I activated the Conoy Wetland along US-4567. I used the 40M EFHW running to the South East. I stayed on 40m, using FT8 and 4W. I got my 30+ contacts calling CQ POTA, and didn’t chase anyone.
I experimented with the counterpoise:
Rain was predicted later in the weekend, so I headed out to Marietta Riverfront Park (US-4567) for a quick activation to beat the rain. My initial plan was to rebuild my EFHW antenna, but I cut the new wire six inches too short, and I didn’t have enough wire on the spool to start again.
I opted for my 12.5m EFRW instead. It was 7 PM, so I focused my efforts on the 40m. I successfully got about 18 contacts before I packed up for the evening.
Ben and I grabbed dinner and headed to the Columbia Riverfront Park to activate US-4567, Capt John Smith Trail.
Since there were more people around, I setup the simple GRA-1900T next to our picnic table instead of throwing wires. 20m was very busy, so I was getting a bit lost in all the traffic. I moved to 40m and re-tuned to rack up my more local contacts. As the sun set, our reach got better on 40m. Of course, I accidentally crossed 0000UTC again into the next day, so it was 2 activations: one (incomplete) with 5 QSOs, and the other with 14 QSOs. I operated all digital, since it got dark, and we were looking to pack up soon.
