Valerie was attending a function in Waterloo for the day, so I thought that I would activate a new park. It was about 30 minutes drive from my house, and it was nice weather.
Valerie was attending a function in Waterloo for the day, so I thought that I would activate a new park. It was about 30 minutes drive from my house, and it was nice weather.
I made 22 QSOs, and 6 park-to-park. I also activate both 20m and 17m, and made one park-to-park contact to Rhode Island via CW, my first!
The park looks like a nice place to hike, but it was very muddy.
The area was beautiful and had a nice valley with lots of geese.
I scouted a place with a park bench to make things easier. Looking at the video, I was struck by how a simple walk in the woods, albeit with a heavy pack, winded me. Just a few short years ago I ran a half-marathon. I guess I have to be thankful that the pulmonary embolism didn't kill me.
Note, in the video I mistakenly call it "Silver Springs Conservation Area".
Here's my set up.
| Antenna | Chelegance Vertical, tuned for 20m and then 17m |
|---|---|
| Start Time (UTC) | 17:35 |
| Finish Time (UTC) | 18:53 |
| Total Time | 1:18 |
| Total QSOs | 23 |
| Park to Park | 6 |
| Largest distance QSO | Spokane Valley, WA, 1,804 km |
| Band | 17m,20m |
| Mode | SSB and CW |
| Power | 10W |
| AH | 0.45 |
The bands were really crowded, due to a DX contest (distant stations), and I was plagued by high-power Ontario stations that were listening for faint DX stations in Europe (I guess), while simultaneously oblivious to me already operating on a nearby frequency.
Here is a map of the QSOs.
| Date | Time | Call | State | Band | Mode | Park |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/03/03 | 17:35 | W9AV | WI | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:36 | KD4YHE | KY | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:38 | K2BRO | IL | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:43 | VA3JIN | ON | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:44 | K4ADS | FL | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:44 | W9HF | IL | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:46 | KB1ZAC | CT | 20m | SSB | K-7530 |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:47 | KD8SM | OH | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:49 | K4CAE | SC | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:53 | N6BJD | NC | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 17:57 | N9GP | TN | 20m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:07 | KQ4GTH | TN | 17m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:09 | NK2MC | NC | 17m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:13 | WD5MAT | TX | 17m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:14 | K8NEE | NC | 17m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:19 | KG2BAD | TX | 17m | SSB | K-2998 |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:26 | WIØO | MN | 17m | SSB | K-3381 |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:26 | WIØO | MN | 17m | SSB | K-2482 |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:30 | W9BDX | IL | 17m | SSB | K-4133 |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:33 | KF7IK | WA | 17m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:37 | KFØCGP | IA | 17m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:38 | KB4TV | TN | 17m | SSB | |
| 2024/03/03 | 18:53 | N1BS | RI | 20m | CW | K-2876 |