7 ms·

Parks on the Air

112 points by thepuppet33r 2y ago

beAbU 2y ago
The website does a real terrible job explaining what exactly this is. I know it's related to amateur radio. Is it some nationwide capture the flag game or something?
- beaugunderson 2y ago
  In the parlance of ham radio, it's an "awards scheme"--certain activities will gain the participant awards, in the case of POTA that would be going to an accepted park and making ten valid radio contacts ("activating" the park) or making one contact with someone inside a valid park ("hunting" the park). There are also awards for number of parks activated or hunted, activating parks on certain bands, etc. Worth noting that it's not just nationwide, it's global. :)
_whiteCaps_ 2y ago
If you're wanting to see who's active right now, https://pota.app https://pota.app is more useful. And if you don't have a radio, and want to hear the conversations, check out a web SDR like this one: https://www.sdrutah.org/ https://www.sdrutah.org/
- radnor 2y ago
  And here's a website that maps out where the current POTA, SOTA, and WWFF (the precursor to POTA) radio operators are at right now. https://fieldspotter.radio/ https://fieldspotter.radio/
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- Mistletoe 2y ago
  I tried one and it was some old guy talking about the weather of course.
  - _whiteCaps_ 2y ago
    Better that than their health issues!
grhmc 2y ago
This is such a good and fun way to get in to radio. It is why I picked up my radio after being licensed, and inactive, for like ten years.
jkingsman 2y ago
Also shout out to Summits on the Air; same idea, but for mountain/hill/local-prominence-tops: https://sotl.as/ https://sotl.as/ It's real easy to get your Technician class license in the US, which will get you limited line of sight range via VHF/UHF and a few other misc. bands. General class unlocks High Frequency operation which allows you to talk around the globe with the right radio. For my field operations, I use a handheld 12V battery pack and a (tr)uSDX, a souped-up ATMega platform that does QRP (<=5W power) operations via CW (Morse code) and SSB (voice). It's the cheapest radio out there that will reliably do (passable) quality SSB, and it's real handy to have something so tiny and light when I'm heading out to hike up a mountain. This is everything I take into the field, and have talked to people states and countries away when geomagnetic conditions were favorable (being on top of a mountain helps haha): https://i.imgur.com/HOx5buc.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/HOx5buc.jpeg Full kit breakdown: https://imgur.com/gallery/ultralightish-tr-usdx-sota-shack-box-kit-QPuv1d9 https://imgur.com/gallery/ultralightish-tr-usdx-sota-shack-b...
- thenobsta 2y ago
  Wow, this is very cool. I might upgrade to General just for this. Do you take both up? Fishing in mountain lakes and SSB to pass the time sound fun do to simultaneously.
  - jkingsman 2y ago
    Haha the fishing rod is actually a mast for my antenna; I'm not much of an angler myself. Collapsible telescoping fiberglass rods are light, cheap, and an easy way to get a reasonably stable point 20 feet up in the air :)
  - amatecha 2y ago
    If you have Tech (you're in US I assume?) you can activate parks and summits on 2m and 70cm, too (or even 1.25m or 6m for that matter)! No additional privileges needed.
- ljsprague 2y ago
  Start a YouTube channel.
NegativeLatency 2y ago
Neat, and timely for me, as I’m studying for my first HAM exam
Someone1234 2y ago
I feel like there is some implied knowledge I am missing. This describes what this is: > Welcome to the Parks on the Air(POTA) site for international portable amateur radio operations that promote emergency awareness and communications from national/federal and state/provincial level parks. The first part, alright, but the second part? Why are we promoting using a ham radio within a national/state level park? Why is there "awards" (certificates mostly) for doing this? Why is this work important? For those in the "in-group" I'm sure this all makes complete sense. For me, I don't get it.
- dgacmu 2y ago
  I don't think there's anything to get - it's just for fun. It started as an AARL one-off for the 110th anniversary of the establishment of national parks in the US, and proved popular, and turned into its own thing. I think if you look at things like Niantic it's a similar two-for-one appeal: a motivating excuse to go someplace you would like to go but might not have otherwise gone and engaging in activity you like.
  - chefandy 2y ago
    > I don't think there's anything to get - it's just for fun. It started as an AARL one-off for the 110th anniversary of the establishment of national parks in the US, and proved popular, and turned into its own thing. > I think if you look at things like Niantic it's a similar two-for-one appeal: a motivating excuse to go someplace you would like to go but might not have otherwise gone and engaging in activity you like. I believe the GP is saying that it doesn't say what "it" is. AARL and Niantic aren't exactly household names outside of people already interested in radio. If they're trying to attract new people to amateur radio with this as floatrock surmised, (and maybe they're not! and if not, maybe they should be?), you need to assume this is going to be people's first point of contact... and this website isn't particularly useful for that use case.
    - ianburrell 2y ago
      It really should say what it is about. Go the park, setup radio, and communicate with other amateur operators. It doesn't even mention activating parks which at least ham operators would understand. I think there is assumption that visitor would know what Summits on the Air is since that is better known.
fullstop 2y ago
My brother in law does this. He travels a lot for work, and brings some HAM equipment with him if possible.
benatkin 2y ago
When I went to the map and declined to give me my location, it sent me to Null Island.
- tomcam 2y ago
  Yet in a sense, my friend, we are all of us dwelling in Null Island.
ConanRus 2y ago
Note that there's not only Phone/Voice, but also CW and digital modes (Like FT8), so it's possible not to speak with ppl at all and still do the activation.
- jimnotgym 2y ago
  ... digital modes that work even below the noise floor! So extremely long distances on extremely low power are possible
  - nullc 2y ago
    Yeah, FT8 will work fine with a signal something like 20 dB below where I can even tell that there is a person talking with SSB phone. It'll work where morse code will not-- FT8 has on the order of 6dB over morse though obviously that depends on operator skill.
bityard 2y ago
I'm a ham radio operator but don't currently have the means for a decent HF antenna where I live. I like making contacts, but I'm not much for small talk and conversations. Contests are fun for me, even though I'm not at all a professional at it and likely will never be. The problem is, there's not always a contest running. POTA is amazing because it lets me toss up a temporary antenna on any arbitrary weekend and still have a good chance of making a few SSB contacts. Especially now with the solar cycle at its maximum. Thank you to all the people who go and activate parks! You are awesome!
CliffColvin 2y ago
I’ve been a ham operator since 1999, and in 2020 started doing POTA. It is a blast, the ability to get out in the sunshine, and play radio is an awesome combination!
grendelt 2y ago
POTA is what made me get more into CW. I'm not 100% CW and I do POTA activation videos on YouTube (when I remember to bring my GoPro with me on trips). I typically use an Elecraft KX2 and Chelegance MC-750 vertical (and you'd be hard pressed to get me to switch to another antenna. Sure, an EFHW packs up small, but getting it up in a tree requires more time/effort/kit) I've also activated with a truSDX, QMX, and MTR3b. Behind my KX2, the QMX is a great little CW radio. The truSDX is alright, but the QMX is superior.
- wkjagt 2y ago
  I'm a pretty new ham, and only doing CW. To practice my CW I try to hunt at least a couple POTA activators a day. I'm (very) slowly starting to feel ready to start activating. I have my POTA kit ready for when I am. A QMX with an EFHW. I'm not looking forward to throwing it in a tree though, so I'm also looking at verticals. The QMX is awesome. At home I have a G90 and a Ten-Tec Corsair. Curious to see your activation videos. What's your channel?
  - grendelt 2y ago
    https://youtube.com/@tommygober https://youtube.com/@tommygober
    - wkjagt 2y ago
      Cool, I'll check it out!
rstat1 2y ago
My dad and I have been participating in this for a bit (he's the actual operator, I just log stuff), and it's been pretty fun. Gotten me out to local places I hadn't been before despite living here nearly 30yrs. Our setup isn't really all that fancy, he takes one of his normal radios and with the help of some kind of special adapter, connects it directly to one of those big 12v deep cycle marine batteries. Antenna wise we have this triple magnet mounting thing that we drop on the top of his truck, and one of us (meaning me) screws one of several different band specific Ham sticks. We usually just stick to 20m because that seems to be where most people are. Logging is usually just me writing stuff down manually on a legal pad, but this last time he found a logging app that seemed to support POTA specifically so we just used that on a laptop connected to my phone's hotspot feature.
protocolture 2y ago
Have a similar service locally to me. I like to scout out wireless pops, so I started hunting their sites down. As they are an NFP I determined it might be cheap to colocate with them. One of their primary relay sites in my city had been completely abandoned. Power cut, comms box trashed and looted. And the tower looked nearly unclimbable. Sad really because it was pretty deep in the bush and likely prime location for their service.
amatecha 2y ago
Just chased a POTA/SOTA activator yesterday on 2m -- conveniently from the comfort of my own home hahah, just doing my part to help the other station get enough contacts of course! :D

112 points by thepuppet33r 2y ago

The website does a real terrible job explaining what exactly this is. I know it's related to amateur radio. Is it some nationwide capture the flag game or something?

beaugunderson 2y ago
In the parlance of ham radio, it's an "awards scheme"--certain activities will gain the participant awards, in the case of POTA that would be going to an accepted park and making ten valid radio contacts ("activating" the park) or making one contact with someone inside a valid park ("hunting" the park). There are also awards for number of parks activated or hunted, activating parks on certain bands, etc. Worth noting that it's not just nationwide, it's global. :)

_whiteCaps_ 2y ago

If you're wanting to see who's active right now, https://pota.app https://pota.app is more useful. And if you don't have a radio, and want to hear the conversations, check out a web SDR like this one: https://www.sdrutah.org/ https://www.sdrutah.org/

radnor 2y ago
And here's a website that maps out where the current POTA, SOTA, and WWFF (the precursor to POTA) radio operators are at right now. https://fieldspotter.radio/ https://fieldspotter.radio/
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
Mistletoe 2y ago
I tried one and it was some old guy talking about the weather of course.
- _whiteCaps_ 2y ago
  Better that than their health issues!

grhmc 2y ago

This is such a good and fun way to get in to radio. It is why I picked up my radio after being licensed, and inactive, for like ten years.

jkingsman 2y ago

Also shout out to Summits on the Air; same idea, but for mountain/hill/local-prominence-tops: https://sotl.as/ https://sotl.as/ It's real easy to get your Technician class license in the US, which will get you limited line of sight range via VHF/UHF and a few other misc. bands. General class unlocks High Frequency operation which allows you to talk around the globe with the right radio. For my field operations, I use a handheld 12V battery pack and a (tr)uSDX, a souped-up ATMega platform that does QRP (<=5W power) operations via CW (Morse code) and SSB (voice). It's the cheapest radio out there that will reliably do (passable) quality SSB, and it's real handy to have something so tiny and light when I'm heading out to hike up a mountain. This is everything I take into the field, and have talked to people states and countries away when geomagnetic conditions were favorable (being on top of a mountain helps haha): https://i.imgur.com/HOx5buc.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/HOx5buc.jpeg Full kit breakdown: https://imgur.com/gallery/ultralightish-tr-usdx-sota-shack-box-kit-QPuv1d9 https://imgur.com/gallery/ultralightish-tr-usdx-sota-shack-b...

thenobsta 2y ago
Wow, this is very cool. I might upgrade to General just for this. Do you take both up? Fishing in mountain lakes and SSB to pass the time sound fun do to simultaneously.
- jkingsman 2y ago
  Haha the fishing rod is actually a mast for my antenna; I'm not much of an angler myself. Collapsible telescoping fiberglass rods are light, cheap, and an easy way to get a reasonably stable point 20 feet up in the air :)
- amatecha 2y ago
  If you have Tech (you're in US I assume?) you can activate parks and summits on 2m and 70cm, too (or even 1.25m or 6m for that matter)! No additional privileges needed.
ljsprague 2y ago
Start a YouTube channel.

NegativeLatency 2y ago

Neat, and timely for me, as I’m studying for my first HAM exam

Someone1234 2y ago

I feel like there is some implied knowledge I am missing. This describes what this is: > Welcome to the Parks on the Air(POTA) site for international portable amateur radio operations that promote emergency awareness and communications from national/federal and state/provincial level parks. The first part, alright, but the second part? Why are we promoting using a ham radio within a national/state level park? Why is there "awards" (certificates mostly) for doing this? Why is this work important? For those in the "in-group" I'm sure this all makes complete sense. For me, I don't get it.

dgacmu 2y ago
I don't think there's anything to get - it's just for fun. It started as an AARL one-off for the 110th anniversary of the establishment of national parks in the US, and proved popular, and turned into its own thing. I think if you look at things like Niantic it's a similar two-for-one appeal: a motivating excuse to go someplace you would like to go but might not have otherwise gone and engaging in activity you like.
- chefandy 2y ago
  > I don't think there's anything to get - it's just for fun. It started as an AARL one-off for the 110th anniversary of the establishment of national parks in the US, and proved popular, and turned into its own thing. > I think if you look at things like Niantic it's a similar two-for-one appeal: a motivating excuse to go someplace you would like to go but might not have otherwise gone and engaging in activity you like. I believe the GP is saying that it doesn't say what "it" is. AARL and Niantic aren't exactly household names outside of people already interested in radio. If they're trying to attract new people to amateur radio with this as floatrock surmised, (and maybe they're not! and if not, maybe they should be?), you need to assume this is going to be people's first point of contact... and this website isn't particularly useful for that use case.
  - ianburrell 2y ago
    It really should say what it is about. Go the park, setup radio, and communicate with other amateur operators. It doesn't even mention activating parks which at least ham operators would understand. I think there is assumption that visitor would know what Summits on the Air is since that is better known.

fullstop 2y ago

My brother in law does this. He travels a lot for work, and brings some HAM equipment with him if possible.

benatkin 2y ago

When I went to the map and declined to give me my location, it sent me to Null Island.

tomcam 2y ago
Yet in a sense, my friend, we are all of us dwelling in Null Island.

ConanRus 2y ago

Note that there's not only Phone/Voice, but also CW and digital modes (Like FT8), so it's possible not to speak with ppl at all and still do the activation.

jimnotgym 2y ago
... digital modes that work even below the noise floor! So extremely long distances on extremely low power are possible
- nullc 2y ago
  Yeah, FT8 will work fine with a signal something like 20 dB below where I can even tell that there is a person talking with SSB phone. It'll work where morse code will not-- FT8 has on the order of 6dB over morse though obviously that depends on operator skill.

bityard 2y ago

I'm a ham radio operator but don't currently have the means for a decent HF antenna where I live. I like making contacts, but I'm not much for small talk and conversations. Contests are fun for me, even though I'm not at all a professional at it and likely will never be. The problem is, there's not always a contest running. POTA is amazing because it lets me toss up a temporary antenna on any arbitrary weekend and still have a good chance of making a few SSB contacts. Especially now with the solar cycle at its maximum. Thank you to all the people who go and activate parks! You are awesome!

CliffColvin 2y ago

I’ve been a ham operator since 1999, and in 2020 started doing POTA. It is a blast, the ability to get out in the sunshine, and play radio is an awesome combination!

grendelt 2y ago

POTA is what made me get more into CW. I'm not 100% CW and I do POTA activation videos on YouTube (when I remember to bring my GoPro with me on trips). I typically use an Elecraft KX2 and Chelegance MC-750 vertical (and you'd be hard pressed to get me to switch to another antenna. Sure, an EFHW packs up small, but getting it up in a tree requires more time/effort/kit) I've also activated with a truSDX, QMX, and MTR3b. Behind my KX2, the QMX is a great little CW radio. The truSDX is alright, but the QMX is superior.

wkjagt 2y ago
I'm a pretty new ham, and only doing CW. To practice my CW I try to hunt at least a couple POTA activators a day. I'm (very) slowly starting to feel ready to start activating. I have my POTA kit ready for when I am. A QMX with an EFHW. I'm not looking forward to throwing it in a tree though, so I'm also looking at verticals. The QMX is awesome. At home I have a G90 and a Ten-Tec Corsair. Curious to see your activation videos. What's your channel?
- grendelt 2y ago
  https://youtube.com/@tommygober https://youtube.com/@tommygober
  - wkjagt 2y ago
    Cool, I'll check it out!

rstat1 2y ago

My dad and I have been participating in this for a bit (he's the actual operator, I just log stuff), and it's been pretty fun. Gotten me out to local places I hadn't been before despite living here nearly 30yrs. Our setup isn't really all that fancy, he takes one of his normal radios and with the help of some kind of special adapter, connects it directly to one of those big 12v deep cycle marine batteries. Antenna wise we have this triple magnet mounting thing that we drop on the top of his truck, and one of us (meaning me) screws one of several different band specific Ham sticks. We usually just stick to 20m because that seems to be where most people are. Logging is usually just me writing stuff down manually on a legal pad, but this last time he found a logging app that seemed to support POTA specifically so we just used that on a laptop connected to my phone's hotspot feature.

protocolture 2y ago

Have a similar service locally to me. I like to scout out wireless pops, so I started hunting their sites down. As they are an NFP I determined it might be cheap to colocate with them. One of their primary relay sites in my city had been completely abandoned. Power cut, comms box trashed and looted. And the tower looked nearly unclimbable. Sad really because it was pretty deep in the bush and likely prime location for their service.

amatecha 2y ago

Just chased a POTA/SOTA activator yesterday on 2m -- conveniently from the comfort of my own home hahah, just doing my part to help the other station get enough contacts of course! :D