Circumstances
It’s mid-November and that happens to coincide with my birthday. In my semi-retired state, I have most days to myself after the kids are off to school. Sure, I have chores to do and things to address, but there’s always a little time for radio. On my birthday? On a day with no snow, low winds, and mid-50s F for weather? Yeah. That sounds like a recipe for POTA at Cuyahoga Valley National Park – US-0020.
Given that it was a Monday, it was hard to know what it would be like at the park. I managed to get there at around 10:30 AM and it was empty. Not just empty, but deserted. No other cars. No hikers the entire time I was there. Even the road that travels through the valley was wide open.
When the fields are quiet and the only sounds are the bare branches and fallen leaves in a bit of breeze, there is a beautiful sense of solitude. The park stretches out and there’s an illusion that it was always like this. Quiet. Serene. I tried to set up very quietly as I didn’t want to disturb the mood of the place.
Patterns
When it comes to grabbing my gear and running to the park in a hurry, I’ve gotten into a bit of a pattern. It’s second nature to grab the IC-705. I keep it charged and in my backpack with my EFHW antenna, throw line, and the necessary cables. I even keep my Begali in its fun little leather pouch in my backpack. I have other keys. I have other radios. It’s just come to me recently that I have the most fun with these. I don’t have to think much to work the IC-705 at this point and I love the way the Begali feels when I use it. It’s heavy enough that I don’t have to use both hands and it’s beautiful. That is, it is a beautiful object. Laying these things out on my tarp feels like establishing my station. Maybe it’s even becoming a ritual of sorts.
For the past few activations, I’ve been taking along the Hardrock-50 amplifier. My thought was that if I had that and my headset, I might try some phone contacts. It hasn’t quite worked out that way. Instead, I did an FT8 only activation (mostly due to a sewage truck) and then some CW at 35-ish watts because it’s novel. Any time I take the amp out, I take the Chameleon setup. It’s good to 100 watts and while not as stealthy as my AX1, it is unobtrusive set against the trees.
With everything set up, I tuned up on 40-meters and called CQ.
Traffic
Things started off with a Park To Park right out of the gate. 40-meters wasn’t in the best shape so I think other activators on the band were hungry to make some contacts. It was also getting closer to 11 AM and that’s usually when I start to think about moving on from 40. A few contacts were in the log before the band went really, really quiet.
Switching over to 20-meters resulted in a storm of activity. I was in a pile-up almost right off the bat. That Is always a good time! My buddy Joe KC1SRI got some audio of it from a Web Radio he listens to from time to time. It’s always fun to hear what it sounds like on the other side.
I grabbed contacts from California and Nevada. All up and down the east coast. Ontario and Quebec and New Brunswick. In the middle of things, there was a very, very weak call during a lull. I thought for a moment that the operator was sending “DE CALLSIGN” but no. It wasn’t “DE”. It was “DK”. We worked it out slowly and not two minutes later I had a “DJ” station. The 35 watts was really doing work today! Or some operators have great antennas at their stations.
A Practice
There are a lot of blogs that recount POTA and SOTA adventures. One of the things that I really enjoy when I read them is the sense that this is being done as a way to personally recharge. That’s why we have hobbies and leisure time. It’s truly a chance to untangle things mentally and dedicate us to an unrelated task that can induce a flow state or such a level of enjoyment as to pull the mind away from the potentially stressful day to day. For me, POTA in particular has become a sort of meditation practice.
There is something to going out into an open green space and putting my tarp on a picnic table or the ground and carefully laying out my station. It’s establishing a space within a space. It’s a signal to my mind that it’s time to work on something else. When the radio comes to life and I hear that ambient noise of the band and truly listen before I send my “QRL?” I can feel the transition to another state. I mentioned a ritual above. I’m really starting to lean into that as a part of this practice.
When it’s all done and I’ve entered my last QSO into the log, I can sit and look around. Take in the trees and birds. Or, if the weather is more like the norm in NE Ohio, I can start to pack my gear quickly and efficiently to get moving. Either way, my mind is settled and I can feel that I am more relaxed. I don’t get the same feeling at my home station or even when operating Field Day or another contest. This is a sensation that comes from the steady stream that POTA provides in that very specific setting.
The truth is, the bulk of what I do in the hobby is building up to moments when I’m out at a park. Now that I have had some time to reflect on this, it’s enhancing my appreciation of my hobby and my relationship to the radio. It’s also helping me make decisions on where I want to spend my time, effort, and money. It’s good to have a direction.
QSO Map
The map is pretty wild. From California to Germany. I don’t recall having such a wide spread of contacts in some time. Again, I’m going to credit the antenna systems of other operators and my Hardrock-50 with that. I’m not sure I would have been as productive running QRP. Not that I’m done being a QRP nerd by any means!
Here’s what it looks like on the QSO Map.
Final
When I was uploading my log this time around, I noted that I am now a Fishing Hole Activator for US-0020. That’s neat! Another PDF with a pretty picture for me for my birthday.
Lots of deep thoughts in this post, I suppose, but that’s what birthdays do. Hopefully, you’re getting a chance to reflect on how you spend your hobby time and how you recharge. We should all do that from time to time.
Thanks for reading and 73!
