Amateur Radio Station WD8RIF | POTA Activation Strouds Run State Park

On Saturday, May 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.

Finding his unexpectedly brutal seasonal hayfever symptoms mostly gone, and really wanting to do a bicycle ride, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, performed a bicycle-portable 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 1735 UTC, and arrived at Bulldog Shelter about twenty-seven minutes later, finding a young couple with and two toddlers picnicking on a blanket outside of the shelter, and a young couple with a toddler using a single picnic table inside the shelter. After asking and receiving permission to "crash the party", Eric selected a picnic table and set up his station. Deploying his ad hoc 35' EFRW antenna as a sloper to the top of his Goture Red Fox Super Hard 720 carbon-fiber mast held upright on a spike, placing a single 17' counterpoise wire directly on the shelter's concrete floor, placing his Elecraft KH1 on the picnic table, and connecting his Whiterook MK-33 paddle and earbuds, Eric was on the air at 1836 UTC.

"Welcome to Strouds Run State Park".

Eric's Elecraft KH1 station.

Eric's mast (leaning at a crazy angle)
and his ad hoc 35' EFRW antenna.

As he had expected he would, 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. After finding himself a clear frequency to run, Eric began calling "CQ POTA" and was auto-spotted on POTA Spots. His first QSO came at 1838 UTC with NL5Y who was activating Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park (US-3670) in Florida. QSOs came slowly, with Eric's fifth QSO coming at 1849 UTC with K7MHZ in Minnesota. This run included the aforementioned P2P QSO and QSOs with operators located in Florida (3), Maine, and Minnesota.

Dow Lake, as viewed from Eric's picnic table,
early in the operation, showing heavy gray clouds.

Dow Lake, as viewed from Eric's picnic table, later in
the operation, showing pretty white clouds and blue sky.

Pausing to hunt for P2P QSOs, Eric found he couldn't hear many of the activators spotted on POTA Spots but at 1858 UTC he made a P2P QSO on 20m with KA0CSW at Luce Line State Trail (US-9387) in Minnesota.

Returning to run a frequency on 20m, Eric's first QSO in this run came at 1906 UTC with WA7BRL in Washington. As before, QSOs came slowly, with his fourth QSO in this run coming at 1912 UTC with stalwart hunter AA5UZ in Louisiana. This run included QSOs with operators located in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Washington.

Proud and attentive Canada Geese parents
with a string of goslings on Dow Lake...

... and on the shore.

Switching to 40m, Eric 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 1920 UTC with WB8DTT in Michigan. This was followed at 1922 UTC by a QSO with WA3TVH in Pennsylvania, at 1923 UTC by a QSO with KA3JNU in Pennsylvania, and at 1925 UTC by a QSO with NI8W in Ohio.

Having spent almost an hour at the park, Eric decided to end his operation at this point. In all, he made fourteen QSOs, including two P2P QSOs, in forty-nine minutes of on-air time. All of Eric's QSOs were CW and were made at five watts output.

During his operation, dozens of barn swallows frolicked and chirped and sang inside Bulldog Shelter. Just as Eric had finished his operation, he heard a splash on Dow Lake and turned just in time to see an osprey fly off with a fish for dinner. Eric took some photos (but, alas, not of the osprey), tore down his station, and repacked his bicycle before starting his ride back to his car.

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.