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!”

After Activation Report

After the Activation: Two Parks, 43 QSOs & a Great Weekend of Radio

I hope everyone has had a great week. I apologize for getting this out so late after the POTA activation. I have had a busy week myself, mostly trying to stay cool from this heat! 😊

Well, another POTA weekend is in the books, and this one turned out to be a pretty good one.

This weekend, I decided to activate two parks: Trim Cane and Lake Lowndes. The plan was to get out, enjoy some time on the radio, and hopefully put a few contacts in the logs. As usual, things didn’t go exactly according to plan—but that’s part of the fun.

Trim Cane

The first activation was at Trim Cane. I made 14 contacts there—13 on SSB and one on FT8.

The activation got off to a pretty good start, and I was able to work several stations without too much trouble. One of the highlights was getting to work Robert, KJ5QGY, and Robert, KD5FRY.

I also made contact with Paul, W4TBH, who happened to be operating from a location that made for a pretty interesting contact.

FT8 was something I wanted to experiment with during this activation, and it was definitely a different experience from sitting there calling CQ and working stations one at a time on SSB. Once I got everything going, the digital side of things started doing its thing, and the contacts began rolling into the log.

It was a good reminder that there is more than one way to enjoy this hobby.

Lake Lowndes

The second activation was Lake Lowndes, and this one was a little more interesting.

I activated the park twice on 20 meters. Between the two activations, I made 29 contacts.

I had originally hoped to get some time on 40 meters as well, but the band was pretty well covered up. I also didn’t get a chance to spend much time on 15 meters.

The noise level was another challenge. There were times when the noise made things difficult, but I was still able to pull out quite a few stations.

One of the things I really enjoy about POTA is that you never really know who is going to answer when you throw out a CQ. During this activation, I was able to make contacts reaching as far as Canada and Mexico.

That’s one of the things that keeps this hobby interesting. You can be sitting in a park in Mississippi with a fairly simple portable setup, and a few minutes later you’re talking to someone hundreds—or even thousands—of miles away.

Lessons Learned

One thing this activation really drove home for me was just how important antenna placement can be.

The antenna may be the most important part of the whole setup, and getting it into a good position can make a noticeable difference. I’m still learning what works best in different locations, and every activation seems to teach me something new.

That’s another thing I like about POTA. You’re not just making contacts—you’re learning how to operate better.

And sometimes, you’re learning because the plan you had in your head doesn’t quite survive contact with reality. 😂

The Numbers

When everything was said and done, I ended up with:

Trim Cane: 14 QSOs
Lake Lowndes: 29 QSOs
Total: 43 QSOs

Not a bad weekend at all.

More importantly, I had a good time doing it. I got to operate from a couple of great locations, experiment with different modes, make some new contacts, and learn a little more about portable operations.

And that’s really what it’s all about for me.

It’s not always about how many contacts you make. Sometimes it’s about the people, the place, the equipment, and everything you learn along the way.

Until the next activation, keep the antennas up, keep the radios on, and hopefully I’ll hear you out there.

73,
KF5WZD

“It’s not always about the contacts. Sometimes it’s about the people, the place, and the view beyond the antenna.”

ETO EXCERCISE

General Message
TO: EMECT
FROM: YVETTE AE5MI
SUBJ: ETO ICS-213 EXERCISE
DATE: 2026-08-31
TIME: 0634L
MESSAGE:
The EmComm Training Organization (ETO) Winlink Exercise for this week: ICS-213 Exercise Instructions https://emcomm-training.org/ETO%20Exercise%20Instructions%20for%20Thursday,%202026-09-03.pdf Please try to participate. Mississippi has 1-3 participants each week. I have learned alot from these exercises and encourage you to participate.

ICS-213 Exercise Instructions