POTA Activation Report

Sunday 14 September 2026 evening, we had yet another great time in the field.

I know, I know… I didn’t let anyone know about the activation. My apologies! It was kind of up in the air whether I was going to be able to make it or not. But, nevertheless, W4TBH and I were able to get together late that afternoon/evening and knock out a couple of activations at US-2543 Lake Lowndes State Park.

As usual, there was plenty of radio work going on, along with some great conversations about antenna theory, location setup, and all the other interesting aspects of amateur radio that seem to come up whenever two hams get together in the field.

As always, anyone and everyone is welcome to join us when we head out activating! Right now, we’re typically shooting for Sunday afternoons/evenings because, well… Mississippi. The heat has made earlier operations a little less appealing. Hopefully, fall will bring some cooler weather, and we can start getting out earlier in the day.

Just as an FYI, I’ll be out of town this coming Sunday, so I won’t be able to POTA. 😢

I hope everyone is doing well. Until next time, Get Outside, Get On the Air, Get in the Park—but most importantly, HAVE FUN and Keep it Simple!!

73!

KF5WZD

POST ACTIVATION REPORT

Another Fun Day in the Park

Wow! What a great time yesterday!

The weather delayed our start a bit, but once things settled down, it turned into a wonderful day at the park. As is often the case with outdoor radio, the weather had its own plans—we simply had to negotiate with it a little.

One of the highlights of the day was getting the opportunity to introduce a new Ham prospect to a little HF operation, POTA activations, and digital FT8. It was great to share some of what makes this hobby so much fun, and by the end of the day, I think they may have been just a little more interested in getting on the air themselves.

Despite the late start, I was still able to make contacts throughout the United States, along with several contacts into Canada. The final tally came to 54 contacts. Not the largest activation I’ve ever had, but certainly enough to keep the radio busy and make the day worthwhile. After all, sometimes the number in the logbook isn’t the most important part of the day.

I especially enjoyed getting to meet Russell Martin and his son, Blake. One of the highlights for Blake was getting the opportunity to make a contact under my call sign with W1AW/0 out of Colorado. Needless to say, he thought that was pretty cool—and honestly, I can’t blame him!

It was great spending some time with both of them, and I hope we get to hear them both on the air sometime in the near future.

As always, POTA is about more than just making contacts. It’s about getting outside, enjoying the radio, meeting good people, and occasionally remembering to look up from the waterfall and appreciate where you are.

Until next time, keep your ears open for that CQ, get outside, and enjoy the radio!

73,

KF5WZD

“It’s not always about the contacts. Most of the memories are made with the people around you, and the views beyond the antenna!”