Parks on the Air, better known as POTA, has done more to get hams outdoors and on the air than anything in years. The idea is simple: operators set up portable stations in parks, and everyone else tries to contact them. This guide to POTA for beginners covers both sides of it, how to hunt park activations from home and how to activate a park yourself.
What Is Parks on the Air?
POTA is an awards program that encourages portable operation from national, state and other designated parks and public lands. It has grown into one of the most active programs in amateur radio, with thousands of parks listed around the world and activations on the air nearly every hour of the day.
There are two roles in POTA. Activators take a station into a park and make contacts from there. Hunters contact those activators from home, from the car, or from another park. Neither role costs anything, and you can do both. Many operators start as hunters, get hooked, and pack up a portable station before long.
How to Hunt POTA Activations From Home
Hunting is the easiest way to get started, because you don't need anything beyond the station you already have.
- Find activators on the air. The spotting page on the POTA website lists active stations in real time, showing callsign, park, frequency and mode. You can also simply tune the bands and listen for "CQ POTA."
- Make the contact. Activators are usually working a steady stream of hunters, so keep it short. Give your callsign, wait for him to come back, and exchange signal reports and your state. That's the whole contact.
- Log it. Hunters don't submit logs. You get credit when the activator uploads his log, so all you need to do is keep your own record of the contact.
To see your hunter credits and awards, create a free account on the POTA website. Your contacts show up there once activators submit their logs.
POTA Activation Rules: The Basics
Before you head to a park, it helps to know the main rules. A few of the most important:
- Ten contacts for a valid activation. You need at least 10 QSOs from a listed park within a single UTC day for the activation to count.
- Days are counted in UTC. Your log times must be in UTC. An evening activation in the US can cross into the next UTC day, which starts a new count.
- Any band and mode your license allows. That includes the WARC bands and satellite contacts.
- No repeater contacts count for activator credit.
- No fully automated or relayed contacts. You have to make each QSO yourself, and both stations must copy each other's callsign.
- Upload your log. Activators submit an ADIF log for each park. Hunters get their credit from your log, so submit it even if you didn't reach 10 contacts.
The POTA website has the complete rules, and they're worth reading before your first activation, especially the parts about where you can set up and the rules for the park you plan to visit.
How to Activate a Park
Choose a Park and Plan Ahead
Use the map on the POTA website to find parks near you. Each park has a reference number, and you'll use it in your CQ and your log. Many activators start at a park that has never been activated or hasn't been activated recently, because hunters show up in force for those.
Check the park's hours and rules before you go. Some parks don't allow anything attached to trees, and some restrict where you can set up. Being a good guest keeps parks welcoming to hams.
Pack a Simple Portable Station
- A radio. Many activators run 5 to 20 watts with a small portable rig. A 100 watt mobile radio works too if you bring enough battery.
- Power. A lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery is the most popular choice because it's light and holds voltage well.
- An antenna. End-fed wires thrown into a tree, portable verticals, and simple wire dipoles on a telescoping mast are all common. Our guide on how to build a dipole antenna is a good starting point.
- A way to log. A paper log works fine. Many activators use a phone or tablet logging app that exports ADIF.
- A chair, water and sunscreen. You'll be out there a while.
Get On the Air and Call CQ POTA
Pick a band, find a clear frequency, and call:
"CQ POTA, CQ POTA, this is K1ABC, Kilo One Alpha Bravo Charlie, calling from park US-0000."
Use the actual reference number for your park. Self-spotting on the POTA website helps hunters find you quickly. Once the first hunter answers, you'll often have a pileup, and that's when the fun starts. Keep the exchanges short: callsign, signal report, state, and on to the next.
In our experience, the first activation feels like a lot to juggle and the second feels easy. Don't worry about speed. Hunters are glad to work you, and they'll wait.
Park-to-Park Contacts
If you work another activator who's also in a park, that's a park-to-park contact, or P2P. Both of you get credit, and both of you log the other's park. Many activators keep an eye on the spots page for other parks so they can pick up a few P2P contacts.
Uploading Your POTA Log
After the activation, upload your ADIF log through your POTA account. Each log should cover one park from one location. Keep your log clean: correct callsigns, UTC times, band and mode for every contact. Duplicate and invalid contacts are rejected.
Keep Every POTA Contact in One Logbook
POTA operators often run more than one station: a home rig for hunting and a portable setup for activating. QSL Shack supports multiple locations and multiple logbooks, so your home station and your park station each keep their own details, and ADIF import brings in the logs from your portable logging app. Push your contacts to LoTW and QRZ from the same logbook, and any POTA contact with another QSL Shack member who logs the same QSO is matched and confirmed.
Planning a group activation with your club? Post it as a QSL Shack event, and the members who want to join you can mark their interest and get a reminder before you head out.