Activated on March 25th, 2024
This morning, I had business with my credit union in Torrance, CA. Knowing this, I looked for parks in the area and saw that US-3425 Dockweiler State Beach was close and decided to take the opportunity and activate it. This was on a whim, and I was concerned my batteries would not last. Not the Bioenno, but the ones in the video camera. I plugged them in whilst getting ready to head to the credit union. Afterwards, since I was activating, I made the required stop at Albert’s for a breakfast burrito. It had eggs, bacon, American Cheese, wrapped in a nice tortilla. Oh, and salsa verde. Are you hungry again?
Driving down to the credit union brought back memories of driving to work. You see, my credit union is in the same building where I worked for 28 years, the headquarters for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. As luck would have it, I ran into an old coworker, Missy, a sweet woman with whom I had my first corporate training session 24 years ago after I hired.
So, when checking on what parks were close to the credit union, Dockweiler came to the forefront. And yes, I was aware of its location right under the takeoff pattern from LAX. What I didn’t realize was how disruptive that pattern is—for me, that is. As these planes were taking off, not only were they very loud, but they also produced radio interference. I honestly do not think it was anything more than a detectible pattern on receive as I did not feel disruptions due to their RFI. Of course, the engine noise was very disruptive.
Settling down after surveying the area I was set up and ready to go at about 1315, about an hour after I got there. When I left in the morning, the only thing I took was my KX3 specific kit. I used the kit previously, so I was confident in its use, stupid human tricks aside. In the back of my mind, I was contemplating doing a part of the activation on SSB to redeem myself from my previous embarrassment. However, shortly after I started setting up all those departing aircraft changed my mind.
My experience in the rate of contacts is still the same. The timing from one QSO to another ranged from being four minutes apart up to twelve. The Q-Sisters were quite present, Mary being the most disruptive. That’ll teach me to set up under the takeoff pattern! During those five to ten-minute waits, I simply observed my surroundings. Being Monday, there were very few people on the beach. Otherwise, it was a typical Southern California beach scene, save for the fact it was chilly. Blue skies, wispy clouds, the smell of coconut tanning lotion, the crunching of sand underfoot, the smell of wood burning in BBQ pits, the sounds of seagulls, and waves, are precisely what makes up the experience on the beach.
My first eight contacts were on the 15-meter band. About 30 minutes after I started, I heard, with great effort, a JA1 call. Japan! The problem was his signal was just above the surf (wink) and was very hard for me to hear. I really must give that operator credit. The patience! I tried four or five times to verify the call. Although I think I had it in the end, the ether’s rip tide (groan) kept me from getting the data I need for a contact, let alone confirmation of the call. Reluctantly, I cleared my log entry saying sayonara to what would have been a cool contact.
Eventually I tired of having long waits between contacts. I QSYed to the 15-meter band and took a break. That was one hard concrete bench seat! On this band I reached as far as Texas, while on 17 meters I hit Louisiana. At this point I was beginning to get fatigued. Super concentrating while receiving during the constant takeoffs was tiring. Eventually, however, I did manage to hit my magic number of thirteen contacts. Of course, with about four contacts to make my target, the battery on my video camera died: as in D E D dead.
One of the improvements from my last activation was the proper color setting on the video camera. You see RTFM, the polite version, has its benefits. Also, I got better at using the Putikeeg key, but just a little. Once the gub’ment gets its cut of my retirement, I will get me a Begali key made for the KX3.
Overall, the activation was a mixed bag for me. I certainly enjoyed making the contacts. I always do—the reaching out through the ether thing. This pleasure was diminished by my location. I forgot how loud jet aircraft are when taking off. When I was serving in the Air Force, I had many opportunities to see, and hear, B-52s, KC-135s, and F-15s taking off down the runway. What I learned here is that I won’t be doing that again. One activation like this is enough.
I lived and learned. Let’s see what the next activation brings.
Activation Statistics
| Activation Number | 49 |
| Date | 25 March, 2024 |
| Park | US-3425 Dockweiler State Beach |
| Number of Contacts | 13 |
| DX Contacts | None |
| Park Activated? | Yes |
| Previous Attempts | None |
| Park to Park Contacts | None |
| Mode | CW |
| Radio | Elecraft KX3 |
| Antenna | Elecraft AX-1 |
| Tuner | Internal |
| Power | 5W using a 3Ah Bioenno battery |
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