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 Most viewed - Parks on the Air |
7 viewsThis Thursday September 24 2026 we activated Pigeon Mountain WMA US-3742 from the South Brow Road site. There are numerous activation sites on Pigeon Mountain, Sawmill Lake Camp Area, Estelle Mine Road, Dougherty Gap, the Hood Overlook and the DNR Check Station. There are others but many places have limited cell coverage or are total dead zones so check your connectivity before setting up on Pigeon.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire antenna (it only took two tries) He then wondered why the radio would not turn on. (It helps to plug the power cable into the back of the radio, just saying) After that bumpy start he made 51 SSB contacts 44 on 40 meters, 4 on 15 meters, 2 on 17 meters and 1 on 12 meters. He had 7 Park to Park contacts with DX to Northern Ireland and Italy on 15 meters.
Danny AG4DW set up his usual elevated radial 17 ft vertical and made 64 total contacts, 28 SSB on 20 meters with 2 DX to Columbia and the Dominican Republic. He then switched to FT8 and made 36 contacts on 20 and 17 meters. He had 12 DX contacts to Canada (4) Belgium, England, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and Switzerland (2)
Mike K3WGC and Maurice KO4MPH also activated and provided needed adult supervision for Allen and Danny.
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7 viewsThis Thursday September 24 2026 we activated Pigeon Mountain WMA US-3742 from the South Brow Road site. There are numerous activation sites on Pigeon Mountain, Sawmill Lake Camp Area, Estelle Mine Road, Dougherty Gap, the Hood Overlook and the DNR Check Station. There are others but many places have limited cell coverage or are total dead zones so check your connectivity before setting up on Pigeon.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire antenna (it only took two tries) He then wondered why the radio would not turn on. (It helps to plug the power cable into the back of the radio, just saying) After that bumpy start he made 51 SSB contacts 44 on 40 meters, 4 on 15 meters, 2 on 17 meters and 1 on 12 meters. He had 7 Park to Park contacts with DX to Northern Ireland and Italy on 15 meters.
Danny AG4DW set up his usual elevated radial 17 ft vertical and made 64 total contacts, 28 SSB on 20 meters with 2 DX to Columbia and the Dominican Republic. He then switched to FT8 and made 36 contacts on 20 and 17 meters. He had 12 DX contacts to Canada (4) Belgium, England, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and Switzerland (2)
Mike K3WGC and Maurice KO4MPH also activated and provided needed adult supervision for Allen and Danny.
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7 viewsThis week our POTA group met up at Russell Cave National Monument (US-0960), near Bridgeport, AL, on Thursday, October 8. The weather was perfect with an absolutely clear sky (I think pilots call it "severe clear") and the temps were more in keeping with fall weather! We met up about 30 minutes earlier than usual to allow ample time to make it back to the TSARC meeting but return traffic on I-24 East almost foiled us anyway! This is a really nice site with several picnic tables and more than a few shade trees. Nobody had cellular service, though!
Ed (KM6UTC) set up inside his Range Rover and used his ATAS antenna to make 45 FT8 contacts, mostly on 20 Meters but a few on 30 and 17 Meters, too! DX included; Canada, Ceuta & Melilla, Slovak Republic, Chile, Germany and France.
Micha (K3WGC) set up his painter's pole mast with a "drive-on" mast holder in a unique way. Instead of driving over it with his truck, he slightly lifted one end of the picnic table he was using at the park, slid the holder under the leg, and let the weight of the heavy-duty table hold it down. Then with his 20 Meter hamstick dipole on top he used his Xiegu G90, at 20 watts, and made at least 16 Park-to-park contacts!
Danny (AG4DW) set up his KJ6ER Performer antenna with elevated radials and started out on 40 Meters SSB and got a quick 27 contacts. Switching to 15 Meters and FT8 mode, he managed another 21 contacts. Finally, switching to 20 Meters, he hunted for another quick 5 contacts, including the Mother Ship (W1AW). Total of 54 contacts for the day, including 9 Park-to-park contacts. DX (14) included: Belize, Canada (4), Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Poland, Puerto Rico (2), Spain (2) and Switzerland. All on 15 Meters.
Having a need to stay a little closer to home this week, Dave (KQ4GLQ) and Maurice (KO4MPH) ran a two-operator activation at Cloudland Canyon State Park (US-2160) from the Nick-a-Jack Trailhead. Dave had a total of 87 contacts; 33 SSB on 40 Meters, 33 SSB on 20 Meters and 21 FT8 on 40 Meters. Maurice had 36 SSB contacts for the day.
Jim (N4WWE) activated Chattanooga and Chickamauga NMP (US-0716) and Trail of Tears (US-3791) with a 20 Meter hamstick and was QRP at 5 watts. After successfully hunting AG4DW, KQ4GLQ and KO4MPH at their respective parks, he went on to make a total of 18 contacts.
Earlier in the week:
Allen (KN4FKS) headed up to Otting WMA (US-7913), near Cloudland, GA, on Monday, October 5. Allen is getting closer to his Kilo at that park. On Monday he had 125 SSB contacts which leaves him only 93 more to go!
Danny (AG4DW) set up in Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park (US-0716) on Wednesday, October 7, at the recreation area behind Wilder's Tower. He had a total of 138 contacts on 40 and 20 Meters using both SSB and FT8.
And congratulations to Doug (W4LAW) who managed a total of 5 activations at Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park (US-0716) this past week and crushing through his 4th Kilo at this park! 421 total contacts in US-0716 just in the past week!
>>>>>> And don't forget to listen for Allen Padgett (KN4FKS) and John Law (KB4QXI) calling CQ this weekend. They are in Mentone, AL, at a Cave-In meeting, and will be playing radio in between activities, with probably some other operators thrown in. Maybe they will do some 40 Meter SSB so we can have a better chance of hearing them. Set them up in HamAlert and make contact!
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6 viewsI think Danny AG4DW said it best " we had great weather till we didn't"
This Friday Aug. 7 we activated Cloudland Canyon State Park US-2169 from the Nickajack trailhead. At about 1:30 pm we notice the air getting cooler, we hear thunder in the distance and over the treetops see a huge black cloud coming our way. Quickly we went into demobilization mode. It started a light rain as we finished packing up then the bottom fell out, It rained a lot. Oddly as we drove home we drove right out of the storm onto dry pavement. Our luck. However before the storm hit we all had a good day on the radio.
Danny AG4DW set up his 17 ft vertical with elevated radials and made 59 contacts, 44 SSB on 20 meters then 15 FT8 contacts on 17 meters. He had 15 Park to Park contacts as well. It was an odd twenty meter propagation day. The usual contacts weren't there but the entire west coast was there.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire half wave and made 36 contacts on 40 meters with 5 P2P contacts. After lunch he turned the rig over to Jonathon AA6H who cranked out 15 SSB contacts on 20 meters with 5 P2P contacts before the storm came.
David WK4DS set up his truck mounted 17 ft vertical and made 17 total contacts on 17,15, and 10 meters, 6 were CW and 11 were FT8 with 1 P2P.
Staying closer to home, Ed KM6UTC activated the Trail of Tears US-3791 at the Browns Ferry Tavern site. He had 60 FT8 QSO's on 6,17, and 20 meters. He had DX contacts in Cuba, France and Canada.
Just a heads up to put on your calendar. The 163rd anniversary of the battle that took place at the site in the Chickamauga Battlefield where we activate often will be on Saturday September 19 2026. We plan to activate that day from the picnic area site where on that day many years ago cannons roared, rifles fired and men died. It is a special hallowed place in our nations history. Plan to come join us on this special day.
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6 viewsIt has been a busy POTA week. On Monday Aug. 10 2026 Danny AG4DW and Allen KN4FKS met at the Estelle Mine Road site on Pigeon Mountain US-3742 for a ' Late Shift ' activation. The POTA day begins at 00:00 UTC so it's after 8 pm here.
Danny had two activations, He had 24 contacts before 8pm and 55 afterwards. He had 26 SSB contacts on 20 meters then 53 FT8 contacts on 30 meters. He had 8 Park to Parks and 11 DX contacts to Bahamas, Brazil, Germany (2) Puerto Rico (3) Canada (3) and Lebanon.
Allen had 117 SSB contacts after 8 pm. 58 on 20 meters and 59 on 40 meters, with 3 P2P and DX to Canada (3) and Alaska.
On Wednesday Aug. 12 Ed KM6UTC activated the Trail of Tears US-3791 from the Tavern site. He made 72 FT8 contacts with DX to Lithuania, Alaska, St. Vincent, Brazil, Cuba, Italy, The Netherlands, and Canada.
On Thursday we activated the Chickamauga National Battlefield US-0716 from the picnic area site on Brotherton rd.
Dave KQ4GLQ arrived early and got to meet the resident picnic area crazy guy. who was having breakfast there and taking a bath behind the nearby monument. After setting up his vertical Dave made 92 contacts 82 FT8 contacts on 20 meters with * DX contacts to Canada (5) France and Asiatic Russia (that's Siberia) Then he also made 21 SSB contacts on 20 meters with 19 P2P contacts and 4 DX to Canada.
Danny AG4DW set up his elevated radial vertical and made 44 contacts, 3 SSB each on 80 10 and 6 meters. He then made 35 FT8 contacts on 40 meters and 6 on 15 meters with 6 P2P contacts. Allen KN4FKS set up his 17 ft vertical with the faraday cloth radials and made 17 SSB contacts with 6 P2P and 1 DX to Puerto Rico. He had 2 contacts on 10 meters, 2 on 6 meters, and 2 on 80 meters. In just over an hour of calling CQ POTA on 17 meters made 11 contacts. Having a voice keyer built into the ICOM 7300 made it possible to take a nap between contacts while the keyer continued making the CQ calls. (see attached photo)
For an 'eyeball' QSO Steve KN4GZZ stopped by and visited for a while. The heat of the day resulted in the 'FUN meter' begging to bottom out. So everyone packed up and called it a day early.
Ed KM6UTC dropped by the Cravens House site on the Chickamauga Battlefield US-0716 for a quick activation also on Thursday. He had 48 FT8 contacts on 30,20, 17, and 15 meters. He gave 6 meters a go but it was dead. He had DX to Canada, Italy, and the Dominican Republic.
The weather was hot and the bands were warm but all had a fun POTA week.
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6 viewsWe activated Johns Mountain WMA US-3758 this past Thursday Sept. 3 2026 from the Overlook site. When we turned off the pavement we thought the road had been fixed. What we found was a work in progress, Lots of dirt, rocks and gravel had been scraped about. The dust was deep and loaf bread sized rocks were everywhere making travel difficult' We all got to the top without any damage (we hope) The weather was warm but as usual there was a nice breeze across the mountaintop.
Danny AG4DW set up his elevated radials vertical antenna and made 29 SSB contacts on 40 meters with 5 Park to Park contacts. One P2P was to Ed KM6UTC at the Battlefield US-0716 at the Cravens House site. Danny then moved to 17 meters and made 22 FT8 contacts.
Allen KN4FKS set up his usual end fed wire and made 41 total SSB contacts 37 on 20 meters and 4 on 15 meters with 18 P2P contacts. He had a P2P contact with Dan K2DTS who was at the picnic area site on the Battlefield US-0716
Micha K3WGC made it up the mountain and set up his drive-on mast with a two hamstick dipole.He made several contacts for an activation but did not send me a days total so how many and what are yet unknown.
Maurice KO4MPH made the trip as well. He set up his Chameleon MPAS vertical and made an activation on 20 meters. He also failed to send me a days total so I don't know his results either.
Earlier POTA activations were also held.
Dan K2DTS activated the Battlefield US-0716 on Thursday August 27 from the Picnic area site. He made 14 quick contacts on 20 meters, 12 SSB and 2 FT8 with 3 Canadian DX contacts.On Monday Aug. 31
Allen KN4FKS activated the Otting WMA US-7913 and made 35 SSB contacts with 15 P2P. 22 were on 40 meters and 13 were on 20 meters.
It was a short activation as it just got too hot to be fun. Just remember if you hold an activation and want to be included in the weekly recap you have to text or email me your totals and photos need to be included.
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6 viewsWe activated Johns Mountain WMA US-3758 this past Thursday Sept. 3 2026 from the Overlook site. When we turned off the pavement we thought the road had been fixed. What we found was a work in progress, Lots of dirt, rocks and gravel had been scraped about. The dust was deep and loaf bread sized rocks were everywhere making travel difficult' We all got to the top without any damage (we hope) The weather was warm but as usual there was a nice breeze across the mountaintop.
Danny AG4DW set up his elevated radials vertical antenna and made 29 SSB contacts on 40 meters with 5 Park to Park contacts. One P2P was to Ed KM6UTC at the Battlefield US-0716 at the Cravens House site. Danny then moved to 17 meters and made 22 FT8 contacts.
Allen KN4FKS set up his usual end fed wire and made 41 total SSB contacts 37 on 20 meters and 4 on 15 meters with 18 P2P contacts. He had a P2P contact with Dan K2DTS who was at the picnic area site on the Battlefield US-0716
Micha K3WGC made it up the mountain and set up his drive-on mast with a two hamstick dipole.He made several contacts for an activation but did not send me a days total so how many and what are yet unknown.
Maurice KO4MPH made the trip as well. He set up his Chameleon MPAS vertical and made an activation on 20 meters. He also failed to send me a days total so I don't know his results either.
Earlier POTA activations were also held.
Dan K2DTS activated the Battlefield US-0716 on Thursday August 27 from the Picnic area site. He made 14 quick contacts on 20 meters, 12 SSB and 2 FT8 with 3 Canadian DX contacts.On Monday Aug. 31
Allen KN4FKS activated the Otting WMA US-7913 and made 35 SSB contacts with 15 P2P. 22 were on 40 meters and 13 were on 20 meters.
It was a short activation as it just got too hot to be fun. Just remember if you hold an activation and want to be included in the weekly recap you have to text or email me your totals and photos need to be included.
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6 viewsWe activated Johns Mountain WMA US-3758 this past Thursday Sept. 3 2026 from the Overlook site. When we turned off the pavement we thought the road had been fixed. What we found was a work in progress, Lots of dirt, rocks and gravel had been scraped about. The dust was deep and loaf bread sized rocks were everywhere making travel difficult' We all got to the top without any damage (we hope) The weather was warm but as usual there was a nice breeze across the mountaintop.
Danny AG4DW set up his elevated radials vertical antenna and made 29 SSB contacts on 40 meters with 5 Park to Park contacts. One P2P was to Ed KM6UTC at the Battlefield US-0716 at the Cravens House site. Danny then moved to 17 meters and made 22 FT8 contacts.
Allen KN4FKS set up his usual end fed wire and made 41 total SSB contacts 37 on 20 meters and 4 on 15 meters with 18 P2P contacts. He had a P2P contact with Dan K2DTS who was at the picnic area site on the Battlefield US-0716
Micha K3WGC made it up the mountain and set up his drive-on mast with a two hamstick dipole.He made several contacts for an activation but did not send me a days total so how many and what are yet unknown.
Maurice KO4MPH made the trip as well. He set up his Chameleon MPAS vertical and made an activation on 20 meters. He also failed to send me a days total so I don't know his results either.
Earlier POTA activations were also held.
Dan K2DTS activated the Battlefield US-0716 on Thursday August 27 from the Picnic area site. He made 14 quick contacts on 20 meters, 12 SSB and 2 FT8 with 3 Canadian DX contacts.On Monday Aug. 31
Allen KN4FKS activated the Otting WMA US-7913 and made 35 SSB contacts with 15 P2P. 22 were on 40 meters and 13 were on 20 meters.
It was a short activation as it just got too hot to be fun. Just remember if you hold an activation and want to be included in the weekly recap you have to text or email me your totals and photos need to be included.
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6 viewsThis Thursday September 24 2026 we activated Pigeon Mountain WMA US-3742 from the South Brow Road site. There are numerous activation sites on Pigeon Mountain, Sawmill Lake Camp Area, Estelle Mine Road, Dougherty Gap, the Hood Overlook and the DNR Check Station. There are others but many places have limited cell coverage or are total dead zones so check your connectivity before setting up on Pigeon.
Allen KN4FKS set up his end fed wire antenna (it only took two tries) He then wondered why the radio would not turn on. (It helps to plug the power cable into the back of the radio, just saying) After that bumpy start he made 51 SSB contacts 44 on 40 meters, 4 on 15 meters, 2 on 17 meters and 1 on 12 meters. He had 7 Park to Park contacts with DX to Northern Ireland and Italy on 15 meters.
Danny AG4DW set up his usual elevated radial 17 ft vertical and made 64 total contacts, 28 SSB on 20 meters with 2 DX to Columbia and the Dominican Republic. He then switched to FT8 and made 36 contacts on 20 and 17 meters. He had 12 DX contacts to Canada (4) Belgium, England, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and Switzerland (2)
Mike K3WGC and Maurice KO4MPH also activated and provided needed adult supervision for Allen and Danny.
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6 viewsThis week our POTA group met up at Russell Cave National Monument (US-0960), near Bridgeport, AL, on Thursday, October 8. The weather was perfect with an absolutely clear sky (I think pilots call it "severe clear") and the temps were more in keeping with fall weather! We met up about 30 minutes earlier than usual to allow ample time to make it back to the TSARC meeting but return traffic on I-24 East almost foiled us anyway! This is a really nice site with several picnic tables and more than a few shade trees. Nobody had cellular service, though!
Ed (KM6UTC) set up inside his Range Rover and used his ATAS antenna to make 45 FT8 contacts, mostly on 20 Meters but a few on 30 and 17 Meters, too! DX included; Canada, Ceuta & Melilla, Slovak Republic, Chile, Germany and France.
Micha (K3WGC) set up his painter's pole mast with a "drive-on" mast holder in a unique way. Instead of driving over it with his truck, he slightly lifted one end of the picnic table he was using at the park, slid the holder under the leg, and let the weight of the heavy-duty table hold it down. Then with his 20 Meter hamstick dipole on top he used his Xiegu G90, at 20 watts, and made at least 16 Park-to-park contacts!
Danny (AG4DW) set up his KJ6ER Performer antenna with elevated radials and started out on 40 Meters SSB and got a quick 27 contacts. Switching to 15 Meters and FT8 mode, he managed another 21 contacts. Finally, switching to 20 Meters, he hunted for another quick 5 contacts, including the Mother Ship (W1AW). Total of 54 contacts for the day, including 9 Park-to-park contacts. DX (14) included: Belize, Canada (4), Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Poland, Puerto Rico (2), Spain (2) and Switzerland. All on 15 Meters.
Having a need to stay a little closer to home this week, Dave (KQ4GLQ) and Maurice (KO4MPH) ran a two-operator activation at Cloudland Canyon State Park (US-2160) from the Nick-a-Jack Trailhead. Dave had a total of 87 contacts; 33 SSB on 40 Meters, 33 SSB on 20 Meters and 21 FT8 on 40 Meters. Maurice had 36 SSB contacts for the day.
Jim (N4WWE) activated Chattanooga and Chickamauga NMP (US-0716) and Trail of Tears (US-3791) with a 20 Meter hamstick and was QRP at 5 watts. After successfully hunting AG4DW, KQ4GLQ and KO4MPH at their respective parks, he went on to make a total of 18 contacts.
Earlier in the week:
Allen (KN4FKS) headed up to Otting WMA (US-7913), near Cloudland, GA, on Monday, October 5. Allen is getting closer to his Kilo at that park. On Monday he had 125 SSB contacts which leaves him only 93 more to go!
Danny (AG4DW) set up in Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park (US-0716) on Wednesday, October 7, at the recreation area behind Wilder's Tower. He had a total of 138 contacts on 40 and 20 Meters using both SSB and FT8.
And congratulations to Doug (W4LAW) who managed a total of 5 activations at Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park (US-0716) this past week and crushing through his 4th Kilo at this park! 421 total contacts in US-0716 just in the past week!
>>>>>> And don't forget to listen for Allen Padgett (KN4FKS) and John Law (KB4QXI) calling CQ this weekend. They are in Mentone, AL, at a Cave-In meeting, and will be playing radio in between activities, with probably some other operators thrown in. Maybe they will do some 40 Meter SSB so we can have a better chance of hearing them. Set them up in HamAlert and make contact!
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