In association with the W2T special event taking place at the W2ZQ station from Dec. 26 through Dec. 31st (see separate announcement of the event here: W2T and W2P special event stations will run from Dec 26th through Jan 7th – Delaware Valley Radio Association (w2zq.com)), we will also conduct a 3-hour Parks On The Air activation at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania on the morning of New Year’s Eve day, Tuesday, December 31st.
Antenna deployment will occur at 9AM and radio activity will start at approximately 10AM and run until at least 1PM from our cars in the parking lot and/or from tables on the lawn adjacent to the parking lot (lawn deployment is weather permitting).
Come out and help us activate! Get on the schedule to work the pileup as Operator or Logger for W2T, simultaneously performing a Parks On The Air Activation and commemorating the Revolutionary War Battle Of Trenton, which took place 248 years ago. We will be operating from this PA park built near the site of General Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Day 1776, which preceded the famous battles of Trenton and Princeton.
“Parks On The Air” (POTA) has become a very popular Amateur Radio program. It’s an on-air activity that helps Amateurs practice many skills while enjoying our great hobby, including:
- Emergency preparedness, allowing us to obtain and hone the ability to operate “off the grid”, and away from our home station
- temporary antenna and station deployment “in the field”
- utilization of emergency power equipment (no-noise battery power is preferred in POTA settings)
- “working pileups” on both ends: getting through them as a Park Hunter, and working and managing them as a Park Activator
- Finding yet another way to get outside and enjoy our wonderful State and Federal parks, which have been called “America’s Best Idea”
- Positive public relations for our hobby via exposure to the general population. Members of the public stop by and watch us enjoy Amateur Radio in the great outdoors
Whether you’re a current DVRA Member or not, are currently registered with the Parks On The Air program or not (registration with POTA is simple and free of charge online at Parks on the Air | POTA, provided you’re a currently licensed Amateur), you will be included on our submitted log as the Operator for your completed QSOs and get POTA “activator” credit for those contacts from our park station. The weather forecast is currently “iffy” later in the day, but we should be good during the period we plan to operate. We’re very resourceful and will adapt to the conditions and will operate from our vehicles in the parking lot, if need be.
Here are the details:
WHEN: Tuesday, December 31 at Washington Crossing Historic Park (PA). If you have a question contact Bob Bowden KB3BB by email at thebowdens@yahoo.com . To get on the signup sheet, click : HERE
Operators will work in one hour blocks. Arrive in time to be ready to operate during any block(s) you sign up for.
WHERE: On December 31, we will set up at a parking lot in Washington Crossing State Historic Park, POTA designation US-6432.
The place to park your car is in Washington Crossing Gateway Heritage Park, which is an environmental “park within the park” (it’s part of Washington Crossing Historic Park). The address is 1201 General Stark Rd., Washington Crossing, PA 18977 and the Google Maps link is https://goo.gl/maps/2wPxhy1CjainoJL9A . Park in the lot close to your fellow activators and DVRA members and help set up at 9AM, if you can make it. Or just join us during the operating time, which is planned to be between 10 AM and 1PM. We might continue operating later than that if our batteries and personal energies are holding up well!
Here is a picture from the parking lot.
WHAT TO BRING: Bring your licensed self, and of course bring family member(s) or a friend if you think they might enjoy seeing portable Amateur Radio in action! If the weather is nice enough to spend time outdoors, bring folding lawn chairs for yourself and for anyone else in your party. And bring snacks and / or sandwiches and beverages to keep fueled and hydrated, and of course bring warm clothing, remembering it’s Winter, after all! DVRA is bringing operating equipment; the rest is strictly BYO. Note that alcoholic beverages are NOT permitted in this state park. Save your enjoyment of beverages for New Year’s Eve night! Stay for whatever period you wish – if you have other plans, your DVRA friends will understand if you must leave mid-event. Any time you can spend with us will be great!
We’re very excited about this new W2T POTA activation, and we hope you can join us for at least part of this event.
Bob Bowden KB3BB
thebowdens@yahoo.com
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