Parks On The Air - A Winter Adventure and Radio

For over 15 years, I've been dispersed camping in the same location. In this area, dispersed camping is allowed only after Labor Day and before Memorial Day. While winter camping isn't my favorite form of camping, dispersed camping is. I've always liked finding my own place in the woods and setting up camp. Unfortunately, in the southern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, there are very few public lands that allow dispersed camping. I loaded my radio gear into my truck and parked where I always do.

The walk to "my" spot is a short trek along a small river winding through the State Game Area. I always pause at the one opening that offers a clear view of the water; everywhere else, the sightline is choked by thick brush and timber. Though most of the river remained locked in ice, a group of swans had found a patch of open water to claim as their own.

I arrived to find my spot as undisturbed as it has been for the past fifteen years. Some leftover firewood from my last visit was still there, processed and ready to go. I hung up my pack and started the familiar routine of setting up to activate the park.

Sending CW (Morse code) in sub-freezing temperatures is no easy feat, and my shivering hands needed all the help they could get. Naturally, the first order of business was to get a fire going.

For this activation, my antenna of choice was a 29' EFRW with a custom 17' counterpoise I’d built myself. The rest of the kit consisted of 25' of RG316 coax, a Ham Radio Supply QRP RFI Choke, my Elecraft KH1, and a CW Morse SP-4 paddle. After checking the bands, both 20 and 30 meters looked promising, so I opted to start on 30. US-6615 Allegan State Game Land was officially about to go on the air.

Once the 30-meter band eventually ran dry, I hopped over to 20 meters to round out the session. After logging thirty-three contacts, I was thrilled with the results, but could feel the cold finally starting to settle in. It was time to pull the plug on the radio gear and move on to the next part of the day.

I managed to get a better shot of the swans on my way back out—a peaceful end to a productive adventure. Despite the freezing temperatures, it was worth the trek to get US-6615 on the air. Thanks for following along on this winter adventure, and I hope your own radio and CW goals for the season are going well!