My first “two-fer” activation and in one of the more beautiful places in Ireland -Galway Bay and The Burren, on Ireland’s West Coast. Despite mixed weather that involved sunshine one minute and torrential downpours the next, I really enjoyed this activation. In addition to a decent 45 qsos in the log on 20M CW and SSB, I also met a lovely couple from the USA and an equally lovely foursome from France who were great company and seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing!
There were a few learnings from this activation; while the GP is a great antenna, it takes a bit of time to set up. I’d like something that’s a bit quicker. I’ve also realised it’s too heavy for true “/P” activations so I’m going to have to sort out an alternative solution. Another learning is that most folk are curious when they see a POTA setup but are too shy to ask. I decided to try and strike up a conversation with some of the folk who parked up to enjoy the view and were clearly wondering what it was I was up to. It was fun talking with them and I think they appreciated that I was prepared to share with them what I was doing. They in turn were fascinating people, with their own stories to tell. Taking the opportunity to engage with folk when doing POTA or other /P activations adds even more fun to it, and is also a bit of easy positive publicity for the amateur radio hobby.
