From the Strouds Run State Park website:

Located outside of the city of Athens and within easy driving distance of Ohio University, Strouds Run State Park surrounds Dow Lake and draws a mix of trail and lake users. Miles of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding provide scenic views from rugged trails. The lake offers boating, paddling, swimming and a shaded campground.

Pictures

Eric's station: 1 | 2
The view from Eric's picnic table: 1 | 2
Eric's log
Dow Lake
Strouds Run State Park sign

Description

On Sunday, November 17, 2024, one member of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team performed a successful activation of Strouds Run State Park (US-1994) as part of the Parks on the Air (POTA; link) program.

Taking advantage of unexpectedly comfortable weather on a Sunday afternoon, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, bicycled to Strouds Run State Park's Bulldog Shelter to perform a bicycle-portable activation.

Wishing to avoid two significant climbs, Eric chose to start his ride at his workplace parking lot instead of at home. He began his ride at 1907 UTC and arrived at Bulldog Shelter at 1935 UTC, finding the picnic shelter to be unoccupied.

Eric's had carried with him on the bicycle his KH1 Micro Travel Kit, a Whiterook MK-33 single-lever paddle, clipboards, and his Goture Red Fox Super Hard 720 carbon-fiber mast, although his plan was to complete the activation using the KH1 and just its 48" telescoping whip and matching counterpoise wire for an antenna. Using his Tufteln KH1 Right Angle Adapter with Stand (link), Eric set up his KH1 and whip on a picnic table, and placed the 13' counterpoise wire directly on the ground. Connecting earbuds and the paddle, Eric was on the air at 1941 UTC.

Eric's KH1 station.

As he had expected, Eric had cell-signal and he would be able to access POTA Spots to spot himself and to find Park-to-Park (P2P) QSO opportunities.

Eric began his operation on 20m. Finding himself a clear frequency to run, he began calling "CQ POTA" and self-spotted himself on POTA Spots. His first QSO came at 1946 UTC with K5PCM in Georgia. QSOs came steadily, if not quickly, with Eric's tenth QSO coming at 2008 UTC with KA0REN in Missouri. During this run, Eric had to change frequency and re-spot himself twice because other stations running the frequency rose out of the noise floor. This run included a P2P QSO with K3RTA at Lums Pond State Park (US-1741) in Delaware, and included QSOs with operators located in Georgia, Florida (4), Massachusetts, Kansas, Minnesota, Delaware, and Missouri.

The view from Eric's operating position. Notice the lack
of bicycle-supported antenna in the second image.

Eric completed his activation by hunting for P2P QSOs. At 2013 UTC, he completed a P2P QSO on 20m with W5EIT at McIlroy Madison County Wildlife Management Area (US-7304) in Arkansas.

By this point, the wind was picking up and the sun was dropping behind the ridgeline, so Eric decided he should finish up his activation with eleven QSOs and start his bicycle ride back to his car.

Eric's log.


A final look at Dow Lake.

In all, Eric made eleven QSOs, including two P2P QSOs, in just under a half-hour of on-air time.

"Welcome to Strouds Run State Park",
no longer lit by the sun which was, at
this point, already behind the ridge.

Eric also submitted his log to the World Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio (WWFF; link) program for an operation at Strouds Run State Park, KFF-1994.

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