Successful POTA Activation at Pope’s Meadow
On a wet and windy afternoon of Saturday, December 6th, the Bracknell Amateur Radio Club (BARC), operating as GX4BRA, successfully activated Pope’s Meadow Country Park (POTA Reference GB-5170) as part of the Parks on the Air (POTA) program.
Despite the challenging conditions, members efficiently set up their portable station, utilizing a reliable wired dipole antenna for High Frequency (HF) communications. The team focused their operations on the 20m band, which proved highly effective for long-distance (DX) communication, and the 40m band.
The collective effort yielded a commendable total of 60 successful contacts (QSOs). These contacts were made with stations across 13 different countries/regions, showcasing the effectiveness of the portable setup and the bands used. Regions worked included the United Kingdom, numerous European countries (Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, etc.), and The Azores.
A key highlight was the enthusiastic participation of the club’s youngest member, M7TBQ (14 years old), who logged a fantastic run of stations on the microphone. In a wonderful moment demonstrating the club’s commitment to fostering new talent, M7TBQ connected with another local 13-year-old M7 licensee, marking only their second-ever HF QSO.
To learn more about the Parks on the Air (POTA) program or amateur radio, please get in touch with the club via social media or search G4BRA for our Discord channel.
