QRP/QMX CW POTA Activation at US-7145 Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area (2026-09-12)

QSO chapters in the description ... It was a beautiful day in Minnesota for a POTA activation. My afternoon was going to be busy helping a friend, so I popped into my local park for a mid-morning activation. This makes #99 for US-7145 MN Valley State Recreation Area for the 100 activations needed for an Eagles Nest award. I promise to venture to some other parks after the next one - hi hi. I ran the QMX with a 40M EFHW hung mostly vertical. Lately, I've had better luck with vertical from the Trail Head area. It's surprising given the low elevation of the area, but then propagation can be weird sometimes. Band conditions were ok for the transitional period between 40M and 20M. It's nice to have a fast pileup, but slow and steady still finishes the race. And it gives more time to enjoy the scenery. A big thanks to all the hunters that helped activate the park. The following links were compiled using André's (VE2ZDX) ADIF to YouTube utility: https://ve2zdx.com/toolkit Time Callsign UTC 00:02:30 K1ECU 15˸08 00:05:30 KI5WWT 15˸12 00:07:40 KX4BE 15˸14 00:08:50 WA5AMM 15˸15 00:10:15 N2BC 15˸17 00:12:15 N5IM 15˸18 00:13:20 KA3OCS 15˸20 00:18:15 KJ7RPL 15˸25 00:19:50 W1UL 15˸26 00:21:36 AC0TG 15˸28 00:23:40 KE2IXZ 15˸30 00:24:30 AK4PR 15˸32 00:27:41 W4PID 15˸34 Equipment List: QMX (midband) QRP at 5w https://qrp-labs.com/qmx 40M EFHW (Homebrew) RG-316 Coax https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078L79MV9 Talentcell 12V Lithium ion (2600mAh) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DY7Y1TLV Mini Portable Speaker (3w/3.5mm) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0824HK17J CW Morse Lightweight Double Paddle with Steel Base https://cwmorse.us/products/black-lig... OnePlus 9 Phone Camera DJI Mic Mini https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDL8WGH5 EUCOS 62" Tripod https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XHZ8F7F 3.5mm Female-Female Adapters https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C9U3XI4 Cable Matters Retractable Aux Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UGA6QIE ProCase Hard Travel Organizer (Large 11.8" x 8.0" x 3.3") https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRKC9L7N Thanks for watching and I hope you stick around, subscribe and share the videos to help others enjoy the adventure. #CW #morsecode #practice #hamradio #pota