On February 25, OVH members Al, KB4BHB; Don, WA2SWX; Gene, N4HFW and John, KG4NXT activated the Manassas Battle field. We started at the visitor center but the rangers wanted us to operate in the “amateur radio area” in the picnic ground off Groveton road. We set up there and were glad of the windbreak on one side of the picnic shelter. We used Don’s Wolf River Coils vertical with 3 radials. The transmitter was the digital only QDX Digital Transceiver by QRP Labs which put out 5 watts. We had an amplifier but it would not key up. We needed 10 contacts and got 11, so it was a sucessful POTA activation.
Once home, we found the problem with Tokyo Hy-Power HL-45b amplifier. It would not work on only 12 volts – it was quite happy with 13. John and Don returned to the Groveton picnic shelter on Feb 26 and got the amp going with 18 contacts. Don used his 20 watt Xiegu G90 to make 14 additional contacts.
If you activate a park on POTA, feel free to write it and sent it with pictures to John, KG4NXT or Ken, KN4DD.
