by William Eric McFadden

Pictures

Description

Two members of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team succeeded in activating Friendship Hill National Historic Site in Pennsylvania as part of the ARRL's year-long National Parks on the Air (link). Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, and Miles McFadden, KD8KNC, activated Friendship Hill, NS30, while returning home from Washington, D.C.

On this date, the Visitor Center at Friendship Hill was not yet open for the season although the grounds are open to the public. The ranger at nearby Fort Necessity National Battlefield gave Eric and Miles permission to set up on the Friendship Hill grounds and even had the rubber stamp so Eric was able to stamp his NPS Passport 2016 book.

The station for this activation was Eric's Enhanced KX3 Travel Kit.

Once at Friendship Hill, Eric found a convenient tree over which he threw a line to support the 28' end-fed wire and he and Miles deployed the three counterpoise wires. Because of the low temperature (45°) Eric operated from within the car, with the KX3 sitting on a folding camp-stool in the open car door.

Miles did not operate but did help during set-up and tear-down and did most of the photography during the activation. He was also most instrumental in pointing out several logging errors Eric made during the crush of activity.

Eric's first QSO was with WB2QJ at 1838 UTC and he made QSOs steadily until his 32nd QSO at 1912 UTC. Eric operated only on 40m CW and, as before, the noise-floor on 40m was very quiet and signals were s strong.

Eric wishes to thank Ted Jacobson, W8KVK, for posting the activation to the spotting-network.

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