Activated March 28th, 2024
This activation was driven by doing something short and quick. Pio Pico State Historical Park is situated about 25 minutes from my house, and having been there once before, I thought it would be a slam dunk. Checking on the space weather, I saw that the Planetary indices A and K were 7 and 1, respectively. These numbers suggested to me there was a pretty constant magnetic field keeping propagation steady. To prepare for the activation I updated HAMRS on my Surface Go, charged my battery, and packed my new earbuds. My first order of business, you guessed it, was to stop at Albert’s to have a breakfast burrito.
My drive to the park was uneventful, but I almost missed a turn-off because I was listening to an audio book. The park sits in a residential neighborhood, and as you enter it one is seemingly transported back 200 years. The main adobe house stands out among the nearby homes, a boulevard, and an interstate highway. It is as though you walked onto a movie set.
Initially, my intention was to walk to the spot from which I made my first activation. However, I took a brief tour of the adobe, filming as I went, eventually to go to the north end of the park. As I was walking there, I saw Kathy, whom I met about 2 years ago, walking with her assistant, Micah. After a warm greeting and an introduction to Micah, I remembered her hospitality. Remembering the view from the patio, I meekly asked Kathy if there was a table I could borrow to set up in the patio. To my surprise, remember this is a state park, she said yes! The three of us walked back to the adobe, got the table and chair, and even helped me set them up. What nice folks!
Back in the patio, I set up the table such that my antenna was off the ground. Even though there was good shade in the patio, I ended up in the sun. I stayed there for about an hour running through 15-, 17-, and 20-meter bands. I had no contacts at that time. Besides the fact I felt as though I was in an oven, low breeze when there was some, and the reflective whitewashed walls, I questioned the fact I had no contacts. I did not think that heavy wood and adobe construction would have any Faraday effects, however, I moved to the opposite side of the park, a three-minute walk.
In my new location the setup was quick. The trees provided a softer vista than in the patio. The soft breeze felt nice and the shade I had was certainly welcome. What I did not pay attention to was the fact that the shadow was produced by a telephone pole. If you watch the video, you will see said shadow leave me in direct sunlight. Darn you, orbital dynamics! I was surveying the location for reflective surfaces and only saw trees and open spaces to my north and east. To my south were huge water tanks, and to my west were some railroad tracks about 40 meters away and about 15-20 feet high. Since I was only concerned about the north and east, I was golden.
I had six contacts on 21-meters, with an average of less than 3 minutes between calls. The last four contacts had an average of a little more than two minutes between calls. By the time I realized the pond dried up on 21-meters and set up on 20-meters to continue, 17 minutes passed by. My ten contacts were made in a span of 41 minutes. All told, a contact every four minutes objectively does not seem bad. Afterall, other activators fail to get their required contacts. I’ll take the 41 minutes.
As I was packing up, I called Marco KN6SJQ and asked him if he heard me. That was a no joy. A little later he got on his radio in the shack and tried again. No joy. After I got home, I found out my buddy Scott W6SRF also never heard me. So, my VHF attempts were for not. There will be a next time, however. It was about this time, as I was looking towards the north and a beautiful lawn between two rows of trees, that I saw a low-flying high-wing Cessna style aircraft. I kept my eyes on it as it came towards me. As it started to pass over me, my heart sank because that is when I spotted power lines directly over my spot about 40 feet high. Did they have anything to do with my lack of contacts? Ah, hells bells, it is what it is.
I was at the park for two and a half hours, so by the time I was done, it seemed such a long time for only ten contacts. To be fair, my walk-arounds take time. I am also not in a race to set up. However, this time does add up, and let’s not forget the hour or so I spent on the patio without a contact! Provided my intent was an in-and-out, okay, that made me hungry, I would have been done in about an hour. So, I plan accordingly.
For me, the times between contacts need to come down. Generally, the guys in the east have a better shot at making contacts on QRP due to the population density. But that is part of the game! While waiting for contacts, I have a chance just to look around and enjoy my surroundings. And that is one beauty of POTA.
Activation Statistics
| Activation Number | 50 |
| Date | 28 March, 2024 |
| Park | US-3534 Pio Pico State Historical Park |
| Number of Contacts | 10 |
| DX Contacts | None |
| Park Activated? | Yes |
| Previous Attempts | 1 |
| 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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