Activated on December 28, 2023
So, it’s been a minute. Suffice it to say that about five weeks ago my computer crashed. Although I had backups, they mainly consisted of data and not programs or passwords. It took time to get it back up, about three weeks, and that does not include having to install said programs back on with their associated passwords. Well, let me not dwell on that month of madness and move on.
I wanted to activate, and I wanted to go to the park riding in my steed, Betelgeuse. My steed went through a period of maintenance covering several aspects of its mechanicals, and he is now a friend I can enjoy again. Leaving my house with adventure in mind, I quickly returned to pick up something I was going to give to a friend of mine. Again, I left to go to Albert’s, my ritual breakfast spot prior to activations. After breakfast, I returned to the house again, this time to pick up Betelgeuse’s registration. You see, while Betelgeuse was in the shop for two months, his registration lapsed. I got the new registration and placed it to the side. So, for the third time I left the house with the proper document and sticker. I certainly hoped that my upcoming activation would not be as hectic as my departure from home.
I finally left for Chino Hills State Park under a hazy sky. The 45-minute drive was uneventful and soon enough I was paying the $10 entrance fee to the park. I went back to Horse Camp, the highest spot you can drive to, and started setting up. This spot has the benefit of being wide open with widely spaced trees next to mini pavilions over wooden benches. It’s reassuring that you can see folks coming from afar in time to warn them of feed lines and wires on the ground, although I did put out my mini safety cones.
Pounding my antenna stake into the ground, I found it to be more difficult as the ground was much harder than the last time I was here. The plus side was the stake would be a sturdier base to support the antenna against the winds that never came. The temperature was tepid and there was no wind except for the couple of times there was a whisper of a breeze. The sky had a thicker high-altitude haze that softened the light of the sun. This was my environmental condition for my entire stay at the park.
While setting up, a park official asked me what I was doing. His interest was genuine and, of course, I explained telling him about POTA and how much fun it was. He was impressed that I could contact faraway places. I asked if he could take some pictures for me. As it turned out photography was his hobby. Score!
I took my time setting up and at 12:40 I finally called CQ. It was not long after that I got the first contact. The mid-west came in with Minnesota and Michigan. Three minutes after the first I got Argentina. I am no longer so thrown off when I get DX contacts. In fact, I’ve come to realize that I am somewhat disappointed when I don’t. Less than ten minutes later I got my second DX contact from Alaska. This was turning out to be a nice activation.
All this was taking place on the 10-meter band, and it was starting to fade. With nine contacts in the log, I switched to 15 meters and continued with the activation. The last thing I expected to hear was a California call as they would be in my radio shadow. I thought the call was from Santa Clarita, but instead he was from Santa Clara County in Northern California. It turns out this guy was in Hawaii. Cool, another DX contact. Thank you for being on vacation, dude! There was not much left on this band either as it was fading as well.
The 20-meter band was my next stop. Once there I started to call again. I did this for about five to ten minutes when I realized I was not transmitting. Testing different bands, I got the same results. I could not figure out what happened and was struck with fear that something went terminal with my radio. A thought came to me. My radio is part computer, so why not reboot it just like we all do when our computers become recalcitrant. Boom! I was transmitting again. However, since I went QRT prior to the reboot I decided to just pack it up since I passed my magic number of 13 contacts for an activation. Later I realized that I only had thirteen contacts.
With my radio back from the reboot I shut it back down and started to pack up. While I was tearing down, I mentally played back an overview of the activation. It was quite smooth and quick. From the first contact to the last it took me 32 minutes. I was not sure how to take this. It felt both as an instant in time and hours long. As I come to think of this, I suppose I was in the zone and in the end, I thought I had 15 contacts. They all seemed valid, so I had high confidence in my activation.
Betelgeuse made me especially jazzed and was a great companion to my activation. He is uncomfortable, slow, bumpy, has the aerodynamics of a billboard, and has terrible gas mileage. He is so cramped that I must get out simply to change my mind. However, every time I drive Betelgeuse, I get a Cheshire grin on my face. For me, when I combine Betelgeuse and POTA, I get a magnified satisfaction that is hard to describe. So, I guess Mick Jagger has nothing on me.
Activation Statistics
| Activation Number | 38 |
| Date | 28 December, 2023 |
| Park | K-1139 Chino Hills State Park |
| Number of Contacts | 13 |
| DX Contacts | 3 |
| Park Activated? | Yes |
| Previous Attempts | 5 |
| Park to Park Contacts | None |
| Mode | CW |
| Radio | Yaesu FT-891 |
| Antenna | MPAS 2.0 in the vertical configutaion staked to the ground |
| Tuner | MFJ 939Y |
| Power | 50W using a 30Ah Bioenno battery with Bioenno 40W solar panels |
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