Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge
Introduction
In June of 2024, I had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite parts of eastern North Carolina–the area around Lake Mattamuskeet.
I had five specific references (sites) in mind:
- Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge
- Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge
- Gull Rock State Game Land
- Emily & Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Marine Reserve
- Buckridge State Game Land
The purpose of this trip was twofold:
- To witness firsthand the natural beauty of these sites
- To respectively activate these sites via amateur radio through the World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF) and the Parks on the Air (POTA) programs
My base of operations was Carawan’s Cabins and Campground, which is conveniently located at the entrance of Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, adjacent to the iconic water pumping station where New Holland Road dead ends at the refuge. I very much enjoyed my stay at Carawan’s and plan on camping there whenever I visit this area.
A group of young people took great delight in pointing out several small alligators that were in the water surrounding the pump station. I also noticed signs that advised people not to touch the water or to let their pets drink the water, due to poisonous algae blooms
Exploring Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Mattamuskeet is North Carolina’s largest natural freshwater lake. Its size is quite impressive–eighteen miles long by seven miles wide. The depth ranges from two to three feet.
My dog Quincey and I enjoyed exploring the interpretive nature trail in the vicinity of the lake and the surrounding marshland. This place is a sanctuary. I am reminded of the words of John Muir, the noted American Naturalist, Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
We encountered a number of visitors during our excursions around the refuge, including cyclists, nature lovers, and families with young children. The entrance gates to Mattamuskeet NWR are posted as Daylight Use Only, but in actuality the gates have not been closed for quite a long time.
Amateur Radio Operation
Some readers may have questions as to why I would be taking my radio equipment to a wildlife refuge. I will attempt to add some light to that very good question.
There are two aforementioned amateur radio programs that encourage ham radio operators to set up their equipment in places like state parks, nature preserves, game lands, wildlife refuges, etc.
These types of areas are referred to as references. The operators who set up their equipment in these references are called activators. The activator’s job is to provide contacts to other operators (known as hunters) who would like to confirm a contact with a specific reference.
The headphones (photo below) include a microphone for voice contacts. The small rectangular object mounted to the upper right hand side of the lapboard (called paddles) is used to send morse code. The laptop is used both to log each contact and to control the radio, which is in the back seat.
There are hunters all over the world that would like to confirm a contact with Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. I decided to activate Mattamuskeet NWR in order to provide as many contacts as possible to those hunters. A broad range of awards are provided to incentivize both hunters and activators.
As my first evening at Lake Mattamuskeet drew near, I selected a pretty spot at the end of Central Canal Road to park my truck for my amateur radio activation. Since I had ample space for a wire antenna, I erected my segmented 20/40 meter dipole, using a 40′ self-supporting fiberglass mast. This antenna goes up quickly, and always produces the best signals of any antennas in my arsenal. This antenna is fed with home brew ladder line into a remote antenna tuner, which is placed on top of my truck’s bed cover. This setup allows me to operate all bands from 10m-40m, while enjoying the capability of changing bands from my operating position inside the truck. I really appreciated that fact as the mosquitoes started ganging up on the outside windows of my truck.
I operated all modes during this activation–CW (morse code), SSB
(voice), and digital (computer-to-computer).
As this activation didn’t begin until 8PM local time (00:00 UTC),most of my European friends had already gone to bed; Nevertheless, during the next two hours I worked a total of 120 stations from France, Italy, Alaska, Finland, Russia, Canada, and the US.
At 10PM local time, the events of a busy day of driving, setting up my camper, and exploring with Quincey had finally caught up with me. Fortunately, our camper was only five minutes away at Carawan’s Campground. We very much look forward to returning to this beautiful place next year.
The following info provides specific details for amateur radio
operators:
WWFF and POTA Reference numbers for Mattamuskeet NWR:
KFF-0414 US-0414
Maidenhead Grid Location: FM15VL
NC County: Hyde
Road conditions: Very good gravel roads throughout this refuge
AA4XX Op Site near end of Central Canal Rd:
Lat 35.4625215 Long -76.1753057
Internet Access for spotting: Good (Verizon)
Rating for this Reference: 10 (excellent)
Nearby Lodging:
Carawan’s Cabins and Campground
(252) 926-5861
575 New Holland Rd, Swanquarter, NC 27885
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Aw, this was a really nice post. Taking a few minutes
and actual effort to generate a great article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and never seem to get
nearly anything done.
Here is my homepage :: John E. Snyder
Thanks for your kind, encouraging note, John. I hope to finish the Mattamuskeet blog this week.
Best wishes to you and yours,
Paul