so i finally did my first parks on the air activation at a state park about 45 minutes from my house, K-4856 if anyone knows it. i was really nervous going in because ive read so many posts about people struggling to make 10 contacts and not qualifying and all that. set up my kx2 with a random wire thrown up in a tree, nothing fancy at all, and just started calling CQ POTA on 40 meters around 10am local.

honestly wasnt expecting much but i had a small pileup within like 5 minutes. ended up with 34 contacts in about an hour and a half before my back started bothering me from sitting on the ground. heard a couple guys trying to work me on 20 as well but i wasnt getting out as well up there for some reason, maybe the antenna or just conditions that day. anyway the whole thing was way more fun than i expected and im already planning the next one. if anyones been on the fence about trying an activation i really cant recommend it enough, just go do it

congrats on the first activation, that feeling when the pile up hits and you realize people are actually waiting to work you is pretty addictive. 34 contacts is a solid first run too, some folks spend months trying to crack that 10 contact minimum so you did real well.

for the 20m issue, a lot depends on what time of day and where your antenna is pointed. random wires are kinda unpredictable especially if theyre not up very high. i usually bring a linked dipole cut for 40 and 20 both, takes maybe 5 extra minutes to set up but makes a big difference when 40 starts getting noisy later in the afternoon. also worth spotting yourself on the POTA app before you call CQ, the hunters hit that thing constantly and youll get more contacts faster. sounds like you maybe figured some of this out already though. keep it up, some parks are a lot harder to activate than others depending on how remote they are.

aw man i was hunting on 40 that morning and i wonder if i caught you, i worked a K-4856 around that time. small world. i hunt way more than i activate, just easier with my schedule, but posts like this make me want to finally try an activation myself. which kx2 setup were you running, just internal battery or did you bring external power?