The outdoor amateur radio adventures documented in this blog so far have taken place entirely within my home state of California. Recently, I took off by car to visit family in Washington state. This wasnβt really a POTA oriented vacation trip but if I played my cards right there might be some time to activate parks in both Oregon and Washington.
Studying the POTA map, I found Row River National Recreation TrailUS-10009 not far off I-5 near Cottage Grove, Oregon, about an hours drive north from where we had stopped the first night.
Row River Trail is a BLM unit maintained with help from the Army Corps of Engineers that offers miles of level recreation trail along the shores of Dorena Lake.
Row River feeds into Dorena Lake at the east end and continues past the dam at the west end of the lake.
For radio accessory management Iβve been testing out a new toolbox solution from Harbor Freight. The lid includes a clear plastic cover that snaps closed over several compartments in which you can store adapters, antenna bits, patch cords etc.
An inside tray holds coax and antenna wires, while the main box can be used for bulkier items, like spare LiFePO4 battery backs, arborist throw kit and such. The main box plastic is a little thin, which makes it a challenge to get the lid to align and snap closed properly, but then again it was 12 bucks at Harbor Freight.
It turns out I drove farther up the road past Dorena Lake than was necessary and where I ended up activating from actually had some overhead power lines cutting through the trees not far from the picnic table that had sun.
I definitely needed to keep my antenna and lines well clear of these wires and I hoped they wouldnβt be a source of noise.
I deployed a 20 meter EFHW on a Sparkplug Gear 64:1 unun, an antenna system I hadnβt used in quite a while. Although I had scheduled the activation from the hotel earlier in the morning, I used SotamΔt via the Garmin InReach Mini to make my spot certain as there was no cell service in the canyon.
The springtime morning in the Oregon countryside was bright blue with temperatures is the 70s. I can imagine it getting really toasty here in the summertime.
After about an hour, Iβd logged 10 contacts needed for a complete activation. One of the challenges a QRPer faces when doing POTA midmorning on a weekday is the relative lack of hunters. Youβre out playing radio while everyone else is at work!
Since we were βon the roadβ we didnβt linger any longer than necessary. Besides, it was well past time for my first Dutch Bros coffee of the day!
While I very much wanted to get an activation from Dash Point State Park on the shores of Puget Sound, my family and travel schedule simply did not leave enough time.
On the return trip, back in California, I again pulled off I-5, this time at Castle Creek Drive going southbound just past Dunsmuir. Castle Crags State ParkUS-1135 is easily accessed from this exit.
To get a little bit of elevation I drove through the park to the vista point parking area. However the crags themselves are not visible from here, you need to hike out a trail for another 1/4 mile to catch a view of them.
I wasnβt in the mood to carry my radio kit to the viewing area and since both my traveling companion and myself were a bit under the weather, I went for an expedited setup on the nearest picnic table.
Being relatively close to the highway still, I had adequate cell service so the Garmin InReach was just used as a real time clock while I logged 10 QSOs split between 15m and 20m.
Again, once the 10 contact minimum was achieved, I went QRT and we get back on the road for the final several hours drive back to home in San Francisco. I hope to get back to Washington later this summer with a better possibility of picking up a POTA activation while there.
It is not uncommon for California to experience a spell of warm weather in late January or February with temperatures rising into the mid-60s Β°F. This typically occurs when high barometric pressure builds over the eastern Pacific and into the Pacific Northwest, causing an offshore wind flow over California.
With the warm temperatures came a wonderful display of altocumulus clouds throughout the day. In fact, the real reason this activation gets a blog post is to show some pictures of the pretty clouds!
Enough about the weather, letβs talk radio. The FT-818 has been getting a lot of use recently. While it does lack a built-in antenna βtunerβ and CW message memory, itβs the closest I have to a shack-in-a-box. And, itβs the only portable HF radio I presently have that goes above 20 meters.
Collapsing the lower three and a half sections of the MFJ-1979 telescoping whip, I am able to get a good match on 15 meters, which is where I started this activation. By operating on 21MHz late in the day, my hope was to get some Pacific-rim DX as well as the more likely stateside QSOs. The strategy paid off with three Japanese stations responding to my CQ POTA calls. Sigs werenβt strong, but with some persistence we were able to complete the required exchange of callsigns.
Next, I tuned the radio to 20 meters and fully extended the whip antenna for a one-to-one match. The N0NBH space weather report on qrz.com showed the geomagnetic field to be in βunsettledβ territory and QRN on 14 megahertz was getting up to S5. Nevertheless, propagation was still quite good with calls from all over the USA, Canada and Alaska.
With the sun dipping below the western bluffs of the Presidio of San Francisco, I sent a final QRT after one last call from N4GO in Kentucky. El NiΓ±o winters can bring a mixed bag of interesting weather to Northern California and todayβs βt-shirtβ weather was perfect for getting out for a little outdoor amateur radio.
Itβs late December and one of a series of winter storms is driving into northern and central California. The previous day, my plans for a combined Summits On The Air and Parks On The Air activation fell apart due to weather. Today most of the UTC day had passed with only light drizzle, and itching to get on the air, I hatched a plan for an activation at my nearby park reference K-7889, the Presidio of San Francisco.
Typically when activating at this park from the βEast Beachβ area, I will back into a parking space, setup the radio on the trunk lid and run the coax a short distance to a 17 foot vertical telescoping whip antenna which is clamped to a short steel post.
Today however, I chose to operate from inside the vehicle so both myself and the radio equipment would stay dry. Not wanting to leave the coax unsupervised where someone could trip over it, I deployed the Gabil GRA-7350T antenna with a triple mag-mount on the roof of the car.
The CW Morse paddles mounted to a steel clipboard on the center console.
The GRA antenna is a short, loaded vertical with the whip portion maxing out at about 8 feet in length. It works well on 20 meters, but itβs less of a compromise on higher frequencies. On 18 MHz, only a small amount of the loading coil is needed to achieve an acceptable SWR, so with the bands in pretty good shape I brought the Yaesu FT-818 so I could get on 17 meters.
There werenβt many spots for 17m on the POTA web site, but I posted my spot anyway and started calling CQ. It wasnβt long before KX0Y responded, followed by more hunters from across North America and Alaska. The Golden Gate Bridge was visible from my vantage point at the start of the activation, but as the rain intensified the bridge became enshrouded by the incoming weather front.
With 00 UTC approaching, the rain now coming down harder, and 13 QSOs in the log I called QRT. Rather than carefully stowing the antenna and mag-mount, I simply broke it down as quickly as possible and tossed it all the back seat since I would have to bring it inside to dry anyway.
The following equipment was used in this activation:
The weather in San Francisco on Christmas Day 2023 was partly cloudy and dry, with mild temperatures in the upper 50s. Additionally, the space βweatherβ numbers did not contraindicate the likelihood of success for a low power radio activation.
It took 67 individual activations averaging about 15 QSOs each, over a span of a year and a half to reach the 1000 QSO mark. The βKiloβ was a 5 watt CW contact on 20 meters with KB3A in Alabama. The station on my end was the Yaesu FT-818 running to a resonant quarter-wave vertical antenna.
My thanks to the all hunters that responded to my low powered βCQ POTAβ calls over these past 18 months, including many βregularsβ such as Paul KJ7DT, Mike N7WPO, Jim WB0RLJ (p2p), Mike AL7KC, and Steve KG5CIK.
Californiaβs coast features many dozens of POTA references that are easily accessed right off U.S. Highway 1. The centerpiece of todayβs POTA plan was activation of Pigeon Point Lighthouse State Historic Park, additionally there are several nearby State Beaches that could make for a nice coastal rove.
Driving southbound and making right turns into State Beach parking lots is easier than trying to turn left, crossing the busy highway. For me, this meant activating my βsecondaryβ beaches before getting to the main event at the Pigeon Point lighthouse.
The first stop was at Pomponio State Beach, which is a short distance south of San Gregorio SB which I activated back in July. Today, the day after Thanksgiving, the beach was pretty quiet, although the ranger kiosk was open and charging the $8 day-use parking fee. Fortunately, the California βPoppyβ pass gives access to many of the state beaches, including Pomponio.
Wanting to stay out of other visitorsβ way, I chose to activate from an unused picnic area farthest from the beach, between the parking lot and the road. The traffic noise from the highway is loud, but nothing a pair of earbuds canβt handle.
The 17 foot telescoping whip antenna was clamped to a barbecue grill and extended fully. I meant to start on 20 meters, but for whatever reason I couldnβt get a low SWR with todayβs setup. I didnβt bring a tuner and adjusting the radials wasnβt helping, so I shortened the whip by a couple of segments and got a good match on 18 MHz.
There is no cell service at this location so a Garmin inReach message to sotamat got me spotted. The 17 meter band was hopping today and the activation was complete in about 20 minutes, which is fast for a QRP CW activation from a California coastal location.
With Pomponio in the log book, it was time to continue south toward Pigeon Point. There are places along Highway 1 where single lane traffic controls are in place for construction work, although only the stoplights were working today, not the road crews. The long red light afforded an opportunity to snap a picture of the waterfowl on Pescadero Marsh.
Pescadero Marsh along the Cabrillo Highway
The next stop is Bean Hollow, a picturesque beach on a small bay shaped like, a bean. There is much less parking available here than at the other beaches, so the lot was full when I arrived. Fortunately, just as I went once around the lot, a car was pulling out so I was able to snag a spot.
There are actually two beaches on either side of a low rock outcrop. A picnic table was available above the outcrop so thatβs where I setup the FT-818 once again.
My first POTA QSO on 12 meters.
This location offered nothing in the way of antenna supports, at least none that I was comfortable using. So I turned to the GRA-3750T on a tripod set in the ice plant with three radials outstretched.
I was hoping to get more contacts on 17 meters but couldnβt find the match with the loading coil. This antenna provides an easy match on 15 meters though, so I set it there and sent out another sotamat spot on the InReach mini.
This activation was substantially harder to come by. It took nearly two hours but I was eventually able to gather the ten contacts needed, plus one for βinsurance.β
Because the Bean Hollow activation took so long to complete, enough of afternoon was consumed that the Pigeon Point Lighthouse activation was now off the table. I hope to activate AΓ±o Nuevo before the end of the year, maybe I can get Pigeon Point at that time.
This activation took my XYL and myself on a Saturday drive from chilly San Francisco to the lazy autumn warmth of Sonoma county and Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park (K-3531).
Our visit started with a little reconnaissance of the siteβs historic adobe building and grounds across Adobe Creek and up a low hill from the parking lot. This site was the heart of General Mariano Vallejoβs ranch operations prior to California statehood.
There are a variety of engaging indoor exhibits and recreated displays showing the life of early California, as well as working exhibits of some of the activities that took place at the adobe.
Grain mill and storeroom.
After getting our fill of history, we walked back to the picnic area to see if we could complete a Parks On The Air activation from this location.
I suspect that on weekdays the picnic tables would be filled with youngsters on field trips from nearby schools, but today we had the whole place to ourselves.
We had our pick of tables from which to activate.
Sometimes my crusty old phone will just refuse to take a picture, such was the case when I attempted to document the antenna setup. So, please picture in your mind a 17 foot telescopic whip antenna sitting atop a tripod with six radial wires spread out on a soft carpet of autumn leaves.
The ground was covered in fall leaves.
For the radio, it was a tossup between the Yaesu FT-818 and the Mountaintopper MTR-4B. The Yeasu won today since the vast majority of my other activations have been with the Mountaintopper recently.
Here, at the eastern edge of Petaluma, there was just enough cellular signal to spot myself on the POTA web app before I started calling CQ on 14.061 MHz.
The first station to respond was NN9K from Illinois. The calls came fairly steady for the next 20 minutes before tapering off after working K6EL, a well known local SOTA man. I had the needed QSOs for a complete activation so I sent QRT and secured the station.
Both my companion and I were feeling a bit peckish so we took highway 116 east, around the southern end of Sonoma Mountain to get lunch in the town of Sonoma.
βbut right now, itβs Cheeseburger Time!β
Iβd left open the possibility of a second activation from General Vallejoβs domain at Sonoma State Historic Park, but after our late lunch we opted for an afternoon drive through the Sonoma valley wine country before heading back down highway 101 to San Francisco.
Next time, Sonoma SHP.
Activating Sonoma SHP (K-3570) will have to wait for another day. Besides, itβs a great excuse to come back to this beautiful part of the Bay Area.
I leave you with several more photos from around Petaluma Adobe SHP.
I suspect the signage is not original Outdoor cooking over wood fires.One of several old adobe ovens.Beeswax candles.The two story adobe once enclosed the whole courtyard.
The weekend of October 21-22, is the autumn Support Your Parks Weekend for Parks On The Air (POTA) and I fully intended to participate. The plan was to go up on Mt. Tamalpais (K-1178) and activate from one of the picnic tables near the East peak parking lot.
Early Morning By San Francisco Bay
Early Saturday morning I had noted that the Space Weather Woman on YouTube was reporting on Earth directed CMEs, uh oh! Checking the propagation numbers showed sunspots at 129 and geomagnetic field of βunsettledβ β not great.
The activation would last as long as the coffee did.
I thought it prudent to head out early to the Presidio (K-7889) and see if I could bag the park as βinsuranceβ in case Mt. Tam failed to yield a complete activation.
Golden Gate glowing in the morning sun.
The POTA application website showed plenty of spots on 20 meters, but the band was not exactly hopping here on the west coast. It took a lot of calling just to get the first QSO in the log.
QSOs from the Presidio of SF on SYP Autumn 2023
QSO number 10 made it into the log just as the coffee ran out. Time to pack it up and go get ready to try activating Mt. Tam.
Driving through southern Marin, we could see that Mt. Tamalpais was shrouded in clouds. And heading up the mountainβs flanks we encountered colder temperatures and some drizzle. This was looking dicey.
The weather at the top of the mountain wasnβt nearly as forbidding as it looked from below. In fact, there were patches of blue and when the sun broke through, it was downright hot.
FT-818 on a bench with the antenna clamped to the leg.
My plan was to use the jaw mount to secure the antenna but the steel tube fence railing was too thick and the clamp wouldnβt hold. I had other antennas with me, but for the situation, the quarter wave 20 meter vertical was really the best option. I clamped the antenna to the leg of the operating bench with counterpoise wires deployed to bring the SWR down a bit.
QSOs from Mt. Tamalpais K-1178
This activation had a similar character to the early morning outing, lots of calling CQ POTA and mainly close in contacts. The one coast-to-coast contact had an RST of 119, barely perceptible, but Iβm confident we got it done.
A beautiful sunny day on the other side of the mountain.
Despite the poor conditions, a little persistence yielded two completed QRP activations for the Autumn 2023 Support Your Parks weekend.
Back in July of 2022 I got skunked attempting a POTA activation of the Point Reyes National Seashore netting only four QSOs from the Bear Valley picnic area. Like MacArthur, I vowed to return and finish the job of completing an activation from this national park.
The plan for today was to first hit the Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park (K-3470) then to head south and to the other side of Tomales Bay to activate Pt. Reyes National Seashore (K-0651) from Bear Valley where I had unfinished business.
Looking south across Tomales Bay from Marconiβs Tower Hill
The Marconi Conference Center is a state park unit that was originally the location of the Marconi Companyβs KPH receiving station. The state park brochure details the radio action as well as other odd activities to take place at this location.
Marconiβs antenna site noted on the state parks map
At Marconi it seemed only fitting to operate from the old antenna site atop Tower Hill. A little satellite reconnaissance ahead of time seemed to show a nice open hilltop area with what looked like some picnic tables.
Itβs a steep but short trail from parking to the old antenna site.
Climbing the hill I was a little disappointed to see a large white βparty tentβ had been set up for some sort of occasion. But there were no people around and the picnic tables were all arranged behind the tent.
With no wind, the 17 ft telescoping whip easily remained upright.
With plenty of antenna options at my disposal, I settled on the 17 ft whip set atop the GRA-ULT01 tripod. Fully extended, this antenna is a quarter wave on 20 meters. It took all six 17 foot radials to get the SWR to a minimum.
One of the old concrete footings for guy wire attachments to Marconiβs tower.
About 45 minutes of operating netted the 10 QSOs needed for a complete activation. I pulled down the antenna, tipped my hat to OM Marconi, and was off to the next park.
Original tower base?
Not wanting to struggle with possibly poor connectivity at Bear Valley, I stopped in Point Reyes Station and scheduled my next activation so the POTA application would automatically spot me after hearing my CQ calls reported by the RBN.
Pro tip: grab a sandwich at the deli in the back of the Palace Market in Point Reyes Station so you are properly fed for the second half of your POTA day.
Sun getting low at the Bear Valley Visitor Center.
The San Andreas fault that runs through California heads offshore at Point Reyes and one of the interpretive paths at Bear Valley shows historical evidence of the violent ground movement that accompanied the 1906 earthquake that destroyed San Francisco.
While plenty of options were available, this second activation of the day was accomplished with the same radio, the Yaesu FT-818, and vertical antenna used for my earlier operations at Marconi. The steel base for the CW Morse paddles came in handy to hold the key firmly on this concrete picnic table.
Contacts from across North America.
With about an hour of working on 20 meters, including some breaks to explain ham radio and Park On The Air to curious passers by, I had 12 QSOs in the log. This was enough for a valid activation, I had settled the score with Pt. Reyes!
The farm stand works on the honor system.
Even though it is autumn there are still plenty of summer vegetables available from local farms. The journey home included a stop at the farm stand for Little Wing Farm where I purchased several squashes and a bag of San Marzano variety tomatoes.
The rig of choice for this eveningβs POTA activation attempt was the trusty Yaesu FT-818, powered from a external 6ah lithium ion battery pack. Originally, my plan was to try picking up some QSOs on the higher bands from 17 meters to 10 meters and the Yaesu is the only portable radio I own that covers above 14 MHz.
The trunk lid makes a good base for the magnetic CW paddles.
Normally I use a little PicoKeyer when operating with the β818 because it has no CW message memory feature, but this evening I didnβt want to deal with the extra gadget and associated wires. The paddles were plugged directly into the radio and I used the radioβs built-in keyer set to 20 wpm.
A beautiful Autumn sunset beyond the Golden Gate.
As it turns out, sending CQ βby handβ was not fatiguing at all because the calls came quickly. After spotting on pota.app, one call of CQ POTA was enough to bring the first contact, WB7DND in Oregon.
Quarter wave vertical antenna on 20 meters.
Calls kept coming at a fairly steady pace, covering nearly all regions of the Lower 48, plus Canada and Alaska. In about an hour of on-air time, a total of 30 stations made it into the log, including lots of familiar call signs as well as plenty of βnew to meβ hunters.
Let the dead rest. Now several weeks out from being the #1 ham radio news story, the Yaesu FT-818/817 product sunset has faded from attention. Anyone not already on the Yaesu platform will have to seek QRP alternatives. Most hams were surprised, some were disappointed, and some were strangelyβ¦glad? One... Read more Β»
The news wasnβt shocking. One would have to be living deep in a cave not to have heard the news. Just before the new year, seemingly out of nowhere, Yaesu announced that it was discontinuing the venerated FT-817 & FT-818 radio. Although the news came as a surprise, anyone with... Read more Β»
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