Description
On Friday, August 8, 2025, one member of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team performed successful simultaneous activations of Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area (US-10146) and Daniel Boone National Forest (US-4494) in Kentucky as part of the Parks on the Air (POTA; link) program.
On the way from his hotel in Berea to McKee, Kentucky, to participate as a radio operator in Boone Forest Rally, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, stopped at Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area within Danial Boone National Forest for the two-fer activation. Eric was accompanied by his friend Len Touth, W8VQ, who performed his own POTA two-fer activation.
After only one wrong turn, Eric and Len arrived at the wildlife management area's hunter access parking area at about 1330 UTC. Although Len had brought his own station, a (tr)uSDX and a 40m EFHW antenna, Eric offered Len the chance to operate his Elecraft KX2. Len accepted the offer, and Eric deployed his 58' EFRW antenna as a sloper supported on a Jackite 31' telescoping mast held upright in a drive-on base, placing three 17' counterpoise wires directly on the ground. Len placed a folding campchair where the radiator wire was taut, and placed Eric's KX2 on the chair's flip-up table. Len was on the air and began his operation on 20m.
The loaded car and the mast; photo by Len Touth.
The KX2 station; photos by Len Touth.
While Len was busy making QSOs, Eric quickly set up his Elecraft KH1 station on a second folding campchair placed as far away from Len's station as he could get within the small parking area, deploying a Tufteln (link) 4:1 EFRW antenna, with the 15' radiator supported as a vertical on a Goture Red Fox Super Hard 720 carbon-fiber mast bungied to the campchair and the single 7½' counterpoise wire placed directly on the ground. Placing his KH1 on the campchair's flip-up table, Eric was on the air at 1405 UTC.
The KH1 station.
Eric and Len were surprised to find they had cell-signal, and they would be able to access POTA Spots to spot themselves and to identify Park-to-Park (P2P) QSO opportunities.
Since Len was already running a frequency on 20m, Eric started his own operation on 40m. Finding himself a clear frequency to run, Eric began calling "CQ POTA" and was auto-spotted on POTA Spots. His first QSO came at 1408 UTC with WA9VFD in North Carolina. QSOs came steadily, with Eric's seventh QSO coming at 1422 UTC with N4DT in South Carolina. This run included QSOs with operators located in North Carolina (5), South Carolina, and Virginia.
Eric operating; photo by Len Touth.
After Len completed his run on 20m, he and Eric made two quick P2P QSOs with each other, one on 20m at 1428 UTC and one on 40m at 1430 UTC.
With Len having finished his operation with eleven QSOs in the log, Eric switched to 20m, found a clear frequency to run, and began calling "CQ POTA". His first QSO in this run came at 1435 UTC with AA5UZ in Louisiana. This was followed at 1436 UTC by a QSO with VE3YTX in Ontario, and at 1437 UTC by a QSO with AB0BM in Iowa.
In all, Eric made twelve QSOs, with two P2P QSOs, in about thirty-two minutes of on-air time. All of Eric's QSOs were CW and were made at five watts output.
Eric also submitted his log to the World Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio (WWFF; link) program for Daniel Boone National Forest, KFF-4511.
Bonus: photos and video from Boone Forest Rally
Thursday Service: Car #25, the beautifully-prepared
Ford Escort MkII of Seamus Burke and Gary McElhinney.
Friday: The start control radio set-up
for Special Stage 3/5, Hale Ridge 1 & 2.
Friday: Seamus Burke / Gary McElhinney in #25
Ford Escort MkII queue for start of Hale Ridge 2.
(return)