On our way south from Glacier National Park, we made a quick overnight stop at Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. I couldn’t pass up the chance to activate a new POTA park (US-4499), even if it was just a short visit.

With limited time and daylight, I went with a simple but reliable setup: a 72-foot random wire tossed into a tree using my throw weight, fed through a 9:1 UNUN. My rig was running just 10 watts, but that was more than enough to get on the air and make some contacts.

Operating FT-8, I managed to log 22 contacts total—including one with my brother (W0EGT) back home in southwest Missouri on 20 meters! That contact alone made the activation totally worth it. It’s always a cool feeling to bridge that kind of distance with just a bit of wire and low power.

Conditions were decent, the forest setting was peaceful, and this quick little activation ended up being a highlight of the day. Nothing like a successful POTA to top off a road trip leg!

Until next time—73!