POTA on Vancouver Island

[WA3LTJ]

POTA activation at Ft Rodd Hill National Historical Site and Fisgard Lighthouse, 22 Jan 2023

The weather was just warm enough to operate outdoors. I used a 20 m dipole at 25 ft and a Yaesu FT-891. The power was a 20 Ah LiFePO4 battery. 71 QSOs in 2 hours. QSOs included MT, UT, WY, SD, CO, OR, OH, ID, AK, MN, NV, KS, CA, AZ, MI, KY, TN, PA, WV  Saskatchewan, Alberta, B.C.  Background noise was very low, so I was operating at the limit of the internal S/N of the radio. The staff at the gate to the park were very friendly and a little familiar with ham radio. 

[K3MRI]

Thanks for sharing Andy. This looks idyllic. I have such fond memories of Vancouver Island and in particular Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites. I forget which, but we presented the Flag at a ceremony sometime in the 80s. As I recall, it's the, or one of the, oldest lighthouses on the West Coast.

You know, as I watch this image, I am reminded of how mysterious amateur radio really is. We never 'visualize' who we are talking to. Where are they? Are they indoor or out? Is their shack immaculate or a royal mess? Unfortunately neither activations nor contests are a great time to find out but on my next ragchew, I will definitely try to imagine, or even ask, something about the operator's shack, their city, etc. In fact, as I recall, that's what we used to do 🤔

[WA3LTJ]

I had a bit of a chat with an XYL in Montana who did her honeymoon on a motorcycle to the Fisgard Lighthouse.  She is Canadian. We had a fun, brief chat, since I did my honeymoon on a motorcycle, camping in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The POTA QSO's are brief, but there is time to exchange a few tidbits before moving to the next station.