From the wildlife area's website:

Abundant native game species include the gray squirrel, wild turkey, and white-tailed deer. Lesser numbers of fox squirrel and ruffed grouse are found on the area. Cottontail rabbits occur in small numbers in the reverting fields. All of the furbearers common to southeastern Ohio are found on the area. Approximately 80 species of birds can be seen or heard on the area in a year’s time. Included are cedar waxwing, white-eyed vireo, red-eyed vireo, blue-winged warbler, prairie warbler, yellow warbler, hooded warbler, indigo bunting, Northern mockingbird, wood thrush, Acadian flycatcher, mourning dove, and red-tailed hawk.

Pictures

Eric's station
ODNR Road 2 looks like a pro-rally stage road

Description

On Sunday, May 30, 2021, one member of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team performed a successful activation of Waterloo Wildlife Area in Ohio as part of the Parks on the Air (POTA; link) program.

On a cool day that threatened rain, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, returned to the Waterloo Wildlife Area garage/service-area, arriving at about 1610 UTC. Eric quickly deployed his 28½' wire antenna on his 31' Jackite telescoping fiberglass mast and drive-on base and set up his KX3 inside the car. Eric was on the air at 1619 UTC.

The cell-signal at this location allowed Eric to use the POTA Spots website (link) to spot himself and to look for possible park-to-park (P2P) QSOs.

Eric began operations by looking on POTA Spots for possible P2P QSOs and at 1621 UTC he made a P2P QSO on 40m with K0BWR who was activating James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area (K-5712) in Missouri.

After finding his own frequency on 40m, Eric made fifteen QSOs in about fifteen minutes. This run included a P2P QSO with KN4RBN who was activating Haw River at Iron Ore Access Belt State Park (K-3843) in North Carolina.

Pausing to check for P2P opportunities, Eric made a P2P QSO on 20m with K7CO who was activating White Rocks State Recreation Area (K-6008) in Utah. This was followed by a P2P QSO on 40m with KC5F who was activating Oconee State Park (K-2908) in South Carolina.

In all, Eric made eighteen QSOs, including four P2P QSOs, in about half an hour. All of Eric's QSOs were CW and were made at the 5-watt level.

(return)

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