2020 has seen an explosion of new ham radio operators. This is one of the interesting side stories of the COVID-19 pandemic. Human beings are social creatures and ham radio is a great way to meet new people. Call it the electromagnetic version of being a pen pal. Ham radio is like ethnic cuisine –Continue reading “Portable on a Budget for New Hams”
Tag Archives: POTA
Videos of a Full Activation
Parks-on-the-Air (POTA) is exploding. There are now more than 6,000 registered users and the growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down. With exponential growth comes lots of questions from new and prospective hunters and activators. One of the reasons this blog exists is to answer those questions. Questions about how to actually activate a parkContinue reading “Videos of a Full Activation”
Christmas Day Activation at K-1848, Colt Creek State Park
Colt Creek State Park is one of my favorite parks. It has plenty of room to set up a portable antenna and the park is seldom crowded. It is a great place to try out new things. Since my XYL gave me her blessing to activate a park today, Colt Creek made for an easyContinue reading “Christmas Day Activation at K-1848, Colt Creek State Park”
Water-Logged Activation at K-6306, Half Moon Wildlife Management Area
Business took me to Lake Panasoffkee this afternoon, so I decided to activate a new-to-me park, Half Moon Wildlife Management Area. The entrance to the WMA is a mile off or CR 44 between Inverness and Wildwood. There is a grassy area need a trail head that is acceptable for activating. I parked about 40Continue reading “Water-Logged Activation at K-6306, Half Moon Wildlife Management Area”
Attenuated Activation at K-1889, Lake Griffin State Park
This morning I activated Lake Griffin State Park which is near Leesburg, FL. The activation was difficult as 20 meters acted as though the entire band was attenuated. Signal reports were lower than usual. I did not have time to try other bands. I made a total of 28 contacts with 5 of them beingContinue reading “Attenuated Activation at K-1889, Lake Griffin State Park”
Thunderstorm Activation at K-1916, Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, St. Petersburg, FL
Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is the remnants of the approach portion of the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge that collapsed on May 9, 1980 after being hit by the 602-foot freighter Summit Venture. 35 people died in the tragedy. Both the northbound and southbound portions of the old bridge were demolished and a new bridgeContinue reading “Thunderstorm Activation at K-1916, Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, St. Petersburg, FL”
Drive-by Activations at K-4646 Withlacoochee State Forest and K-3667 Withlacoochee State Trail
Today I activated two parks. One is an old friend, K-4646 Withlacoochee State Forest. I am chasing a Kilo award at this park and every contact gets me closer. The stats for today’s activation at K-4646 is 46 total contacts, all CW. I worked 10 DX countries: Belgium, Germany, England, Italy, France, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia,Continue reading “Drive-by Activations at K-4646 Withlacoochee State Forest and K-3667 Withlacoochee State Trail”
Parks-on-The-Air. What is it and how to get started.
Parks-on-the-Air (POTA) is an international program within the Amateur Radio community where amateur operators (hams) make contacts with other amateur operators from national and federal/provincial parks. Operators are divided into two categories: activators and hunters. Activators set up portable communication in the aforementioned parks and hunters are stations that make contact with the activators. ThereContinue reading “Parks-on-The-Air. What is it and how to get started.”
K-4646 Withlachoochee State Forest, Richloam Tract, Tarrytown, FL
I am working on my Kilo Award at K-4646. The area where I parked was not conducive to my Chameleon in the vertical configuration, so I decided to activate drive-by style. I did not use my Chameleon today. I used my 213′ telescoping whip with my tri-magnet mount on 20, 17, and 15 meters. TheContinue reading “K-4646 Withlachoochee State Forest, Richloam Tract, Tarrytown, FL”
Portable Activation at K-1848 Colt Creek State Park, Lakeland, FL
This morning I activated K-1848 Colt Creek State Park outside of Lakeland, FL. Colt Creek is actually halfway between Lakeland and Dade City. The park has RV and primitive camp sites, hiking trails, lakes, and equestrian facilities. I earned my Kilo (1000 contacts) at this park earlier this year. I set up operations in aContinue reading “Portable Activation at K-1848 Colt Creek State Park, Lakeland, FL”
K4NYM Radio 