Amateur Radio Station WD8RIF | POTA Activation Strouds Run State Park

On Saturday, February 28, 2026, 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.

Taking advantage of a warm late-February afternoon, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, did both a bicycle ride and a POTA activation of Strouds Run State park, bicycling from his work-office's parking lot to Bulldog Shelter within the state park.

With a reported temperature of 62°, Eric started his ride at 1810 UTC, and arrived at Bulldog Shelter about half an hour later. An older couple with a pair of young French Bulldogs had just arrived, but they didn't mind sharing the picnic shelter. Eric quickly deployed his ad hoc 35' EFRW antenna supported as a sloper on his Goture Red Fox Super Hard 720 carbon-fiber mast strapped vertically to his bicycle, with a single 13' counterpoise wire placed directly on ground. Placing his Elecraft KH1 on a picnic table, Eric was on the air at 1849 UTC.

Eric's KH1 station.

Eric's mast and antenna.

A close-up of his mast bungied to the bicycle.

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

Eric started his operation on 20m. While looking for a clear frequency to run, he found W4LPH at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park (US-1918) in Florida calling CQ, and at 1849 UTC, Eric completed the P2P QSO.

After finding himself a clear frequency to run, Eric began calling "CQ POTA" and was auto-spotted on POTA Spots. His first QSO in this run came at 1853 UTC with N8EYF in Florida. QSOs came steadily, with Eric's ninth QSO in this run (and tenth QSO overall) coming at 1915 UTC with K9ZIP in Wisconsin. This run included QSOs with operators located in Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersery, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin (2).

Having achieved a valid POTA activation by completing ten QSOs, Eric finished his operation by hunting for P2P QSOs and succeeded in making four. At 1917 UTC, he made a P2P QSO on 30m with WG8X at Lake Park State Wildlife Area (US-9473) in Ohio. At 1919 UTC, he made a P2P QSO on 20m with W0RLY at Hard Labor Creek State Park (US-2184) in Georgia. At 1922, he made a P2P QSO on 20m with WA1VEE at Camp Cronin State Recreation Area (US-10542) in Rhode Island. Finally, he made a P2P QSO on 20m with N0EVH at Lipton State Conservation Area (US-10574) in Missouri.

In all, Eric made fourteen QSOs, including five P2P QSOs, in thirty-six minutes of on-air time. All of Eric's QSOs were CW and were made at five watts output.

Following his final QSO, Eric took some more photos, tore down his station, and began the ride back to his car. By this time, the temperature had risen to 65°.

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.