I had a weekend with no competing obligations, so I was able to get my POTA/WWFF fix and get in a couple of activations.
Norristown Farm Park (US-4363, KFF-4363)
I made an early morning trip to Norristown Farm Park on Saturday, since I haven’t been there since back in December. Although my activation was plagued by some local electrical noise, it turned out to be an interesting one.
I started out on 40M, using my Penntek TR-35 (5 watts, CW only) and 12-foot loaded whip. There was noise across the entire band, something I first noticed in December. My guess is power lines along the road are the likely culprit. Anyway, the noise didn’t keep me from making contacts.
Noise notwithstanding, the 40M band was very productive for me. I had my first contact within a minute of my first spot, and I had my requisite 10 contacts in about 11 minutes. There were some deep pile-ups at times. After about 40 minutes, the hunters thinned out, and it was time to change bands.
I switched to 20M, hoping to pick up some WWFF hunters in Europe. As bad as the noise was on 40M, it was twice as bad on 20M. I didn’t even try.
The 17M band was much better, noise-wise. I could hear it, but the noise floor was much lower. After a slow start, I finally started getting a few contacts here and there. Eventually, the band improved, and I was able to work a few European stations. I also worked two California stations.
After a little over an hour, I had 38 contacts in the log, including four DX stations (DL8NDG, DL3HXX, OM2JU, and SQ2WKQ).
My last contact of the day was with NI6BB, the Battleship IOWA Amateur Radio Association out in California. The BIARA was on the air celebrating the USS Iowa’s (BB-61) first commissioning on this day in 1943. Thanks to NI6BB for giving me a call!
Also, I noted on my calendar that this happened to be the 48th anniversary of my current callsign. I’m glad I could observe this anniversary by putting WB3GCK on the air.
Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351)
I visited Evansburg State Park on Sunday morning. Although I used the same setup as the day before and I was only five miles down the road, this activation started off differently.
My usual practice is to start off on 40M, as a quick way to make my first 10 contacts. Not today, however. Things got off to a very slow start, and it took me over 20 minutes for those first 10 contacts. In fact, I started thinking I might not get there at all. On my way to the park, I got on the local repeater to let some folks know where I was going. So, my friends Frank, N3FLL, and Barry, K3EUI, came to my rescue and gave me a couple of contacts.
I noticed on the POTA spotting page that a bunch of activators were up on 30M. Once I moved up there, the pace picked up significantly. The 20M band was also productive for me. When things dried up on those bands, I shifted my attention to 17M and picked up a few more.
After an hour and 15 minutes, I managed 35 contacts with two known park-to-park contacts. Seventeen meters yielded three DX contacts: DL8NDG, ON4BB, and DK9HN. Thanks also to N3FLL for working me on three bands.
I was so focused on making contacts during these activations that I neglected to take pictures. No problem; I’ve included some from prior activations at these parks.
72, Craig WB3GCK
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 