Helping KR4LSG With First Activation

I enjoy my POTA activations, whether as a hunter or an activator. I have had the privilege of helping several new POTA activators get their start, and I’ll never forget when KE4NKY showed me the ropes during my first POTA activation.

As a team leader for Laurel VEC, I get to talk to amateur radio applicants and answer their questions. Brian Hubbard (KR4LSG) was one of those applicants, and he passed both his Technician and General exams in the very same session. Brian later asked if we could do an activation together so he could see how it was done, so we worked out a time.

The funny thing about this trip was that when I threw up the ropes for the ends of the dipole, both landed on the correct limb on the first try! That never happens. We ended up with 23 contacts, including one operator who mentioned that Brian was his first contact in 16 years. I wished I had set up my iPhone to record from the start, but after seeing how well Brian was handling the pileup, I turned on the video.

Thanks for watching! 73, N4MQU