We’ve all watched the videos of hams going out to conduct a Parks On The Air (POTA) activation. I really enjoy seeing folks having fun with the hobby and appreciate them sharing their passion.
A few months ago, I tried a POTA activation but the bands that particular day were simply abysmal. In fact, that was the talk of online forums for a couple of days…how much the bands sucked!
The bands have been pretty good lately and this past week, it all came together to give it another try. Wow! Am I ever glad I got out there to Van Buren State Park, K-1549! My rig was the IC-705, Wolf River Coil antenna, and a 6ah LiFePo4 battery. Logging was to HAMRS on my Macbook Pro. Thirst was quenched by Vernors!
While my daughters explored the beach at Lake Michigan, my wife took pics and video of the POTA attempt. A video is forthcoming, but here is a picture and a map of all the stations I worked. I got 34 QSOs in the log. Huge thanks to everyone that I made a contact with for making it a great first real activation!
