Hamlin Marsh was the first park he activated. He had been hunting other people’s activations and talking himself out of his own. The excuses were the usual ones. The gear was not ready. The antenna was not set. He put three guy stakes in the front yard the day before, proved the DX Commander Expedition on the air, and drove to the marsh.
How He Got to Extra
He got his Technician license in April. Field Day in June was the first time he spent real time on HF, and he left that Sunday with a goal to get General and Extra. July 1 was a week away, and the talk was that the new Extra pool was going to be much harder. He does not recommend what he did next.
He studied all day Monday. Tuesday he took General online and passed. The test site said you could only sit one exam at a time. As soon as he finished, they offered him Extra. He was not ready, and he turned it down. He crammed Wednesday. Thursday morning he took Extra and passed. By this activation he had been an Extra for a couple of months.
The Spot at the Marsh
Hamlin Marsh Wildlife Management Area is in Clay, New York. He called it park US-9066. Most of it is hiking trail, with a few places a vehicle can pull in. He picked the lot with the most room and the least wire overhead. A small natural gas substation sits nearby. Power lines and a utility pole are still in the background. The lot at the other end of the marsh sits under large transmission towers, which is a bad place for an antenna like the DX Commander and a hard place to get a signal out.
On the map, Clay Park North is the open ground next door: soccer, baseball, and football fields. It was sold to the town. It is outside the marsh boundary, so it does not count for this park.
The station was the DX Commander Expedition, a computer for FT8, a couple of batteries, and an 891. From cases open to antenna up was about 35 minutes. He could already see the case for a screwdriver antenna such as the ATAS, which pairs with the Yaesu radios: if it is already on the vehicle, you sit down and operate, including from inside when the weather is bad. He still wanted the practice. A half hour or 40 minutes in the field is not much, and it gets shorter every time you do it. He pointed at the hurricane that had hit North Carolina, where ham radio was the communication that was still moving.
Forty-Seven Contacts
Power came on and four stations were already in the queue. The activation was done in minutes. Getting there and setting up took longer than qualifying the park.
He ran FT8 for a little over an hour and logged 47 contacts. He missed about as many. Three or four CQs were enough. After the first one, 10 to 20 people were calling at once. He called it a success, not a bust, and told anyone still waiting on their own first activation to go do it.
Transcript
He had been a ham for a short time. Technician in April. Field Day in June showed him how much HF he was missing, and that Sunday he decided he needed General and Extra. July 1 was a week away. The talk was that the Extra pool was about to get much harder. He crammed, which he does not recommend.
Monday was all studying. Tuesday he took General online and passed. The site said one test at a time. The moment he finished, they offered Extra. He was not ready and he skipped it. Wednesday was another cram. Thursday morning he took Extra and passed. A couple of months later it was the first week of October, and he had only been hunting parks. The excuses were the gear, then the antenna, then something else.
The day before, he guyed the DX Commander Expedition in the front yard. Three stakes. He wanted one last check that it worked before he took it to a park. The park is Hamlin Marsh in New York, US-9066. The plan was to set up and activate it.
The marsh is mostly hiking trail, with a few places to drive in. He chose the parking area with the most room and without a lot of wire overhead. A small natural gas substation is there. Power lines run across the background, and he could pick out a utility pole. The other end of the marsh has huge towers. Those make a DX Commander hard to put up and a signal hard to get out.
On the map he is in a small lot. Another lot nearby is tiny. The third sits under the lines. Clay Park North is the open property beside the marsh. It was sold to the town, so it is outside the boundary. It has soccer, baseball, and football fields, and it would have been an easy place to set up if it still counted.
The DX Commander was up. He had a computer along for FT8, a couple of batteries, and an 891 down in the gear. Unpacking, unrolling cable, and building the antenna took about 35 minutes. He expects that to shrink with practice. A screwdriver antenna such as the ATAS, which pairs with the Yaesu radios, would be faster if it were already mounted, and you could operate from inside the vehicle when the weather turned. This was still practice. He brought up the hurricane that hit North Carolina, where ham radio was the main way help was moving. A half hour or 40 minutes to build a station is not much in that kind of situation, and it gets quicker the more you do it.
He connected power. Four people were already waiting. The first contact came quickly. The park was activated within minutes, and the drive plus the setup took longer than the activation. The pileup felt like people pouncing. A little over an hour of FT8 produced 47 contacts, with about as many missed. He threw CQ three or four times and then it did not stop. After the first call, 10 to 20 stations were in there. He called it a success, not a bust, and told people to stop waiting and go activate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the activation?
Hamlin Marsh Wildlife Management Area in Clay, New York, which he called park US-9066. He used a parking area with room to work and fewer lines overhead. Another lot at the far end sits under large power towers. Clay Park North, next door, had been sold to the town and is outside the marsh.
What did he operate with?
A DX Commander Expedition, an 891, a couple of batteries, and a computer for FT8. He had guyed the antenna in the front yard the day before, three stakes, to confirm it worked. On site he ran FT8.
How long did setup take, and how many contacts did he make?
About 35 minutes to get the station on the air. The activation itself happened within minutes of calling. A little over an hour of FT8 produced 47 contacts. He figured he missed about as many as he logged. After the first CQ, 10 to 20 stations were calling.
Why did he wait so long to activate?
He had been hunting parks and making excuses: the gear was not ready, the antenna was not ready. He got his Technician license in April, heard HF at Field Day in June, and set a goal that Sunday to get General and Extra. The cram got him there. The activation did not happen until the first week of October.