I’ve been interested in portable operating for years. I enjoy putting a station on the air where one didn’t exist yesterday. Since a trip to Bouvet Island isn’t in my budget right now, I began activating parks instead.
My fascination with portable operating started several years ago when I would set up a station whenever I would go camping. Later, there was Ohio State Parks On The Air (OSPOTA), National Parks on the Air (NPOTA), World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF), and now Parks on the Air®(POTA). I’ll talk about POTA this time. You’ll hear more about WWFF in my next column.
Both on social media and in person, I’ve encountered a lot of POTA hunters who would like to start activating. But they’re waiting for the perfect radio, the perfect antenna, the perfect circumstances before venturing out to the field. They don’t want to make a mistake. Who does? But that is how we learn. Their supposition seems to be that POTA activators are perfect. They have the perfect radio, the perfect antenna, the perfect battery, and never make mistakes. Well, nothing could be further from the truth!
If you are already hunting POTA stations and would like to join us in the field, then this post is for you! So, let’s talk about what you need in order to transition from POTA hunter to POTA activator.
Let’s start with your equipment. You don’t necessarily need to buy new gear for the field. While it’s true that the features and form factor of the new radios can make activating easier, whatever rig you have will probably be fine for a first activation. Folks do successful activations with all types of radios. They can be as small as a pocket-sized QRP rig or as large as an old boat anchor or tube-type base-station-sized rig. You are only limited by your imagination, and, of course, the availability of power.
Speaking of power, you can power your POTA station using anything from solar panels to batteries to AC power. The AC power can be supplied from the shore power available at most state park campgrounds or a small generator.
You don’t necessarily need an HF rig at all. A good friend of mine has successfully activated parks using his VHF/UHF mobile rig. Of course, things did improve once he passed his General exam. My point is that you can have a lot of fun running what you have. The newest rig with all the bells and whistles can come later.
Let’s talk about the perfect antenna. It doesn’t exist. In the world of portable operating, most antennas are a compromise in one way or another. My antenna arsenal consists of everything from mobile whips and end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antennas to link dipoles, off-center fed (OCF) dipoles, and more. You can buy antennas new or build your own. Either way, you’ll learn quickly what works in the field and what doesn’t. Your choice of antenna also depends on your operating style. If your style is to try to activate several parks in a single trip, you would probably want to look at the Hamstick, or a motorized antenna like a Yaesu ATAS-120A.
But for your first activation, I highly recommend the EFHW or link dipole. They are excellent antennas that will get you off on the right foot as an activator. Even though I currently use an ATAS-120A, both the EFHW and the link dipole have a place in my go-bag. Also in my go-bag is the Wolf River coil that I deploy for hike-in activations where tossing a rope over a limb isn’t an option.
Choosing a location for your first activation can be nerve-wracking. So many options! It’s always best to pick someplace close by or even opt for a dry run in a local (non-POTA) park, or your backyard. My first NPOTA activation turned into multiple trips to a park an hour away before ever putting a signal on the air. A dry run would have made things so much easier!
There are a couple good maps online that will help when you are choosing a destination for your first activation. Your first stop should be the official POTA Map. The dots on this map show the approximate location of each POTA park, but not the boundaries. For that, search for maps online from your state division of wildlife, or whatever it’s called in your area. In Ohio, we have the GIS viewer from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). There are also PDF maps available for almost all Ohio POTA references. You can find these with a simple Google search.
So you’re all set up and ready to begin. What band and mode are pretty much up to you. Don’t forget to try 10 meters. Ten is open most days to somewhere in the world and is worth a try. Also, there are Technicians out there who are hunting POTA parks.
Don’t let anyone tell you that POTA is not allowed on 12 and 17 meters. They are wrong. POTA is an operating activity, not a contest. Some misinformed hams will be quick to “correct” you on this.
So where are all the hunters? You can get the ball rolling by calling CQ POTA. It’s usually not a long wait till someone answers you and then spots you. Once you’re spotted on the POTA spotting page, it’s off to the races. Get ready for the pileups!
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention something about pileup management. Keep in mind that you control the pileup. Work who you can hear and don’t worry about the rest. If the inevitable intentional interference begins, just try to keep going and ignore it. It’s best not to engage the interfering station or even acknowledge them. They are trying to get a rise out of you. If they don’t, they will usually move on.
A more efficient way to get on the POTA spotting page is to go there and spot yourself. You can spot yourself from a smartphone—and the pileup starts soon after. To spot yourself from the POTA page, just click on the Hamburger button (that’s the three lines in the top left of the POTA web page), and choose “Add Spot” from the sidebar that opens.
If you are planning to arrive at the park later, click the “Add Activation” link on that sidebar. That link is great if you’re heading to a park and aren’t sure whether you’ll have a cell signal to spot yourself. If you plan to activate on CW or Digital and have added your activation, the website will spot you automatically.
Choosing an operating position is another situation that depends on your goals. I’ve spent a lot of time operating from my truck, so I built an operating position that installs over the center console. I’ve seen others operate from the passenger or back seat of their van or SUV. Of course, you can’t discount the tried-and-true picnic table portable. The point is to do what is good for you!
When it comes to logging the contacts you make, I highly recommend bringing a laptop or tablet along on your activation, though there are lots of activators who log on paper in the field, then enter their contacts to the computer once they return home. I still do that in the case of hike-in activations where I’m trying to shave weight from my pack.
For electronic logging in the field, you can use anything including a smartphone, iPad, or laptop. The logging program used depends on the operating system of your device. When using a windows device, I like N3FJP. It’s easy to use, inexpensive, and runs on most any Windows machine. N1MM+ is another option. The learning curve is a little steeper, but it is a really good program and is free.
For Apple products you may want to try HAMRS or Ham2K Portable Logger (also referred to as POLO). Both are available in the App Store. For Android machines, POLO can also be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
Regardless of your logger, you’ll need to export your contacts to an ADI file. All of the loggers I mentioned give you the option to do that. Once you’ve exported your ADI file, you’ll need to upload it to your POTA account. To do that, log into your POTA account and go to your My Log Uploads page. There is a field near the top of the page where you can either drag and drop your files or open a file explorer window to choose your ADI file. After that you click a couple of check boxes, hit upload, and you are done!
And that pretty much wraps up how to make the transition from POTA hunter to POTA activator. There’s not really any huge secret. The most important thing is to not get so caught up in the planning that you forget that this is about having fun with ham radio. After all, isn’t that what this great hobby is all about?
73 everyone…and POTA ON!
