georgiawildlife.com/ceylon-wma

What I didn’t realize until I began researching and writing this article is just how significant this park is. It is the newest wildlife management area (WMA) in the state of Georgia and 24,000 acres in size. It not only has environmental significance but is also important for national security reasons. The Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is the home port of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet’s ballistic missile submarines and adjacent to this property. Keeping this land out of the hands of resort, residential, and commercial interests protected the fleets access to the Atlantic via the Satilla River.

Image from Submarine Group Ten      source: New Georgia Encyclopedia

The property is named after Ceylon Mill Village, a town established on the site 1874 for the purpose of processing timber. The town “was named for the Southeastern Asia country (current-day Sri Lanka, then British Ceylon) where tea was grown and shipped to the world.”

The town is long since gone and today it is wildlife that occupies the land, including the gopher tortoise, Georgia’s state reptile. This WMA has one of the highest densities of gopher tortoises, somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000, in all of Georgia.  I came across one of their burrows while looking at the pre-bellum and antebellum graveyard on the property.

gopher tortoise burrow at the base of a gravestone
antebellum grave
postbellum grave

The park is a short drive from Interstate 95 though the signage and entrance is not as readily visible as many WMAs. After passing the information kiosk, I began looking for a site not so heavily wooded. There was evidence of controlled burns and management for the cultivation of longleaf pines on the land. Longleaf pines are an important species in the southeast, one that is in decline due to centuries of logging. (I wrote about the importance of this habitat in my article on my activation at Oliver Bridge WMA.)

entrance area with information kiosk
controlled burn area
young longleaf pine taking advantage of the open canopy
the open road begging to be explored!

I found a cleared area and pulled off the side of the road next to a downed tree. The tree would serve as my seating area and Daisy could lay down in the shade it provided. Though the temperatures were still chilly, the cloudless and sunny skies over head would certainly overheat anyone laying around in a fur coat.

my parking spot
napping in the shade from the fallen tree

I had the EFRW installed in short order, oriented it to the northwest, settled on the trunk, and got down to business.

getting “comfy” on my woody QTH

I stuck with 20 meters for most of the activation. That band gave me 37 QSOs in an hour. After some hunting, I worked 11 contacts on 15 meters and three contacts on 40 meters before calling QRT. (Look at the contact waaaayyy out west in California.)

Even though I had good cell service and internet access at this site, I was not successful in hunting many activators due to the band conditions. I had three park-to-park (P2P) QSOs – Rod K4DSX, Jeffrey WJ3FF, and Marshall K1SN but ended up with credit for 10 P2P QSOs. Rod was a three-fer, Jeffrey was a two-fer, and Marshall was a five-fer! (Is there such a word?)

Ceylon Wildlife Management Area POTA QSO Map 1-5-2025

This is a park to which I plan to return. Ceylon WMA is easy to access; there is more territory in it begging to be explored;  and I have cell service to spot myself and hunt other activators. With this successful activation, I now have four activations toward my goal of 30 for 2025 and 26 yet to go. Where will my next POTA adventure take place? Stay tuned…

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Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel, Videos

Challenges for the POTA Babe

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By KO4WFP

Note: This is the third article for my trip to southwest Georgia at the beginning of January 2025. If you didn’t read the previous article, it is available here: Chickasawhatchee WMA (US-3739)

In POTA and camping, one may plan and prepare; but no matter how much of that one does, there are invariably challenges that arise pushing you out of your comfort zone. Challenges put one into what I call “ham radio mode”. You know what ham radio mode is, right? You evaluate a situation, assess your available resources to address the problem, and implement a solution with those resources. The trip to southwest Georgia presented several unexpected challenges.

The first unexpected challenge was that of my keys. I brought two paddles – the VK3IL design paddle and the mini palm paddle. Upon plugging it in, the VK3IL would only send dahs. So I defaulted to my backup, the mini palm. However, something was wrong with the connector on the back as randomly, the dit paddle would stop working. Ugh! After my first activation, I used my CW Morse straight key which I brought along because of Straight Key Night on January 1st. I hadn’t used a straight key for POTA in ages and, though a little challenging at first, it was a good change of pace.

CW Morse straight key

The second unexpected event was the soles of my old riding boots peeling back from the boots themselves. This happened as I was packing up my equipment at Chickasawhatchee. Thankfully, I found a Family Dollar store on the way back to Kolomoki Mounds State Park, purchased some JB Weld glue, and repaired them Thursday evening while sitting by the campfire.

boot sole coming off

The third unexpected event (don’t such things often come in threes?) were the cold temperatures at night. I did check the weather forecast before departing Savannah. However, it’s been nearly thirty years since I’ve camped in 30 degree weather and the weeks leading up to the trip had been unseasonably warm – highs in the 70s and lows in the mid 50s. So while I knew intellectually that it would be cold, I wasn’t thinking from an experiential perspective.

The first night I couldn’t get comfortably warm despite having a Northface sleeping bag (rated for 25/40 degrees) and a SeatoSummit Thermolite Reactor Extreme liner. I also threw on top of Daisy and I (she had a sleeping pad and bag of her own), a survival blanket I keep in the car for emergencies.

Late into the first night, I remembered a moving quilt/blanket also in Kai’s trunk for emergencies. I was too cold to retrieve it from the car that night. But for the second night, I laid it on the floor of the tent under Daisy and then wrapped it over both of us. Though the situation that night was better than the first, I was still not comfortably warm. (This is why winter is my least favorite season – I spend all winter trying to keep my hands and feet warm.)

frost on the hood of my car

While I disliked throwing in the towel, I also didn’t want to suffer through two more nights of frigid weather. I tried to remember that the goal has to serve me and not the other way around.

a stinkbug at the campsite – look at the pattern and coloration on it!

After tearing down camp and packing the car, Daisy and I headed northeast back home with a planned stop at Doerun Pitcher Plant Bog Wildlife Management Area (US-7882). It is a relatively small WMA – only 600 acres. The land was purchased in 1994 from a family estate and named for the pitcher plants found on site.

source: Google Maps

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants. According to Wikipedia, they have a “deep cavity filled with digestive liquid” in which insects are trapped and drown. There are over 100 species of carnivorous plants worldwide and three New World (North and South America) genus including sarracenia which are found at this WMA. The three species one can view at this park are the yellow pitcher plant (sarracenia flava), hooded pitcher plant (sarracenia minor), and the parrot pitcher plant (sarracenia psittacina).

yellow pitcher plants
hooded pitcher plants – Photo by David McAdoo, Source: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sarracenia-minor/

I was able to view all three species though they were not in their prime due to the cold temperatures.

This WMA is easily spotted from the road. It is a short drive into the property where one encounters a kiosk and trail to the pitcher plant bog. As there was no one present and no power lines in the parking lot, I decided to set up here for my activation.

entrance to the park

On the edge of the parking lot was a pine tree with branches low enough to reach with my arbor line. There were plenty of parking spaces to the left of my car so there was no issue running my antenna northwest across the lot. That enabled Daisy and I to sit in the sun (again, it was chilly in the shade here) and see anyone approaching in case I did need to move my antenna. I installed the Tufteln EFRW easily and readied myself to get on the air.

our QTH – Daisy is snoozing in the sun!

Unfortunately, I did not have sufficient cell service to access the POTA site at this park. I texted Glenn and he spotted me on 14.058. As I had a four-hour drive ahead of me, this was a park at which I would not linger so sticking to one band would have to suffice.

Twenty meters did not disappoint. In fifty minutes, I had 23 contacts, many of whom I knew – Steve N2YLO, Todd W2TEF, Ed KN9V, Brian K3ES, Eric WZ5MM, Rick K8BMA, and Bob AC9MG. Though the POTA exchange may be short and not challenging, I always enjoy seeing ops I know on the air during an activation. It puts a smile on my face. (I just wish I could knew and remember everyone’s name. I sent the wrong name to Carlos AE2W – sorry about that!)

QSO Map for Doerun Pitcher Plant Bog WMA 1-3-2025

With this park successfully activated, it was time to head home to Savannah. The other parks I had hoped to activate during this trip – Kolomoki Mounds State Park, Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Walter F. George WMA, Silver Lake State Fishing Lake, and/or Lake Seminole WMA – would have to wait for another trip.

But that isn’t the end. Just like Ginsu knives, there is more! As I had set aside Sunday for this trip, I resolved to find a park near Savannah to activate that day. What park would I pick? Stay tuned…

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Field Reports, Guest Posts, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Travel, Videos

The POTA Babe’s Safari at Chickasawhatchee

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By Teri KO4WFP

Note: This is the second article for my trip to southwest Georgia at the beginning of January 2025. If you didn’t read the first article, it is available here: Elmodel Wildlife Management Area.

Thursday, January 2nd, Daisy and I headed to Chickasawhatchee Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The park is a short 45-minute drive from Kolomoki Mounds State Park. We drove through more small towns, past peanut warehouses, chicken houses, and cotton fields. Though chilly, it was a gorgeous day with cloudless, sunny skies promising warmer temperatures as the day progressed.

source: Google Maps
poultry house on the drive to and from the park
cotton in the field

The state of Georgia has 14 river basins and 52 watersheds. The Chickasawhatchee Swamp occupies 30,000 acres along the Flint River Basin and 20,000 of those acres are protected inside the Chickasawhatchee WMA (US-3739). According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the swamp is among the largest freshwater swamps in the southeastern United States. It is unique in that “the collection of spring and surface water tributaries unite in bottomlands where the limestone bedrock is thin and soft, giving it a relatively direct connection to the local aquifer.”

source: New Georgia Encyclopedia

The park is well marked and the signage easily viewed from the road. I entered from the northwest corner off Georgia Route 62. In front of me was a packed, red-clay road just begging to be driven. I knew I had an activation scheduled but the desire to explore relegated that activation to the back burner. I drove for nearly an hour in the WMA exploring the park as my own private safari. I was in heaven!

kiosk after entering the park
the road into the park
I think this is a tilled dove field for hunting.
bottomlands in the park – a nice, little freshwater swamp

Around 1 PM, we reached an intersection of two roads in an open area. It was time to stop exploring and take care of business – my POTA activation. At the intersection was a large oak into which an EFRW could be installed and plenty of sun so Daisy and I could sit outside and stay warm. (Though the temperature had warmed considerably from earlier in the day, I still felt chilly in the shade.)

Daisy is ready to POTA!
arbor line in tree getting ready to hoist EFRW
feed-end of the antenna connected to my Tom Bihn bag in which I keep my coax and throw kit

Up went the Tufteln EFRW and soon I was on the air. Given the time of day, I opted to begin with 20 meters. Jeff W4JSH was the first to answer my CQ. Over the next half an hour, the calls rolled in. I then jumped to 15 meters for two calls and then 17 meters for six calls. As I had access to the POTA page at this WMA, I tried hunting other activators but was successful with only one – Harry K9DXA at US-1001.

my setup – note the straight key which will be discussed in the next article

Before finishing out the day, I texted Glenn W4YES and he remoted into our ham shack. We worked one another on 40 meters (I gave him a 599 but on his end, I was only a 339). I then worked two more callers on 40 meters including John K4ZI. I was his first POTA contact ever. How awesome is that!

Chickasawhatchee WMA POTA QSO Map 1-2-2025
a chilly but happy POTA Babe!

By this point in the day, the sun was lower in the sky, taking the warmer temperatures with it. I packed up my equipment and headed back to Kolomoki Mounds State Park.

This evening I attempted something I’ve never done when camping – build a campfire. Usually it is too wam for a fire when I camp. However, the temperatures would be in the lower 30s tonight again and I hankered to sit by a fire. I know how to build a fire as my ex-husband had a wood stove and I built many a fire in it. It wasn’t long before I had a blazing fire going. I felt like the character played by Tom Hanks in Castaway: “Me….Build….Fire!”

Daisy lounged in her sleeping bag nearby while I sat next to the fire, poking it periodically. Ahhhh. A lovely end to a lovely day. Where to next? Stay tuned…

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