• Weekend POTA Roundup

    Weekend POTA Roundup

    It’s been a stormy past several days here in Northern California, but if anything, the weather only amplifies my motivation to go outside and get on the air. Rather than do a separate writeup for each, this post is a roundup of my last four POTA activations, from Friday February 2nd through Sunday, the 4th.

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  • Warm Winter POTA at K-7889

    It is not uncommon for California to experience a spell of warm weather in late January or February with temperatures rising into the mid-60s °F. This typically occurs when high barometric pressure builds over the eastern Pacific and into the Pacific Northwest, causing an offshore wind flow over California. With the warm temperatures came a

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  • Activation 72

    Activation 72

    Today’s activation of the Presidio of San Francisco National Historic Site K-7889 was pretty standard for a mid-winter POTA outing. Normally I wouldn’t bother to write it up on this blog. After coming here 72 times there is not much new to say about it. Nevertheless, maybe somebody will find value in this field report.

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  • Outdoor Radio For The New Year

    The new year means time off work and the opportunity to overindulge in amateur radio activities. With no antenna installed presently at my home QTH, all of my operating must be done in the field. For January 1st, 2024 I was able to complete two POTA activations at local parks. The first was actually on

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  • Rainy Day Activation

    Rainy Day Activation

    It’s late December and one of a series of winter storms is driving into northern and central California. The previous day, my plans for a combined Summits On The Air and Parks On The Air activation fell apart due to weather. Today most of the UTC day had passed with only light drizzle, and itching

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  • POTA “Kilo” Note

    POTA “Kilo” Note

    The weather in San Francisco on Christmas Day 2023 was partly cloudy and dry, with mild temperatures in the upper 50s. Additionally, the space “weather” numbers did not contraindicate the likelihood of success for a low power radio activation. Rather than being a full field report, this post simply notes the achievement in the Parks

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  • Año Nuevo SP POTA

    Año Nuevo SP POTA

    One of our family’s annual traditions is to venture down U.S. Highway 101 to a Christmas tree farm called Rancho Siempre Verde (RSV). The several years of dry conditions put a strain on Christmas tree production at RSV, so our annual visits have become an more opportunity for picnicking, wreath making, and enjoying the natural

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  • Two State Beach POTAs

    Two State Beach POTAs

    California’s coast features many dozens of POTA references that are easily accessed right off U.S. Highway 1. The centerpiece of today’s POTA plan was activation of Pigeon Point Lighthouse State Historic Park, additionally there are several nearby State Beaches that could make for a nice coastal rove. Driving southbound and making right turns into State

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  • Fort Baker On The Air

    Fort Baker On The Air

    Fort Baker is a former U.S. Army post situated at the north of side of the Golden Gate, opposite Fort Point and adjacent the town of Sausalito, California. The post is now part of the sprawling Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) which is also known as K-0647 for POTA. Many of the good POTA

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  • Morning By The Bay

    Morning By The Bay

    Earlier this past summer I did an East Bayshore POTA rove in which the plan was to pick up Emeryville Crescent State Marine Reserve K-3429 as the final park before heading back across the Bay Bridge to home. However, due to time constraints I was unable to attempt Emeryville Crescent. Fast forward to mid-Autumn and

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