 Most viewed - 2026 |
90 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.
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85 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.
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60 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.
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58 viewsThursday Jan. 8 2026 we activated Chickamauga Battlefield US-0716 from the Brotherton Rd. picnic area.
Dan K2DTS set up his vertical and made 14 SSB contacts on 20 meters with all of them being Park to Park contacts. He had 4 to Canada, 1 to California and 1 to Texas.
Tony WA4TW also used his vertical and made 26 contacts with 20 being P2P contacts including two DX P2P's to Canada and Saint Lucia Island.
Allen also set his vertical antenna and made 32 SSB contacts half on 12 meters and half on 40 meters. He had 10 P2P contacts one of which was a DX P2P to Brazil and another to St. Vincent Island. When taking down the antenna he realized that when operating on 40 meters he had left one section of the expandable vertical down so no wonder he had a lot of less than strong signal reports. Hey we all make mistakes. Some of us more than others.
It was a vertical kind of day with all three stations using a vertical antenna. Band Pass filters were a necessity and worked to minimize any cross band problems.
Alan W4PLP stopped by as well as Casey KD4FYY. We had a few curious park visitors and gave out POTA brochures and Ham radio info sheets. We also had a rather unusual fellow sitting at a nearby picnic table when we arrived. Long story but it was a bit spooky to say the least. He soon left after we arrived.
Fun day in the park and had fun on the radio.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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48 viewsThursday Jan. 8 2026 we activated Chickamauga Battlefield US-0716 from the Brotherton Rd. picnic area.
Dan K2DTS set up his vertical and made 14 SSB contacts on 20 meters with all of them being Park to Park contacts. He had 4 to Canada, 1 to California and 1 to Texas.
Tony WA4TW also used his vertical and made 26 contacts with 20 being P2P contacts including two DX P2P's to Canada and Saint Lucia Island.
Allen also set his vertical antenna and made 32 SSB contacts half on 12 meters and half on 40 meters. He had 10 P2P contacts one of which was a DX P2P to Brazil and another to St. Vincent Island. When taking down the antenna he realized that when operating on 40 meters he had left one section of the expandable vertical down so no wonder he had a lot of less than strong signal reports. Hey we all make mistakes. Some of us more than others.
It was a vertical kind of day with all three stations using a vertical antenna. Band Pass filters were a necessity and worked to minimize any cross band problems.
Alan W4PLP stopped by as well as Casey KD4FYY. We had a few curious park visitors and gave out POTA brochures and Ham radio info sheets. We also had a rather unusual fellow sitting at a nearby picnic table when we arrived. Long story but it was a bit spooky to say the least. He soon left after we arrived.
Fun day in the park and had fun on the radio.
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48 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.
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44 viewsThursday Jan. 8 2026 we activated Chickamauga Battlefield US-0716 from the Brotherton Rd. picnic area.
Dan K2DTS set up his vertical and made 14 SSB contacts on 20 meters with all of them being Park to Park contacts. He had 4 to Canada, 1 to California and 1 to Texas.
Tony WA4TW also used his vertical and made 26 contacts with 20 being P2P contacts including two DX P2P's to Canada and Saint Lucia Island.
Allen also set his vertical antenna and made 32 SSB contacts half on 12 meters and half on 40 meters. He had 10 P2P contacts one of which was a DX P2P to Brazil and another to St. Vincent Island. When taking down the antenna he realized that when operating on 40 meters he had left one section of the expandable vertical down so no wonder he had a lot of less than strong signal reports. Hey we all make mistakes. Some of us more than others.
It was a vertical kind of day with all three stations using a vertical antenna. Band Pass filters were a necessity and worked to minimize any cross band problems.
Alan W4PLP stopped by as well as Casey KD4FYY. We had a few curious park visitors and gave out POTA brochures and Ham radio info sheets. We also had a rather unusual fellow sitting at a nearby picnic table when we arrived. Long story but it was a bit spooky to say the least. He soon left after we arrived.
Fun day in the park and had fun on the radio.
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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.
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1 viewsThis week the space weather was clear but the terrestrial weather was less than ideal even though it was 70 degrees in February. This Thursday we activated the Chickamauga Battlefield from the usual picnic area on Alexanders Bridge road.
It was a warm day Thursday and Allen KN4FKS set up at one of the picnic tables. He set his 17 ft. vertical with the Chameleon Faraday cloth radials and started on 15 meters SSB. As usual it was slow but open for DX. Slovenia, Canada, Spain, and a booming signal into Sweden. He also had a Park to Park to the Bahamas. Moving to 20 meters he had 11 more Park to park contacts. The total was 21 contacts for the day. In the middle of the morning a dark cloud came over and it began to sprinkle rain. A handy poncho quickly covered the gear but not quite fast enough. Computer touch pads do not like to get wet. Solution: dry it off best you can and break out the paper log! It was fine later. Luckily the shower quickly ended but dark clouds kept threatening all day.
Danny AG4DW was better prepared with his big blue umbrella mounted off his trailer hitch. Using his POTA Performer antenna, Danny Made 36 SSB contacts on 40 and 17 meters SSB then Made 24 FT8 contacts on 17 meters for a total of 60 contacts with DX to Italy, Poland and Canada.
Ed KM6UTC set up in his back seat ham shack and made 42 contacts on 20 meters all US contacts. Thanks for the official POTA timepiece.
Dan K2DTS couldn't make it Thursday so he came on Friday and made 83 contacts on 20 meters, 72 SSB and 11 FT8. He reports he is becoming more comfortable handling the POTA pileups. It is fun when you can just roll and the other operators cooperate. Dan is also closing in on that KILO for the Battlefield so Friday helped him get closer.
By the way in the DX world the Bouvet Island DXpedition 3YOK is getting closer to arrival. This uninhabited island in the extreme south Atlantic is #10 on the all time DX list. Costing $1.5 million dollars to attempt it should be epic. They will always be operating 'split' and the pileups will be unbelievable, listen in and later during their stay as the big guns have all worked them there is a chance of actually getting through on one of the bands. Their website is https://3y0k.com/#bouvet-island after they arrive they will post their bandplan and give frequencies to be on the lookout for. Keep and eye on the DX spot pages as well. Good DX,
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