From the Wingfoot Wildlife Area website:

This area offers a wide variety of wetland wildlife species. A variety of waterfowl frequent the marshland as well as the adjacent reservoir. Mallards, wood ducks, and Canada geese are common while numbers of diving duck species including scaup, ring-necked, buffleheads, and canvasbacks may be seen on the adjacent open waters of the lake during late fall and winter. Furbearers, including mink, muskrat, raccoon, and beaver may be commonly encountered in this area.

Pictures

The Wingfoot Lake Wildlife Area sign
Sunset colors at the Nature Center: Wingfoot Lake | Wingfoot Lake | The Nature Center
Eric's KX2 station
Eric operates; photo by Miles McFadden
Sunset across Wingfoot Wildlife Area

Description

On Saturday, November 1, 2025, two members of the Southeast Ohio Radio Adventure Team performed an activation of Wingfoot Wildlife Area (US-9518) 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 Wildlife Area. This was the third 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 and Wingfoot Lake State Park.

Following the successful activation of Wingfoot Lake State Park, Eric and Miles drove the short half-mile distance to the kayak launch area of Wingfoot Wildlife Area, pausing on the way to enjoy the sunset at the state park's Nature Center.

Sunset over Wingfoot Lake.


The Nature Center in golden light.


The Wingfoot Wildlife Area sign.

Although darkness was rapidly falling, the temperature was still nice, so Eric chose to operate outside the car. He quickly deployed his Tufteln (link) EFRW antenna as a 29' vertical supported on a 31' Jackite telescoping fiberglass mast in a drive-on base, placing two 17' counterpoise wires directly on the asphalt. Placing his Elecraft KX2 on his folding camp-chair's flip-up table, Eric was on the air at 2215 UTC.

Eric's KX2 station.

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 2217 UTC with NS1C in Florida. QSOs came quickly, with Eric's twelfth QSO coming at 2231 UTC with W6VOL in Tennessee. This run included QSOs with operators located in Florida (2), Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri (2), Oklahoma (2), Oregon, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Eric operates; photo by Miles McFadden.

In all, Eric made twelve QSOs in just about a quarter of an hour of on-air time. All of Eric's QSOs were CW and were made at five watts of output.

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

After his activation, Eric paused to take some more photos, and then he and Miles tore down the station and re-packed the car before hitting the road to dinner at Menches Bros ("You call it a burger, we invented it.") and then to their hotel. Tomorrow would take them to the Massilon ARC Hamfest at MAPS Aviation Museum (link), a POTA activation at Portage Lakes State Park (US-1984), and a three-hour drive back home.

Built in 1917, the Goodyear blimp hanger viewed
in late evening light, across Wingfoot Lake.

Eric also submitted his log to the World Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio (WWFF; link) program for an operation at Wingfoot Wildlife Area, KFF-6489.

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