Manatees, by the hundreds, spend the winter in various springs in this part of Florida, drawn there by the warm 72F/22C constant temperature of the water. The springs are almost as clear as tap water, which makes for easy viewing of these gentle giants.
I plan to return soon (now booked for 22 Jan, 9-11am)) with a kayak for a paddle of nearby Crystal River, with my underwater camera dangling in the water.
K-1879 is easy to activate...there are numerous picnic tables and a large parking lot surrounded by an empty grassy area.
Today's activation was adjacent to the parking lot at a lone picnic table with room for a ground radial to be placed in an area where no one would walk onto it.
The FT-891 and ground-mounted vertical performed well, allowing me to make 100 CW contacts in short order on 12-20m.
For my kayak trip, I'll have the KX2 and the same antenna.
If I worked you today, thanks for the contact!
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That's a fantastic park! I went with some relatives for the wildlife and got a good selection of pictures. Not a chance to play radio, but that overflow parking field looked quite convenient. I look forward to kayak photography with the presumable crowds of manatees you'll have this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how few contacts had been made from this park, but there is so much to see that maybe previous activators get distracted from the radio. Not a bad thing...
Delete73,
John
Good morning John, very nice shots of the Manatees I have never seen them before. I noticed in the video the Alligator or crocodile not sure how you tell was not interested in the Manatee at all. The activation with a 100 contacts was a great success.
ReplyDelete73,
Mike
VE9KK
GM Mike, I had never seen them either but I saw dozens on this trip. They are only here during the winter months and numerous outfitters in central FL offer kayak rentals on the nearby rivers - I have a rental booked for tomorrow morning, 9-11am and will activate the park again after kayaking. From what park rangers have told me, alligators take no interest in manatees regardless of the size of each. They also do not bother kayakers (I'm hoping!).
Delete73,
John
When my folks lived in Florida, south of Ft. Myers on the Gulf side, my dad used to fish with his brother-in-law on the inland waterways around the coast, and they had to be very mindful of the sea cows. Many Manatees get injured when hit by boat propellers.
ReplyDeleteI went kayaking among them this morning and saw what I believe are scars on the back of at least one of them. There were about 8 of us kayakers and there were many manatees of all sizes. One brushed the bottom of my kayak and gave me a bit of a startle; two others came up to look at me like a puppy might do. We were all paddling around the confluence of the spring and the river it feeds into and it was a busy place. Unfortunately, the tide was low, therefore the water was very shallow so a lot of silt was being stirred up by all the activity. I'll post that video in a week or two.
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