A club luncheon/POTA event was scheduled for 10/25/25 but was cancelled due to the venue being closed for the season. After many emails expressing disappointment the POTA part was moved to Bledsoe Creek State Park.
Tony, W1VS and Brian, NG2S were at the park early and the rest of the crew rolled in shortly after 1100 hrs. Dalton, KQ4OQL Paul, KR4ETT and his harmonic Jackson, Brian, KJ4OCZ, Steve, KI4ZDF and Kendall, K5KRJ were all enjoying the beautiful weather and radio. Some tried new equipment, others used their regular POTA gear. It was a learning experience for all. Some received elmering on the procedures and protocols for POTA as well as general operating guidelines. Jackson did some fishing and caught some Bass while Paul was experimenting and learning the ropes.
Brian, KJ4OCZ brought his Yeasu FT-897 with the LDG AT-897 powered by a DJI power unit and a homebrew end fed antenna. Brian enthusiastically made his first HF and POTA contacts. Way to go Brian. I am sure we will be seeing more of Brian at future events.
Paul was on site with his newly acquired Icom IC-7300 and home brew end fed antenna. Tuning up and down the bands and making contacts was his goal for the day and he accomplished it well.
Dalton came down and hung out while enjoying the weather and great discussions. We traded ham radio stories and showed off our gear. Dalton has a nice Yeasu FT-891 with the LDG Z100 tuner in a sweet configuration. One of his buddies designed and 3d printed brackets for the radio and tuner which include remote port locations near the front of the radio for ease of connectivity. Dalton also showed off his Radioddity antenna he picked up at Huntsville this year. A sweet antenna for sure!
Kendall attempted operating from his vehicle with he new ATAS120. The ATAS was not functioning as it should so Tony and Dalton helped with some troubleshooting. By the end of the day the ATAS was adjusting up and down but there was more configuring to be addressed as a later time. Aside from that Kendall had a great time with the crew.
Brian, NG2S brought his Icom IC-7300 connected to a homebrew 84′ random wire with a 17′ counterpoise. The antenna was suspended between a tree and his 32′ Explorer 33H carbon fiber mast. The mast was supported by a 3d printed hitch mount. Brian achieved his goal for the day, his 1st official POTA park activation. After 2 previous failed attempts the third time was the charm!
Tony’s POTA experience showed in his setup. Folding table, chair, Icom IC-7300 and Poseidon antenna. Tony was done activating the park by 10:30 if not earlier. In true Ham fashion he spent the rest of his time at the event helping and elmering others.
Steve was there for the shortest amount of time. He had other obligations that day but came out, setup his pota gear, completed enough contacts and a few more for an activation, checked out other gear that was there, had some conversations and was off to his next commitment. I believe Steve had a Yeasu FT-891 with a homebrew all band loaded coil vertical antenna. His POTA expertise is obvious.
All in all everyone had a great time. The park was activated 3 times that day and many contacts were made. The bands were in good shape but very crowded as this was the same weekend of the CQ WW DX Contest. But that is ok. Anytime on the radio is a good time. Add in friends, new and old, along with beautiful weather and it is a recipe for success every time! We had a range of gear and antennas. It just goes to show that you can have radio fun with just about any kind of gear. Big radios, compact radios, big battery banks, small 20ah batteries, manufactured or homebrew antennas. It doesn’t matter. It all works!
This turned into somewhat of a public service event also. Many of the people in the park noticed out antennas and gear and asked what we were doing. Some knew of Amateur Radio and others did not. But we brought positive attention to the hobby.
I hope to see more of you at the next event. We have such a good time and not only inviting each and every one of you to join us but we are hoping you do. The more people we have at the events the more fun and greater success they are. Do not be shy. If you have never done a POTA come down and see how its done. If you are not licensed or feel a Technician can’t effectively do POTA we will get you on the air by sitting beside you as you operate the radio. We love helping others and would love to help you.
Our events are open to any with interest in Amateur Radio. Some come down, meet some new people, make some new friends and witness the fun!
