WK4DS Amateur Radio Blog
Chito Branch Reserve: First FT4 Contacts, Meeting a Fellow Park Hunter, and the Quest for 1000
Doug's been activating Chito Branch quite a bit lately, and if I'm being honest, we seem to be in a friendly race to see who hits 1000 contacts from this park first. Spoiler alert: he's winning. But it was great to finally shake hands with someone who understands the appeal of spending beautiful Florida mornings in a park with Spanish moss hanging from the trees, headphones on, working the world.
February 10, 2026 • US-5524
Sometimes the best part of a POTA activation isn't the DX you work or the pile-ups you run—it's meeting another operator face-to-face who's been chasing the same goals you have. Today at Chito Branch Reserve, I finally got to meet Doug, KQ4SXW, in person.
I finally got to meet Doug, KQ4SXW
Doug's been activating Chito Branch quite a bit lately, and if I'm being honest, we seem to be in a friendly race to see who hits 1000 contacts from this park first (well, between us at least). Spoiler alert: he's winning. But it was great to finally shake hands with someone who understands the appeal of spending beautiful Florida mornings in a park with Spanish moss hanging from the trees, headphones on, working the world.
The Setup
I rolled into Chito Branch mid-morning with my usual portable arsenal. The park is close to where I'm staying in Tampa, which makes it an easy choice for activations, and I've been systematically building toward that 1000-contact milestone. As of today, I'm sitting at 769 QSOs logged from US-5524, so I'm getting close.
For antennas, I ran my 1/4-wave vertical with two counterpoise wires, tuned for each band. Simple, effective, and quick to deploy. I use the nanoVNA to utne the antenna with. As you can see in the plot above, I get it to something less than 1.5:1 SWR and call it good, I have found that if I get it to that level that I dont have any trouble making contacts at all. I have done OK with the SWR higher in the past…much higher actually, but it is a lot tougher to make contacts like that.
The main rig was the sBitx V3 from HF Signals for digital modes, and I brought along the Ten-Tec Scout 555 for some 15-meter CW work since the bands were looking promising.
Speaking of which—let me tell you about my grid square insurance policy.
A Sticky-Note Solution to a Real Problem
If you operate FT8 or FT4, you know that your grid square locator needs to be correct. It matters for awards, for logging accuracy, and frankly, for not looking like you don't know what you're doing. Recently, I completed an entire activation with the wrong grid square set in the software.
Not ideal.
Sometimes the best solutions require the simplest answers…
So I came up with a foolproof solution: I now keep a note in my radio case that says "FIX GRID BEFORE USING FT8." It sits right on top of the sBitx when I open the case, impossible to miss. I also store the Bluetooth keyboard in the case with the radio so I can easily update the grid square in the field without fumbling around with the tiny on-screen controls.
Is it a high-tech solution? No. Does it work? Absolutely. Sometimes the best fixes are the simplest ones.
Starting with FT8 on 20 Meters
After getting the sBitx fired up—with the correct grid square, thank you very much—I started the activation with FT8 on 20 meters. I spotted myself on POTA and the responses started rolling in. There's something satisfying about watching those waterfalls fill up with decodes and seeing callsigns appear in the queue.
My very 1st FT4 QSO with the sBitx!
I worked through a solid session and logged about 18 contacts on 20-meter FT8. The band was cooperative, signals were good, and the activation was off to a strong start. Something to note about my sBitx V3 is that it has developed a sort of internal noise on 20 meters that lingers in the CW portion of the band. It goes down in frequency as the radio warms up so I have to figure out what is causing this problem when I get home the next time. I have it on the list right next to fixing my microphone pre-amp circuit for proper operation as well.
First FT4 Contacts at a POTA Park
After the FT8 run, I decided to try something new: FT4. I've run plenty of FT8 from parks, but FT4 was uncharted territory for me in the field.
FT4 is faster than FT8, cycling every 7.5 seconds instead of 15, which makes it great for contesting or when you just want to move quickly through a pile-up. I updated my spot on POTA again and started calling CQ. To be honest, I had used it a little in the shack before with no luck so I didn’t hold my breath today, To me utter surprise, I saw a QSO forming in the call feed on the left! Then it finished and logged it! I hurriedly got out my phone and snapped a quick photo to share with you guys…
First contact: AA5WH on 20 meters. Clean decode, solid signal, contact in the log. Then I switched to 15 meters and worked N1KLF. Two FT4 contacts, my first ever from a park, and honestly? I was pretty stoked. There's something satisfying about trying a new mode and having it just work.
15 Meters CW Was Alive
The TenTec Scout 55 is pictured with the HF Signals sBitx V3 where I was changing over to CW after working 2 digital modes today.
After the FT4 session, I switched gears completely. I packed up the sBitx and pulled out the Ten-Tec Scout 555 for some CW on 15 meters. The band was in great shape, though there was a bit of QSB rolling through. I got the radio all connected up to the keyer and then plugged in the Travler. My Begali Traveler key has become one of my favorites—smooth action, compact enough for portable ops, and it just feels good. It is sensitive, but that is how I use my keys, I prefer a light action myself and that is why I made my own paddles back in the day. N3ZN (Tony) and I2RTF(Pietro) make some of the nicest keys around at the moment and I am glad I have one from each.
DX Contacts That Made It Worthwhile
Right out of the gate, I snagged some DX that made the whole activation worthwhile:
EA4MZ in Spain
DD1LD in Germany
YV1GIY in Venezuela
PY5XT in Brazil
Four different countries, all on 15-meter CW with 40 watts and a telescoping 1/4 wave vertical, what more can you ask for? Days like this remind me why I love this hobby. Some of them were a little on the weak side but the Jones filter in the Scout actually helps if you open it up instead of closing it down. This seems counter intuitive, but opening the filter up just ever so slightly will let a lot more of the other operators signal though and just a little of the background noise, it is almost like having them turn their power up 50% or something, if you have not tried it with your Scout 555, I suggest you find a signal you can barely hear and give it a shot.
43 QSOs and Counting
By the time I packed up, I had 44 contacts in the log—though one turned out to be a duplicate, so 43 that counted. Not a huge number, but solid for a few hours of casual operating across three modes (FT8, FT4, and CW) and two bands.
Meeting Doug in person was the cherry on top. It's always good to connect with like-minded people in the hobby, especially when you're both chasing the same quirky goals. A thousand contacts from one park? Yeah, it's a bit obsessive. But things like that are what makes it fun.
SIDE QUEST TIME:
I ran into a unique problem today that is worth mentioning here. I was charging my computer with an inverter that I have wired into the cab of my truck. I was also running the truck so I could power the inverter and charge the computer as well as the sBitx V3 at the time. Well it turn out that I have some issues with this inverter that need resolving. The next few photos show the RF hash that this inverter is producing when under load! It is unreal how bad it was, I couldn’t belive all I had to do was simply shut off the engine and unplug the power cord from the logging computer and it went completely away…
The above photo shows the hash of running both devices on the inverter with the engine running on the truck.
The next photo shows what happened when I shut off the truck and unplugged the computer.
The last photo shows what the band looked like once I went around to the other side of the truck and powered off the inverter completely. This goes to show that you need to check these things if you plan to use RF devices like radios in the presence of RF trash generating devices like this inverter… Better inverter coming up!
END SIDE QUEST
Hit me up!
231 contacts to go until I hit the big 1000 from Chito Branch. At this rate, it'll take a few more activations, but I'm not in a hurry. Well, maybe a little—Doug's still ahead of me.
If you're in the Tampa area and see someone set up at Chito Branch Reserve with a vertical antenna and a tablet running digital modes, stop by and say hello. Chances are it's either me or Doug, and either way, you'll be in good company.
**Gear Used This Activation:**
- **Radios:** HF Signals sBitx V3, Ten-Tec Scout 555
- **Antenna:** 1/4-wave vertical with dual counterpoise wires
- **Key:** Begali Traveler
- **Digital Mode Software:** JJ and the sBitx 64 bit Development team version 5.301 (FT8/FT4)
- **Computer:** Dell Inspiron with Linux and HAMRS
- **Accessories:** NanoVNA for antenna tuning
Have you tried FT4 for POTA activations? What's your go-to mode for portable operations? Drop a comment below or find me on Facebook or shoot me an email on here.
What is FT4 and how is it different from FT8? FT4 is a digital mode similar to FT8 but with a faster cycle time (7.5 seconds vs 15 seconds), making it better suited for contests and quick pile-ups.
What equipment do I need for POTA FT4 activations? You need an HF transceiver capable of digital modes, a computer or tablet running WSJT-X software, an interface between your radio and computer, and a suitable antenna for your chosen bands.
Where is Chito Branch Reserve located? Chito Branch Reserve (US-5524) is located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and is part of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
How many contacts do you need for a valid POTA activation? You need a minimum of 10 QSOs to qualify for a valid POTA activation.
You can help support this website by using these Amazon Affiliate Links:
QRP/Portable Radios:
Antennas & Tuning:
CW Equipment:
Power & Accessories:
Organization & Transport:
BONUS ITEMS (Optional 16-20):
73,
David – WK4DS