After Activation US-2543 Lake Lowndes State Park

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as I did! I was able to get out to Lake Lowndes, get set up, and get on the air—and that made the weekend that much sweeter!

Paul, W4TBH, came through again, and we had a great time discussing antennas, FT8, and all things ham radio. I was able to activate the park twice on 20 meters, which was a little challenging with all the noise I was dealing with. There were several stations I worked that were WAY down in the weeds, but I was still able to pull them out and make some solid QSOs.

Between the two activations, I ended up with a combined 25 QSOs, so I was pretty happy with the results considering the conditions.

40 meters was so covered up that I didn’t even attempt to find an open frequency. I did, however, make a few Park-to-Park contacts while scrolling through the frequencies. 15 meters was on my list to try, but I never got around to it. Maybe next time!

Now, KF5WZD, you said in your last post that you were going to try FT8… How’d that go???

NOT WELL! 😂

I’m still learning the FT8 game, along with WSJT-X, GridTracker, and all the other pieces that go along with it. I made several attempts to get some contacts going, but I believe the computer just wasn’t happy with some of my settings. I could hear several local operators on the air, but I just couldn’t get the computer to talk to them.

Not to worry, though—I plan to get this figured out! Hopefully before I head back out for another POTA activation. 😎

While I was set up, several disc golfers came through and were curious about what I was doing. I explained Amateur Radio to them and talked about some of the things we can use it for. Several seemed pretty interested.

One guy even asked if I worked for a three-letter agency… LOL!

I told him, “Ha! No, no three-letter agencies working out of a state park right now!” 😂

We had a good conversation about ham radio, what we do, and how useful the hobby can be. After they left, I got back on the radio and made a few more contacts before the gnats and mosquitoes decided it was time for me to pack it up and head home!

I sincerely hope everyone is doing well and managing to stay cool during this heat wave. Hopefully, we’ll get some cooler weather soon!

I hope to hear you on the radio or see you at the next POTA site!

And if you have a particular POTA park you need for your Hunters Log, let me know which one. Within reason… 😁 I’ll try to get out there, set up, and activate it!

I’ll also attach a map of my contacts from the other program so you can see where some of those QSOs were coming from.

Stay safe, everyone, and 73! 📻

KF5WZD

POTA Activation

Good morning fellow Hams!

I know it’s a short notice but I am planning another POTA activation this afternoon/ evening 16AUG2026 starting setup around 1600 local time. I will be at Lake Lowndes US-2543. I hope to work 15, 20, and 40 meters SSB and FT8. We will see if the bands are open or not! If you’re in the area and want to stop by, come on out. I’ll be monitoring the 146 repeater as well. Hope to hear you on the air!

73s,
KF5WZD

After Activation

POTA Activation at Columbus Lake

On August 9, 2026, I headed out to Columbus Lake for a POTA activation. I had hoped to get started around 1500 local time, but circumstances at my QTH kept me busy a little longer than expected. I finally arrived at the lake around 1630—and was pleasantly surprised to find fellow local ham W4TBH, Paul, already waiting for me.

I chose Columbus Lake simply because it was one of the local parks I had not activated yet. Sometimes the best reason to activate a park is simply to get out there and put it on the air!

The Setup

The station setup was pretty simple: a 20-meter and 40-meter dipole, along with my Yaesu 450D. Paul also let me spend some time operating his Yaesu 891, and I have to say… I liked it enough that I may now be required by FCC regulations—or at least by my own curiosity—to go buy one! 😄

Thanks, Paul!

On the Air

The 20-meter band was open nicely, and I was able to put 27 contacts in the log across two separate activations. 40 meters was also open, but congestion made it difficult to find a clear frequency where we could comfortably operate POTA.

Even with the challenges on 40 meters, it was great to get on the air, make some contacts, and enjoy being outside with a radio.

Activation Highlights

One of the best parts of the afternoon wasn’t actually in the logbook. Several people enjoying the park stopped by and asked, “What are y’all up to?”

That gave us a great opportunity to explain amateur radio, POTA, and what we were doing. It’s always rewarding when a simple radio setup in a public place turns into a conversation about our hobby.

And having Paul join me made the activation even better. It was great meeting another local ham, getting to know each other, sharing ham radio experiences, and just spending some time “playing radio.”

Overall, it was a great afternoon at Columbus Lake, and I’m looking forward to getting back out for another activation soon. Hopefully, the next one will include even more local hams joining in!

Until next time,

73’sKF5WZD