Activation Report: Alafia River State Park (US-1829) — April 5, 2026
- 3 min reading time
Mode: FT8 (Digital) · Band: 20m · Radio: Yaesu FT-450 · Contacts: 37 · Park: US-1829
Back to Alafia. Second activation at US-1829, and the best contact count yet — 37 QSOs on a single session. This time I left the Xiegu X6200 at home and brought the Yaesu FT-450 instead.
The park
Alafia River State Park — POTA reference US-1829 — is quickly becoming a home park for me. Located in Lithia, about 30 miles southeast of Tampa, it's a reclaimed phosphate mine with genuine elevation changes rare for central Florida. Mixed hardwood forest, pine flatwoods, scattered lakes, and the South Prong of the Alafia River running through the lower section. If you haven't read the first activation report, the short version is: it doesn't look like Florida, and that's exactly why it's worth the drive.
The setup
Same field kit as previous activations — JPC-12 vertical with all 8 radials laid out at 17 feet each, powered by the home-built LiFePO4 battery box. The difference this time was the radio. Instead of the Xiegu X6200 I brought the Yaesu FT-450, logging on the laptop with WSJT-X running FT8.
The FT-450 is my home shack radio — not a dedicated portable rig, and noticeably heavier than the X6200. But it's a radio I know inside and out, and running it in the field was a good exercise in understanding what trade-offs matter on a POTA activation. Output power, familiarity, and a solid receiver make up for the extra weight when you're operating from a picnic table rather than hiking in.
On the air
37 QSOs — the best activation count so far. Twenty meters was in excellent shape and the FT-450 put out a clean signal. Once spotted on the POTA network the contacts came in at a steady pace. FT8 continued to prove its value for low-hassle portable digital operations, and having the full WSJT-X waterfall on the laptop made it easy to manage the pile-up.
It's worth noting that the higher contact count here compared to the first Alafia activation isn't necessarily about the radio — band conditions vary, time of day matters, and experience operating portable builds up quickly. Both rigs did the job.
FT-450 vs X6200 in the field
Running both radios at Alafia across two activations gives a useful real-world comparison. The X6200 wins on portability — built-in battery, built-in ATU, smaller footprint, less to carry. The FT-450 wins on familiarity and raw receiver performance. For a park table setup with a car nearby, the FT-450 is perfectly viable. For anything involving a longer carry or limited space, the X6200 is the smarter choice.
Would I activate here again?
Already have — and I'll be back. Alafia is shaping up to be a reliable home park. Strong signal performance, easy setup, and a park worth spending time in even when the bands are quiet.
Full log uploaded to POTA and LoTW. 73 de W4GGJ
Gear available at Radioddity — use code W4GGJ for $15 off.