The drive out of New York was rain, thunderstorms, cloud, and construction. At the Pennsylvania line the sky opened. About 79 degrees, sun, and a peninsula. Presque Isle State Park. He had not activated a park in Pennsylvania before.
Sand Instead of Grass
The spot he chose faces the open lake. He pulls the radio out and operates looking at it. On the way in there were grassy lots. Those look at the inlet and at Erie, not at the outer beach. He knows the grass would have been the easier station. He wanted the view. The ground under the radio is sand. He went through more than one antenna, more than one mount, and more than one attempt at a ground. He almost called the lake Ontario, because that is the water he is used to. This one is Erie.
Eleven, With a Minute Left
The station he calls Aha showed up near the end of the UTC day. He had not been hearing that station lately. He thought he still needed one contact. It completed. He later found a tenth contact he had miscounted, so the activation was already closer than he thought, and Aha was number 11, not number 10.
The clock he read was 1959 UTC, 7:59 p.m. One minute later the UTC date would have rolled. He had not expected to make it. The log uploaded. POTA acknowledged all 11.
Ohio was the next state on the drive, and not that night. The sun was going down. Maybe a park the next day. During the Hamvention weekend he intended to activate in Ohio, one park or several, and add that state. He shook the sand off and left.
Transcript
The drive through New York was rain, thunderstorms, dark cloud, and construction. Across the Pennsylvania line the sky is blue and the sun is out. About 79 degrees. He is at a state park on a peninsula, Presque Isle. It is a POTA park. He is going to activate it. The view from the setup is the reason he stopped. The radio is coming out in a minute.
The station he calls Aha saves the activation near the UTC midnight. He needs one more contact, in the count he has at the time, and it completes. He did not think it was going to happen. Eleven contacts. He was barely going to qualify the park, and the time is 1959 UTC, 7:59 p.m. One minute and the UTC day rolls. Aha has not been on his recent activations. He is glad the station showed up. Then he corrects the count. He thought that contact was number 10. A tenth was already in the log. He had miscounted. The setup is why. Multiple antennas, multiple mounts, multiple tries at a ground, on a sand pile. The photo is sand in every direction.
A grassy lot on the way in would have been smarter. Those lots look at the inlet and at Erie, Pennsylvania, not at the open lake. He almost says Lake Ontario. He is used to New York. He is not in New York. It is Lake Erie. The park activates. It is his first Pennsylvania park. He is not trying for Ohio tonight. He is heading there, and the sun is going down. Maybe tomorrow. Over the Hamvention weekend he plans to hit an Ohio park, or two, or three, and add another state.
The log is uploaded. POTA acknowledged all 11. He gets the sand off his feet and gets back on the road. He asks for comments from anyone who has been to this park, Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was he set up?
Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania, on the peninsula, in a lot with a view of the lake. He almost called the water Ontario out of habit. It is Lake Erie. Grassy parking areas closer to the entrance look at the inlet and at Erie, Pennsylvania. He skipped them for the view and then fought the sand.
How many contacts, and how close was the UTC day?
Eleven. POTA acknowledged all 11 after he uploaded the log. He thought the station he calls Aha was number 10 and the activation. A tenth contact was already in the log and he had miscounted, so Aha was 11. The time he gave was 1959 UTC, 7:59 p.m., one minute before the UTC date changed. He had not been hearing that station on recent activations.
What made the setup hard?
Sand. He tried multiple antennas, multiple mounts, and multiple ways to get a ground. The photo he refers to is sand around the station. He said a grassy lot on the way in would have been the smarter radio decision.
Did he activate Ohio the same night?
No. He was heading to Ohio and did not think a park was still realistic after sunset. Maybe the next day. Over the Hamvention weekend he planned to get an Ohio park in, or two or three, and pick up another state.