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 Random files - Parks on the Air |
597 viewsJ. Floyd State Park K-2187 on 04-27-2022. We set up down by the dam of the lower lake. John KB4QXI worked 20 meters with a ham stick on the roof of his car and made 60 contacts, 4 P2P, 6 Canadians and Spain. Tony WA4TW went first on 40 meters using the End Fed Half Wave wire rigged as a sloper fed from the bottom. He made 60 contacts before lunch. After lunch Allen KN4FKS took over the microphone and Tony logged. Allen made 42 contacts with 2 P2P before the battery was almost gone at 7% remaining.
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POTA 2022-07-21, Desoto State Park K-1039 in Alabama612 viewsPOTA this week was to Desoto State Park K-1039 in Alabama. We set up in the recently renovated picnic area in the Desoto Falls portion of the park. The falls just below our operating position is right at 100 feet tall. This time of year the water flow is low but it is still impressive. We had many interested park visitors come by and Karen assisted one curious young man in making three contacts around the country. The 40 meter band was hopeless so we took turns on 20 meters.
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573 viewsOur fearless POTA leader, Allen (KN4FKS) had a last minute change of plans and was not able to make our POTA outing at the hallowed grounds of Chickamauga Battlefield (US-0716) today (4/25).
Nonetheless, several other operators met up at the picnic/recreation area on Brotherton Road to "POTA on". The early birds were Jeff Fitzpatrick (N2YPP) and Ed Dionne (KM6UTC). Jeff was using his FT-891 with a homemade EFHW antenna on 20 meters using SSB. At the end of the day Jeff had 145 total contacts, including 15 park-to-park and 6 DX (Canada).
Ed wound up working FT8 using two different antennas; his trusty loop antenna and a vertical antenna using a Faraday cloth as the counterpoise. In the end he wound up with 70 contacts total, including 21 DX contacts to Germany, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, England, Ukraine, Spain, Czech Republic, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Canada! There were at least 4 park-to-park contacts.
Danny (AG4DW) worked 10 and 15 meters all day using a vertical antenna and wound up with a total of 36 contacts, 24 FT8 and 2 SSB, including 1 park-to-park and 17 European DX contacts, including a new country for him, Lithuania!
Ed Sarnosky (KX4BE) arrived on his motorcycle to provide a semblance of adult supervision and offered advice where needed.
Dan Strickland (K2DTS) arrived late, after a little extra and much needed beauty sleep, and spent most of the day getting his FT8 setup to finally work properly and then did some on-the-job FT8 learning and made a few FT8 contacts.
It was a gorgeous day weather-wise but the bands were a little noisy. Except perhaps 20 meters which Jeff blew out of the water with his 145 contacts! We had fun watching Jeff sweat through some of the pileups but I fear we may have created a POTA monster out of Jeff. Stay tuned to see how it works out!
Great fun, great fellowship and we bounced lots of electrons off the ionosphere.
We also had a couple of park visitors drop by to check out what we were doing! Not a bad POTA activation at all...
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361 viewsWe activated the Chickamauga National Battlefield US-0716 this past Friday September 19 2025. One hundred and sixty two years ago the Indiana infantry and the Ohio artillery were in a bloody battle on the actual ground where we activate from. This was a special activation to remember that time in history. The site is at the junction of Brotherton Road and Alexanders Bridge road in the park, there is now a picnic area there. Quite a contrast from past times.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire and operated SSB on 20 meters. He made 62 contacts with 33 Park to Park contacts. No DX contacts were made. His transmit power was at 100 watts and the battery use for the day was 7 amp hours.
Alan W4PLP came by and operated as a second operator with Allen for a while. He made 12 SSB contacts for an activation. The two Allen/Alan combo worked well.
Danny AG4DW used his POTA Performer elevated vertical to make 50 contacts with 17 on 40 meters 32 on 15 meters and 1 on 2 meters. 15 meters was hot for DX with contacts into Spain(3), Russia(3), Germany(3), France(4), Belgium, Denmark, Honduras, Ukraine, Poland, and Italy.
David Saylors WK4DS set up his 17 ft vertical and with QRP power made 15 contacts on 17 meters 11 FT8 and 4 CW. Activating the hard way.
Dan K2DTS couldn't come on Friday so he activated the same site on Thursday with 35 Contacts, 25 SSB and 10 FT8. Danny and Fred activated the Battlefield from Signal Point on the Tennessee side on Wednesday.
Dave KQ4GLQ activated two parks in Louisiana on Wednesday. Make time for POTA after work for sure.
Come join us anytime or just activate on your own, lots of parks nearby to explore!
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542 viewsYesterday we activated Crockford Pigeon Mountain WMA K-3742 from the check station on Rocky Lane. The DNR folks were gracious enough to allow us to use the check station for our day. We had HEAT, a bathroom and a fun day.
We set up one station on the main table and then took turns on the microphone. We used Allen's KN4FKS Icom 706 MkIIG at 100 watts into a Chameleon vertical with a long counterpoise out on the side yard. Allen KN4FKS started out on 15 meters and made 25 quick contacts with 6 P2P and 7 DX contacts (2 Austria, 2 Germany, Spain, Ireland, and Canada.) Danny AG4DW took over and made about 20 contacts with several DX contacts. John KB4QXI went next on the same 15 meter frequency and made 20 contacts with 5 DX (2 Canadians, Austria, Ireland, and Slovak Republic.) Fred KQ4JXX got on and made about 15 contacts with a few DX contacts.
We had a new operator present so we quickly went to POTA.APP on his smart phone and went through the quick sign up process. Now officially set we turned the mic over to Jeff N2YYP. New to all this POTA stuff Jeff stepped up and quickly sounded like an experience POTA activator. He made his first contact as a Park to Park to Barbados Island in the Caribbean. He made 12 contacts total with 2 more DX contacts. Ed KM6UTC was present acting as adult supervision over this bunch of Hams. Just having one station allowed everyone else to sit around the table and ragchew quietly while someone worked the radio. Fun day.
One of the special things about Thursdays activation was that Jeff's Grandfather used to own the property the check station is on before the state bought it. Delmas Fitzpatrick lived in the old house (now gone) across the creek. He and his brother Shields Fitzpatrick took and old style cable bulldozer and built the original Rocky Lane up the East side of Pigeon Mountain. (I believe around 1950) Quite and engineering feat that was. The current Rocky Lane follows some of their original route and was constructed in the late 1980's using lots more modern equipment.
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535 viewsThis Wednesday May 1 we activated J. Floyd State Park US-2187. It was a beautiful sunny day down by the lake. However the solar weather was not exactly cooperating and the bands were "wonky". Danny AG4DW had a total of 25 contacts, 15 DX (Panama, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Venezuela, Cuba, Denmark Russia, Jamacia, Germany, Belgium, England and Canada). 5 were SSB, 4 were FM VHF/UHF and 16 FT8 digital. John KB4QXI had 12 contacts on 40 and 20 meters. His mobile mount antenna on his truck was not working very well. Allen KN4FKS had 43 contacts on 20 and 40 meters, 17 Park to Park, and 6 DX ( France Puerto Rico, and 4 Canadians. Dan K2DTS had issues with his digital set up and never got it working.
We had visitors, Several park hikers stopped by and were curious about what we were doing. They were impressed by the distance of the contacts using the simple equipment. We also had some local hams drop by Lonnie KK4VDE and Dewayne W4FDT. They both were very experienced POTA operators and have activated many of the parks we often go to. Dewayne also shared with us his experiences on a POTA trip to Alaska a few years ago. Fun bucket list type trip. Great fellowship.
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578 viewsYesterday Thursday Jan. 23 we activated Crockford-Pigeon Mtn. WMA US-3742 from the check station on Rocky Lane. It was warm inside but getting the antennas up was COLD !
Danny AG4DW set his rig up on the dining area table and Allen set his rig up in the front entry room. The coax was passed through a window and a piece of foam pipe insulation was used to keep the cold out and prevent damage to the wire.
With room for only two operating positions inside Ed KM6UTC opted to use his back seat shack to operate on 15 meters. He made 64 FT8 contacts with 22 being DX into Europe. Inside Tony WA4TW used Allen's rig and quickly made 44 contacts in 30 minutes on 20 meters with 3 P2P and 2 DX to Canada.. Allen handled the logging and helped grab callsigns out of the nonstop pileup.
After a bathroom break Allen KN4FKS got on 20 meters and again quickly made 48 contacts in 32 minutes. He had 4 P2P and 1 DX to Canada. Tony handled the logging which helped maintain the fast pace contacts. Later John KB4QXI got on the 20 meter rig and made 48 contacts with 5 P2P and 2 DX to Canada. Dan K2DTS fired up the 20 meter rig later and made ??? contacts. So after 4 successful activations of over 140 contacts the 100 watt radio had used less than 10 amp hours from the battery.
In the other room Danny AG4DW set up his station and operated on 10 meters. he made 35 total contacts with 17 SSB and 18 FT8. 22 contacts were DX with contacts made to Argentina, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Canary Islands, Maderia Island, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, and Spain.
Just think in about six years we'll remember how 10 meters was super hot and even open for dx after 10 pm local. Now we are in the good times so get on 10 meters and talk to the world.
Matt AF4MH got on Danny's 10 meter rig and using SSB made 15 contracts with 2 P2P and 7 DX to Canada, Brazil, England, Chile, Spain, Argentina, and Puerto Rico.
At lunch we were joined by four of the DNR wildlife folks who were our host and also wanted to enjoy a warm place to have lunch. Thanks for letting us "play radio" in the check station. Another fun day of activating POTA!
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514 viewsOn Thursday Aug. 21, 2025 we activated the Vann House State Historical Site US-7457 This small park is only open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays so it doesn't see a lot of activations. There are lots of picnic tables and a wonderful shade tree to make it a pleasant site even on a hot day. The park manager lady is also a Ham so the staff is definitely POTA friendly. The adjacent museum and visitor center is worth a visit and the actual Vann house is amazing. Our native Americans did not live in Tepees.
Allen KN4FKS and Danny AG4DW shared a radio set up. They used the end fed wire and the ever trusty Icom 706 MKIIG. Allen made 37 contacts with 5 park to parks on 40 meters SSB. Danny made 22 contacts with 4 P2P also on 40 meters. It was tough work as we had a local QRM source giving us a 5-8 noise level on 40 meters and even 5-6 across all the bands. Don't know what it was but it made getting contacts a challenge. They could hear us but we couldn't hear them.
Dan K2DTS set up his trusty 17 ft. vertical on his car hood. He made 32 contacts on 20 and 17 meters on FT8 and had DX contacts in France, Slovakia, Belize, Guatemala, Czech Republic, Finland, and 2 in Germany. Dave KQ4GLQ set up his vertical and ran his ICOM 705 in a way cool go box set up. He made 61 contacts on FT8. I wore my special T shirt just for him. (see attached photos)
Earlier in the week John KB4QXI activated Berry College WMA 3734 on Wednesday and Danny AG4DW went to Estelle on Pigeon Mountain also on Wednesday. to edge closer to getting his KILO award for Pigeon. Dave KQ4GLQ and Tony WA4TW joined him there.
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 Last additions - Parks on the Air |
3 viewsOn Thursday April 30 we activated the Otting Wildlife Management Area US-7913 which is way south on top of Lookout Mountain almost in Alabama. The terrestrial weather was a bit chilly especially early and the space weather had a 'small craft warning' in effect. The bands were "wonky" to say the least. We had 3 operators, two ham visitors and two interested hikers visiting the area.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire sloper hooked to the 100 watt Icom 7300. Working SSB on 20 meters he made 44 contacts with 13 Park to Park contacts with 3 DX contacts to Canada. John KB4QXI actually got there on time and set up his mag mount Hamstick on 40 meters to his 100 watt Yaesu Ft-891. He made 14 contacts with 4 P2P contacts and no DX.
I'll let Danny AG4DW describe his activations this week:
Otting WMA - 46 total contacts. 10 SSB and 36 FT8. Started out on 40 meters and got a quick 10 SSB contacts before the bottom fell out. Switched to FT8 and got another 10. Moved to 15 meters and got nothing on SSB but did get a lot of DX activity on FT8, another 18 contacts. Finally tried 17 meters and got another 8 FT8 contacts before calling it quits! 10 DX contacts included Brazil, Canada (3), Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Netherlands and Spain. Only 2 park-to-park contacts today.
Earlier in the week, Monday, I activated Cloudland Canyon State Park (US-2169) as it was time to renew my annual Senior ParkPass! I set up at the picnic shelter at the top of the hill, at the Disc Golf Course, and made a total of 82 contacts, 17 SSB and 65 FT8 on 20 meters.The bands were tough and it took several hours to get those! 8 DX included Canada (6), Spain and Cuba. 14 of the total contacts were park-to-park.
On Wednesday I was restless and decided to activate Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Battlefield (US-0716) from the recreation field on Glen Kelly road behind Wilder Tower. The bands were still not very cooperative but I did manage a total of 89 contacts: 56 SSB and 33 FT8, all on 20 meters. 5 DX included Canada (4) and the Azores Islands. 20 of the total contacts were park-to-park. In a first for me, I did have someone call the Park Rangers on me to report “suspicious” activity. The ranger pulled into the parking lot, walked over to my picnic table and said, “Parks on the Air, right?”. We had a good visit and he shared some good stories about well-meaning folks reporting suspicious activities in the park!
During my activation on Monday, I had an FT8 contact with KG4KTB, Perry Westberry, from McDonough, GA. Perry was visiting and staying with relatives near Mentone, AL, so this was a strong ground-wave call! Perry’s battery died just as we were completing the QSO so he contacted me via email afterwards to confirm the contact. He asked about parks to activate in this area so I invited him to join is at Otting WMA and he stopped by and visited with us for a couple hours!
Also visiting at Otting was K4WWE, Jim Sherrill, from Chickamauga! Turns out that he is practically my next door neighbor! Jim has had his ticket for a little over a year and has been checking in to some of the TSARC nets lately. Jim was wanting to learn more about POTA so we bombarded him with information and tips on equipment and park etiquette and much more. Jim said he felt like he was drinking from a fire hose today! Welcome aboard, Jim. We forgot to tell you that POTA is highly addictive!
May 04, 2026
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2 viewsOn Thursday April 30 we activated the Otting Wildlife Management Area US-7913 which is way south on top of Lookout Mountain almost in Alabama. The terrestrial weather was a bit chilly especially early and the space weather had a 'small craft warning' in effect. The bands were "wonky" to say the least. We had 3 operators, two ham visitors and two interested hikers visiting the area.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire sloper hooked to the 100 watt Icom 7300. Working SSB on 20 meters he made 44 contacts with 13 Park to Park contacts with 3 DX contacts to Canada. John KB4QXI actually got there on time and set up his mag mount Hamstick on 40 meters to his 100 watt Yaesu Ft-891. He made 14 contacts with 4 P2P contacts and no DX.
I'll let Danny AG4DW describe his activations this week:
Otting WMA - 46 total contacts. 10 SSB and 36 FT8. Started out on 40 meters and got a quick 10 SSB contacts before the bottom fell out. Switched to FT8 and got another 10. Moved to 15 meters and got nothing on SSB but did get a lot of DX activity on FT8, another 18 contacts. Finally tried 17 meters and got another 8 FT8 contacts before calling it quits! 10 DX contacts included Brazil, Canada (3), Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Netherlands and Spain. Only 2 park-to-park contacts today.
Earlier in the week, Monday, I activated Cloudland Canyon State Park (US-2169) as it was time to renew my annual Senior ParkPass! I set up at the picnic shelter at the top of the hill, at the Disc Golf Course, and made a total of 82 contacts, 17 SSB and 65 FT8 on 20 meters.The bands were tough and it took several hours to get those! 8 DX included Canada (6), Spain and Cuba. 14 of the total contacts were park-to-park.
On Wednesday I was restless and decided to activate Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Battlefield (US-0716) from the recreation field on Glen Kelly road behind Wilder Tower. The bands were still not very cooperative but I did manage a total of 89 contacts: 56 SSB and 33 FT8, all on 20 meters. 5 DX included Canada (4) and the Azores Islands. 20 of the total contacts were park-to-park. In a first for me, I did have someone call the Park Rangers on me to report “suspicious” activity. The ranger pulled into the parking lot, walked over to my picnic table and said, “Parks on the Air, right?”. We had a good visit and he shared some good stories about well-meaning folks reporting suspicious activities in the park!
During my activation on Monday, I had an FT8 contact with KG4KTB, Perry Westberry, from McDonough, GA. Perry was visiting and staying with relatives near Mentone, AL, so this was a strong ground-wave call! Perry’s battery died just as we were completing the QSO so he contacted me via email afterwards to confirm the contact. He asked about parks to activate in this area so I invited him to join is at Otting WMA and he stopped by and visited with us for a couple hours!
Also visiting at Otting was K4WWE, Jim Sherrill, from Chickamauga! Turns out that he is practically my next door neighbor! Jim has had his ticket for a little over a year and has been checking in to some of the TSARC nets lately. Jim was wanting to learn more about POTA so we bombarded him with information and tips on equipment and park etiquette and much more. Jim said he felt like he was drinking from a fire hose today! Welcome aboard, Jim. We forgot to tell you that POTA is highly addictive!
May 04, 2026
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1 viewsOn Thursday April 30 we activated the Otting Wildlife Management Area US-7913 which is way south on top of Lookout Mountain almost in Alabama. The terrestrial weather was a bit chilly especially early and the space weather had a 'small craft warning' in effect. The bands were "wonky" to say the least. We had 3 operators, two ham visitors and two interested hikers visiting the area.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire sloper hooked to the 100 watt Icom 7300. Working SSB on 20 meters he made 44 contacts with 13 Park to Park contacts with 3 DX contacts to Canada. John KB4QXI actually got there on time and set up his mag mount Hamstick on 40 meters to his 100 watt Yaesu Ft-891. He made 14 contacts with 4 P2P contacts and no DX.
I'll let Danny AG4DW describe his activations this week:
Otting WMA - 46 total contacts. 10 SSB and 36 FT8. Started out on 40 meters and got a quick 10 SSB contacts before the bottom fell out. Switched to FT8 and got another 10. Moved to 15 meters and got nothing on SSB but did get a lot of DX activity on FT8, another 18 contacts. Finally tried 17 meters and got another 8 FT8 contacts before calling it quits! 10 DX contacts included Brazil, Canada (3), Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Netherlands and Spain. Only 2 park-to-park contacts today.
Earlier in the week, Monday, I activated Cloudland Canyon State Park (US-2169) as it was time to renew my annual Senior ParkPass! I set up at the picnic shelter at the top of the hill, at the Disc Golf Course, and made a total of 82 contacts, 17 SSB and 65 FT8 on 20 meters.The bands were tough and it took several hours to get those! 8 DX included Canada (6), Spain and Cuba. 14 of the total contacts were park-to-park.
On Wednesday I was restless and decided to activate Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Battlefield (US-0716) from the recreation field on Glen Kelly road behind Wilder Tower. The bands were still not very cooperative but I did manage a total of 89 contacts: 56 SSB and 33 FT8, all on 20 meters. 5 DX included Canada (4) and the Azores Islands. 20 of the total contacts were park-to-park. In a first for me, I did have someone call the Park Rangers on me to report “suspicious” activity. The ranger pulled into the parking lot, walked over to my picnic table and said, “Parks on the Air, right?”. We had a good visit and he shared some good stories about well-meaning folks reporting suspicious activities in the park!
During my activation on Monday, I had an FT8 contact with KG4KTB, Perry Westberry, from McDonough, GA. Perry was visiting and staying with relatives near Mentone, AL, so this was a strong ground-wave call! Perry’s battery died just as we were completing the QSO so he contacted me via email afterwards to confirm the contact. He asked about parks to activate in this area so I invited him to join is at Otting WMA and he stopped by and visited with us for a couple hours!
Also visiting at Otting was K4WWE, Jim Sherrill, from Chickamauga! Turns out that he is practically my next door neighbor! Jim has had his ticket for a little over a year and has been checking in to some of the TSARC nets lately. Jim was wanting to learn more about POTA so we bombarded him with information and tips on equipment and park etiquette and much more. Jim said he felt like he was drinking from a fire hose today! Welcome aboard, Jim. We forgot to tell you that POTA is highly addictive!
May 04, 2026
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2 viewsOn Thursday April 30 we activated the Otting Wildlife Management Area US-7913 which is way south on top of Lookout Mountain almost in Alabama. The terrestrial weather was a bit chilly especially early and the space weather had a 'small craft warning' in effect. The bands were "wonky" to say the least. We had 3 operators, two ham visitors and two interested hikers visiting the area.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire sloper hooked to the 100 watt Icom 7300. Working SSB on 20 meters he made 44 contacts with 13 Park to Park contacts with 3 DX contacts to Canada. John KB4QXI actually got there on time and set up his mag mount Hamstick on 40 meters to his 100 watt Yaesu Ft-891. He made 14 contacts with 4 P2P contacts and no DX.
I'll let Danny AG4DW describe his activations this week:
Otting WMA - 46 total contacts. 10 SSB and 36 FT8. Started out on 40 meters and got a quick 10 SSB contacts before the bottom fell out. Switched to FT8 and got another 10. Moved to 15 meters and got nothing on SSB but did get a lot of DX activity on FT8, another 18 contacts. Finally tried 17 meters and got another 8 FT8 contacts before calling it quits! 10 DX contacts included Brazil, Canada (3), Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Netherlands and Spain. Only 2 park-to-park contacts today.
Earlier in the week, Monday, I activated Cloudland Canyon State Park (US-2169) as it was time to renew my annual Senior ParkPass! I set up at the picnic shelter at the top of the hill, at the Disc Golf Course, and made a total of 82 contacts, 17 SSB and 65 FT8 on 20 meters.The bands were tough and it took several hours to get those! 8 DX included Canada (6), Spain and Cuba. 14 of the total contacts were park-to-park.
On Wednesday I was restless and decided to activate Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Battlefield (US-0716) from the recreation field on Glen Kelly road behind Wilder Tower. The bands were still not very cooperative but I did manage a total of 89 contacts: 56 SSB and 33 FT8, all on 20 meters. 5 DX included Canada (4) and the Azores Islands. 20 of the total contacts were park-to-park. In a first for me, I did have someone call the Park Rangers on me to report “suspicious” activity. The ranger pulled into the parking lot, walked over to my picnic table and said, “Parks on the Air, right?”. We had a good visit and he shared some good stories about well-meaning folks reporting suspicious activities in the park!
During my activation on Monday, I had an FT8 contact with KG4KTB, Perry Westberry, from McDonough, GA. Perry was visiting and staying with relatives near Mentone, AL, so this was a strong ground-wave call! Perry’s battery died just as we were completing the QSO so he contacted me via email afterwards to confirm the contact. He asked about parks to activate in this area so I invited him to join is at Otting WMA and he stopped by and visited with us for a couple hours!
Also visiting at Otting was K4WWE, Jim Sherrill, from Chickamauga! Turns out that he is practically my next door neighbor! Jim has had his ticket for a little over a year and has been checking in to some of the TSARC nets lately. Jim was wanting to learn more about POTA so we bombarded him with information and tips on equipment and park etiquette and much more. Jim said he felt like he was drinking from a fire hose today! Welcome aboard, Jim. We forgot to tell you that POTA is highly addictive!
May 04, 2026
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3 viewsOn Thursday April 30 we activated the Otting Wildlife Management Area US-7913 which is way south on top of Lookout Mountain almost in Alabama. The terrestrial weather was a bit chilly especially early and the space weather had a 'small craft warning' in effect. The bands were "wonky" to say the least. We had 3 operators, two ham visitors and two interested hikers visiting the area.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire sloper hooked to the 100 watt Icom 7300. Working SSB on 20 meters he made 44 contacts with 13 Park to Park contacts with 3 DX contacts to Canada. John KB4QXI actually got there on time and set up his mag mount Hamstick on 40 meters to his 100 watt Yaesu Ft-891. He made 14 contacts with 4 P2P contacts and no DX.
I'll let Danny AG4DW describe his activations this week:
Otting WMA - 46 total contacts. 10 SSB and 36 FT8. Started out on 40 meters and got a quick 10 SSB contacts before the bottom fell out. Switched to FT8 and got another 10. Moved to 15 meters and got nothing on SSB but did get a lot of DX activity on FT8, another 18 contacts. Finally tried 17 meters and got another 8 FT8 contacts before calling it quits! 10 DX contacts included Brazil, Canada (3), Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Netherlands and Spain. Only 2 park-to-park contacts today.
Earlier in the week, Monday, I activated Cloudland Canyon State Park (US-2169) as it was time to renew my annual Senior ParkPass! I set up at the picnic shelter at the top of the hill, at the Disc Golf Course, and made a total of 82 contacts, 17 SSB and 65 FT8 on 20 meters.The bands were tough and it took several hours to get those! 8 DX included Canada (6), Spain and Cuba. 14 of the total contacts were park-to-park.
On Wednesday I was restless and decided to activate Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Battlefield (US-0716) from the recreation field on Glen Kelly road behind Wilder Tower. The bands were still not very cooperative but I did manage a total of 89 contacts: 56 SSB and 33 FT8, all on 20 meters. 5 DX included Canada (4) and the Azores Islands. 20 of the total contacts were park-to-park. In a first for me, I did have someone call the Park Rangers on me to report “suspicious” activity. The ranger pulled into the parking lot, walked over to my picnic table and said, “Parks on the Air, right?”. We had a good visit and he shared some good stories about well-meaning folks reporting suspicious activities in the park!
During my activation on Monday, I had an FT8 contact with KG4KTB, Perry Westberry, from McDonough, GA. Perry was visiting and staying with relatives near Mentone, AL, so this was a strong ground-wave call! Perry’s battery died just as we were completing the QSO so he contacted me via email afterwards to confirm the contact. He asked about parks to activate in this area so I invited him to join is at Otting WMA and he stopped by and visited with us for a couple hours!
Also visiting at Otting was K4WWE, Jim Sherrill, from Chickamauga! Turns out that he is practically my next door neighbor! Jim has had his ticket for a little over a year and has been checking in to some of the TSARC nets lately. Jim was wanting to learn more about POTA so we bombarded him with information and tips on equipment and park etiquette and much more. Jim said he felt like he was drinking from a fire hose today! Welcome aboard, Jim. We forgot to tell you that POTA is highly addictive!
May 04, 2026
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1 viewsOn Thursday April 30 we activated the Otting Wildlife Management Area US-7913 which is way south on top of Lookout Mountain almost in Alabama. The terrestrial weather was a bit chilly especially early and the space weather had a 'small craft warning' in effect. The bands were "wonky" to say the least. We had 3 operators, two ham visitors and two interested hikers visiting the area.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire sloper hooked to the 100 watt Icom 7300. Working SSB on 20 meters he made 44 contacts with 13 Park to Park contacts with 3 DX contacts to Canada. John KB4QXI actually got there on time and set up his mag mount Hamstick on 40 meters to his 100 watt Yaesu Ft-891. He made 14 contacts with 4 P2P contacts and no DX.
I'll let Danny AG4DW describe his activations this week:
Otting WMA - 46 total contacts. 10 SSB and 36 FT8. Started out on 40 meters and got a quick 10 SSB contacts before the bottom fell out. Switched to FT8 and got another 10. Moved to 15 meters and got nothing on SSB but did get a lot of DX activity on FT8, another 18 contacts. Finally tried 17 meters and got another 8 FT8 contacts before calling it quits! 10 DX contacts included Brazil, Canada (3), Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Netherlands and Spain. Only 2 park-to-park contacts today.
Earlier in the week, Monday, I activated Cloudland Canyon State Park (US-2169) as it was time to renew my annual Senior ParkPass! I set up at the picnic shelter at the top of the hill, at the Disc Golf Course, and made a total of 82 contacts, 17 SSB and 65 FT8 on 20 meters.The bands were tough and it took several hours to get those! 8 DX included Canada (6), Spain and Cuba. 14 of the total contacts were park-to-park.
On Wednesday I was restless and decided to activate Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Battlefield (US-0716) from the recreation field on Glen Kelly road behind Wilder Tower. The bands were still not very cooperative but I did manage a total of 89 contacts: 56 SSB and 33 FT8, all on 20 meters. 5 DX included Canada (4) and the Azores Islands. 20 of the total contacts were park-to-park. In a first for me, I did have someone call the Park Rangers on me to report “suspicious” activity. The ranger pulled into the parking lot, walked over to my picnic table and said, “Parks on the Air, right?”. We had a good visit and he shared some good stories about well-meaning folks reporting suspicious activities in the park!
During my activation on Monday, I had an FT8 contact with KG4KTB, Perry Westberry, from McDonough, GA. Perry was visiting and staying with relatives near Mentone, AL, so this was a strong ground-wave call! Perry’s battery died just as we were completing the QSO so he contacted me via email afterwards to confirm the contact. He asked about parks to activate in this area so I invited him to join is at Otting WMA and he stopped by and visited with us for a couple hours!
Also visiting at Otting was K4WWE, Jim Sherrill, from Chickamauga! Turns out that he is practically my next door neighbor! Jim has had his ticket for a little over a year and has been checking in to some of the TSARC nets lately. Jim was wanting to learn more about POTA so we bombarded him with information and tips on equipment and park etiquette and much more. Jim said he felt like he was drinking from a fire hose today! Welcome aboard, Jim. We forgot to tell you that POTA is highly addictive!
May 04, 2026
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1 viewsEven though our esteemed leader, Allen (KN4FKS), and I both had to go out of town this week, there was still a LOT of POTA activity despite there being no organized group effort!
Ed (KM6UTC) solved a but of a POTA activation problem/mystery this week that made a gigantic difference in the number of contacts! And it had nothing to do with his equipment! I mention this not to embarrass Ed but, rather, to point out how easy it is for us humans to make the wrong assumptions and maybe there is someone else wanting to do POTA that has made the same assumption. Up until this week Ed says that he thought the only calls you could log for a POTA activation were calls to another activator or a hunter answering his CQ POTA call! In fact, almost any valid QSO counts and can be logged (no repeaters can be used, however). You can answer someone else’s CQ and have a rag chew. It counts as a valid POTA contact. Make a contact with a DXExpediton? It counts!
Armed with the new knowledge, Ed activated US-0716, Chickamuaga and Chattanooga National Battlefield, from the Cravens House location on the North side of Lookout Mountain, on Thursday. hw wound up with 85 contacts for the day with a number of DX. The DX included the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Romania, Spain, France, Canada (eh), Puerto Rico, Italy, Azores, & Hungary.
Ed noted that the views from Cravens House were wonderful due to the excellent weather. He also commented on what appears to once have been a beautiful Mansion and adjacent Coach House at the Cravens House location and noted that the Nation Park Service seems to have allowed these structures to deteriorate, probably past the point of no return!
Ed asked if anyone had any information about this and someone sent a link to a 13-year old link to the Chattanoogan.com that sums it up quite well! A copy of the link is attached if you want to find out more!
https://www.chattanoogan.com/2013/3/25/247432/John-Shearer-History-Of-The-Hardy-Home.aspx
Before heading out of town Allen (KN4FKS) got away Tuesday afternoon for a few hours to Estelle Mine Road on Pigeon Mtn.WMA (US-3742). He set up his 25 ft vertical with the faraday cloth radials and mainly chased parks for P2P contacts. He had 22 SSB contacts with 20 P2P and 2 special event stations. Also one P2P to Puerto Rico. On 20 meters he had 16 contacts and 6 more on 40 meters.
AND… a bug congratulations to Dan Strickland (K2DTS) for achieving a Kilo (1000 activator contacts) from US-0716 on Wednesday. Dan has been working on this goal for a while and he can finally put that notch in his belt!
As for me, Danny (AG4DW), I had to travel to Florida for the weekend but did manage to activate two new-to-me parks in Florida on the trip down. Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park (US-3647) and Price’s Scrub State Park (US-10463). These two parks are about 4 miles apart and are totally different! Payne’s Prairie has luscious tropical foliage and Spanish Moss everywhere and a large lake and picnic pavilions. Price’s Scrub is a relatively new park and is pretty primitive and expected to remain that way. One picnic table, one porta-potty and one trash can! I managed 25 SSB contacts on 20 meters at both parks!
And, in a first for me, we saw a park ranger pull in at Price’s Scrub in an unmarked truck and headed towards a small trailhead. He saw us watching him and backed up to us, identified himself, and told us he was there on official business! He was afraid we were going to call the cops and report HIM! You hear reports of rangers investigating POTA activators but usually not the other way around! We had a good laugh and he was very familiar with Parks on the Air. He said if the apocalypse ever happens, he is getting in touch with us POTA guys!Apr 27, 2026
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0 viewsEven though our esteemed leader, Allen (KN4FKS), and I both had to go out of town this week, there was still a LOT of POTA activity despite there being no organized group effort!
Ed (KM6UTC) solved a but of a POTA activation problem/mystery this week that made a gigantic difference in the number of contacts! And it had nothing to do with his equipment! I mention this not to embarrass Ed but, rather, to point out how easy it is for us humans to make the wrong assumptions and maybe there is someone else wanting to do POTA that has made the same assumption. Up until this week Ed says that he thought the only calls you could log for a POTA activation were calls to another activator or a hunter answering his CQ POTA call! In fact, almost any valid QSO counts and can be logged (no repeaters can be used, however). You can answer someone else’s CQ and have a rag chew. It counts as a valid POTA contact. Make a contact with a DXExpediton? It counts!
Armed with the new knowledge, Ed activated US-0716, Chickamuaga and Chattanooga National Battlefield, from the Cravens House location on the North side of Lookout Mountain, on Thursday. hw wound up with 85 contacts for the day with a number of DX. The DX included the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Romania, Spain, France, Canada (eh), Puerto Rico, Italy, Azores, & Hungary.
Ed noted that the views from Cravens House were wonderful due to the excellent weather. He also commented on what appears to once have been a beautiful Mansion and adjacent Coach House at the Cravens House location and noted that the Nation Park Service seems to have allowed these structures to deteriorate, probably past the point of no return!
Ed asked if anyone had any information about this and someone sent a link to a 13-year old link to the Chattanoogan.com that sums it up quite well! A copy of the link is attached if you want to find out more!
https://www.chattanoogan.com/2013/3/25/247432/John-Shearer-History-Of-The-Hardy-Home.aspx
Before heading out of town Allen (KN4FKS) got away Tuesday afternoon for a few hours to Estelle Mine Road on Pigeon Mtn.WMA (US-3742). He set up his 25 ft vertical with the faraday cloth radials and mainly chased parks for P2P contacts. He had 22 SSB contacts with 20 P2P and 2 special event stations. Also one P2P to Puerto Rico. On 20 meters he had 16 contacts and 6 more on 40 meters.
AND… a bug congratulations to Dan Strickland (K2DTS) for achieving a Kilo (1000 activator contacts) from US-0716 on Wednesday. Dan has been working on this goal for a while and he can finally put that notch in his belt!
As for me, Danny (AG4DW), I had to travel to Florida for the weekend but did manage to activate two new-to-me parks in Florida on the trip down. Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park (US-3647) and Price’s Scrub State Park (US-10463). These two parks are about 4 miles apart and are totally different! Payne’s Prairie has luscious tropical foliage and Spanish Moss everywhere and a large lake and picnic pavilions. Price’s Scrub is a relatively new park and is pretty primitive and expected to remain that way. One picnic table, one porta-potty and one trash can! I managed 25 SSB contacts on 20 meters at both parks!
And, in a first for me, we saw a park ranger pull in at Price’s Scrub in an unmarked truck and headed towards a small trailhead. He saw us watching him and backed up to us, identified himself, and told us he was there on official business! He was afraid we were going to call the cops and report HIM! You hear reports of rangers investigating POTA activators but usually not the other way around! We had a good laugh and he was very familiar with Parks on the Air. He said if the apocalypse ever happens, he is getting in touch with us POTA guys!Apr 27, 2026
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