NPOTA Expedition to Catoctin Mountain Park Report
November 13, 2016
What happened
A bunch of us motored out to Catoctin Mountain Park Sunday morning. As part if the National Parks On The Air, NPOTA, we activated the park - also known as DZ01. Our antenna was a 20 meter ground plane supported by a 33 feet long fiberglass fishing pole. That was connected to a FT-991 transceiver and we are on the air by noon. Later we put up a homemade 40 meter dipole made of two hamstick type antennas. A laptop computer kept the logs. Everything worked very well.
The final count was 224 contacts in four and a half hours of operating. They ranged from western Europe to the US west coast and from Canada to Mexico. Everybody used their own call. Four members will get credit for activating the park.
The food was good also. Grilled steaks and chicken breasts. Maybe we should do this more often.
Some pictures
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Charlie, W3CQB, Brian, N3VN, Mike, W3MBC, and a friendly Park Ranger at the operating position. Look carefully to the right of the orange hat and find the 20 meter ground plane antenna. Even the Ranger liked it. Later the short 40 meter dipole was in the same location. |
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The Park Ranger, Michele, KB3LLS, Andrew, and Charlie, W3CQB. |
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Brian, N3VN, logging and Mike, W3MBC, operating. |
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Andrew and Michele, KB3LLS, preparing the mid-day feast. |