The November 2019 RaDAR Challenge and Parks on The Air

Dennis WA6QKN and I combined Rapid Deployment Radio (RaDAR) and Parks On The Air (POTA) with a fun bike ride in Wakulla County, Florida. Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio includes the outdoors, amateur radio, and movement. The RaDAR Challenge has a four-hour window to operate.

Our rail-trail route between Wakulla Station and San Marcos

We began at the Wakulla Station on the Historic Tallahassee St Marks Rail Trail POTA K-3661. When we put a spot on the POTA website the chasers came quickly. We had fifteen contacts in fifteen minutes on 40 meters SSB. That covered the required five for RaDAR and the required ten for a POTA Activation.



Then we mounted our bikes and headed 7.5 miles South on the Rail Trail. The radio gear was pulled in a bike cart. The equipment included the Elecraft KX2, Elecraft KXPA 100 amplifier, and a 30 AH Bioenno LiFePO4 battery. We used a SOTA Beams Band Hopper dipole for an antenna.

Dennis WA6QKN

We arrived at the San Marcos de Apalache State Park POTA 3652 at St Marks, Florida. Once again, we spotted ourselves on the POTA website and got fifteen more contacts. Some were the same chasers as the previous stop.

Our radio gear

The bike ride was more than the required two kilometers, but it was a beautiful tree-lined journey. The trip down was 51 minutes downhill going South and 57 minutes uphill on the return.

My bike with the cart for the radio gear

Back at the Wakulla Station, I attempted an AO-91 pass but no joy. Dennis and I then found a Mexican Resturant for a nice lunch. Then we drove a couple of hours back to Panama City. On the way, we listened to Bill Browns WB8ELK's QSO Today episode.

Greg N4KGL at San Marcos State Park

The RaDAR Challenge's time constraint, radio contacts, and the required motion are challenging but fun. You have to try it to understand.

The river landing at St. Marks, Florida. See more photos at https://photos.app.goo.gl/8eGqxfw2soN6C9678