POTA Activation - Mueller State Park CO

L to R Jim N0IPA, Hal WA2AKV Rig Yeasu FT-817 ND, 5 watts. Antenna, triband End Fed.

We had the great fortune of connecting with Jim Stinson (N0IPA), a fellow amateur radio operator and active member of the LICW Club. After Jim noticed one of my posts on the club's reflector, he reached out via email, and we began coordinating plans for a meetup. Jim graciously dedicated most of September 2nd to driving from Sedalia, Colorado, to join us at our campsite in Colorado's Mueller State Park.

A former Marine, Jim leads the LICW CW Club's weekly Portable Operations session every Saturday. He also serves as the logistical coordinator for "Warriors on the Way," (https://warriorsontheway.org) a transformative pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago. This journey is specifically designed to help combat veterans heal from PTSD and moral injury. Having guided multiple pilgrimages himself, Jim shared the rich history of this program from its inception to the present day, captivating us with deeply moving stories and personal accounts of how veterans find healing through this spiritual journey.

Under Jim's expert guidance, we successfully activated Mueller State Park and completed over 13 CW POTA contacts! The experience proved invaluable as I learned several practical techniques for POTA operations, including real-time logging, effective spotting methods, and how to use the PoLo iPhone application. PoLo is a specialized app that enables amateur radio operators to log contacts and spot POTA stations in real-time, streamlining the entire process.

The Ham shack in the Minnie Winnie "Risky Venture" Rig: IC-7600, 100 watts, antenna: vertical