On Saturday, September 6, 2025, members of ACARA participated in the 18th annual PCARS “Ohio State Parks on the Air” (OSPOTA, https://parksontheair.com/), activating Strouds Run State Park at the Bulldog Shelter and operating under the club’s callsign, W8UKE.
Participants:
Bob Curtis, KD8FRQ
John McCutcheon, N8XWO
Drew McDaniel, W8MHV
Eric McFadden, WD8RIF
Miles McFadden, KD8KNC
Vickie McFadden, KC8MAJ
Heidi Touth
Len Touth, W8VQ
The station consisted of the club’s Elecraft K3 transceiver, Eric’s Elecraft KX3 transceiver, an Astron linear power supply, an 80m/40m fan dipole, the club’s Chameleon EMCOMM III portable wire antenna, and a logging computer and 2kW inverter-generator provided by Eric.
Four members made QSOs. John McCutcheon, N8XWO, made eleven SSB QSOs. Bob Curtis, KD8FRQ, made two SSB QSOs. Len Touth, W8VQ, made seventeen CW QSOs; he operated the KX3 because his preferred CW paddle couldn’t be used with the K3 because of an incompatible connector size. Eric McFadden, WD8RIF, made two SSB QSOs and forty-five CW QSOs. Drew McDaniel, W8MHV, wasn’t able to stay long enough to make any QSOs, but he provided immeasurable help with the setup of the fan dipole.
As had been the experienced during this event last year, band conditions were rough . Only one QSO was made on 80m, and 40m wasn’t as busy as had been expected. This may have been the result of elevated solar numbers leading to absorption of daytime signals on the lower frequencies.
In all, the four members made a total of seventy-seven QSOs, and worked stations located at seventeen Ohio State Parks, making a calculated score of 1,386 points.
This year, the club hosted a real potluck beginning at 5 o’clock and good food was shared by those who attended.
As a bonus, the event log was submitted to Parks on the Air (POTA, https://parksontheair.com/) and the club, Len, and Eric all received credit for valid POTA activations.
