KH6WI is the POTA Activator We All Hoped For: Add HI to Your POTA WAS

Eric Olson, KH6WI, is on active duty for the United States Navy in Hawaii. With 13 years of military comms experience, and the desire to add an engaging pastime to his schedule, becoming a licensed amateur radio operator was a natural. Given strict restrictions to operating from his naval base QTH, Eric immersed himself in Parks on the Air. This was fortuitous for the many POTA hunters who needed a park activation in Hawaii to fully complete their Worked All States award. Eric has been nominated as an outstanding operator and recognized as such by Parks on the Air. At the time of this interview, Eric was operating as KD9TEZ while he waited for his new KH6 callsign. Also, all the amazing photos in the video are his own.

 

Keep on doing what your doing!

 

Awsum

 

great job Eric. That vertical helped me and now it helped someone else.

Ryan KF0GVX (/KH6)

 

My wife and I did Makapu'u Point Wayside State Trail (K-2216) in July of last year when we were there on vacation. We setup on a park bench. I was doing CW, and the XYL activating voice. I had one guy ask me if I was a secret agent for the Russians... ;-) He was joking, but it was still funny nonetheless. Another guy came by and asked about our equipment, as he was a ham, too. So yeah. Outreach is definitely important.

 

Thank you Eric for our Hawaii POTA contact. Not only are you an outstanding operator, you are an outstanding person as well!

 

Nice interview Kevin, I enjoy learning more about POTA activators on your channel that I've been lucky enough to work.

Thanks to Eric for Hawaii! Oddly enough when I worked Eric in Hawaii, he still had the KD9TEZ call, our other contacts he had his KH6WI call were all with him activating in Wisconsin lol. He clearly has good ears too as I worked him on 10 meters QRP for the Hawaii contact.

 

Eric, you recently posted (relayed by a friend) a POTA where you worked another park in AK. Your antenna was a 3-element vertical array. What was the frequency and were the elements 1/4wave or 1/2wave?

 

I was using 1/4 wave elements for 15m. I had it pointed at 55 degrees (middle of the US Mainland), but still worked well enough to get the Park-to-Park with Alaska. Hawaii to Alaska is mostly over water so it's usually a pretty good signal.

 

I enjoyed activating "Maine State Wildlife Area" (K-4307) in Wisconsin with a Hawaii callsign. Some people thought I was in Maine, some thought I was in Hawaii, but I was really just freezing in Wisconsin during Christmas vacation.

 

"Move up, not out. Go NAVY!!!"

Fellow 'gator squid, outstanding... ironically, I too was the Antenna PO!

... don't forget to update your profile on Navy Together We Served, IT2!

- RM2 (VPA)

 

15 and 17. Thanks!

 

Heard him on air over the weekend. Massive pile up, made for a lot of fun to listen too.

 

Can't wait to make contact !

 

Well I’m I missed out POTA , let alone trying to make a contact with eric KH6WI, i made few contacts to Hawaii in years past, oh well I’ll try again in the future, I sure like contesting. W6FRD