Pre-Holiday POTA

With my Christmas shopping done, I had some free time yesterday. So, I got in a quick POTA activation before the Christmas holiday festivities kicked in. I drove over to Marsh Creek State Park (K-1380, KFF-1380) and operated from my usual spot near the West Boat Launch area.

I used my usual Penntek TR-35 (5 watts CW) and 12-foot whip, and got on the air within minutes of my arrival. Things got off to a fast start on 40M. I made my first 10 contacts in about 9 minutes. The 30M band was also going strong.

When I switched to 20M, I encountered some intense pile-ups. I was beginning to think someone spotted my callsign incorrectly and people thought I was a rare DX station or something. Although it was tough trying to pull callsigns out of the din, I appreciate all the hunters who were out there yesterday.

After an hour and 10 minutes, I shut down and packed up. I ended up with 55 contacts, including two park-to-park contacts. I also worked 10 European stations: Finland, Sweden (2), Italy (2), France (3), and Germany (2).

So now, I’m looking forward to getting together with my family on Christmas day. I want to wish you and yours the very happiest of holidays. 

72, Craig WB3GCK