Amateur Radio Station WD8RIF | POTA Activation Strouds Run State Park

by William Eric McFadden

From the Strouds Run State Park website:

Strouds Run State Park is located in the scenic forested hills of Athens County, in the midst of the unglaciated Appalachian Plateau. Although untouched by the vast ice sheets that moved across portions of the state over 12,000 years ago, Strouds Run displays the effects of the glaciers -- in the deep ravines and high hills -- where the valleys served as outlets for torrents of glacial meltwaters. The erosive power of these waters carved the valleys and hillsides, creating the familiar topography Ohioans know today. Large deposits of glacial outwash, primarily sand and gravel, were deposited along these streams and strongly affected the type of biological communities present today.

Pictures

"Welcome to Strouds Run State Park"

Eric's station: 1 | 2 | 3

The view from Eric's operating location

Eric's log

Dow Lake

Dandelions

Description

On Monday, December 30, 2024, one member of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team performed a successful bicycle-portable activation of Strouds Run State Park (US-1994) as part of the Parks on the Air (POTA; link) program.

When yet another day brought unseasonably-warm weather, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, decided again to combine a bicycle ride with a POTA activation. Eric began his ride at his workplace parking lot, when the temperature was 54°F, and rode to the state park's Bulldog Shelter, arriving at 1912 UTC, finding the picnic shelter to be unoccupied.

Eric had carried with him on this ride his KH1 Micro Travel Kit, a Whiterook MK-33 single-lever paddle and cable in a tin can, clipboards, and his Goture Red Fox Super Hard 720 carbon-fiber mast. For this activation, Eric decided use the KH1's 48" telescoping whip antenna instead of deploying a wire antenna. Placing his KH1 in "picnic table mode" on one of the picnic tables, he used his Tufteln KH1 Right Angle Adapter with Stand (link) to hold the 48" whip upright and, because he hoped to use 20m and 40m, he deployed a 33' counterpoise wire, laying it directly on the concrete floor of the picnic shelter. Eric was on the air at 1920 UTC.

As he has come to expect, Eric had cell-signal at Bulldog Shelter and he would be able to access POTA Spots to spot himself and to find Park-to-Park (P2P) QSO opportunities.

Eric began his operation on 20m. Finding himself a clear frequency to run, he began calling "CQ POTA" and was auto-spotted on POTA Spots. His first QSO came at 1925 UTC with KA9ZCF in Wisconsin. QSOs came steadily, with his eighth QSO coming at 1945 UTC with K9DXA in Illinois. This run included QSOs with operators located in Illinois (2), Minnesota (2), Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Pausing to check POTA Spots for P2P QSO opportunities, at 1947 UTC Eric made a P2P QSO on 20m with N2GSL who was activating Hempstead Lake State Park (US-2072) in New York.

Returning again to run the frequency on 20m, Eric's first QSO in this run came at 1956 UTC with K0BXB in Wisconsin. This was followed at 1957 UTC by a QSO with KT0A in South Dakota. At 1958 UTC, Eric announced he was QSYing but was called by and completed a QSO with W0SK in Tennessee. At 2000 UTC, Eric again announced was QSYing but was called by and completed a QSO with WA2QLK in New Jersey. Eric

Switching to 40m, Eric installed an Elecraft AXE1 40m Antenna Extender (link) below the 48" whip, found a clear frequency to run, began calling "CQ POTA", and was auto-spotted on POTA Spots. His first QSO in this run came at 2005 UTC with KD9PHY in Indiana. This was followed at 2010 UTC by a QSO with W2GIW in New Jersey.

In all, using the KH1 and just a 48" whip, Eric made fifteen QSOs, including one P2P QSO, in fifty minutes of on-air time. All of Eric's QSOs were CW and were made at five watts output.

After the operation, Eric took some more photos, loaded his bicycle, and began the ride back to his car.

Eric was pleased to have been able to perform an unprecedented fifth(!) bicycle-portable POTA activation during this Ohio December.

Eric also submitted his log to the World Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio (WWFF; link) program for an operation at Strouds Run State Park, KFF-1994.

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