Category: activation
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Pinnacle Rock SFWA, US-12358
Last weekend I was feeling like going to a new park, and I thought I would try Pinnacle Rock SFWA, a bit north of Cashton, again. I went there last fall, but the parking area was full; a lot of people out fishing that day! No sign of a pinnacle rock anywhere, however. This time…
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A spontaneous activation of US-1480
Though I planned on doing some shopping for early farm-stand produce (I did buy a bunch of asparagus, cut fresh this morning), I only got as far as Wildcat Mountain State Park today. I had the X6100 radio pack in the car, and when the thought of setting up to do POTA crossed my mind…
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Back to Mecan River and the IAT !
Operating at Buckhorn last week felt so good, so right, that I was ready for more, and on Sunday I had most of the day free. The radio bag was in the car, I got lots of coffee at Kwik-Trip, and I was off to the spot that I activated back in January. It was…
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A spring afternoon at Buckhorn SWA (US-12077)
Once all the tax paperwork was signed, copied, and in the mail, I could turn to something more pleasant: getting out to play radio! Between weather, household tasks, and the general chaos of life, it has been months since the last time I got out to do some POTA; when I look at my logbook…
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Winter Field Day
On Sunday morning the weather had moderated a bit; the pre-dawn temperature was -12F, and I felt a bit more energetic than I did on Saturday. I still waited until about noon to set out, and I needed to deploy my battery charger / jump starter to get the car started. As usual, my first…
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Activating Mecan River SFA and the Ice Age Trail
Drawing upon my experiences last Monday, I left the house as the sun was rising: A quick stop at KwikTrip for lots of coffee, then rather more than an hour of driving, finally brought me to the perfect twofer spot that I scouted out last week. Though the day was sunny and the forecast promised…
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Testing the X6100 at Wildcat Mountain
The radio seemed to work okay with the new firmware update; I asked particularly for reports on my signal and audio; “just fine” was the typical response. (lol, insofar as anyone can tell when they’re giving me a 33 signal report). Here’s one ominous note: the volume knob froze on me again. It doesn’t seem…
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Radio surgery, part 3
Xiegu X6100 battery replacement, and a sampler of other stuff going on … First, the battery stuff: There’s a computer occupying my electronics bench right now, I need to get that out of the way so I can finish this battery change job. Watch for the next post! Activating US-12077 again It’s always a good…
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Two activations and a window sill
Wildcat Mountain State Park, US-1480 A cool and sunny Sunday morning made for a very pleasant drive through the woods and farm fields on the way to Wildcat Mountain State Park. It felt good to get out in the field again! Setup (in the customary location) was quick and routine. When I turned on the…
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A quick visit to Buckhorn SWA, US-12077
I was up early today, with a choice: hike, or play radio? Radio won today, and I headed for Buckhorn SWA. We had thunderstorms last night and it was still windy and overcast. I imagine that the trails would be muddy and slippery. I remembered to bring along a long tape measure, so while setting…
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Spring in the Kickapoo Valley, at US-4296
In the morning I wasn’t even thinking about radio, but with an early start on the household stuff, as noon approached the vista of the afternoon opened before me. I mulled over the POTA map for a few minutes and for some reason Kickapoo Valley SWA seemed like a good idea. Looking back, I see…
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Buckhorn SWA again
April Fools Day, (Election Day in Wisconsin), though chilly, overcast, and windy, nevertheless provided a few unallocated hours for an afternoon activation, and I chose Buckhorn State Wildlife Area as my site. As a relatively new entity it has only been activated 4 times, 5 if you count this one; the leaderboard hasn’t even fully…