Posted by km3stu 1 day ago
I can't believe it took me this long, but I finally activated POTA on 40 meters. I started activating POTA in July 2024, but only on 20 meters using a hamstick. Today I used an EFHW made by Ed W4EMB, and got help setting it up from Marcos K8ARE. I started the activation on 20 meters, but things got a little quiet so I switched over to 40 meters. Wow, I had no idea there would be so many hunters on 40 meters. It was great to hear from a whole new group of hunters.
Operator: KM3STU
Reference: US-2149 Tallman Mountain State Park, NY
Grid: FN31ba
Date: 2025-04-29
Total QSOs: 23
Rig: QMX
PWR: 5 watts
Antenna: EFHW
Contact Map
Loading map...
Posted by k8are 4 days ago
Operator: K8ARE
Reference: US-4239
Park: North Country Trail
Type: National Scenic Trail
Location: Ohio
Grid: EN70ud
Date: 2025-04-27
Total QSOs: 21
Rig: ICOM 705 - 10W
A Simple Activation Turned Special
This was just a normal, ordinary activation—until it wasn’t.
I was out on the North Country National Scenic Trail, doing a simple CW activation. Since it’s a popular trail, lots of people were out walking and biking. That’s when a new friend named Josiah stopped by.
He was very curious about what I was doing and started asking questions.
I asked if he wanted to give it a try, and he seemed eager. So I switched over to a 2-meter repeater and called out that I had a new friend who wanted to make a contact. N8BCM came back first and was happy to help Josiah make his very first radio contact.
Then KB8VVK jumped in with a radio check.
What struck me most was how kids like Josiah don’t have the fear we adults sometimes do when trying something new. He spoke a little fast, but honestly, he did great—especially for his first time on the radio.
We had a quick chat afterward about what he had just accomplished, and I congratulated him on his first contact.
Hopefully, that little spark of excitement will stick with him, and he’ll keep exploring the hobby.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gJ4QFoy5TPs
Contact Map
Loading map...
Posted by n4fff 4 days ago
Every contact that makes an activation possible is a treat. Today I got to extra special treats with contacts from over 4k miles away on QRP and a wire.. Radio is magic!
For this activation, we were at Fort Toulouse National Historical Park. Fort Toulouse was built in 1717 by France so its soldiers could trade with the Creek Indians and keep British traders away. After France lost a war in 1763, the soldiers left and the old fort fell apart. In 1814, American forces led by General Andrew Jackson built a new fort here called Fort Jackson after winning a battle in the Creek War.
It was super neat to accidentally come by during a weekend of re-enactment. People were dressed historically with relics from the era and even stayed there using traditional methods throughout the weekend! Another great example of how POTA and SOTA gets you outdoors and to places you wouldn't have otherwise visited!
For the actual activation, we both went on a hike with our backpacks. We had everything including 2 chairs, table, and all the radio stuff in our backpacks. After our hike, we found a giant tree in the middle of the field that provided perfect shade to enjoy the activation with a light breeze and nature all around.
73 Mike N4FFF
https://www.youtube.com/@HamRadioDuo
Operator: N4FFF
Reference: US-6460
Grid: EM62um
Date: 2025-04-27
Total QSOs: 11
Contact Map
Loading map...
Posted by n4fff 6 days ago
This activation was special because we normally like to be portable qrp outdoors somewhere. This time we were in our truck. We are in the process of designing an antenna for vehicles, with a standard 3/4" mount. This was our first time using it for an activation!
We've been calling this the "Just OK" antenna. It's the most just okay gets the job done antenna you could imagine. At less than 2 ft, it's almost ridiculous as a 20 m antenna. We built it so that we could leave the antenna on all the time and not have to take it on and off getting into an hour garage or parking garages. It seemed to get the job done today!
I'm sure our full-sized ham stick could have done better. I'm sure any of our portable antennas would have done much better. Sometimes, for us it's less about maximizing and more about unlocking being able to play radio when you otherwise wouldn't. This is the antenna we intend to use all the time for CW on road trips and around town. At some point I'm sure we're going to be looking for beta testers if anybody has a similar problem that would be solved with a 2 ft antenna.
Send us a message if you want to be part of the early testers for this antenna!
Yeasu ft891
30 w
HamRadioDuo "Just OK" antenna (less than 2 ft)
Operator: N4FFF
Reference: US-1043
Grid: EM64hs
Date: 2025-04-19
Total QSOs: 16
73 Mike N4FFF
https://youtube.com/@hamradioduo
Contact Map
Loading map...
Posted by n4fff 6 days ago
This was part of our Joe Wheeler Easter adventure. We were camping in our RV camper and did multiple activations. For this one, we found a picnic table by the water.
We were using our CFT1 with about 5 watts of power. The antenna was a K6ARK EFKHW on a POTA20 mast. We had POTA Rose with us, our dog, and a very curious wasp that kept visiting and making it hard to send!
73 Mike N4FFF
https://youtube.com/@hamradioduo
POTA Activation Report
=====================
Operator: N4FFF
Park Reference: US-1043
Total QSOs: 14
Number of States: 10
Contact Map
Loading map...
Posted by n4fff 6 days ago
This was a fun one! We got lots of contacts from states we don't often get and Chris from Bonaire! Part was the magic of 10m..
It was pretty slow compared to normal. When it was working, it was really working! Got lots of far away contacts including Chris in Bonaire! We don't often get CA but got 8 of you in CA! So many far away states we don't normally get! I started off on the G90 on 10m and pretty sure its due in part to the magic of 10m.
Some familiar "fists" and some new ones! We got our friend W1WC who lives nearby and was actually P2P in the exact same park!
My ham wife, Becky N4BKY and I are camping in our RV camper. This activation was right next to our camper. I started on our G90 at 20W and ended on our QCX-mini 5W QRP. The antenna was an XTenna EFHW.
Operator: N4FFF
Reference: US-1043
Grid: EM64hs
Date: 2025-04-18
Total QSOs: 46
73 Mike N4FFF es Becky N4BKY
https://youtube.com/@hamradioduo
Contact Map
Loading map...
End of initial posts... more loading coming soon!