This was my first POTA activation of the year. The weather was about 4 °C (37 °F). This time I had 51 QSOs in 5 different time zones on 3 bands. Thanks to VE1SK in Halifax, Nova Scotia for helping me to get into the Atlantic Time Zone.
K-3064 with a snow-covered Lewiston Peak in the background. The snow at this QTH had just melted a few days previously and the ground was pretty muddy. I even had a C-130 flyover as part of the activation.
Five years ago, I received my initial amateur radio license. At the start, I thought it would be a good way to have communications in remote places such as the Wasatch Plateau. I also thought I would enjoy making contact on HF via CW (morse code). Well, my morse code abilities still haven’t got me a contact yet, and I have only have used a radio on the Wasatch Plateau a few times, the hobby has been rewarding. It has gotten me out of the house and into a more active lifestyle. It has even gotten me to start trail running. Besides, I have met some of the best people from many places via ham radio. I would recommend this hobby to anybody.
My employer gave us a day of self-care. My self-care included some radio therapy. I went out to Camp Floyd and did some POTA activating. I had over 60 contacts on the 40, 20, 17 and 2 meter bands. The 17 meter band was rather open and quiet. I did some good work there. I had a contact with CU3HY in the Azores. My 2 meter contact was with W0KP in Layton, Utah at a distance of 90 km (56 miles).
This time I took my two boys and one of my grandsons with me. They had fun in the near springtime weather. I made 49 QSOs on 3 bands. Four of these were with K7JSG who was operating in a different part of the park which includes K-4578. I was also able to meet him in person.
I took a break off work and went to the 40 acre enclave of K-4398 in Highland. I made 26 contacts on 3 different bands. Most of my activating was on 17 meters. I had two contacts with adjacent counties to where my mom lives, Angelina and Sabine Counties, Texas. These had to make a 10° jump over Mount Timpanogos. I had coast to coast contacts plus two in Alaska and one in Puerto Rico.
Two views from the 40 acre enclave. The first picture shows Lone Peak and Box Elder Peak to the north. The second picture shows Mount Mahogany and Mount Timpanogos to the southeast. The vertical angle of Mount Timp is 10° from this location, and I have to go over it to reach most of Texas, yet I made 8 QSOs with the Lone Star State.
I had to make a quick trip to Los Angeles. I did activations at K-3563 Santa Monica State Beach and K-3462 Los Angeles State Historical Park. The one at Santa Monica was my first late shift activation. The Santa Monica activation was working well up the coast into Alaska and into Texas and the rest of 5-land, plus I had an 8 km (5 mi) contact with WB6MPH in Pacific Palisades. I made the 10 contacts and went QRT. For the Los Angeles activation, I worked mostly on 17 meters. I had several coast-to-coast contacts plus one Alaska.
Pictures from the Santa Monica State Beach and Los Angeles State Historical Park. I had trouble opening my radio case in Santa Monica due to it being sealed at my house at 86% atmosphere. I had to pry it with my multitool.
The 5th was the first time I checked my Winlink inbox via HF. The node was KD6OAT in Sandy, Utah over 80 meters. My first peer-to-peer messages were on the 8th with KB5HPT and NE8U in El Paso on the 40 meter band as part of the ARES Tuesday Winlink Exercise.
This was with K0SKK in Daly City, California. It was a distance of 970 km (603 mi) on the 40 meter band.
I did this same one exactly a month earlier with similar weather. It was my best time ever there. Most of the activation was on 20 meters. I had 55 QSOs to include Alaska, Hawaii, the Azores, the adjacent states of Arizona and New Mexico, and all three West Coast states. I also had a few on the East Coast. It was a nice combination of short and long skip. I had 2 two meter contacts. One of the two meter contacts was to 10600 S and I15 with K1RP which had to go over Suncrest. Plotting it on the map, it does go through Hog Hollow, but that still is a great demonstration of knife edge.
I came back for a second day, but with not much luck. I had the minimum 10 QSOs. I did make a park to park on 70 cm.
Thanks to the W5ES, the El Paso Amateur Radio Club for this. I did most of this between September of 2021 and March 2022. I had contacts on 20 and 40 meters as well as AllStar Link and Echolink. All of my contacts except for one were from American Fork. The one that wasn’t was part of a POTA activation from K-2249 by Glen’s Ferry, Idaho on 20 meters in October.
| Date | Call | Mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-22 | N6TOC | Echolink | |
| 2021-06-19 | W5BAG | SSB | |
| 2021-08-30 | AE5OJ | Allstar | |
| 2021-09-13 | WB5LJO | Allstar | |
| 2021-10-11 | WA5PGF | SSB | |
| 2021-10-25 | K1DPR | Allstar | |
| 2021-12-17 | WB8LBZ | Allstar | |
| 2021-12-21 | K9DHC | Allstar | |
| 2021-12-30 | AE1JW | Allstar | |
| 2022-01-04 | N9HUJ | Allstar | |
| 2022-01-11 | KI5GLT | Allstar | |
| 2022-01-25 | KC7UXM | Allstar | |
| 2022-02-01 | KD6CUB | Allstar | |
| 2022-02-09 | KB6JYF | Allstar | |
| 2022-03-08 | KB5HPT | VARA HF | |
| 2022-03-08 | NE8U | VARA HF |
I ran with my radio as part of the half marathon. I was part of the ham radio net. It took me 2:44 to finish the run.
At the end of running 21 km (13 mi) with a radio. Ham on the Run.
On Monday 4 April, I activated K-0465 Desert National Wildlife Refuge and K-0974 Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. While not doable as a two-fer, they border each other, so my QTHs were about 3 km (2 mi) from each other near Corn Creek, Nevada about 40 km (25 mi) NW of Las Vegas. Between the QTHs, I had 29 QSOs. My furthest was NP3T, José in Puerto Rico.
We took the rest of spring break around Kanab, Utah. I activated three parks, K-5988 Bunting Trail BLM Recreation Management Area, K-4430 Kaibab National Forest, and K-3065 Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The Kaibab location is in Arizona, but it is 30 minutes from Kanab, just west of Fredonia. The location I was at was the Le Fevre Overlook on US 89A at an elevation of 2090 meters (6850 feet) providing a nice view and a great takeoff angle for HF. K-5988 was on 7 April and the other two were on 8 April.
| Date | Park | State | Grid | Elevation | QSOs | Bands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr | K-0465 Desert National Wildlife Refuge | Nevada | DM26hk | 890 m (2920 ft) | 14 | 17 m, 20 m |
| 4 Apr | K-0974 Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument | Nevada | DM26hk | 900 m (2920 ft) | 15 | 17 m, 20 m |
| 7 Apr | K-5988 Bunting Trail BLM Recreation Management Area | Utah | DM37ra | 1530 m (5020 ft) | 38 | 20m, 40 m |
| 8 Apr | K-4430 Kaibab National Forest | Arizona | DM36ut | 2090 m (6860 ft) | 55 | 17 m, 20 m |
| 8 Apr | K-3065 Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park | Utah | DM37pa | 1790 m (5870 ft) | 36 | 20 m |
The QTH in the photo is from the second Nevada park, and it was quite windy. All QSOs were on 20 and 17 meters.
This is K-5988 on the southwest side of Kanab. I found a nice hilltop to set up on. Hauling my gear up there got me winded.