POTA at Alewife Brook State Reserve
This June 2024, we’re dealing with a heat advisory across the East Coast of the US. I took Daisy out early in the morning to avoid the heat, but she wasn’t having it.
Just days before, I took delivery of my new KH1 Elecraft Transceiver, and I was looking forward to a solid attempt at a Parks on the Air activation with it.
Is there a park nearby with a lot of shade so I can beat the heat? Five miles away (a 15-minute drive) is the Alewife Brook Parkway State Reserve. In the days before COVID, my daily commute to Kendall Sq. in Cambridge went through this park.
A Little Gem of a Semi-Urban Park
The Alewife Brook Parkway State Reserve is a little gem of a semi-urban park that I had never activated because I wasn’t sure where I could set up an antenna without bothering other park-goers. The KH1’s pedestrian portable capabilities are well-suited, so I decided to head there and find some shade.
Off of Acorn Park Drive, there is a DCR1 parking lot accessing a well-shaded and serene area with ponds, walking paths, and picnic tables. Exactly what I needed.
I went there after work and set up my KH1 with the right-angle antenna adapter, SP4 CW Morse Double Paddle, and Sony earbuds.
I am glad I learned to use the KH1’s CW message memory with auto-repeat. The keyer memory did the work while I enjoyed the wildlife.
I can’t say that HF propagation was the best. The contacts were not piling up but they were coming in every few minutes. I am glad I learned to use the KH1’s CW message memory with auto-repeat. The keyer memory did the work while I enjoyed the wildlife.
I enjoyed myself so much that I went back the next afternoon and activated the same park again. Above is a map of the contacts that I made over two days at the park. One QSO was 2,082 miles from Massachusetts to Utah—pretty good for a 5-watt radio with a little antenna. Morse code gets it done!
DCR stands for Department of Conservation and Recreation, a Massachusetts government department. ↩