Activated on October 20th, 2024
I woke up with the sun high and bright without a cloud in the sky. I realized I woke up much later than usual. After getting ready I reviewed what parks I chose the night before. I almost went to Malibu Lagoon as there is a small spot that beckons me, however, being Sunday and getting short on good weekends for the beach, I opted to go to Chino Hills State Park, US-1139.
I visited Albert again, this time opting for a breakfast burrito. Without much concern I followed the route Google set out for me. Although I specifically asked for the entrance on Saphire Street, I was unknowingly set to the discovery center. Once I realized I was at the wrong spot I simply enjoyed the extra 30-minute drive through the hills to the correct entrance to the park.
I arrived at Horse Camp around 1030 and found my usual spot empty. I was in no hurry as I started setting up the antenna. It was then that I realized I was on a more difficult path. After recording my intro to the video, my intent was to record all elements of my set-up to show folks what I do. My phone would not connect to the camera. Again. Never mind that I fixed that problem a few weeks ago.
I fixed the camera such that I had a good shot that would work for the entire activation. I crossed my fingers. That is when a person drove up to my spot. He asked me if I was activating. Two activations in a row I am asked the same question. Interesting. Keith WA6QXA coincidentally went to Chino Hills to activate as well. As it turns out, we had a long chat about the hobby, his goals, POTA, and some Morse Code. It was a nice, relaxed chat that added flavor to an otherwise quiet time that is my usual fare when I activate.
I did not schedule my activation with POTA so doing that took a little longer. About 1230 I scheduled my activation and spotted myself. The schedule would help the RBN spot me easier. All this took a little time so my first CQ did not take place until around 1235. I was on 21.063 MHz the entire time I was “Morsing.” It was about 15 minutes later when the calls started coming in.
That first Q was nothing like the rest of the calls. Eric K9VIC was my first contact. However, his signal was weak. It was as though somebody turned my volume down, truly difficult to copy. It was touch and go for a bit after which I gave him a 119 for his efforts. Thanks for your patience, Eric. Except for one other contact, all were exceptionally well received as I have never reported numbers with so many nines! As a bonus, I made two DX contacts, Alaska and Mexico.
As it turned out, my first contact was logged at 1945Z and the last at 2031Z for a duration of 56 minutes. That is the fastest time I have ever made fifteen Morse Code contacts during an activation. That was my activation if I had wanted to stop. But I had plans…
Next was to try for at least the same number of Qs on side band. Yes, and for some I say this loud and proud: M-I-C-R-O-P-H-O-N-E! Here is where the trouble with the camera jumped technological hurdles. My microphone would not work. Yes, it was in the right connector, but the PTT didn’t. No sweat, I say to myself. I will move on to the next one thing. FT8.
The last time I did FT8 in the field, it was very nice. I was joined by Alexis WZ1EEE, and while I was FT8-ing she and I had a nice chat. This time I could provide my color commentary to the camera while FT8 was running. Of course, I was absolutely ignorant of the file perdition yet to come. However, I did log 17 contacts including four DX Qs; Japan, Chile, Argentina, and the Canary Islands. I was stoked.
The last thing I tried was to send an email through WinLink. I was not able to connect to any gateways. I think it was because I did not update my grid square, and my connection estimates were set for Alhambra instead of Chino Hills. Not a technical failure, more so it was a user failure. That’s okay, however, because there will be other times and other parks.
My file perdition came abruptly as I tried to stop recording. My recording of the entire activation, which actually included my chat with Keith, all my Morse Code activity, and my FT8 contacts was corrupted. I am not sure how it happened. I cannot be sure whether or not I tried to stop recording before shutting down or not. I noticed something wrong when I turned off the camera but by then it was too late. Later at home I saw the extent of the loss. On top of that, I only took one picture! There will be other days.
In all I actually had a good time activating. Yes, I was at the park for a long time. However, I did meet Keith WA6QXA, I activated a second park in a row, I got six DX contacts, and got my fifteen CW contacts, activating the park, in less than an hour. Actually, my 10th contact was about 34 minutes after the first. Definitely cool.
I did not have a perfect day. I had technical problems throughout. I felt like I lost control in a way. I also had the had the best activation I’ve had in a long time. I’ve never had six DX contacts before.
I went home with a smile on my face.
Activation Statistics
| Location | DM13dw51 – 33.92353, -117.70100 |
| Activation Attempt | 77 |
| Date | 20 October, 2024 |
| Park | US-1139 Chino Hills State Park |
| Number of Contacts | 32 |
| DX Contacts | 6 – Alaska, Mexico, Japan, Chile, Argentina, Canary Islands |
| Park Activated? | Yes |
| Previous Attempts | 10 |
| Park to Park Contacts | None |
| Mode | CW, FT8 |
| Radio | Elecraft KX3 |
| Antenna | MPAS 2.0 in the vertical configuration |
| Tuner | Internal |
| Power | 5W, 10W using a 3Ah Bioenno battery |
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