On Sunday, July 24, 2024, several members of the ACARA met at Bulldog Shelter within Strouds Run State Park to perform a club Parks on the Air (POTA) activation of Strouds Run State Park, US-1994, using the club’s callsign, W8UKE.
Several members and guests participated in the operation:
Jeramy Duncan, KC8QDQ
Kirk Groeneveld, KC8JRV
John McCutcheon, N8XWO
Drew McDaniel, W8MHV
Eric McFadden, WD8RIF
Miles McFadden, KD8KNC
Tony Peric, KE8VFA
Daniel Post
Rich Post, KB8TAD
Paul Schulz, WD8SCV
Josh Senefeld, N8VXR
Heidi Touth
Len Touth, W8VQ
The station consisted of the club’s Elecraft K3 transceiver for CW and SSB operations; an ICOM IC-7300 provided by Paul Schulz, WD8SCV, for digital-mode FT8 operations; a Chameleon EMCOM III end-fed wire antenna donated to the club by Eric McFadden, WD8RIF: a Wolf River Coils vertical antenna provided by Josh Senefeld, N8VXR; and LiFePO4 batteries provided by Eric and Josh.
Set-up began at 10 o’clock Sunday morning and the Chameleon EMCOM III wire antenna was deployed as an inverted-vee supported on Eric’s military mast. Josh deployed his Wolf River Coils 17′ vertical and window-screen counterpoise system. The K3 was hooked up, and Josh began an impressive run operating SSB on 20 and 40 meters.
After Josh completed his first run, Len and Eric took turns at the rig to make a few CW QSOs before Josh returned for a second run on SSB. Finally, Paul set up his IC-7300 and he and Josh configured the N1MM Logger+ and WSJT software to work together and Paul and Tony made two dozen QSOs on 20m using the digital mode FT8.
In total, the operators made 107 QSOs operating as W8UKE.
Because the QSOs were made using the club’s callsign, W8UKE, and since more than ten QSOs were made, the club earned credit for a valid POTA activation of Strouds Run State Park. This was the ACARA’s seventh activation of Strouds Run State Park.
Because the logging software captures the callsign of the operator who makes each QSO, those operators who made ten or more QSOs also received credit for valid activations of Strouds Run State Park. Specifically, Tony, Josh, and Paul each achieved individual valid activations of the park. This was Tony’s first-ever POTA activation, Josh’s twenty-third activation of Strouds Run State Park, and Paul’s thirteenth activation of Strouds Run State Park. (Eric also achieved a valid activation of Strouds Run State Park, his 105th valid activation of the park, but he chose to do so using his own callsign and his own station so that those operating as W8UKE would be able to work the same stations without the QSO being considered a DUPE within POTA.)
