Three in a Row at State Game Lands 246

Due to a medical emergency in the family, I unexpectedly spent the Labor Day weekend at my daughter’s house in central Pennsylvania. My (far) better half and I went out to help where we could. Thankfully, our family member’s medical situation was coming under control, so I was able to squeeze in three short activations over the weekend, while still being available to help out.

I’ve always been an early riser, and that worked to my advantage over the weekend. Pennsylvania State Game Lands 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862) is just a few minutes away, so my plan was to head over there early and keep my activations short. On all three days, I was onsite and set up at 0800 local time and back at the house around 0900. By the time I got back, everyone else was just getting up, so I was back in time for breakfast. 

Entrance to the trailhead in PA State Game Lands 246
Entrance to Roundtop Trail in PA State Game Lands 246

Unlike my last visit, I had my truck this time. On all three activations, I used my usual Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and a 12-foot whip with my homebrew loading coil. 

On Saturday morning, I gulped down a cup of coffee and headed out the door. Less than 15 minutes later, I was on location and ready to go. The bands seemed in pretty good shape. I stayed on 40M the whole time and logged 17 contacts in about 40 minutes.

On Sunday, things went downhill a bit. It was rainy and the geomagnetic conditions were unsettled. Signals were much weaker than the day before, and there was some constant noise on the bands. Despite the conditions, I still managed to squeak out 13 contacts in about 40 minutes, including two park-to-park contacts. The rain stopped by the time I started packing up, so I had a chance to dry off the whip and loading coil before packing them away in the truck. 

I went back out on Monday morning, and boy, what a difference a day makes. Conditions on 40M were great, and there were plenty of hunters out there. This time out, I logged 26 contacts in 40 minutes, with three park-to-park contacts. The activity was fast and furious at times.

How about that! My three activations put me in the Park Leaders list for US-8941.
How about that! My recent activations put me on the Park Leaders list for US-8941.

I really appreciate all the hunters who were out there during my early morning activations. There were even a few who worked me on all three days:

  • KQ4CW in VA
  • WA1HRH in NH
  • WX4TW in NC

Medically, my family member is doing much better, so I wrapped up my trip and headed home Monday evening.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend. 

72, Craig WB3GCK

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