This Geocache is hidden in a public park in the Milleville area of Panama City. It is located where a previous cache had to be archieved after Hurricane Michael's damage made it unsafe to find. The area has been cleaned up and is now safe to return.
NOTE: Please do not climb any towers or poles. The cache is completely accessible from the ground. Muggle activity may be high during peak boating times.
How much do you know about Amateur Radio? Are you a Ham? How about you mother, father, aunt or uncle? There are over 700,000 licensed amateur radio operators in the United States.
Amateur radio operators are called Hams. The reason for this term isn't definitively known but at this point it is a tradition.
Hams are licensed and issued a call sign by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate within guidlines limited by thier respective level of licensing. The names of licenses have changed over the history of Amateur Radio. The current license structure starts with the entry level Technician License. The next level and more advanced is the General License followed by the Amateur Extra License. A separate test must be passed in order to achieve each level.
There are many facets to the hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together. People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones. It's fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need.
So, what is the meaning of the Geocache name? W4RYZ is the call sign issued by the FCC to the Panama City Amateur Radio Club that meets in the building at the cache site. QTH is a Q codes meaning "My location is". Q codes are 3 letter codes starting with the letter Q that are used when a Amateur Radio Operator needs to express a particular idea quickly and simply. This concept is especially efficient when using Morse code and allows the Ham the ability to effectively communicate with someone without knowing their native language. For instance, an English speaking Ham can send, "QTH Panama City, FL" to a Ham in Spain and the Spanish speaker would understand that the English speaker was saying that he/she lives in Panama City, FL. Placing a question mark after the Q code make it a question. QTH? means where is your location (where do you live)?.
This geocache is a Regular sized cammoflaged container containing the usual trinkets and log book. Good luck and 73.