Bader Park Report

Finally made it to Bader Park. Hot? You bet, 102F with 80+ humidity. AC’s were running full blast causing power drops in the older section but they had tree cover. We were in the new section with young trees that provided no protection, but on the other hand, we had great power with no problems. Then came the rain, two inches recorded at the park along with a good drop in temperature. Much better for the rest of the weekend.

I was planning to operate and using the 30’ tower but decided the screwdriver antenna on the truck was the way to go. I experienced transmitting feedback with the IC7300 and the screwdriver antenna with the high power transmission lines nearby, but solved the problem by moving the truck to the far end of the RV space. Made several good contacts including Chile on Friday evening, Belgium and Scotland on Saturday evening, all on 20 meters. My friend Scott brought along a really cool tent that worked great with a couple of box fans.

Click pictures for bigger view.

Over the next few days, I met many Hams I hear on the nets. Saturday kicked off with an ice cream social overseen by Jeremy Smith KCØNUK and his wife Jennifer, assisted by their son, future Ham Jackson. Fox hunt for the afternoon activity. Evening dinner was hot dogs and hamburgers along with more rag chewing.

Sunday started with coffee, doughnuts, and more rag chewing. The steak fry got underway around 11:00 with Kevin KØKDC as one of the grill masters. My steak was medium rare just the way I like it. It was followed by the annual club meeting and prize drawing. I was double lucky when my friend Scott gave me his ticket and I won a multi meter and nice wire cutter with stripper. Time to head home.