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VA POTA NET Web site going away
Hi folks
I'm going to shut down the Web site (potava.net, *not* this groups.io group).? The Web site was created to support the on-air net, so it is really serving no purpose that I know of.? I'm responsible for a number of other Web sites, so I'll be happy to have one less.? If you feel strongly that Virginia needs its own POTA Web site and want to volunteer to take over hosting and management, let me know. -- 73, Mike KQ9P |
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Re: EFHW at US-2364 Machicomoco State Park
开云体育I used the tuner for 40/20/17.? I tried 15 & 12 but the Max Usable Freq was not helping. ? Eric ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
On Behalf Of James Loder via groups.io
Sent: Sunday, June 2, 2024 1:45 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [VA-POTA-NET] EFHW at US-2364 Machicomoco State Park ? Hi Eric ? Thanks so much for the update on this one. ?Never heard of it but looks like a lot of fun. ? ? Was your antenna resonant at any frequency or did you rely on the tuner?? ? Jim KQ4AVP ?
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EFHW at US-2364 Machicomoco State Park
开云体育Hello fellow POTA enthusiast, ? Had a great day up in Glouster County at Machicomoco State Park.? This is a fairly new park only being first activated 05/25/21 by KN4XJ.? The park only has about 45 activations under its belt. ? I wanted to try a new configuration with my 41’ wire connected to a 9:1 unun and a 17’ counterpoise.? Typically, I would take the end and put it up as high as I could to get get a good 45° angle leaving the transformer approx. 8’ above the ground.? Today I spiraled the antenna around my PACKTENNA 10m fiberglass pole ending about 7-8’ above ground for the 9:1. My rig is an FT-891 on 75w along with a LDG Z11 Pro 2 tuner. ? At first, I wondered if the antenna would work in this configuration because I spent about 10 minutes to get a contact that could hear me.? Then I began picking them up.? Only ending with about 47 contacts this antenna configuration managed to get a contact with Washington (state) to the west and France to the East, Ontario to the North and Miami to the South.? I think it worked out well and can’t wait to try it when band conditions improve. ? 73, Eric KN4UDL (POTA ON!) ? ? ? |
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Fun day in the parks
I'm getting my POTA go-bag and technique streamlined, so I decided to try for three parks in one day.
First up was the James River Wildlife Management Area, US-3991.? This turned out to be my favorite of the three.? There is a dirt boat ramp on the James at the end of the access road, with lots of people kayaking and tubing on this beautiful, warm morning.? There are no facilities - typical of WMAs - but there is a nice, big shady spot at one end of the parking area.? I set up the Wolf River TIA without the radials; there really wasn't room to spread them out with all the cars and people carrying kayaks.? Being next to the James, the water table isn't far beneath the surface and the TIA did fine without radials.? With all the car doors open there was a nice breeze.? I spent a pleasant hour getting my 10 FT8 contacts.? (When you are operating QRP with a compromise antenna, it can take a while.) As an aside, I've developed a love-hate relationship with the Wolf River Take-It-Along vertical.? It is fast and easy to set up, and without the radials takes up very little space.? The low take-off angle results in more DX, which is interesting for POTA.? With more and more international POTA activators there are more chances for DX Park-to-Park contacts.? On the other hand, it's a stinker from an efficiency standpoint.? The best SWR I've ever managed so far is 2.0, but it's usually more like 2.5-3.0, and base-loaded verticals start off inefficient.? The Chameleon end-fed (CHA LEFS 8010) is a dream for operating, but needs space and takes time to set up.? Having both in the go-bag provides options, but I definitely prefer the EFHW. Next up was James River State Park, US-1304, which I'm sure most of you have activated.? It is a beautiful park with fantastic views of the river.? I had a nice chat with the ranger at the gatehouse, who knew all about POTA and was very welcoming.? The hillside they call the "Amphitheater" and the adjacent picnic shelter were unoccupied, so I set up there.? It had gotten quite a lot hotter by then, but at least there was a shady picnic bench.? The TIA needed radials this time, but I made 15 contacts, many of them DX. By then I really wanted some A/C and a comfy chair, but Lake Nelson State Fishing Lake, US-3780, was on the way home.? It's a really nice lake, with lots of families out fishing from the shore.? By then it was really hot, though, and there was no shady place where I wouldn't be in the way.? I sat in the oven of a car, got my 10 contacts in fairly short order, and got out of there. Having tried this, I've decided that three parks in one day is too much like work, especially on a hot day.? I much prefer to find a shady spot, set up the good antenna, and spend a few hours on the air.? Much more relaxing. -- 73, Mike KQ9P |
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Re: US-1301, High Bridge Trail State Park
Thanks!? The chat with the ranger was fun.? He knew all about POTA.? What he wanted to talk about was propagation.? He said that their radios were all screwed up and that he had tried to listen to FM broadcast radio and it was a mess, too.? He wondered what effect the geomagnetic storm had on our radios.? They have been keeping the park open late so people can enjoy the dark skies and see the aurora.
-- 73, Mike KQ9P |
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US-1301, High Bridge Trail State Park
Well, that was painful!? And, then again, not.? High Bridge Trail State Park is a very nice park, very well maintained with a great, wooded picnic area and lots of hiking/biking trails.? The place was humming with kids and parents whizzing around on their bikes.
What wasn't humming was the HF bands!? The day was beautiful, so I resolved to activate something even in the face of marginal conditions.? What I didn't expect was to sit there for 2.5 hours to make 10 FT8 contacts!? It was truly stinky. But to borrow the old saying, a bad day of POTA is better than a good day in the office, so I enjoyed the weather and scenery, had a nice long chat with one of the Park Rangers, and had a nice drive in the country. (The other end of that end-fed was anchored by weights, not stakes.) -- 73, Mike KQ9P |
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Wolf River Coils Take It Along (TIA)
So far, I've used an end-fed half-wave for POTA activations.? It's easy to put up and requires no action for band changes.? I have a hitch-mounted mast for one end and put a small wire stake in the ground for the other.? Sometimes I tied the other end to a fence or tree.? But after the recent discussion of POTA activators tangling with park rangers over ropes in trees and stakes in the ground, I decided to try an antenna that was self-supporting.
After some research, I decided to try the Wolf River Coils .? I bought the Mega Mini version with the Silver Bullet Mini coil, the 213" telescoping whip, and the bigger tripod.? My first impression on unboxing was that this thing is built like a tank.? I have no worries about damaging it during setup or teardown.? The tuning collar took a little getting used to, but now I find I can move it with some precision and it stays where you set it. It is quite easy to tune using my RigExpert Stick Pro analyzer, which has a handy "Single" feature that continuously displays the SWR on a frequency of your choice.? You set it for 14074 kHz, for example, then tinker with the antenna coil tuning collar until you are satisfied.? I found it easy to get under 2:1, and other people claim 1.4:1 with some trial and error.? All-in-all, it is pretty easy to set up and tune, 5-10 minutes to on-the-air.? Teardown is quicker, of course. As for performance, after a half-dozen outings I would say it works pretty well, but not as well as the EFHW.? My instinct is that people aren't hearing me as well with the vertical, which is no surprise.? Base-loaded verticals are inefficient, so you're definitely trading off effectiveness to get the other qualities you want.? I'm looking forward to the opportunity to do an A/B test and get some real data from PSKREPORTER about how well the Wolf River is working. Bottom line, I'm happy I bought it.? It addressed the need for easy setup with no ropes or stakes, and it works well enough on the air.? I don't think a contester would be happy, but for POTA it is good enough.? I'm a big believer in good enough! -- 73, Mike KQ9P |
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Michigan road trip, the eclipse, and POTA
Hi everyone (and welcome to the new members!)
Over the ACPS spring break we took a long-planned road trip to Michigan with our three local granddaughters and their mom.? We have some avid rock and fossil hunters in our group, and Michigan turns out to be pretty exciting rock-wise.? All those years I lived in Michigan; who knew? Of course, I threw my POTA gear in the already jam-packed car and hoped to squeeze in some parks.? (I'm almost all digital, so we're talking IC-705, ToughBook, and my new Wolf River Take-It-Along.) First up was Kelleys Island State Park in Ohio.? Kelleys Island is the quietest of the Bass Islands in Lake Erie, the one where people go to hike, bird watch, band monarch butterflies, etc.? The whole island is one big limestone outcropping full of fossils.? It is also home to the longest glacial grooves in North America.? The glaciers picked up huge boulders and dragged them along the ground, gouging out the rock and leaving amazing, deep grooves, like a giant ran its fingers along the ground.? The activation was short and sweet, though.? It was still late winter in Ohio and Michigan.? The temperature was right around freezing, and the wind was howling out of the north at 25-30 kt.? It was cold! Next was Hoeft State Park in Michigan, one of the many state parks along the shores of the Great Lakes.? (Did you know that Michigan has the longest fresh-water coastline in the US?)? I set up on a picnic table in a heavily wooded area near a trailhead.? It was still cold, but at least there wasn't much wind. Hammond Bay State Harbor in Michigan is one of the "harbors of refuge", a relatively small space behind an artificial breakwater where small pleasure and fishing boats can take refuge if a surprise storm comes up, which happens a lot on the Lakes.? You've all heard "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and possibly "".? The bottoms of the Lakes are littered with shipwrecks both old and new.? It was a gorgeous clear day, but oh, that wind!? I sat in the car and knocked out 10 contacts. Finally, I activated Onaway State Park on Black Lake in Michigan.? Michigan may not have as many inland lakes as Minnesota, but there are thousands of them.? I was really surprised to see that the park had not been activated in 18 months!? Judging from the history of the parks I activated, Michigan POTA-ists seem to be somewhat less active than we are here in Virginia.? I monitored both .520 and .580 in the car and never heard anyone, POTA or SOTA.? I called CQ on both frequencies from each park and never got a response.? Michigan has a fantastic state park system, and I was surprised there wasn't more activity. We pulled off in east-central Ohio on the way home for the eclipse.? There was a nice park in this little town with about a hundred locals gathered for the event.? I pulled out my HF gear one more time to participate in the run by the HamSci organization.? I wasn't worried about making contacts since this was my first total eclipse, but I contributed to the din on 20m that the scientists will use to study propagation during the eclipse.? Mostly, though, I just enjoyed the almost 4 minutes of totality.? Amazing! Great trip, all around.? The family had fun and I activated my first two states besides Virginia.? Yippee! -- 73, Mike KQ9P |
Mike KQ9P
Eric Fadely (KN4UDL)