Meanwhile, my local radio club showed up. I gave 15 meters a try but after calling CQ for awhile and not hearing any response, I called QRT. At this point, I actually checked the band conditions report which listed 17 and 15 meters as “good”. OK – I gave 40 meters one last go and snagged two more contacts, including a friend Lane WK4WC in NC. The noise was horrible and I heard no one during the five minutes I called CQ. But those of you who activate know POTA QSOs are like Lays Potato chips – you can never get enough! By this point, I had a successful activation. I got two contacts on that band but both times I received a 339 for my signal report. As 17 meters had proven to be my friend in Nova Scotia, I gave it a try. So I moved to 20 meters and managed to snag seven more contacts. Near the end of those 20 minutes, though, it sounded like the band was shifting because I’d hear people only to lose them after sending my information. The noise level was a S1-S4 but in 20 minutes I had eight contacts, including one of my code buddies, Charles W4CLW. (Note: I did not check the band conditions before heading out that morning but good thing I didn’t because 40 meters obviously didn’t read that report either.) When at Butter Bean Beach, I almost always start first on 40 meters due to the early hour. But one slightly elevated with neon pink flagging tape might. A black, thin wire lying on the ground would not be easily noticed. Besides, I wanted to be prepared for kids possibly walking around my antennas. It did!Īs for the counterpoise, even though I received a comment on a previous trip report that the counterpoise does not need to be elevated, I thought “let’s just gild the lily and elevate it anyway.” So I put out my water bottle and attached the end of the counterpoise to that. I figured that might work just fine for attaching the feed-end and keeping it taut. Now how to deal with the feed-end? The night before, I recalled a recent conversation with a friend who suggested using gallon water jugs to hold the ends of an inverted V. It didn’t take long to get the mast deployed and the antenna where I wanted it. Frankly, I figured my SOTAbeams travel mast looked a bit lonely, especially since I had lugged it all over Nova Scotia but not deploying it once while there. Last time I activated this site, I used the EFRW antenna in a tree but I thought to try something different today. Good thing I had my noise-cancelling headphones! They warned me that around 9 AM a group of kids would arrive for their kayaking camp. Also assisting Lisa and Garret today was Sierra Abbasi. On one of my past activations, they were at Butter Bean Beach with a group of ninth graders for their Fish Gotta Swim program. Wilderness Southeast offers eco trips and group programs to connect people with the environment. Garret volunteers with Wilderness Southeast and Lisa is the organization’s Executive Director. I, then, saw people I recognized – Garret Jones and Lisa Goodman. I rolled into the parking lot around 7:30 AM and saw stuff already piled up on one of the picnic tables in the pavilion. I always arrive early at Butter Bean Beach on Wednesdays to get my CW activation out of the way as my local guys use SSB. This Wednesday, July 19th, they opted for Butter Bean Beach, hoping for a maritime breeze given the hot and humid weather. They have a No Work Wednesday club that meets weekly, activating either Butter Bean Beach at the Wormsloe State Historic Site (K-3725) or Fort Pulaski National Monument (K-0930). Given the trip to Nova Scotia and then getting a cold upon my return to Savannah, Georgia, it had been awhile since catching up with the guys in my local club – Coastal Area Radio Club (CARS). Butter Bean Beach is a local hot stop on Burnside Island with picnic facilities, play area and public water access.Many thanks to Teri (KO4WFP) for the following guest post: The rivers are also a great place for paddle boarding and kayaking. Moon River, which intersects with Diamond Causeway, is the same Moon River that inspired Burnside resident Johnny Mercer to write the song popularized by Andy Williams. Numerous churches of various denominations are represented on the island. Homes on Burnside Island are zoned for Chatham County public schools, but private school choices are also available on the island. Several shopping centers are located on the northern section as is the Oglethorpe branch of the Live Oak Public Library System. These houses were originally built as second homes for Savannah residents seeking to escape the summer heat in Georgia’s inland areas. The Burnside Island community has a diverse selection of housing styles and prices to choose from which include many sprawling waterfront estates, but affordable houses are also available.
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