A Brief Activation at PA SGL 246

I mentioned in a previous post that I’m out in central Pennsylvania, doing some house sitting for my daughter’s family and taking care of my grand-dog. I wanted to get in at least one park activation while I’m here, but I didn’t want to leave the pup alone for too long. Fortunately, Pennsylvania State Game Lands 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862) is just minutes away.

I last activated PA SGL 246 back in 2022 and had 34 contacts. So, 10 contacts this time would not only qualify another activation for Parks on the Air (POTA), but it would also give me the 44 contacts needed for World Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF). 

I rolled into the empty parking lot and quickly set up my 12-foot loaded whip on the back of the truck. My rig today was my trusty KX3 today (5W, CW).

There really wasn't much to photograph where I was at US-8941/KFF-5862. Just a gravel parking lot.
There really wasn’t much to photograph where I was at US-8941/KFF-5862. Just a gravel parking lot and some big boulders.

I started out on 40M and was greeted with about S2 worth of noise. I’m guessing it was coming from a power line that runs over the parking lot. Despite the noise, I made 10 contacts in about 13 minutes. Then things seemed to dry up.

I moved up to 30M for a while, but there were no takers. Determined to add at least one more contact, I went back down to 40M. It took a few minutes, but I finally got one more call.

Around that time, it was starting to get hot in the truck. I also neglected to grab my water bottle as I headed out the door. Doh! So, having narrowly exceeded my goal of 10 contacts, I packed up before I got too dehydrated. Besides, I had an errand to run before heading back to the house.   

After about 30 minutes of operating, the grand total today was 11 contacts. I don’t think I had any park-to-park contacts. 

I think this might have been the shortest activation I have ever done.

72, Craig WB3GCK

2 thoughts on “A Brief Activation at PA SGL 246”

  1. I came across your spot on the POTA page this morning early. You were on 40 meters. I could barely tell you were in there. I couldn’t copy you good enough to try and make a contact with you. On my end, my noise level on 40 meters was running about a S7, which is very unusual for me on 40 meters that early in the AM. I read your blog, glad you got your 10 + 1 contacts for the activation.
    73 DE AI4LL

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    1. Looking back at my previous activation there, I didn’t make mention of any noise issues. My band conditions app showed unsettled geomagnetic fields. So, maybe it was atmospheric. Sorry I missed you, but thanks for listening. 73, Craig WB3GCK

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