From the Wingfoot Lake State Park website:

Wingfoot Lake State Park provides visitors with a delightful day spent outdoors. Groves of tall trees, expanses of grass, and a picturesque lake create a relaxing backdrop to paddling, fishing, picnicking, or disc golf. Originally owned by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the park joined the state system in 2009. On a clear day, visitors can spot the Goodyear blimp parked in its hangar on the lake's south shore.

Pictures

The Wingfoot Lake State Park sign
Eric's KX2 station
Eric operates; photo by Miles McFadden
Wingfoot Lake in the evening light: 1 | 2

Description

On Saturday, November 1, 2025, two members of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team performed an activation of Wingfoot Lake State Park (US-3516) as part of the Parks on the Air (POTA; link) program.

While in the northeastern corner of Ohio for the MARC Hamfest at MAPS Aviation Museum the following day, Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, and Miles McFadden, KD8KNC, performed the activation of Wingfoot Lake State Park. This was the second of three parks Eric and Miles were to visit before finding dinner and their motel room, and it followed successful activations of Quail Hollow State Park.

Following a drive past the Goodyear blimp hanger on the south side of Wingfoot Lake, Eric and Miles arrived at Wingfoot Lake State Park and did a wee bit of exploring before Eric chose to set up his station at a picnic shelter with a view of Wingfoot Lake and the setting sun.

"Welcome to Wingfoot Lake State Park".

Because the weather was nice, Eric chose to set up his station on a picnic table outside of the picnic shelter, right on the edge of the lake. Eric deployed his Tufteln (link) EFRW antenna as a 29' vertical supported on a 31' Jackite telescoping fiberglass mast leaned into a tall tree behind the picnic table, placing two 17' counterpoise wires directly on the ground. Placing his Elecraft KX2 on the picnic table, and connecting earphones and a paddle, Eric was on the air at 2128 UTC.

Eric's KX2 station.


Eric operates; photo by Miles McFadden.

As he had hoped, Eric found he had cell-signal at this location, 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. After finding himself a clear frequency to run, Eric self-spotted himself on POTA Spots and began to call "CQ POTA". His first QSO came at 2129 UTC with W0MM in Texas. QSOs came quickly, with Eric's seventeenth QSO coming at 2147 UTC with KI6PXV in California. This run included a QSO with OH1MM in Finland, a QSO with XE2S in Mexico, a P2P QSO with W4MPT who was activating Red Top Mountain State Park (US-2194) in Georgia and QSOs with operators located in Alabama (2), California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Vermont, Washington (2), and Wisconsin.

Because darkness was rapidly falling, and they wanted to visit one more park before finding their hotel, Eric finished his operation with seventeen QSOs in about twenty minutes of on-air time. All of Eric's QSOs were CW and were made at five watts of output.

Wingfoot Lake in the evening light.

Miles chose not to set up his station or operate at Wingfoot Lake, but he helped with Eric's station set-up and tear-down, and he did much of the activation photography.

Eric also submitted his log to the World Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio (WWFF; link) program for an operation at Wingfoot Lake State Park, KFF-3516.

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