notice the mast being bent by the wind
by William Eric McFadden
Pictures
- Eric's station, with the Charles Young House in the background;
notice the mast being bent by the wind
Description
One member of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team succeeded in activating Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument as part of the ARRL's year-long National Parks on the Air (link). Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, performed a solo activation of Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, MN18 (link) in Wilberforce, Ohio, and cool, very windy December afternoon.
As at previous activations, Eric's station consisted of his Enhanced KX3 Travel Kit, his MFJ-1910 33' fiberglass telescoping mast, and a custom clipboard. Because of the cold temperature, Eric chose to operate inside the car and he chose to power the transceiver using the car's power socket instead of his 5aH gel-cell. Eric was on the air at 1830 UTC.
Eric operated only on 40m and his first QSO came almost immediately at 1831 UTC with N2CX who was activating the Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River National Wild and Scenic River (WR04) / New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route Affiliated Area (AA17) / Pinelands National Reserve Affiliated Area (AA19) three-fer. Eric's 16th and final QSO came at 1845 UTC with K3IE. All Eric's QSOs were CW made at the 5-watt level.
The highlight of the operation was the park-to-park QSO with N2CX.
Map:
(return)