KRØUT Provided the Radio for the 40m Station and Operated SSB
Gusty winds, 90+ degree temperatures and deteriorated ionospheric propagation made the May 6th POTA operation from the National Tallgrass Prairie Preserve a bit of a challenge at times. In spite of the challenges, SFTARC members made about 85 contacts from this historic site in the Flint Hills of Kansas, just north of Strong City.
A dozen SFTARC members and associated family members made the trip to the Tallgrass to activate POTA designator K-3683. Two ICOM IC-7300s were used on the 40 and 20m phone stations while the CW operators used an IC-746 on 30m. With the solar flux taking a nose-dive just before the Tallgrass event, bands higher than 20m were not very active and the lower bands seemed to suffer from rapid and deep fading or high noise. Two vertical antennas and one end-fed 40m half-wave antenna let us communicate around North America.
Larry's Base-loaded Paint-pole Vertical Served as the 30m Antenna Used by the CW Station
Marty, KEØPEZ, Coaches Zach on 20m Phone Operation While Tom Logs
The club’s youngest member, 13-year-old Zach (KFØLQE), got to experience the thrill and frustration of HF operation, along with his dad, Tom. Zach also got in on the use of a potato gun to run an antenna-support rope over a tree. All those who attended had an enjoyable time operating outdoors with two of the stations being positioned under the shade of the barn’s two ramps. With the winds being so strong and at time problematic, hindsight suggests that we may have been wise to operate from inside the barn this year.
KØNK and KEØPEZ Served as the Club's CW Operators for the Tall Grass Event
The core team of SFTARC members departed Gardner at 6 am and we arrived at the Tallgrass just before 9 am. By 10 am we had two stations on the air. Except for a lunch break, all three stations were active until 2 pm. As in previous years, the staff at the Tallgrass Prairie were most accommodating.
The Core Team Stopped at Beto Junction for Breakfast Before Continuing on to Strong City. Photo by Joe, KR0UT.