We had some beautiful Fall weather here in southeastern Pennsylvania today. It was a great day for a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation. This time I drove up to William Penn State Forest’s Hopewell Tract near Elverson, PA.
I have operated here many times over the years. However, this was my first POTA activation from here. The area around the Hopewell Fire Tower has good elevation, and I have always had good luck there.
The parking lot was empty when I arrived. Except for some occasional hikers passing through, I had the place to myself. I mounted my 19-foot vertical on the back of my truck and set up my KX3 in the cab. I ran my usual 5 watts.
I spotted myself and started calling CQ. It took me about 20 minutes on 40M to make the required ten contacts. I logged 19 contacts on 40M, including three park-to-park QSOs.
I had mixed results on 20M. I got very few Reverse Beacon Network spots, but I worked two Oregon stations and one in Nevada. I had no more takers after that. I moved down to 30M and picked up five more there.
I packed up after an hour and a half. In all, I made 27 contacts in about 13 states and two Canadian provinces.
Before heading out, I walked back to the Fire Tower to get a picture. Years ago, you could climb the tower, but it’s been closed now for some time. I’m not big on heights, so it’s not a big loss for me.
73, Craig WB3GCK
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 