Newest TN POTA
History, Rivers, and a Little Radio Magic at Fort Southwest Point State Historic Park
Hey y’all, Tennessee just got itself a brand-new state park, and it’s a good one. On July 8th, Fort Southwest Point State Historic Park in Kingston officially opened as the newest addition to the state system. It used to be run by the city of Kingston and Roane County, but now it’s got full state park status — and a fresh POTA designator: US-13501.
I’ve visited this spot a few times over the years, and I’ve always been impressed with the visitor center museum. They’ve got a nice collection of artifacts and stories from the old fort days that really bring the early history of this area to life. It’s the kind of place where you can almost picture what it was like back when this was frontier country. It’s about time it became an official state park. Well deserved.
On my latest visit I decided to sneak in a quick POTA activation while I was there. There’s a gazebo on site that sits up overlooking the rivers — that’s gonna be a real nice operating spot for a proper sit-down activation someday. But I was short on time and needed to be home for supper, so I kept things simple. I pulled into the parking lot, threw my magnetic mount Hamstick antennas on the roof of the pickup, and got on the air.
I started on 20 meters and had a solid run — logged 12 contacts. Then I noticed 6 meters was wide open with a nice sporadic E skip heading out toward the west coast. Couldn’t pass that up, so I switched over and picked up another 11 stations before it was time to head home.
Here’s the quick breakdown:
20 Meters – 12 contacts
- 3 from Texas
- 2 from New York
- 1 each from Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, Vermont, New Jersey, Michigan, and Louisiana
6 Meters – 11 contacts
- 8 from Texas
- 1 each from Nebraska, Florida, and Alabama
There’s just something special about making contacts from a place with this much history under your feet. Sitting there in the truck, hearing those signals come booming in while knowing this ground has stories going back a couple hundred years… it adds a little extra something to the whole experience.
I’m already looking forward to coming back and setting up proper at that gazebo. Maybe even turn it into a longer visit with the portable gear and a sandwich or two. If you’re ever rolling through the Kingston area, it’s worth stopping by — whether you’re into history, parks, or just looking for a new POTA spot to chase.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to catch some of you on the air from there next time.
73, Rick / W4IO
