Activation Report: Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park (US-1928) — April 21, 2026
- 2 min reading time
Mode: FT8 (Digital) · Band: 20m · Radio: Xiegu X6200 · Contacts: 28 · Park: US-1928
Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park, POTA reference US-1928. A memorable activation for at least two reasons, one of them being the bugs. 28 QSOs in the log.
The park
Beautiful park with a lesson baked in. The history here goes deep — the Tocobaga used this land as a quarry for stone tools, and by the 1800s the area had become a hub for salt production critical to the Civil War effort, cattle ranching, turpentine production, and one of the largest mullet fishing operations on the Gulf Coast. The state acquired the land for preservation in 1992. The views are good and the breeze off the water is welcome. The biting insects, however, are not.
The reason for the visit
Planned activation. Arrived at 0800 ready to get on the air. The bugs had other plans. Packed up, drove until I found bug spray, and came back. I will not leave the house without it again.
The setup
Got on the air at 0921 after the detour for supplies. Xiegu X6200, 18.3ft vertical with 8 radials, laptop, and DigiPi. No technical issues once the station was up.
On the air
Ran 20 meters FT8. Went live on TikTok during the activation which led to a great conversation with KI5PEC, who put me onto a program called VarAC — keyboard-to-keyboard HF digital communication. That's on the list to explore. Finished with 28 solid contacts.
Would I activate here again?
Yes, but only with a full can of bug spray in the bag before I leave the driveway. Bug spray is now a permanent line item on the checklist.
Full log uploaded to POTA.app. 73 de W4GGJ
