This was my first POTA activation of the year. The weather was about 4 °C (37 °F). This time I had 51 QSOs in 5 different time zones on 3 bands. Thanks to VE1SK in Halifax, Nova Scotia for helping me to get into the Atlantic Time Zone.
K-3064 with a snow-covered Lewiston Peak in the background. The snow at this QTH had just melted a few days previously and the ground was pretty muddy. I even had a C-130 flyover as part of the activation.
Five years ago, I received my initial amateur radio license. At the start, I thought it would be a good way to have communications in remote places such as the Wasatch Plateau. I also thought I would enjoy making contact on HF via CW (morse code). Well, my morse code abilities still haven’t got me a contact yet, and I have only have used a radio on the Wasatch Plateau a few times, the hobby has been rewarding. It has gotten me out of the house and into a more active lifestyle. It has even gotten me to start trail running. Besides, I have met some of the best people from many places via ham radio. I would recommend this hobby to anybody.
My employer gave us a day of self-care. My self-care included some radio therapy. I went out to Camp Floyd and did some POTA activating. I had over 60 contacts on the 40, 20, 17 and 2 meter bands. The 17 meter band was rather open and quiet. I did some good work there. I had a contact with CU3HY in the Azores. My 2 meter contact was with W0KP in Layton, Utah at a distance of 90 km (56 miles).
This time I took my two boys and one of my grandsons with me. They had fun in the near springtime weather. I made 49 QSOs on 3 bands. Four of these were with K7JSG who was operating in a different part of the park which includes K-4578. I was also able to meet him in person.
I took a break off work and went to the 40 acre enclave of K-4398 in Highland. I made 26 contacts on 3 different bands. Most of my activating was on 17 meters. I had two contacts with adjacent counties to where my mom lives, Angelina and Sabine Counties, Texas. These had to make a 10° jump over Mount Timpanogos. I had coast to coast contacts plus two in Alaska and one in Puerto Rico.
Two views from the 40 acre enclave. The first picture shows Lone Peak and Box Elder Peak to the north. The second picture shows Mount Mahogany and Mount Timpanogos to the southeast. The vertical angle of Mount Timp is 10° from this location, and I have to go over it to reach most of Texas, yet I made 8 QSOs with the Lone Star State.
I had to make a quick trip to Los Angeles. I did activations at K-3563 Santa Monica State Beach and K-3462 Los Angeles State Historical Park. The one at Santa Monica was my first late shift activation. The Santa Monica activation was working well up the coast into Alaska and into Texas and the rest of 5-land, plus I had an 8 km (5 mi) contact with WB6MPH in Pacific Palisades. I made the 10 contacts and went QRT. For the Los Angeles activation, I worked mostly on 17 meters. I had several coast-to-coast contacts plus one Alaska.
Pictures from the Santa Monica State Beach and Los Angeles State Historical Park. I had trouble opening my radio case in Santa Monica due to it being sealed at my house at 86% atmosphere. I had to pry it with my multitool.
The 5th was the first time I checked my Winlink inbox via HF. The node was KD6OAT in Sandy, Utah over 80 meters. My first peer-to-peer messages were on the 8th with KB5HPT and NE8U in El Paso on the 40 meter band as part of the ARES Tuesday Winlink Exercise.
This was with K0SKK in Daly City, California. It was a distance of 970 km (603 mi) on the 40 meter band.
I did this same one exactly a month earlier with similar weather. It was my best time ever there. Most of the activation was on 20 meters. I had 55 QSOs to include Alaska, Hawaii, the Azores, the adjacent states of Arizona and New Mexico, and all three West Coast states. I also had a few on the East Coast. It was a nice combination of short and long skip. I had 2 two meter contacts. One of the two meter contacts was to 10600 S and I15 with K1RP which had to go over Suncrest. Plotting it on the map, it does go through Hog Hollow, but that still is a great demonstration of knife edge.
I came back for a second day, but with not much luck. I had the minimum 10 QSOs. I did make a park to park on 70 cm.
Thanks to the W5ES, the El Paso Amateur Radio Club for this. I did most of this between September of 2021 and March 2022. I had contacts on 20 and 40 meters as well as AllStar Link and Echolink. All of my contacts except for one were from American Fork. The one that wasn’t was part of a POTA activation from K-2249 by Glen’s Ferry, Idaho on 20 meters in October.
| Date | Call | Mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-22 | N6TOC | Echolink | |
| 2021-06-19 | W5BAG | SSB | |
| 2021-08-30 | AE5OJ | Allstar | |
| 2021-09-13 | WB5LJO | Allstar | |
| 2021-10-11 | WA5PGF | SSB | |
| 2021-10-25 | K1DPR | Allstar | |
| 2021-12-17 | WB8LBZ | Allstar | |
| 2021-12-21 | K9DHC | Allstar | |
| 2021-12-30 | AE1JW | Allstar | |
| 2022-01-04 | N9HUJ | Allstar | |
| 2022-01-11 | KI5GLT | Allstar | |
| 2022-01-25 | KC7UXM | Allstar | |
| 2022-02-01 | KD6CUB | Allstar | |
| 2022-02-09 | KB6JYF | Allstar | |
| 2022-03-08 | KB5HPT | VARA HF | |
| 2022-03-08 | NE8U | VARA HF |
I ran with my radio as part of the half marathon. I was part of the ham radio net. It took me 2:44 to finish the run.
At the end of running 21 km (13 mi) with a radio. Ham on the Run.
On Monday 4 April, I activated K-0465 Desert National Wildlife Refuge and K-0974 Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. While not doable as a two-fer, they border each other, so my QTHs were about 3 km (2 mi) from each other near Corn Creek, Nevada about 40 km (25 mi) NW of Las Vegas. Between the QTHs, I had 29 QSOs. My furthest was NP3T, José in Puerto Rico.
We took the rest of spring break around Kanab, Utah. I activated three parks, K-5988 Bunting Trail BLM Recreation Management Area, K-4430 Kaibab National Forest, and K-3065 Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The Kaibab location is in Arizona, but it is 30 minutes from Kanab, just west of Fredonia. The location I was at was the Le Fevre Overlook on US 89A at an elevation of 2090 meters (6850 feet) providing a nice view and a great takeoff angle for HF. K-5988 was on 7 April and the other two were on 8 April.
| Date | Park | State | Grid | Elevation | QSOs | Bands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr | K-0465 Desert National Wildlife Refuge | Nevada | DM26hk | 890 m (2920 ft) | 14 | 17 m, 20 m |
| 4 Apr | K-0974 Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument | Nevada | DM26hk | 900 m (2920 ft) | 15 | 17 m, 20 m |
| 7 Apr | K-5988 Bunting Trail BLM Recreation Management Area | Utah | DM37ra | 1530 m (5020 ft) | 38 | 20m, 40 m |
| 8 Apr | K-4430 Kaibab National Forest | Arizona | DM36ut | 2090 m (6860 ft) | 55 | 17 m, 20 m |
| 8 Apr | K-3065 Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park | Utah | DM37pa | 1790 m (5870 ft) | 36 | 20 m |
The QTH in the photo is from the second Nevada park, and it was quite windy. All QSOs were on 20 and 17 meters.
This is K-5988 on the southwest side of Kanab. I found a nice hilltop to set up on. Hauling my gear up there got me winded.
The setup for K-4430 Kaibab National Forest in Arizona from the Le Fevre Overlook about 30 km (20 mi) east of Fredonia, Arizona. The trees on the east side of US 89A are burnt while on the other they aren't showing the fire break the highway provided.
Fun at K-3065 Coral Pink Sand Dunes. There was no cell phone service there, so thanks to those who spotted me.
This time I made a quick stop on the way to help a friend with some antenna issues. I got 17 QSOs on SSB in half an hour.
For the Great Utah Stakeout this year, I set up portable at work (DN40ci) and sent three e-mails out via VARA HF. The node I used was in Worland, Wyoming (WY7M) at a distance of 515 km (320 mi).
Set up for the Great Utah Shakeout. The antenna was a 71 foot (22 meter) sloper going off into the trees to the right. The 9:1 balun is the red box by the tree.
I got asked to help out with this one after running the Emigration Canyon Half. I worked Aid Station K, the southern most aid station on the course at 4631 Holladay Blvd in Holladay (DN40cq) by City Hall Park. I was glad that I brought plenty of clothes, as we had rain, snow, sleet, hail and a few times when it stopped for a bit. I had two radios with me. My HT was a Woxun KG-UV8T. I also set up my Icom IC7100 with a J-Pole at a height of 12 feet (3.6 m).
Making the best of a cold wet situation. The j-pole is on the left side of the tent with the radio case inside. The HT was kept dry inside my jacket pocket (I had a couple of more layers underneath).
This was with K7SEM in Springfield, Oregon. It was a distance of 1026 km (638 mi) on the 20 meter band. Later that day, I had my fisrt FT8 DX contact with CO3LY in Tapaste, Mayabeque, Cuba (EL92) at a distance of 3354 km (2085 mi) on the 20 meter band.
This was a very noisy activation and I struggled to get 10 QSOs. The QRN was bad due to a solar flareup. I did mange to get 12 QSOs, all 20 meters SSB. Three of these were park-to-park from my favorite 40 acres at DN40ck.
We were on the way to Idaho Falls, when I stopped just south of Malad off I15 in Oneida County, Idaho (DN32vc). I discovered I forgot my vertical antenna, so I used my random wire antenna thrown up in a few trees. Just as the previous day, this one was a struggle due to solar QRN. I did get 11 QSOs (4 park-to-park). All but one were on 20 meters. The 40 meter one was a very clear QSO with a Denver station.
I went to Field Day again with Skyline Radio Club of Central Utah, K7BSK. The location is high above Ephraim, Sanpate County, Utah, DM49gh, at an elevation of 3130 meters (10270 ft) above sea level. It was great to see a lot of people I already knew and to meet ones I had heard on the air, but never met in person.
The night before Field Day, I activated K-4397, the Manti-La Sal National Forest. I did two activations from there, spanning 0:00 UTC. I had a total of 145 QSOs, mostly on 20 meters. I did my first POTA FT8 activation with 26 QSOs on 20, 30 and 40 meters. I also sent three e-mails via Winlink.
I posted the following on Facebook. This was also included in the Winlink e-mails.
ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June, more than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.
A picture of K1LOK’s shadow and his set up after a long round of POTA QSOs.
A shack and place to sleep in the back of the minivan.
The K7BSK field day site was at the ridge pictured here. The picture was taken from Haystack Mountain at an elevation of 3167 meters (10390 ft) at a distance of 2.7 km (1.7 mi), but a 6.5 km (4 mi) hike.
I did an activation here in the afternoon, then cam back for a late shift activation in the evening. I had some good pile ups in the late shift, as I operated for an hour with 80 QSOs. I had 23 QSOs in the day shift. Most were on 20 meters.
I was part of the first Laurel VEC testing session in the State of Utah serving as a VE. This was set up due the efforts of KI6OSS (Dave) and KJ7SNE (Shawn).
My Laurel VEC badge
This year I participated as a volunteer for the Moab 240 again. I worked as a amateur radio operator at the Indian Creek Aid Station on 7 and 8 October. I then helped with food at the Needles Aid Station on 8 and 9 October. On 9 October I went to the Geyser Pass Aid Station and helped with food until the morning of 10 October. On 10 October, I tested communications on a 24 km section of the course between Geyser Pass and the Pole Canyon Aid Station with a 40 lb (18 kg) pack on my back. It was a tiring 1160 m (3800 ft) climb and 1520 m (5000 ft) drop. I was using my HT and carried a bunch of extra stuff that I didn’t need. On the evening of 10 October, I went with the course sweeps to be there in case we needed communications. About 2 km (1 ¼ mi) in, we found one runner that needed to be guided out because he could not go anymore. I helped him back to the abandoned Pole Canyon site and used my HT to coordinate transportation for both of us. I made it back to HQ about 5:00 on the morning of 11 October.
I also took some time to do some POTA activations. They were all in Grand and San Juan Counties.
Indian Creek Aid Station (K-5807) with IC-7100 used for both POTA and emergency communications at aid station. The tent in the back is for food service for the runners.
View of Mount Peale and the La Sal Mountains after a rain storm. Pole Canyon is middle right; Geyser Pass is middle left up the mountain. I did not find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Set up for POTA contacts at the Geyser Peak Aid Station (K-4397) at an elevation of 9620 ft (2930 m). This was after a rain/sleet storm.
Map of route from Geyser (north) to Pole Canyon (south). The points are where communications were tested.
Elevation profile of the route. My testing took place from right to left.
I did an activation at K-0770, Chamizal National Monument. Before 1964, this was part of Mexico, even though the river flowed to the south of here. I made 26 QSOs, on 20 m, 17 m and a local one 2 m.
The pre-1964 border marking can be seen in the photo showing the front of the mini-van. The other photo is facing Cd Juarez.
It was the last nice weather afternoon we were supposed to have for a while, so I cam back to the 40-acre enclave in Highland, Utah (DN40ck) and did an activation after an absence of three and a half months. I had 26 QSOs on 20, 17, 15 and 2 meters.
I activated two parks this day. The first one was my suburban portion of K-4398 in Highland, Utah. I had 2 contacts on my 40 meter ham stick. Most of the rest were on 20 meters. I did have a few on 17, but I think there was some QRM coming from a nearby Halloween party.
The second activation was at night at K-5929 Flight Park State Recreation Area (DN40bk) between Lehi and Draper, Utah. I had 15 QSOs all on 40 meters and all using my ham stick. This was my first activation using just a ham stick.
I finally got a long distance contact on 6 meters. (And by UTC time, it was on 5 Nov) I had an FT8 contact with XE2JS (DL68, Chihuahua, Chih.) at a distance of 1402 km (871 mi).
My first long distance 6 meter contact
This was an activation done purely with ham sticks except for the 2-meter band. I had a total of 36 QSOs on 2 meter, 15 meters, 17 meters and 20 meters. The furthest contact was with CU3HY in the Azores (HM68) at a distance of about 6950 km (4300 mi). I also used the 40 m stick to check into the High Noon Net (distance to net control ~ 360 miles).
Looking south toward Mt. Nebo, West Mountain, the Tintics and Lake Mountain. One paraglider is taking off and another is preparing to do so. The wind in this picture is between 9 and 12 knots (17 and 22 kph). By the time I left, it was up above 15 knots (28 kph).
I went back to the same park a week later. This time it was below freezing. The wind was not bad when I first got there, but it picked up considerably during the almost two hours I was up there. I had 34 QSOs on 2, 17, 20 and 40 meters. I did not have a single east coast QSO, but I had one in Alaska. In addition, I had a larger than usual number of park-to-park contacts.
A cold windy day on the Point of the Mountain. That’s frost on the car. There were a number of both hang gliders and paragliders this day. Lake Mountain, the Tintics and Cedar Point can be seen in the background.
Gracias a mis amigos del Club de Radio Experimentadores de Cd. Juárez (CRECJ), tuve mis dos primeros contactos de POTA con México, ambos en la banda 20 metros. El primero fue con XE2JIV a las 18:56 UTC y la segunda fue con XE2MAM a las 21:54 UTC, los dos desde el parque XE-0095 Hermanos Escobar Central State Park en Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, México.
Thanks to my friends in the Club de Radio Experimentadores de Cd. Juárez (CRECJ), I had my first two POTA contacts with Mexico, both on 20 meters. The first was with XE2JIV at 18:56 UTC, and the second was with XE2MAM at 21:54 UTC, both from park XE-0095 Hermanos Escobar Central State Park in Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, México.
Una foto del equipo de CRECJ en XE-0095 (A photo of the CRECJ team at XE-0095)
I had the whole week off for Thanksgiving. I spent some of my time doing four POTA activations. I did most of the activations from K-5929 Flight Park State Recreation Area and one from K-4398 Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. I had a total of 160 QSOs, all phone, on 2 m, 17 m, 20 m, and 40 m. My furthest contact was AL7KC in Alaska at 3943 km (2171 mi).
Éste fue un evento por el club Azteca DXers de México. La meta fue recibir 12 imágenes por SSCV en la temporada navideña. Yo si recibí varios ejemplos de cada uno, todos de radioaficionado XE2MAM (Mario) desde Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua y todos en la banda 20 metros.
This was an event given by the Azteca DXers Club of Mexico. The goal was to receive 12 SSTV images during the Christmas season. I received several copies of each of the 12 images, all from station XE2MAM (Mario) in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua y all on the 20 meter band.
Éste fue uno de los imágenes que recibí. / This was one of the images I received.
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