by William Eric McFadden
Support-Your-Parks Summer 2020 RATpedition, Day 1
From the park's website:
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Located in southeast Ohio, quiet and remote Burr Oak State Park has a rustic country charm in its 2,593-acre scenery of wooded hills and valley farms. As one of Ohio's resort parks, Burr Oak offers a wide array of overnight accommodations with its lodge, cabins and campground. Burr Oak blends modern conveniences with the wilderness spirit of Ohio.
Pictures
Description
On Saturday, July 18, 2020, on the first day of the Support Your Parks Summer 2020 Event, one member of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team
performed activations of four POTA units in southeastern Ohio. Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, performed activations of
Strouds Run State Park (K-1994), Wayne National Forest (K4521), North Country National Scenic Train (K-04239), and
Burr Oak State Park (K-1939) as part of the Parks on the Air (POTA; link)
program.
The third stop was Burr Oak State Park, K-1939.
Eric arrived at the Burr Oak State Park water tower at about 2010 UTC to find parking area under the water tower to be unoccupied. Eric parked so the sun wouldn't come in the windshield, deploying his 28½' wire vertical on his Jackite 31' telescoping fiberglass mast which he supported on his drive-on mount. To help ensure proper social distancing during the continuing coronavirus pandemic, Eric set up his KX3 inside his car, and was on the air by 2021 UTC.
Before choosing his own frequency, Eric checked the POTA Spots and made a park-to-park (P2P) QSO on 20m at 2031 UTC with K0BWR who was activating Willa Cather Memorial Prairie (K-3492) in Nebraska.
Beginning operations in earnest on 40m, Eric's first QSO there came at 2033 UTC with N4NN in Georgia. QSOs came quickly, with Eric's tenth QSO on 40m coming at 2047 UTC with WA5SOG in Arkansas. This run of QSOs included a second P2P QSO with K0BWR who was still at Willa Cather Memorial Prairie. Eric switched to 30m at 2056 UTC.
Again, before finding his own frequency on 30m, Eric checked POTA Spots and made third P2P QSO with K0BWR
who was still at Willa Cather Memorial Prairie. Eric's first QSO on his own 30m frequency came at 2058 UTC
with K2ZF in New Jersey. QSOs came steadily, with Eric's sixth QSO on 30m coming at 2104 UTC with W0DCX
in Missouri. Eric changed to 20m at 2107 UTC.
On 20m, Eric's first QSO came at 2214 UTC with N6PKT in Arizona. QSOs on 20m came quickly, with Eric's tenth QSO on 20m coming at 2130 UTC with WI1G in Massachusets.
Before calling it a day, Eric checked POTA Spots one last time and made a P2P QSO on 40m with N2ZN who was activating Cayuga Lake State Park (K-2029) in New York.
In all, Eric made twenty-eight QSOs including four P2P QSOs. All of Eric's QSOs were CW and were made at the 5-watt level.
Eric also submitted his log to the World Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio (WWFF; link) program.
(return)