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 Random files - Parks on the Air |
474 viewsOn Tuesday May 27 Danny AG4DW and Allen KN4FKS headed towards Cartersville to activate three parks they had never activated before. A day moving from multiple parks is called a "Rove".
The plan was to start at Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site US-3715. After an early drive they arrived at the park at 10 am and set up two stations. Allen set up his end fed sloper wire and made 20 contacts on 20 meters. 6 were Park to Park contacts. Danny had started on 40 meters and it was not producing contacts. He made a few FT8 Contacts then moved to 20 meters when Allen was clear. He had 14 contacts with 9 SSB and 5 FT8 contacts. It was a new experience to set up, make a few contacts then take everything down and prepare to move to the next park. It just didn't feel right. But that was the plan.
Next was Allatoona Pass Battlefield State Historic Site US-7471. This Civil War site is a very small site with a small parking lot next to a busy road, and very noisy powerlines. We set Danny's vertical up on top of the adjacent berm with Lake Allatoona on the other side. Using Danny's rig we worked through the noise, shared the radio and Allen made 17 contacts, with 7 P2P contacts on 20 meters. Danny made 14 contacts on SSB. Handing the microphone back and forth saying 'standby for a second operator' was another new experience and again it just didn't feel right. But it worked and we both got an activation. At this site we had a lot of interaction with people walking by. We would take a moment to explain what we were doing "It's not CB" Many had a relative or friend who was into Ham radio. The 'Parks ON The Air' concept was interesting and exciting to all of them. We packed up the gear, then spent a few minutes walking past the monuments and interpretive signage to explore the battlefield site.
Then it was on to Red Top Mountain State Park US-2194. We used the large empty parking lot at group shelter 2 as our base. After a quick lunch we used Danny's radio and Allen's end fed wire antenna. to set up on 20 meters. Again sharing the radio Allen made 12 contacts with 11 P2P. and Danny made a quick 10 contacts. We could hear the static crashes on the radio and the sky was getting darker. A few drops fell so Danny deployed his "sun shade' umbrella to cover the tail gate where we had the rig set up. About the time we both had the 10 contacts required for a successful activation the rain was beginning to fall. As we quickly began to take everything down it began to rain harder, About the time we jumped in the truck it began to pour.
The drive up the interstate from Cartersville to Resaca was exciting to say the least. The rain was hard and at one place the fast lane was not draining and had about a foot of standing water. This was causing cars to spin out into the median, bang into each other and drown out their engines Several state troopers were on the shoulder working fender benders. Somehow Danny was able to safely get us through the mayhem and on up the road.
It was a fun day, very different and challenging at times. We each added three new parks to our list of sites we have activated. Maybe one day we'll both qualify for some obscure POTA certificate :-)
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320 viewsThe TSARC POTA crew has been busy this past week. On Thursday Danny AG4DW and Allen KN4FKS activated Sloppy Floyd State Park US-2187. The terrestrial weather was fine and the space weather was a bit noisy but OK.
Allen made 25 contacts on 20 meters SSB with 11 Park to Park contacts. Danny made 69 contacts 44 were SSB and 25 were FT8. He had DX contacts to Cuba, England, France, St. Vincent Island, and 5 Canadians. Dan K2DTS stayed closer to home and made 19 contacts on 20 meter SSB at the Battlefield US-0716 also on Thursday.
In other activations Danny AG4DW finished out his KILO award for Pigeon Mountain WMA US-3742 on Wednesday. Congratulations on hitting the 1 thousand contacts milestone.
Mat AF4MH was in Michigan and activated 7 Lakes State Park US-1537 with 42 SSB contacts. John KB4QXI was in West Virginia and made two activations. On Aug 29 he activated Fox Forest WMA US-12038 with 15 contacts SSB with 6 P2P contacts. Then on Aug 31 he activated Bowden State Fish Hatchery US-12052 with 21 contacts on 20 meter SSB with 13 P2P contacts.
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587 viewsPOTA, Nick A Jack Trailhead - Cloudland Canyon - 12-17-2020. W4TDH, N9MJH
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507 viewsAgain it has been a POTA active week. The week started with John KB4QXI activating Berry College WMA US-3734 making 26 contacts on 20 meters SSB with 5 P2P and 2 Canadian contacts. This gave him a total contacts as an activator on Berry of 961.
On Tuesday Ed KM6UTC activated Chickamauga Battlefield US-0716 from the Cravens house site on Lookout Mountain. He made 84 FT8 contacts for the day. Also on Tuesday Allen KN4FKS activated Pigeon Mountain WMA US-3742 from the Estelle Mine road site. He made 58 contacts SSB mostly on 40 meters with 4 P2P and no DX contacts.
Then on Thursday Ed KM6UTC went back to the Cravens house site and made 108 FT8 contacts with 3 P2P and lots of DX into Europe and Eurasia. John went back to Berry to finish out his 'KILO' award on Berry making 46 contacts with 21 P2P. Danny AG4DW and Allen KN4FKS activated J. Sloppy Floyd SP US-2187 from the usual lower lake site. Danny made 27 contacts mostly on FT8 with DX to Canada, Greece, and Spain. Allen KN4FKS made 77 contacts with 25 P2P and 3 Canadians to put him over the 1,000 contacts mark for Floyd SP.
Another 'KILO' awarded to part of the TSARC POTA crew.
A busy week with TWO KILO awards issued and as usual lots of radio fun.
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530 viewsPOTA 01-12-2023 - Crockford-Pigeon Mtn. WMA K-3742. Tony WA4TW was on 20 meters and made 82 contacts, 24 P2P, 7 Canadians, and 1 Maritime Mobile, a 30 ft. sailboat on the Mississippi River. Allen KN4FKS handled logging. John KB4QXI was on 40 meters and made 37 contacts with 3 P2P. Operating was tough with the ever increasing lightning crashes on both bands. Before the storm hit we shut down operations, disconnected coax and laid down the vertical antenna. We enjoyed a long lunch while the storm passed over. The wind blew, and the rain came down in buckets but we were high and dry inside the check station. The power stayed on the entire time as we kept a watch on the storm. We got back on the air after the storm passed but the bands were still noisy. I'm glad to report, no one overslept, no gear was left at home, and all batteries were fully charged.
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582 viewsChickamauga Battlefield Park - 09-19-2020 - N9MJH, K4MCX, W4TDH
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520 viewsOn Tuesday May 27 Danny AG4DW and Allen KN4FKS headed towards Cartersville to activate three parks they had never activated before. A day moving from multiple parks is called a "Rove".
The plan was to start at Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site US-3715. After an early drive they arrived at the park at 10 am and set up two stations. Allen set up his end fed sloper wire and made 20 contacts on 20 meters. 6 were Park to Park contacts. Danny had started on 40 meters and it was not producing contacts. He made a few FT8 Contacts then moved to 20 meters when Allen was clear. He had 14 contacts with 9 SSB and 5 FT8 contacts. It was a new experience to set up, make a few contacts then take everything down and prepare to move to the next park. It just didn't feel right. But that was the plan.
Next was Allatoona Pass Battlefield State Historic Site US-7471. This Civil War site is a very small site with a small parking lot next to a busy road, and very noisy powerlines. We set Danny's vertical up on top of the adjacent berm with Lake Allatoona on the other side. Using Danny's rig we worked through the noise, shared the radio and Allen made 17 contacts, with 7 P2P contacts on 20 meters. Danny made 14 contacts on SSB. Handing the microphone back and forth saying 'standby for a second operator' was another new experience and again it just didn't feel right. But it worked and we both got an activation. At this site we had a lot of interaction with people walking by. We would take a moment to explain what we were doing "It's not CB" Many had a relative or friend who was into Ham radio. The 'Parks ON The Air' concept was interesting and exciting to all of them. We packed up the gear, then spent a few minutes walking past the monuments and interpretive signage to explore the battlefield site.
Then it was on to Red Top Mountain State Park US-2194. We used the large empty parking lot at group shelter 2 as our base. After a quick lunch we used Danny's radio and Allen's end fed wire antenna. to set up on 20 meters. Again sharing the radio Allen made 12 contacts with 11 P2P. and Danny made a quick 10 contacts. We could hear the static crashes on the radio and the sky was getting darker. A few drops fell so Danny deployed his "sun shade' umbrella to cover the tail gate where we had the rig set up. About the time we both had the 10 contacts required for a successful activation the rain was beginning to fall. As we quickly began to take everything down it began to rain harder, About the time we jumped in the truck it began to pour.
The drive up the interstate from Cartersville to Resaca was exciting to say the least. The rain was hard and at one place the fast lane was not draining and had about a foot of standing water. This was causing cars to spin out into the median, bang into each other and drown out their engines Several state troopers were on the shoulder working fender benders. Somehow Danny was able to safely get us through the mayhem and on up the road.
It was a fun day, very different and challenging at times. We each added three new parks to our list of sites we have activated. Maybe one day we'll both qualify for some obscure POTA certificate :-)
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461 viewsThe Rambler Radio Club W4LMS activated Cloudland Canyon State Park US-2169 today from the park interpretive center.
We set up two stations, one on 40 meters and one on 20 meters. Band conditions were tough with a solar storm arriving this morning. In spite of everything the 40 meter station made 36 contacts with 20 P2P and no DX with kids as operators and Danny AG4DW as the Elmer. The 20 meter station made ??? contacts with ??? P2P and ??? DX.
With Jody W4LWC as Elmer. Allen KN4FKS acted as the visitor welcoming person answering questions and handing out HAM radio information. The park was very busy today and the parking lot stayed full all day with a steady stream of folks coming into the interpretive center. Several licensed hams dropped in and several prospective Hams were helped along the way.
Matt AF4MH came by as did John KB4QXI. John visited a bit then went up the hill to our usual POTA site and made 21 Contacts on 20 meters with 15 P2P and 2 Canadian parks contacted.
The bear wanted to work some DX but we were trying to make P2P contacts so he just stood quietly in the corner.
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 Last additions - Parks on the Air |
53 viewsWe activated two parks at once this Thursday Jan 22. Chickamauga Battlefield US-0716 and the Trail of Tears US-3791. The old Lafayette Road which runs through the middle of the Battlefield is a designated part of the National Trail of Tears network. To activate a "trail" the rules are you have to be within 100 feet of the trail and on public land. There are a few places along the Lafayette road where you can park and be within 100 feet of the roadway/trail. To make this work the three of us set up at three different places along the road.
Danny AG4DW set up with his Hamstrick on top of his truck. He made 146 contacts, 74 SSB and 72 FT8 with 11 Park to Park and 11 contacts to Canada.
Allen KN4FKS set up north of Danny using his 17 ft vertical with the 6 foot extender in place. Working on 20 meters SSB he made 116 contacts with 17 park to park and 2 Canadians.
Dan K2DTS set up south of Danny and chased parks on 20 and 40 meters. making 25 P2P contacts and oddly on 20 meters made several contacts under the first skip zone to GA, NC, VA, SC.
Just after Allen set up the National Park enforcement rangers stopped by. They had seen the yellow coax coming out of the truck window and decided to investigate. They did not see the vertical antenna until they got out of their truck. They immediately realized I was doing POTA and commented you folks normally are over at the picnic area. I explained about the Trail of Tears thing and they were ok with it all. Probably thinking what a bunch of crazy old men. Nice fellows, protecting a special place.
Fun day with excellent band conditions for lots of contacts. Jan 26, 2026
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82 viewsWe activated two parks at once this Thursday Jan 22. Chickamauga Battlefield US-0716 and the Trail of Tears US-3791. The old Lafayette Road which runs through the middle of the Battlefield is a designated part of the National Trail of Tears network. To activate a "trail" the rules are you have to be within 100 feet of the trail and on public land. There are a few places along the Lafayette road where you can park and be within 100 feet of the roadway/trail. To make this work the three of us set up at three different places along the road.
Danny AG4DW set up with his Hamstrick on top of his truck. He made 146 contacts, 74 SSB and 72 FT8 with 11 Park to Park and 11 contacts to Canada.
Allen KN4FKS set up north of Danny using his 17 ft vertical with the 6 foot extender in place. Working on 20 meters SSB he made 116 contacts with 17 park to park and 2 Canadians.
Dan K2DTS set up south of Danny and chased parks on 20 and 40 meters. making 25 P2P contacts and oddly on 20 meters made several contacts under the first skip zone to GA, NC, VA, SC.
Just after Allen set up the National Park enforcement rangers stopped by. They had seen the yellow coax coming out of the truck window and decided to investigate. They did not see the vertical antenna until they got out of their truck. They immediately realized I was doing POTA and commented you folks normally are over at the picnic area. I explained about the Trail of Tears thing and they were ok with it all. Probably thinking what a bunch of crazy old men. Nice fellows, protecting a special place.
Fun day with excellent band conditions for lots of contacts. Jan 26, 2026
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54 viewsWe activated two parks at once this Thursday Jan 22. Chickamauga Battlefield US-0716 and the Trail of Tears US-3791. The old Lafayette Road which runs through the middle of the Battlefield is a designated part of the National Trail of Tears network. To activate a "trail" the rules are you have to be within 100 feet of the trail and on public land. There are a few places along the Lafayette road where you can park and be within 100 feet of the roadway/trail. To make this work the three of us set up at three different places along the road.
Danny AG4DW set up with his Hamstrick on top of his truck. He made 146 contacts, 74 SSB and 72 FT8 with 11 Park to Park and 11 contacts to Canada.
Allen KN4FKS set up north of Danny using his 17 ft vertical with the 6 foot extender in place. Working on 20 meters SSB he made 116 contacts with 17 park to park and 2 Canadians.
Dan K2DTS set up south of Danny and chased parks on 20 and 40 meters. making 25 P2P contacts and oddly on 20 meters made several contacts under the first skip zone to GA, NC, VA, SC.
Just after Allen set up the National Park enforcement rangers stopped by. They had seen the yellow coax coming out of the truck window and decided to investigate. They did not see the vertical antenna until they got out of their truck. They immediately realized I was doing POTA and commented you folks normally are over at the picnic area. I explained about the Trail of Tears thing and they were ok with it all. Probably thinking what a bunch of crazy old men. Nice fellows, protecting a special place.
Fun day with excellent band conditions for lots of contacts. Jan 26, 2026
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36 viewsIt was cold outside, but we were warm and toasty inside. This Thursday Jan.15 2026 we activated the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area US-3742 from the check station site on Rocky Lane. It sure is nice to have friends in high places that let us use the check station to do POTA. However setting up antennas was a bit frosty in the 23 degree F air with a 20 Mph wind.
Allen KN4FKS set his end fed half wave wire in a nearby tree and Danny AG4DW set his Pota Performer elevated radial vertical in the side yard. We used some foam pipe insulation pieces to block the wind where we pulled the coax through the slightly open windows. It kept the heat in and the cold wind out.
Allen started on 40 meters and was busy from the start. Later he went to 20 meters and was also busy For the day he had 76 contacts with 15 Park to Park contacts and no DX.
Danny started on 20 meters and made 1 SSB contact then switched to FT8 He made 69 more contacts. He worked digital on 20, 15, and 10 meters. He had 24 DX contacts from all over Europe, the Caribbean, and South America.
We had a few visitors curious about what we were doing so we explained Ham radio and POTA then answered their questions about the area. We always take time away from pileups to meet visitors. Part of the job as POTA ambassadors.
Fun day, great peanut butter and jelly, stayed warm and had great company for the day. Jan 16, 2026
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59 viewsIt was cold outside, but we were warm and toasty inside. This Thursday Jan.15 2026 we activated the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area US-3742 from the check station site on Rocky Lane. It sure is nice to have friends in high places that let us use the check station to do POTA. However setting up antennas was a bit frosty in the 23 degree F air with a 20 Mph wind.
Allen KN4FKS set his end fed half wave wire in a nearby tree and Danny AG4DW set his Pota Performer elevated radial vertical in the side yard. We used some foam pipe insulation pieces to block the wind where we pulled the coax through the slightly open windows. It kept the heat in and the cold wind out.
Allen started on 40 meters and was busy from the start. Later he went to 20 meters and was also busy For the day he had 76 contacts with 15 Park to Park contacts and no DX.
Danny started on 20 meters and made 1 SSB contact then switched to FT8 He made 69 more contacts. He worked digital on 20, 15, and 10 meters. He had 24 DX contacts from all over Europe, the Caribbean, and South America.
We had a few visitors curious about what we were doing so we explained Ham radio and POTA then answered their questions about the area. We always take time away from pileups to meet visitors. Part of the job as POTA ambassadors.
Fun day, great peanut butter and jelly, stayed warm and had great company for the day. Jan 16, 2026
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88 viewsIt was cold outside, but we were warm and toasty inside. This Thursday Jan.15 2026 we activated the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area US-3742 from the check station site on Rocky Lane. It sure is nice to have friends in high places that let us use the check station to do POTA. However setting up antennas was a bit frosty in the 23 degree F air with a 20 Mph wind.
Allen KN4FKS set his end fed half wave wire in a nearby tree and Danny AG4DW set his Pota Performer elevated radial vertical in the side yard. We used some foam pipe insulation pieces to block the wind where we pulled the coax through the slightly open windows. It kept the heat in and the cold wind out.
Allen started on 40 meters and was busy from the start. Later he went to 20 meters and was also busy For the day he had 76 contacts with 15 Park to Park contacts and no DX.
Danny started on 20 meters and made 1 SSB contact then switched to FT8 He made 69 more contacts. He worked digital on 20, 15, and 10 meters. He had 24 DX contacts from all over Europe, the Caribbean, and South America.
We had a few visitors curious about what we were doing so we explained Ham radio and POTA then answered their questions about the area. We always take time away from pileups to meet visitors. Part of the job as POTA ambassadors.
Fun day, great peanut butter and jelly, stayed warm and had great company for the day. Jan 16, 2026
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58 viewsIt was cold outside, but we were warm and toasty inside. This Thursday Jan.15 2026 we activated the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area US-3742 from the check station site on Rocky Lane. It sure is nice to have friends in high places that let us use the check station to do POTA. However setting up antennas was a bit frosty in the 23 degree F air with a 20 Mph wind.
Allen KN4FKS set his end fed half wave wire in a nearby tree and Danny AG4DW set his Pota Performer elevated radial vertical in the side yard. We used some foam pipe insulation pieces to block the wind where we pulled the coax through the slightly open windows. It kept the heat in and the cold wind out.
Allen started on 40 meters and was busy from the start. Later he went to 20 meters and was also busy For the day he had 76 contacts with 15 Park to Park contacts and no DX.
Danny started on 20 meters and made 1 SSB contact then switched to FT8 He made 69 more contacts. He worked digital on 20, 15, and 10 meters. He had 24 DX contacts from all over Europe, the Caribbean, and South America.
We had a few visitors curious about what we were doing so we explained Ham radio and POTA then answered their questions about the area. We always take time away from pileups to meet visitors. Part of the job as POTA ambassadors.
Fun day, great peanut butter and jelly, stayed warm and had great company for the day. Jan 16, 2026
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46 viewsIt was cold outside, but we were warm and toasty inside. This Thursday Jan.15 2026 we activated the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area US-3742 from the check station site on Rocky Lane. It sure is nice to have friends in high places that let us use the check station to do POTA. However setting up antennas was a bit frosty in the 23 degree F air with a 20 Mph wind.
Allen KN4FKS set his end fed half wave wire in a nearby tree and Danny AG4DW set his Pota Performer elevated radial vertical in the side yard. We used some foam pipe insulation pieces to block the wind where we pulled the coax through the slightly open windows. It kept the heat in and the cold wind out.
Allen started on 40 meters and was busy from the start. Later he went to 20 meters and was also busy For the day he had 76 contacts with 15 Park to Park contacts and no DX.
Danny started on 20 meters and made 1 SSB contact then switched to FT8 He made 69 more contacts. He worked digital on 20, 15, and 10 meters. He had 24 DX contacts from all over Europe, the Caribbean, and South America.
We had a few visitors curious about what we were doing so we explained Ham radio and POTA then answered their questions about the area. We always take time away from pileups to meet visitors. Part of the job as POTA ambassadors.
Fun day, great peanut butter and jelly, stayed warm and had great company for the day. Jan 16, 2026
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