Many due to Micah (N4MJL) who shares the next visitor publish:
by Micah (N4MJL)
What do you do with 24 hours off in San Francisco? Properly, as a card carrying FCC licensed nerd, I hit the streets and headed off to Fort Level with my model new Elecraft KH1 for a day of sightseeing and historical past.
Fort Level is the one brick fort on the west coast of the USA. Development on the fort was from 1853-1861. Shortly after completion of Fort Level, the Civil Struggle started. By the tip of the Civil Struggle, advances in army expertise had rendered the fort much less efficient.
Cannons have been lastly faraway from the fort within the Eighteen Nineties. Brick fortifications have been merely no match for rifled cannons and iron clad battle ships. Within the Nineteen Thirties, the fort was used as a command middle, cafeteria, and barracks for the engineers constructing the Golden Gate bridge.
Main as much as WWII, Fort Level would proceed to play a key roll in San Francisco harbor defenses. Durring WWII fort level was a management middle for the submarine internet throughout the harbor. Within the Seventies Fort Level would lastly be formally categorized as a Notional Historic Website (POTA US-0819).
ATTENTION: Full disclosure right here!
The attractive photograph (above) with my KH1 on the ramparts of the fort, with the American Flag and Golden Gate Bridge within the background was a staged photograph.
Sure, I’m sorry, not a single QSO was created from that place. It was just too loud, too chilly, and too distracting to function from that place. Better of luck to anybody making an attempt to working from there.
The car site visitors noise, enterprise have an effect on off the wind, and the fixed circulate of vacationers made it a really troublesome spot. As a substitute I operated on a bench subsequent to the bogs outdoors the partitions of the fort however effectively inside the confines of the Historic Park website. The one brick column subsequent to the street within the image above is the boundary line for working in Fort Level US-0819. Simply to the fitting of the brick column within the grass space in opposition to the hill is the bench (subsequent to the bogs) the place I operated for all my contacts.
The working space for Fort Level is fairly small and difficult. It will get very busy there. Be ready to be requested often if you’re monitoring whales are attempting to speak with aliens….. Area aliens to be precise…..
All my contacts for this activation have been from searching park to park on 20m utilizing whip antenna.
With the noisy distracting setting mixed with my compromised antenna I didn’t really feel comfy calling CQ. As a substitute I targeted on searching parks I might hear very effectively in hopes they’d be capable to hear me with my compromised antenna. My first contact was at 1610z and my tenth contact was at 1754z. It was very gradual going, however I actually wished to activate Fort Level. To not point out the truth that Fort Level is a 3-Fer activation.
A 3-fer implies that with one activation you get credit score for 3 completely different park activations. Trying on the map above of the San Francisco space you possibly can see that Fort Level US-0819 (#6) falls inside a a lot bigger park entity (#7) Presidio (POTA US-7889). Each Fort Level and Presidio additionally each are positioned in an excellent larger park entity often called the Golden Gate Nationwide Leisure Space GGNRA (POTA US-0647).
Restating what’s written within the image above for simpler studying: After six generations, coastal defenses have been made out of date by intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Golden Gate Nationwide Recreation Space GGNRA was created largely from surplus coastal protection army reservations.
A lot could be mentioned about Presidio of San Francisco (US-7889). It served as a army out publish for the Spanish Empire(1776-1821ish), Mexican Republic(1821-1846), and United States Military (1847-1989).
As a pilot, I’ve to say Crissy Subject. Crissy Subject is a part of the Presidio park, and performed an enormous half within the quick growth in aviation expertise. The primary profitable daybreak to nightfall trans con (east coast to west coast) flight landed at Crissy Subject June 1924. Along with army operations, the airfield performed a serious function for Coast Guard Search & Rescue, AirMail, and Forest Fireplace Surveillance.
The Presidio is a really giant park, that’s provides many gorgeous views of the world. There are lots tucked away picnic tables close to tall timber which can be simply begging you to hold a wire antenna.
As an airline pilot, I’m in San Francisco typically. I’m at all times working QRP and far of the time I’m having to make use of a whip antenna because of busy/small working space. As my CW expertise enhance I hope to get extra of you in my log in a few of these onerous to activate parks.
PS Don’t quote me on this historical past stuff. Bear in mind I’m a pilot not a historical past main, so I’m simply sort of winging it.
Till then 72 . .
~ Micah J. LaVanchy
