Amateur Radio Station WD8RIF | POTA Activation Strouds Run State Park

On Sunday, July 21, 2024, one member of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team performed a successful activation of Strouds Run State Park (US-1994) as part of the Parks on the Air (POTA; link). This was the POTA Summer Support Your Parks Weekend and Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, was leading an Athens County Amateur Radio Association (ACARA) group activation of Strouds Run State Park.

Eric had previously reserved the Bulldog Shelter within Strouds Run State Park for this event and he and other ACARA members arrived at Bulldog Shelter at 1400 UTC to find the shelter unoccupied and ready for the Summer Support Your Parks Weekend group activation.

After some deliberation, the group deployed the club's Chameleon EMCOM III end-fed wire antenna as in inverted-vee, supported in the center by Eric's military mast, and tied at the ends to the shelterhouse posts and a conveniently located tree. They deployed the club's Elecraft K3 transceiver, which would be powered by LiFePO4 batteries provided by Eric and Josh Senefeld, N8VXR, and the logging PC running N1MM Logger+. Operations were to take place using the ACARA's callsign, W8UKE. Since the logging software captures the operator's individual callsign, both ACARA and the individual operators would receive credit for the QSOs each operator made.

As soon as the station was set up, Josh wasted no time in beginning operate as W8UKE SSB on 20 and 40m. Josh, it turns out, was within striking distance of earning his Kilo Award for making 1,000 QSOs from Strouds Run State Park, and he was determined to earn the award during this operation. Josh is like a machine when he runs a frequency using SSB and it took only a very short time to make the 40-some QSOs he needed to earn his Kilo Award.

Josh Senefeld, N8VXR, operates SSB.

Josh Senefeld, N8VXR, operates while Jeramy Duncan, KC8QDQ, logs.

During Josh's first SSB, Eric set up his Elecraft KH1 on a picnic table, using the Tufteln (link) Right Angle Adapter to support the 4' whip, configured the antenna for 20m, and began hunting for P2P QSOs, making his first QSO at 1529 UTC with WS4Y who was activating Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park (US-1873) in Florida.

After Josh completed his first run, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, and Len Touth, W8VQ, took turns operating CW as W8UKE. Eric planned to deploy his own QRP station and run under his own callsign, in order to complete an activation while enabling those operating as W8UKE to work the same stations without encountering a "DUPE" situation. Therefore, Eric made only three QSOs operating as W8UKE. Len made four QSOs, not enough to earn him a valid activation of the park.

It was during Eric's short CW operation hunting park-to-park (P2P) QSOs as W8UKE that he noticed that the Chameleon EMCOM III antenna showing intermittent high SWR. Josh quickly deployed his Wolf River Coils 17' vertical antenna and window-screen counterpoise. Initially, Josh and Eric suspected that the Chameleon's matching unit was overheating but Eric now suspects there was a problem with one of the coaxial feedlines connecting the antenna to the transceiver. Eric had provided the coax, and he will investigate.

After Eric's and Len's turn at the key, Josh returned for a second session operating SSB.

Finally, Paul Schulz, WD8SCV, and Josh worked together to set up an FT8 station using Paul's ICOM IC-7300. The hard part was getting WSJT and N1MM Logger+ software to talk to each other but Josh pretty quickly got things sorted, enabling first Paul, then Tony Peric, KE8VFA, to make a dozen FT8 QSOs each.

While the FT8 QSOs were being made, Eric returned to his own station, swapped out the KH1 and its whip for his Elecraft KX2 and his Tufteln (link) 35' end-fed random wire antenna with three 17' counterpoise wires. Choosing to operate on 30m to avoid being QRMed by the FT8 station, over about a forty minute period, Eric ran a frequency and made eleven QSOs. This run included QSOs made with operators located in Georgia (4), North Carolina (3), Wisconsin, Arkansas, New Jersey, and Tennessee.

In all, Eric logged twelve QSOs using his own callsign, with P2P QSOs. All of Eric's QSOs were CW.

When all was said and done, ACARA operating as W8UKE had achieved a valid activation of Strouds Run State Park, the club's seventh activation of the park. Josh Senefeld, N8VXR, completed his twenty-third activation of the park, and also earned his Kilo Award for the park, with seventy-six QSOs. Paul Schulz, WD8SCV, completed his thirteenth activation of the park with twelve QSOs. Tony Peric, KE8VFA, completed his first-ever POTA activation and his first activation of Strouds Run State Park, with twelve QSOs.

The under-development µSDX QRP Station of Len Touth, W8VQ.

A heron flies over Dow Lake.

Baby swallows inside Bulldog Shelter.