Amateur Radio Station WD8RIF | POTA Activation Strouds Run State Park

On Monday, March 9, 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 beautiful early March afternoon, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, took a half-day of vacation from work and 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.

Eric started his ride at 1832 UTC, and arrived at Bulldog Shelter at 1850 UTC. Except for a young woman reading on the grassy hillside, the shelter itself was unoccupied. Eric quickly deployed his Tufteln 15' 4:1 EFRW antenna (link) supported as a vertical on his Goture Red Fox Super Hard 720 carbon-fiber mast strapped vertically to his bicycle, with the single 7½' counterpoise wire placed directly on concrete floor of the picnic shelter. Placing his Elecraft KH1 on a picnic table, and connecting his Whiterook MK-33 paddle and Sony MDR-EX15 earbuds, Eric was on the air at 1857 UTC.

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 he was looking for a clear frequency to run, he happened upon NZ1J who was performing a two-fer activation of Cockaponset State Forest (US-7531) and New England Trail National Scenic Trail (US-4561) in Connecticut, and a QSO was logged at 1958 UTC.

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 2003 UTC with K0MJG in Iowa. QSOs came steadily, with Eric's ninth QSO in this run coming at 2015 UTC with N4EWF in Alabama. This run included a P2P QSO with K1NW who was activating Silver Spring State Recreation Area (US-10547) in Rhode Island, a P2P QSO with VE3XXJ/W4XXJ who was activating Oscar Scherer State Park (US-1909) in Florida, and QSOs with operators located in Alabama (2), Florida (3), Iowa, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Switching to 15m, Eric found himself a clear frequency to run, began calling "CQ POTA", and self-spotted himself on POTA Spots. His only QSO on this band came at 2025 UTC with NU6E in Arizona.

Eric finished his operation by hunting for P2P QSOs. At 2034 UTC, he made a P2P QSO on 20m with W2BPL who was activating Pearl Hill State Park (US-2452) in Massachusetts. At 2036 UTC, he made a P2P QSO on 20m with WC1D who was activating Willard Brook State Forest (US-4752) in Massachusetts.

In all, Eric made fourteen QSOs, including six P2P QSOs, in about forty 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. The return ride was uneventful except, about two miles out from his car, Eric's bicycle's steel frame broke; the chainstay broke at the drive-side rear dropout, and Eric had to walk the the bicycle the last two miles to his car.

Dow Lake, looking south...

... looking north.

The broken chainstay...

... and a close-up.

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.