Parks On The Air Flaming Geyser State Park

Today was less of a project day and more getting out and putting my kit to use.  My brother met me at Flaming Geyser State Park to do a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation.  If you haven't heard of Parks on the Air, there are several programs like it, all designed to bring more people into the amateur radio community.  This seems to have caught on like wildfire and I'm having a lot of fun with it.  There isn't much to it.  There are state and national parks on the registry that have been assigned an identifying number.  Find a park near you, take your radio gear out there, and get at least 10 natural (not through repeaters) contacts to consider the park activated.  There are activators and hunters.  If you are an activator, you are physically at the park.  Hunters on the other hand, can be anywhere, and their goal is to make contact with activators.  There are certificates that you can earn for various milestones, but I'm really just in it to put some of this radio gear to use and get out of the house.

I packed my Sotabeams Tactical Mini portable mast, a Sotabeams Band Hopper 2 antenna, the Yaesu FT-891, a LifePo4 battery and a laptop.  The kit works really well, with the antenna being resonant on 20 and 40 meters I don't have to worry about using an antenna tuner.


Running WSJT-X we started on 20m FT8.  Once we had our 10 contacts to consider the park activated we switched to voice and started tuning around the band.  Hearing another POTA station right out of the gate I answered them.  To my surprise they came right back to me.  This was actually my first HF voice contact, and a park to park none the less!!  After making a few voice contacts the weather started to turn and a few raindrops came down.  We've had a decent dry spell and the fire danger is high, so although it interrupted the day of playing radio in the park, it is needed.

Below is a map of the contacts that we made from the park today.

73s K7WJV





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