[ADXA] 100th POTA activation, with help from K5UR

[Dennis Schaefer]

Well….that’s not in one year, just the grand total since I started a couple
of years ago.   POTA also has some secret weapons to up the count.  A lot
of trails count for POTA, and also things like Wildlife Management Areas
and National Forests.  Sometimes you can be in more than one at a time.
For example, today I was in Lake Dardanelle State Park, Dardanelle WMA, and
an official Trail of Tears National Historic site - all sitting in one
place.  I had 97 at the beginning of the day and now I have 100.

Based on these multiple counters, I’ve probably actually been out about 50
times.
That probably averages out to twice a month for the last couple of years.
Just enough for fun, but not a big commitment!

73,
Dennis

On Thu, Dec 28, 2023 at 5:40 PM Bill Priakos <bill at priakos.com> wrote:

>
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/10+Free+Ferry+Heights+%0D%0A+Fort+Smith,+AR+72903?entry=gmail&source=g>
>
> Great notes, Dennis.  I have activated about 10 POTA but I am not a formal
> member…need to find out more.  BUT….YOU….WOW!  100 in a year.
> Congratulations!
>
>
>
> 73, Bill
>
>
>
> *Bill Priakos – W5SJ*
>
> *10 Free Ferry Heights
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/10+Free+Ferry+Heights+%0D%0A+Fort+Smith,+AR+72903?entry=gmail&source=g>*
>
> *Fort Smith, AR 72903
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/10+Free+Ferry+Heights+%0D%0A+Fort+Smith,+AR+72903?entry=gmail&source=g>*
>
> *479.461.8368*
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net <adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> *On
> Behalf Of *Dennis Schaefer
> *Sent:* Thursday, December 28, 2023 3:06 PM
> *To:* ADXA <ADXA at mailman.qth.net>
> *Subject:* [ADXA] 100th POTA activation, with help from K5UR
>
>
>
>
>
> I have two main ham radio interests - DX’ing and portable operation.
> I’ve done a lot of portable stuff in ARES/RACES, etc, and wouldn’t miss
> Field Day.   POTA (Parks on the Air) is perfect for me when I want to get
> out of the chair but still do some radio.   I talk about and promote POTA a
> lot and set up a POTA booth at our hamfest in 2023.  People think I’m
> really active, but my stats are dismal.  I decided I would try to get up to
> 100 total park activations by the end of 2023.   This is still very modest,
> because some people have thousands.
>
>
>
> I finished my 100th activation today at Lake Dardanelle State Park.
> Almost all of my activations are 100% CW.   It can be slow, because there
> are many POTA operators who are learning CW.  It’s the same at Field Day -
> lots of people who don’t really do CW but aspire to be proficient.   It’s
> hard to work more than one every minute - I worked 35 in about 25 minutes
> today.  The main thing I keep telling myself is that it is wonderful that
> all those people are actually doing it!  They take a deep breath and plunge
> right in.  It does not matter if they are proficient yet.  If we encourage
> them, they have a chance.
>
>
>
> Of course, many of the POTA callers are very proficient.  Today, I heard a
> weak signal and finally pulled our K5UR!   I was running 40 watts to a
> Hustler mobile antenna on the banks of Lake Dardanelle, but we completed
> the 20M CW contact.  Thanks, Rick!
>
>
>
> This just proves what we have known - nothing gets by Rick.  He’s always
> listening.
>
>
>
> I think POTA is good for ham radio in many ways, so I’ll continue to do
> it.  I am glad to get to a nice round number of activations, though.  Now,
> bring on the next round of DXpeditions.   The goal for the DeSoto Challenge
> has been updated - 1500 by the end of 2024.
>
>
>
> 73,
>
> Dennis/RZ
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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