In my series called POTA Hunters, I sit down with the voices I hear in nearly every activation to get to know the people behind those familiar call signs.

In this second episode, we meet Kevin “KEGMan” Giebel (W0KEG), one of the most dedicated and enthusiastic hunters in the Parks on the Air community. Though Kevin has only been licensed for about a year and a half, his passion and presence on the bands make him one of the most recognizable voices in POTA.

• Hear how Kevin got started in amateur radio and the story behind his unforgettable “KEGMan” nickname.
• Learn how he’s achieved over 34,000 Hunter QSOs across 6,545 parks, despite activating only five times himself.
• Discover his setup, equipment, and his trick for making consistent contacts.
• Get a peek into his club’s upcoming special event activation at Split Rock Lighthouse for the 50th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald. They will be activating under the call WØJH for the “Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald Special Event” November 7 thru 10, 2025
• Enjoy stories about friendship, the joy of hunting, and the spirit of community that makes POTA so meaningful.

• Parks Activated: 5
• Parks Hunted: 6,545+
• Hunter QSOs: 34,000+

• Starlink Mini Portable Internet — Get one free month of service when you use my referral link. Perfect for activators who want reliable internet anywhere with an open sky. (Affiliate Link Here)
• HamRadioPrep.com — Use coupon code KQ4UUR to save on your exam prep course. It’s the program I used to earn a perfect score on both my Technician and General exams.

POTA Hunters is a series of episodes from the Cliff’s Notes on Amateur Radio podcast, where I connect with some of the most familiar and respected voices in the Parks on the Air community. Each conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at the people who make this hobby so vibrant.

This episode contains my first conversation in a new series called POTA Hunters, where I sit down with the voices I hear in nearly every activation to get to know the people behind those familiar call signs.

Today, we meet AL7KC Mike Sambuco.

When I first got into Parks on the Air (POTA), I quickly noticed the awards page, especially the one for hunting all U.S. states. Because I was doing frequent activations and hunting park-to-park contacts, those boxes began filling in pretty fast. But one of the hardest to get, right up there with Hawaii, was Alaska.

Then one day, I heard Mike Sambuco (AL7KC) activating a park in Alaska. I can still remember how excited I was when I realized he could hear me and the QSO was confirmed.

Ever since that first contact, Mike has hunted me down in countless activations. I’ll never forget the time he followed me across five different bands during one outing. Even today, I’m always listening for his call sign to break through the pileup , though the band conditions between Kentucky and Alaska don’t always make it easy. Still, every time I hear “AL7KC” come through, it’s a thrill.

Mike’s profile on the POTA site speaks volumes:

• 125 successful activations
• 64 parks activated
• Over 4,800 QSOs from those parks
• And an incredible 26,000+ Hunter QSOs

In this conversation, you’ll hear how Mike first got interested in radio back in the early 1970s, starting with simple walkie-talkies on CB Channel 14. From there, his curiosity grew into a lifelong passion that has taken him from Ohio to Korea, and eventually to Alaska, where he’s been operating since 1988 under his current call sign, AL7KC.

Mike’s story is full of history, humility, and heart, the kind of story that reminds us why we all fell in love with radio in the first place.

My Ambitious POTA Goal: Activate 25 Parks in Two Days (THIS WEEKEND!)

Since earning my General License in September 2024, I’ve completely fallen in love with Parks On The Air (POTA).

One of the goals I set for myself early on was to activate every park in my home state of Kentucky, which has 183 recognized eligible POTA parks.

To track my progress, I exported the full Kentucky park database and created a custom Google My Maps visualization that updates as I go. You can view the live version of my map here:

👉 https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1VYmkWvF20huEIWebIo5fn7g8pJleOJQ&usp=sharing

Red pins = Parks I’ve already activated

Blue pins = Parks I still have left to activate

Yellow pins = The parks I’m planning to activate this weekend

Purple pins = Two bonus parks just across the border in West Virginia

Over the past year, I’ve already activated 33 of Kentucky’s 183 parks. This hobby has taken me to so many beautiful and historic places that I may never have visited otherwise. It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my amateur radio journey so far.

This weekend, Saturday, October 25th, and Sunday, October 26th, I’m attempting something ambitious:

Activate 26 parks in two days.

To accomplish this, I’ve mapped the entire route, calculated travel times between each location, and planned for roughly 20 minutes per successful activation before moving on to the next park.

👉 CLICK HERE TO SEE MY SPREADSHEET

I’ll be operating with my Yaesu FT-891 at 100 watts, paired with my ATAS-120a mobile HF antenna mounted on the car. My plan is to log at least 15 QSOs per park before packing up and heading to the next one.

If you’d like to follow along or help make this happen, add my call sign KQ4UUR to your HamAlert so you’ll know when I’m spotted in a new park. Quick contacts will help me reach all 25 parks before the weekend is over.

Now for the part I’m most excited about…

Up to this point, my POTA travels have been a solo adventure. But this time, my wife Stephanie and our dog Leo are joining me! We’ll be “road tripping” through scenic parts of Kentucky right as the autumn colors start to show and staying overnight in West Virginia on Saturday.

Stephanie has always been incredibly supportive of my amateur radio hobby, even though she’s never been personally interested in operating. But the idea of a fall road trip together (with Leo, of course) turned this challenge into what will be a fun and memorable shared adventure.

And who knows, you might even hear Stephanie on the air! I told her that if I get stuck making contacts, a female voice calling CQ would almost certainly help. Since I’ll be right there with her at the radio, she can legally operate as a third-party operator using my call sign KQ4UUR. So if you hear her calling “CQ Parks On The Air,” be sure to say hello!

If you notice us spotted in a park and then gone ten minutes later, just know it means we hit our 15 QSOs and had to move on quickly to stay on schedule.

I’d love your help in making this marathon activation weekend a success. Please share this with anyone who might enjoy following along or making contact with us.

See you on the air!

Cliff (KQ4UUR)