Revisit - Stone Arch Lake and Chapel

Wow, another great day for getting outdoors. It didn't make it to 70 today but it got really close. Beautiful sunny, clear sky, and the best part is daylight savings time is in effect now so it is staying lighter later.  This is a good thing for after work POTA adventuring. 

So this afternoon I head back to Atterbury again, on a week night it is hard to beat since it is just thirty minutes from home.  The next closest park for me would be either Morgan Monroe State Forest K-4215, or Brown County State Park K-2251,coming in at 50 minutes each depending on which way the wind is blowing. One way. 

I decided to run over to Stone Arch Lake on the south and west end of Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area. I hadn't operated from there in about a year.  There was only one fishing boat in the water so I pretty much had the whole place to myself. 

Stone Arch Lake is the second biggest lake in the Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area, coming in at 25 acres, compared to 63 acres at Pisgah Lake.  According to the Indiana DNR stocking database, Stone Arch was last stocked in 2022 with 450 Channel Catfish.  It could use some help. It's beautiful, but not sure the fishing is that great. 

Stone Arch Lake - looking to the west

Stone Arch Lake is also next to the POW Chapel.  The Chapel was built by Italian POW's during WWII.  Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area used to be part of Camp Atterbury, which is still in existence just south of this location. The Camp served as a POW camp for Italian prisoners. 

Catholic POW Chapel built in 1946 by Italian prisoners

Today instead of the little AX1 antenna, I decided to deploy the Eagle One hitch mounted vertical.  This antenna collapses down to about 48 inches, I have been using it for the last  three years and it has done a great job.  Here's a picture of what the hitch mount looks like. I have two 30 foot radials clipped on the bracket holding the upright.  These make tuning on 40 meters, a breeze. 

Eagle One Hitch Mounted to the POTA Mobile 

I was running the KX-2 at 8 watts, Morse Code, and using the 3d printed paddles I got from Bruce N9DBJ.  They are taking a beating and they keep on working!  Started out on 20m frequency of 14.060 Mhz and was able to work coast to coast and up in to Canada.  Didn't get any European stations this evening.  Here is a map of where my signals were heard and worked.  

Contact Map for this outing - 20 contacts

So that's about it for today, weather supposed to be great again tomorrow, so I may try to get out and do it again after my work is done.  I can hear my grass starting to grow...UGH.  Spring is a week from today, can't get here fast enough.  

72 de KB9BVN

(72 is for low power 73's)