Mode: FT8 (Digital) · Band: 20m · Radio: Xiegu X6200 · Contacts: 16 · Park: US-6700

---

Sixteen QSOs, two into Canada, a 1,201-mile link on five watts, and a TikTok Live co-host mid-session. Sawgrass Lake Park again. US-6700. St. Petersburg.

The park

Sawgrass Lake is my most activated park, and it earns every return visit. Four hundred acres of sawgrass marsh, pine flatwoods, and one of the largest maple swamps on the Gulf Coast — all of it tucked inside the Lealman community of Pinellas County. The boardwalk winds through the marsh quietly in the morning and the operating spot is shaded, uncrowded, and close enough to the lot that the whole kit makes it out in one trip. Pinellas County manages the property and keeps it open from seven in the morning seven days a week, free of charge. Hard to beat for a neighborhood park.

The setup

Clear skies, 81°F, ESE winds around ten miles per hour — rare good weather for the end of May in Florida. The Radioddity HF-010 went up and I put the NanoVNA on it before connecting the radio. 1.025 SWR. Didn't touch the ATU on the Xiegu X6200 again for the rest of the morning. Seven minutes from bag to on-air. The Raspberry Pi 4 running DigiPi handled WSJT-X, controlled via VNC from the Android tablet. Five watts out.

On the air

First contact logged at 14:40z — KI8N out of EN80. Twenty meters was in solid shape and the contacts came in steadily from there. Sixteen total over about an hour and twenty minutes: grid squares from the Gulf Coast up through New England and into Ontario, Canada. VE3GLN (FN25) and VE3LFR (FN03) both made it in from Ontario on five watts. The last contact of the session was KD9OAZ at EN54 — 1,201 miles, confirmed on the WSJT-X display. PSKReporter was showing 269 reception reports by 11:34 AM local, spread east to Canada and across the Midwest. The band was doing its job.

Brandon KQ4PMD joined as a guest co-host on the TikTok Live mid-session and we ragchewed between QSOs — exactly the kind of unscripted content that makes live operating worth streaming.

Would I activate here again?

Every time, without question. Sawgrass Lake is the benchmark park — consistent, accessible, and productive. The HF-010 matched without adjustment and 20 meters delivered. 5/5.

73, W4GGJ

---

Activation Stats

All-Time POTA Stats

---

Gear used in this activation: Xiegu X6200 · Radioddity HF-010 · Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB) · RPi4 case · Waveshare 3.5" display · 1ft USB cable · NanoVNA · WINDCAMP bag · 50L MOLLE backpack · LiFePO4 batteries · LiFePO4 charger · 4-in-1 power panel · 20m bandpass filter

Tags

20 meters DigiPi Digital Florida FT8 KQ4PMD Parks on the Air portable HF POTA PSKReporter QRP Radioddity HF-010 Sawgrass Lake Park St. Petersburg TikTok Live US-6700 Xiegu X6200

• Share on:
• WhatsApp
• Deel
• X
• Pin it
• Messenger
• Email

---