I don’t usually think about across the pond DX when hunting POTA stations. Not that it hasn’t happened a few times, but it’s been an exception and not the rule for me. Probably because field participants often use less than ideal antennas with less than usual power available. And the majority of my park contacts have been on 40 meters during daylight hours.

But as the solar cycle has moved from rock bottom to more enhanced conditions, the higher bands are frequently opening providing opportunities for more distant day time radio contacts using less than ideal equipment and antennas.

I was hunting POTA stations on 15 earlier this week when I seemed to have fished out the available school of CW stations so I began looking for SSB spots when I found G7WKX/P operating from G-0369 the Bold Forest Park Country Park near Liverpool in the UK.

He was quickly in the log and I continued my hunt though we later followed up our QSO via email in which he sent me photos and a detailed description of his setup.

Simon was using batteries to power a Yaesu FT-818 and a small 40 watt amplifier. The antenna was a linked dipole for 17/15 supported by a 19-foot fishing pole. His time was cut short by a sudden storm that moved thru the area causing a fast retreat, but not before we made contact.

After a few years of ignoring 21MHz due to the propagation drought it’s certainly become very productive of late and is putting smiles on a lot of faces, including my own.