POTA – Activating Charvil Country Park (GB-4290)

On the afternoon of Sunday 12th April, Bracknell Amateur Radio Club (BARC) members gathered at the scenic Charvil Country Park for another successful Parks on the Air (POTA) activation. Despite the variable spring weather, our dedicated team of members set-up our station and the bands were soon buzzing with activity.

A growing community

It was wonderful to see such a strong attendance from our membership. A total of 16 members attended the activation, making it a true social and technical event. Most importantly, we were thrilled to have two members from our youth section join the team. Watching the next generation of amateur radio operators get hands-on experience with field setups and microphone technique is exactly what these club outings are all about.

Technical Setup and Operations

To maximize our reach and give everyone a chance to operate, we deployed three independent stations across the park. This allowed us to maintain a presence on multiple bands simultaneously, navigating the changing propagation conditions throughout the afternoon.

Our antennas were a mix of vertical and wire deployments, designed to pull in signals from both near and far. The effort paid off as we logged contacts ranging from local UK operators to stations across Europe and right across the Atlantic into the USA.

The Final Tally

Our operators worked hard to cut through the noise, resulting in a healthy logbook by the end of the session:

• 34 SSB Contacts – Our voice stations were busy with great signal reports from across the continent and North America.
• 12 CW Contacts: – The Morse code operators proved their skill, picking out the “dits and dahs” through the weekend QRM.
• 6 Park-to-Park (P2P) Contacts: – A special highlight was connecting with six other hobbyists currently activating their own parks, a true POTA tradition.

A huge thank you to everyone who came down to help with the setup, operating and the inevitable “teardown in the wind.” It was a great day of radio, fresh air, and friendship.

Are you interested in joining BARC? Whether you are a seasoned pro or just curious about the hobby, come along to one of our meetings or join us at our next park activation! Check our events page for more details.