Braving the Elements at POTA Larks Hill (GB-4282)
When the storm clouds parted, the Bracknell Amateur Radio Club (BARC) team didn’t
hesitate. We grabbed the gear, headed to the field, and successfully completed a fantastic POTA
activation at Larks Hill (GB-4282) using the club call sign GX4BRA.
Despite the recent rough weather, our “hardy” members made the most of a temporary lull in
the wind to get some signals into the air.
We ran two stations to cover the bands effectively:
| Station A | Station B | |
|---|---|---|
| Radio | ICOM IC-7300 | Xiegu G90 |
| Antenna | 40m Vertical | 20m Vertical |
| Modes | SSB / CW | SSB / CW |
| Power Source | Portable LiFePo4 | Portable LiFePo4 |
The bands were lively. Despite the QRM, we managed to log 34 QSOs across both 20m and 40m.
It was a great testament to how a simple vertical setup can really punch through when the skip
is right. A huge thank you to all the hunters who plucked us out of the noise, it’s always a thrill to hear
those callsigns coming back to us from the field.
The team successfully logged 34 QSOs during the session. Propagation on the lower bands was
steady, while the 20m station benefited from a lower noise floor characteristic of the park
location.
The deployment emphasized the importance of high-quality vertical antennas in field
environments where tree-mounting for dipoles may be restricted or unsafe due to wind. The IC7300 provided excellent filtering for the 40m pile-ups, while the G90’s internal ATU and
portability proved invaluable for the 20m roving station.
Thanks to our Operators: Paul M9XPN, Mick M0MGK, Toby M7TBQ and Chris M0TVA for braving the elements for us and activating our first park of 2026.
