NH POTA Meetup
Organizing a POTA Meetup always presents unexpected challenges. At Bear Brook State Park, we faced a bride's wedding, harsh Propagation conditions, and the threat of rain. However, we persevered and had a successful Meetup, surrounded by like-minded individuals who share a passion for radio and the outdoors.
Bear Brook State Park boasts a stunning backdrop of lush greenery, a serene pond, and a charming pavilion that resembles a scene from a Walt Whitman painting. It's an idyllic setting for a radio activation, provided that you don't accidentally interrupt a wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, due to the impending rain, we had to move up the activation time by an hour, which coincided with the wedding ceremony. Nevertheless, we made the best of the situation and enjoyed our time together.
We’ll imagine as the bride/groom a bunch of guys showing up with tents, backpacks, antennas, and gear and begin erecting large wire antennas (picture BuddieHex)
During the wedding event, we made sure to stay off to the side to avoid disrupting any photos or the occasion. As the newlyweds walked by our small set-up of 3 or 4 stations and an easy up, we congratulated them. While putting together the Hex, we overheard some wedding guests jokingly speculate that we might be communicating with aliens or conducting experiments. I chuckled to myself and continued setting up.
After some time, a few guests approached us and asked about our activity. We happily shared information about the Parks on the Air Program, Ham Radio, and where we were from. They were genuinely interested and we invited them to try it out, even though we didn't have any takers. It was still great to share more about the Ham Radio hobby.
In summary, two of us were able to activate the park with ten contacts on FT8. SSB was challenging for me and I couldn't secure enough to activate the park. Thanks to all that came out to the event (as we had 8 in attendance) and If you're interested in attending a POTA Meetup, check out the POTA website and discord for events in your area. These meetups are an excellent opportunity to learn about portable operations and ask questions. Here are some photos from the event.
