Five parks was the plan, a rove on the way to Hamvention in Dayton. He was in Ohio in the morning, somewhere around 8, 8:30, maybe 9. He had lost track. The day ended at three parks.
Headlands, and a Twofer That Is Not One Setup
Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve is the stop he shows first. It sits inside a state park, and he thought the right spot would be a twofer. The Northern Buckeye Trail is right there. He does not think the trail itself is a POTA park. If it were, the stop might be three parks, and he says a local would know.
The walk down is a wooden ramp, built so a wheelchair can use it, to a small overlook. The nature preserve is the near ground. The state park beaches are on the other side. He likes the lighthouse and the trail that runs toward it. Closer in, the dunes and the lake open up. Some of the sand is roped off. It reminds him of beaches where old munitions are still in the ground and the rope is there so you do not find them. The beach beyond the rope is the state park. The ramp will get a wheelchair to the sand. It will not carry one out across it.
He got one of those two parks activated and moved to set up the second. The boundaries do not meet at a single operating point. They are two activations, not one chair and two numbers.
The Gate, Then Eleven Contacts in the Rain
Another site was supposed to be the first stop of the day. He got there early. It did not open until 10, and the gate was shut. He left, activated two other parks, and came back. He is at what he counts as park three. He thinks it is the James Garfield historical site, and he thinks the town is Mentor. He calls it a national park site, an old farm, some of the original buildings still standing, in the middle of a city. The parking lot is the only place he sees to operate.
That one rained in the middle. He calls it difficult and down to the wire. Eleven contacts, so it counted. The ground was the problem, and the ATAS would not tune. He says that has been happening often, and he is willing to say the antenna may not be as good as people think. A 20-meter hamstick replaced it. He had to pull extra coax out into the grass. The mount was the one on the truck. He wants that ground checked. The whole trip has been grounding trouble, and he cannot tell if it is the soil compared with home or if the mount is the fault.
Three Parks, Then the Camper
He still had to pick up media passes at the fairgrounds. That errand ended the rove. Three parks in the morning, and nothing after. Badges and parking passes, then he ran into Ham Radio 2.0. They went back to the camper. He puts the YouTube group at a dozen or more. Mike, the person he had planned to find, showed up as well. Mike lives about an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half away. They still had to get to Dayton to meet. He is hot, he is early, and the show opens the next day. The useful plan is to arrive early, park, and get inside. He leaves for the hotel.
Transcript
The goal is five parks, enough for another rove. He will find out on camera. It is a clear morning in Ohio, around 8, 8:30, maybe 9. He has lost track of the time. The first setup he shows is Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve, and it sits inside a state park. Done right, he thinks that is a twofer. The Northern Buckeye Trail is there too. He does not think the trail is a POTA park. It might be a threefer. A local would know. He is on the way to Dayton for Hamvention.
The view is a wooden walkway, handicap accessible, down to an overlook at the water. This side is the nature preserve. The state park beaches are across the way. He is impressed. A lighthouse sits down the shore, with a trail toward it. Closer to the platform, the dunes and the lake. Some ground is roped off. He compares it to places where old munitions were buried in the sand and the rope is how you stay off them. The beach over there is the state park. The ramp reaches the sand. He does not think you push a wheelchair out onto that sand.
He gets one of the two parks activated and has to move for the second. The boundaries do not cross at a spot where one station can count for both. Then he is at park three of the day. This one was supposed to be first. He arrived early, it opened at 10, and a gate stopped him, so he did two parks first and came back. He thinks he is at the James Garfield historical site, a national park site, an old farm with some original buildings, in a city. Mentor, Ohio, he thinks. The parking lot is the only realistic place to operate.
That activation finishes in the rain. He calls it difficult. Eleven contacts. It counted, and it was late. Grounding trouble. The ATAS would not tune at all. That has been happening a lot, and he says maybe the antenna is not as good as people think. A 20-meter hamstick finishes the job. Extra coax runs out into the grass. He is in the parking lot because that is the setup. The antenna is on the truck mount. He needs to check the ground on that mount. This trip has been full of grounding problems, and he does not know if it is the area or a bigger fault in the mount.
Next stop is the fairgrounds, for media passes. The five-park rove did not happen. Three parks in the morning, and that was the radio part of the day. He gets badges and parking passes, then runs into Ham Radio 2.0. They go to the camper and sit with the YouTube group. A dozen or more. Mike, whom he meant to meet here, shows up too. Mike lives maybe an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half away, and Dayton is where they finally meet. He is hot and sweaty. Hamvention has not opened. Tomorrow is the day. Get there early, park, get inside. He heads to the hotel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many parks did he actually activate?
Three, all in the morning. He said the five-park rove did not happen. He picked up media badges and parking passes at the fairgrounds and then stayed with the Ham Radio 2.0 group instead of going back out.
Why were Headlands Dunes and the state park not a twofer?
He thought they might be, because the nature preserve is inside the larger park on the map. Once he was there, the boundaries did not cross at a single operating point. He activated one, then had to move and set up again for the other. A wooden accessible walkway leads to an overlook, with a lighthouse down the shore and a beach he identified as the state park. Some sand is roped off. He compared that to old munitions ranges. A wheelchair can reach the sand on the ramp and will not roll out onto it.
What failed at the Garfield site?
Rain, and the ground. The ATAS would not tune at all. He has been seeing that on this trip and said out loud that it may not be as good an antenna as its reputation. He switched to a 20-meter hamstick, ran extra cable into the grass, and used the antenna mount on the truck. Eleven contacts, late in the activation. The parking lot was the only setup he saw. He does not know if the grounding trouble is the local soil or the mount.
Who did he meet before the show opened?
Ham Radio 2.0, in person, then the camper. He put the YouTube group at a dozen or more. Mike, whom he had planned to meet, showed up too. Mike lives about an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half from him, and Dayton was the first time they were in the same place. The show floor was the next morning. He went to the hotel.