US-1708 Quaddick State Park, CT

Another beautiful fall day embraced us here in New England in late October with several days of temperatures in the mid-70s and sunny blue skies. I'd spent the past few days prepping, cleaning, and sealing a large deck area and felt the pull of the woods that we all feel in POTA. I've been enjoying operating from Rhode Island – it's just fun to send 55N RI RI – and thought I'd head over to either US-6984 Black Hut or US-6985 JL Curran. When I pulled up the maps, though, I realized that just past Curran, a few miles to the west, was Connecticut, where I'd not operated from before, and there was a park right on the border, on the east side of a large lake.

It turned out to be US-1708 Quaddick State Park, on the eastern side of the rather large Quaddick Reservoir in Thompson, Connecticut. It was a roughly 45-minute drive down I-295 and Rte 44, easy as you please, and I rolled down the windows and cranked a Dead show, enjoying the warm breezes. It is Hallowe'en season, and one small town had gone way over the top, with practically every street corner and light pole decorated. I thought the giant Grim Reaper blow-up next to the funeral home was a bit unsettling, but I guess when ya gotta go, ya gotta go.

I should point out that on the approach to Connecticut on Rte 44 you'll pass US-7508 Pulaski SP, US-5484 George Washington Memorial Forest, and US-7715 Durfee Hill WMA, all within a few miles of each other. If you are looking for a Rover award this might be a good area.

There's a lot of parking available for such a small park – the only trail in it runs a scant 1.2 miles – but they need the space for boat trailers, as the reservoir is available to pretty much all water sports. It can get a little crowded and noisy in the hot summer, but in the off season, like today in October, you'll see just a few hikers and casual sunbathers. The main entrance will be gated in the off-season, but just to the right of the gate is a small area that will hold a dozen cars.

Parking in this outer lot is free, but the Connecticut government is VERY INTERESTED in out-of-state cars (looking at YOU, Rhode Island) and would like for them to pay up to park. All along the little road down to the pavilion area you'll see signs like this:

There are both permanent facilities and porta-potties on site. All amenities are found down near the beach area, which all roads in the park lead to. That's where you'll also find a small food shack and plenty of picnic tables. It isn't much to look at on this side, really the park is about the water.

Tables and grilling stands ring the water, some set up close to each other, but other set apart in a scenic spot. There are tables that sit out on little spits of gravel that I think would be a wonderful spot to relax and maybe even do some fishing while you operate. It was empty when I visited in the fall, but even in the busier summer, many of these spots are secluded if that's what you are looking for.

I brought the EFHW wire with me again today. I'm really starting to appreciate its versatility compared to the single-band hamstick dipoles, and while I haven't done any measurements, it feels like I'm hearing more, and that my transmitted signal strength is a little better. I found two tall pines the right distance apart and hoisted the feedpoint and far end of the wire up about 15 feet. The arborist's throw weight really makes a big difference, if you aren't using one to toss lines into trees you owe yourself the treat.

One advantage that the hamstick dipole has over the wire is that is quick to set up. I can usually get the sticks in the air in five minutes once I've found a good mast or branch to hoist onto, but the wire takes a lot more effort, easily double the amount of setup time. The tradeoff is that if I propagation is lousy on 20m I can hop to 10m without having to set up a new dipole.

The operating position was up on a little hill overlooking the water. There's a loop trail that runs for about a mile – it parallels the shoreline, then heads east to cross the road and up into a hill area, then back west and down to connect the loop. I thought about heading across the road and up the hill, but it was so lovely down by the water that I set up in a clearing of pine and oak.

Because I use autologging on FT8 I can set up a CQ POTA and then go and wander around a bit. I was positioned on the north end of the park and explored that zone. There's a small creek feeding the reservoir directly behind my operating position, and at one point I looked over and saw a four-point buck deer looking back, trying to figure out what the odd noises were. The trail is wide, well-marked, and mainly I saw people walking their dogs, though there also were a pair of kayakers out on the lake.

This was a really relaxing activation, the weather was perfect, the spot was lovely, and I got to operate in a new state. I logged 21 CW and 27 FT8 contacts over an hour and a half, a good day, I think. For the first time I logged directly into the electronic logbook on the iPad (SDR-Control) rather than write on paper and then transcribe. It worked really well, better than I thought it would. I can copy code in my head pretty well, so I can just quickly type the call into the log and off we go. An advantage is that the log shows me the contact's name and whether I've worked them before, so I can say something personal in the exchange: "TNX ED NICE TO CU AGN". I always like that when I hear it and now I can do it, too!

As the sun started to duck below the trees I packed it all up and headed home, which was harder than expected in the fading light. I carry a good flashlight, but it was pretty dark in the woods. I managed to get everything stowed and get onto the path before I had to break it out. Having a place for everything in the bag is really a benefit to me, it means that I can get something without looking for it, and I instantly know if something's gone missing.

I'll go back here soon. It's close, pleasant, and a nice change from operating out of Massachusetts all the time.

ID: US-1708 Quaddick State Park
Location: Thompson, Connecticut, Wyndham County, Grid FN41
Activation date: 22 October 2024
Activated by: W1GRD