W2RRC Meet and Greet POTA Event – October 2024

On Saturday, October 19, 2024, the White River Radio & Communications group (W2RRC) held our fourth Meet & Greet & Parks on the Air (POTA) event at Jacksonport State Park. This year was extra special as it marked one of our first major activations under our new group callsign, W2RRC.

A Perfect Setting: Jacksonport State Park

Jacksonport proved to be the perfect setting for the event. With its rich history, beautiful riverfront, and well-maintained facilities, the park offered the ideal combination of scenery and convenience for welcoming both amateur radio operators and the public. Events like this are a reminder of how fortunate we are to have Arkansas State Parks preserving places like Jacksonport — where history, nature, and community come together.

Community, History, and Radio

George (AG5CC), Ruger, Nathan (KI5EDP), and John (KF5JJ) arrived early to set up equipment and get ready for the day’s contacts. Soon after, friends and fellow operators began to gather — from locals like Billy (KI5LPJ) who camped at the park’s campground, to visitors from across the region.

We were pleased to have Mark Ballard, Jacksonport’s Superintendent, join us for a while. He even took some pictures and mentioned that he would include a note about Parks on the Air and the White River Radio Group in his report. Mark was very kind and helpful, giving us his card and letting us know to call him anytime if we needed anything. His encouragement highlights just how well Arkansas State Parks embraces community-focused events like ours

A little before 10 a.m., folks began gathering. Billy (KI5LPJ) was the first to arrive, having camped at the Jackson Port Campground. Jesse (KJ5CAC), aka as YouTuber “Three Little Goats Homestead,” joined us and helped log some contacts. We also had Bill (K5OGR) and Jeff (W5SNG) join us, with Bill doing us a favor by activating the park using W2RRC on CW – thanks, Bill! Wayne (KB9ELS) SugarBear, himself came out, as did Emma and Genice (KI5GRX) and her friend Martha.

Chris (N5CRL) and Leanne (K5LPL) also attended. Chris is our net manager for all White River Radio W2RRC nets, the Happy Hams Net along with his 11-meter CB nets. We’re pretty sure he runs about a million nets a week!

Sheri (AB5SC) brought a big pot of beans and cornbread, which everyone enjoyed. and Nathan grilled hotdogs. Noel (K5NES) and Sherry dropped by with Sherry trying her luck fishing on the White River and Noel fishing for a new radio. We were also graced with the presence of the one and only John Godfrey (KE5NZY) and Alice Godfrey (KE5NZZ).

John and Alice got the chance to break in the KE5NZY Baofeng Blaster, which was presented to John. As you can see from the photos, you can expect to see this at future HAM events where John will be attending.

Promoting Arkansas Parks Worldwide

Over five hours of operation, WRRC made 116 contacts and 113 QSOs, reaching 30 U.S. states, 2 Canadian provinces, and DX contacts in Germany, Cyprus, and Madeira. That means each contact included the proud announcement of “Jacksonport State Park, Arkansas” — sharing the name of this great park with listeners across the country and around the world. Amateur radio is not only a hobby, but also a unique way to promote Arkansas tourism and history on an international stage.

We also reached 30 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces, operating on three bands and in two modes. We worked 40m on SSB, 20m on CW and SSB, and 15m as well. Special congratulations to Nathan (KI5EDP) for being our DX QSO winner, and a big shoutout to Bill (K5OGR), who was the first to activate W2RRC using CW.

Here is a list of everyone that activated the park. using W2RRC.

David (KJ5GBC) also activated the park and will be listed as soon as he creates his POTA account. Ed (KF5ETZ) drove over from Jonesboro, It was grest to see and meet you, Ed. Also from Jonesboro way was Ken (KB6EMH). Thanks for making the trip Ken.

W2RRC also earned five Parks on the Air awards during the event. We achieved our Gold Hunter award for 30 contacts, Platinum Hunter for 40 contacts, Diamond Hunter for 50 contacts, Parks to Park for 50 contacts, and we also received the award for the Support Your Parks Weekend this fall.

Here are some pictures from the event. Thanks again to everyone who joined us!

Looking Ahead

W2RRC is grateful to Jacksonport State Park and its staff for their hospitality. We look forward to returning and continuing this partnership, combining the excitement of amateur radio with the beauty and history of Arkansas State Parks. Our group is proud to play a role in showing the public new ways to enjoy these incredible parks — from making international radio contacts to simply sharing a meal by the river.

If anyone else reading this attended or knows of anyone who did, please add their names in the comments so we can have a full record. We want to thank everyone for joining us, our group continues to grow, and most importantly, we continue to play radio and have a great time. If you’re interested in joining us, feel free to contact us here or reach out through our White River group on Facebook.