=  NOW 40 WPM  =

40 AND 20 METERS, WITH A HEAVY RELIANCE ON 20 METERS TO GET MY
SIGNAL OUT TO THE DIFFERENT CORNERS OF THE CONTINENT.  WITH THE
PROPAGATION AND ANTENNAS THAT I USED, I WAS EASILY ABLE TO CONTACT
STATIONS FROM THE EAST, WEST, AND GULF COASTS OF THE US, AS WELL AS
NORTHERN CANADA.  THE PILEUPS FOR BOTH ENTITIES WERE INTENSE, WHICH
IM SURE WAS DUE TO SEVERAL FACTORS.  FIRST, NEITHER K 8534 OR K 7702
HAD EVER BEEN ACTIVATED FOR POTA BEFORE, SO MY ACTIVATIONS WERE THE
VERY FIRST OF TH FIRST TIME POTA ACTIVATIONS FROM NORTH DAKOTA RADIO
AMATEUR MAKES DX CONTACTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHILE OPERATING AT A
HISTORICAL SITE AND WILDLIFE PRESERVE IN THE UPPER MIDWEST.  ANDREW
JIM DANIELSON, AC9EZ WHEN MY FAMILY AND I TRAVEL TO NORTH DAKOTA, I
LIKE TO BRING A PORTABLE HF AND 6 METER STATION BECAUSE THERES A
VERY LOW NOISE FLOOR FOUND IN MOST OF THE STATE.  BEFORE WE LEFT FOR
OUR TRIP LAST JUNE, I WANTED TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY PARKS ON THE
AIR POTA ENTITIES THAT MIGHT BE CLOSE TO OUR VACATION SPOT.  POTA
ENCOURAGES HAMS TO SET UP AND OPERATE TEMPORARY STATIONS AT NATIONAL
AND STATE PARKS, MONUMENTS, WILDLIFE PRESERVES, AND OTHER POTA
RECOGNIZED ENTITIES.  MAKING A PLAN AFTER VIEWING THE MAP FUNCTION
ON POTAS WEBSITE HTTPS// POTA. APP/ /MAP, I DECIDED TO ATTEMPT TO
ACTIVATE TWO POTA ENTITIES THAT HAD NEVER BEEN ACTIVATED THE DAVID
THOMPSON STATE HISTORIC SITE K 8534, AND THE LONETREE WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT AREA K 7702.  BECAUSE AT LEAST ONE OF THE ENTITIES WOULD
HAVE NO ACCESS TO AC POWER, I DECIDED TO BRING ALONG ENOUGH
EQUIPMENT TO OPERATE FROM 100 BATTERY POWER AT THE 50 100 W POWER
OUTPUT LEVEL.  THE AMOUNT OF EQUIPMENT I COULD BRING WAS LIMITED TO
WHAT I COULD PACK IN OUR DODGE CARAVAN.  FOR ANTENNAS, I BROUGHT A
HOMEBREW 40 METER END FED HALF WAVE EFHW, WHICH ALLOWED ME TO
OPERATE ON 40, 20, AND 10 METERS.  AS BACKUP, I HAD SPARE WIRE FOR A
20 METER DIPOLE AND SEVERAL SHORTENED, SINGLE BAND, QUARTER WAVE
MONOPOLES FOR 40, 20, AND 6 METERS.  I ALSO PACKED MY YAESU FT 450D
HF/6 METER 100 W TRANSCEIVER.  THE EFHW WOULD BE DEPLOYED AS AN
INVERTED V AND BE SUPPORTED BY A 24 FOOT EXTENDABLE PAINTERS POLE.
THE RADIO WOULD BE POWERED BY A BIOENNO 20 AH LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE
LIFEPO4 BATTERY, WHICH WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR SEVERAL HOURS OF
OPERATION AT THE 90 W OUTPUT LEVEL.  I ALSO BROUGHT A SMALL NOTEBOOK
FOR LOGGING, A SET OF BULLDOG PADDLES BY K9LU TO OPERATE CW, AND A
AND MICROPHONE FOR SSB.  MY FIRST ACTIVATION SITE THE FIRST SITE I
CHOSE TO ACTIVATE WAS THE DAVID THOMPSON STATE HISTORIC SITE K 8534.
THIS STATE MONUMENT SITS ON A HILLTOP OVERLOOKING THE SOURIS RIVER
VALLEY, AND IS ENCLOSED BY A CHAIN LINK FENCE.  WE ARRIVED AT THE
MONUMENT IN THE LATE AFTERNOON.  I HAD PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED THAT
ONLY THE LAND ENCLOSED BY THE FENCE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE PART OF THE
MONUMENT, SO I KNEW I HAD TO SET UP MY ENTIRE STATION WITHIN THAT
AREA.  WITHIN 20 MINUTES, I SET UP THE EFHW AS AN INVERTED V, AND
THREE GUY LINES PROVIDED EXTRA INSURANCE AGAINST ANY GRAVITY
MISHAPS.  I PLACED MY RADIO ON TOP OF MY BACKPACK, WHICH WAS
=  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  =  QST DE W1AW  <