My (far) better half and I spent some time with family in central Pennsylvania over the weekend. Our busy weekend didn’t leave much time for a POTA/WWFF activation, but I was determined to get out to a park. The result was a brief but successful activation at Pennsylvania State Game Lands 246 (US-8941, KFF-5862).
I’m a notorious early riser, so I was the first one up on Sunday morning. After sunrise, I loaded up the truck and scraped the frost off the windshield. It was about 0740 local time (1140 UTC) when I headed out. SGL 246 is only a few miles away, so I was on site and operational by 0800 local (1200 UTC). I used my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW) and 12-foot loaded whip.
I started on 40M and ended up staying there. I kicked things off hunting a park-to-park QSO, before finding an open frequency and calling CQ. A minute or two after spotting myself, I had a pile-up on my hands. A steady stream of callers kept me busy for the next 30 minutes—and it was pretty hectic at times.
My initial plan was to just make my 10 contacts and head back to the house. However, my half-hour activation yielded 29 contacts, far exceeding my expectations. I also had three park-to-park QSOs in my log.
The 40M band was amazing. I guess it was a combination of good band conditions and being a POTA Support Your Parks Weekend. Whatever it was, the hunters were up early and out in full force.
About 15 minutes after my last contact, I was back at the house and just in time for breakfast. It was a chilly morning, so that second cup of coffee hit the spot.
OK, so it wasn’t exactly a “drive-by” activation, but it was certainly a short one.
72, Craig WB3GCK
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 
I was on hunting at 0700 EDT this morning. Not sure how I missed your spot. I spend most of my hunting on 40 meters. I called it quits around 0830 EDT to have some breakfast. There were a lot of POTA stations. Sorry I missed you.
73 DE AI4LL
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