POTA (Page 1 of 7)
Posted: 2/15/2025 8:37:09 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Colt653][Edited]
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Guess the old thread fell into the archives https://www.ar15.com/forums/Outdoors/-ARCHIVED-THREAD-POTA-Parks-On-The-Air/22-700428/?page=57 Did a quick activation today. It was 41* and raining, so TS-480HX and TARHEEL II for the win. Attached File |
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Did my first POTA since Helene last weekend. Activated US-4854 and my first real multi band activation 10,15,17,20 and 40. Attached File |
We should have been working on a vaccine for Liberalism rather than a vaccine for COVID. gunham
PFG # 195
PFG # 195
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Originally Posted By sseagle: I've been hunting here and there, but I am relatively sure that Nebraska, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire don't exist though.  You’ll get them Attached File Attached File      |
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I built the Poor Man's POTA Performer from Budget Ham Radio and this thing kicks ass. Got all the bands between 10m and 20m in my first activation with it. I've done 3 activations so far. Can't wait to do more. I do love playing POTA  Poor Man's POTA PERformer 20M - 6M Multiband Antenna |
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I <3 POTA most of my contacts are /M I might do an activation tomorrow, but it depends on how I feel and when I get home from work (2am-ish)  (I want to do a 'full' day, multi bands and try my first activation with FT8) I have a WRC SOTA antenna I've used for /portable and QRP, but not for POTA. I started using the DXCom. Expedition for POTA and quite happy with it. |
MIA: M/SGT James W. Holt USSF 2-7-68 SVN
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
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Originally Posted By Colt653: 200th activation today https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/2275/IMG_5150_jpeg-3472819.JPG Nice day to play POTA!! 
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“Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.” Ronald Reagan
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I got Costa Rica (CR-0033) this morning on FT-8 https://www.qrz.com/db/TI1RRC?aliasFrom=TI1RRC/P I heard hunters working the Dry Tortugas (US-0023) yesterday, but couldn't hear the activators
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MIA: M/SGT James W. Holt USSF 2-7-68 SVN
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
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Originally Posted By RED_5: I got Costa Rica (CR-0033) this morning on FT-8 https://www.qrz.com/db/TI1RRC?aliasFrom=TI1RRC/P I heard hunters working the Dry Tortugas (US-0023) yesterday, but couldn't hear the activators |
We should have been working on a vaccine for Liberalism rather than a vaccine for COVID. gunham
PFG # 195
PFG # 195
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Originally Posted By RED_5: I got Costa Rica (CR-0033) this morning on FT-8 https://www.qrz.com/db/TI1RRC?aliasFrom=TI1RRC/P I heard hunters working the Dry Tortugas (US-0023) yesterday, but couldn't hear the activators I got the Dry Tortugas this weekend! On 15m I think. Park to Park even. ETA: hunted a few new states this morning. |
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Originally Posted By markl32: I built the Poor Man's POTA Performer from Budget Ham Radio and this thing kicks ass. Got all the bands between 10m and 20m in my first activation with it. I've done 3 activations so far. Can't wait to do more. I do love playing POTA  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2-Qpzb7n7ABuilt my own yesterday and tried it out today. Very clever idea for the tuning via movable insulating link. Published measurements were spot-on except 6m tuned a little high, resonant at 53.4 MHz. No problem whatsoever for the IC-7300 to get a match from edge to edge. VSWR plots were flat within 1.2:1 or less across all of 20, 17, 15, 12, 1.6:1 or less for all of 10m with no trimming required. In the 20m configuration, the G-90 will match it on all bands from 1.9 to 29.7 MHz, although I suspect power transfer and radiation efficiency suck on 80 and 160. The presence of a nearby carbon fiber fishing pole for erectiion did not seem to bother it at all, although I suspect it absorbed/dissipated some power since it's sort of conductive. Adding a coil to center-load the radiator on 40 will be my next project; should be a snap. All-in-all a fun experiment and shows real potential for toting to the park/beach. |
| I've been on a digital kick the last couple weeks becoming familiar with all the modes. Today I tried a POTA activation on VarAC and made no contact. I switched to FT8 and got 11 pretty much immediately. You guys... that's cheating. Way, way too easy lol. I don't really enjoy FT8, so I don't think it's something I'll make a habit of, but talk about an easy button... |
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Had a fun night. About 3 hours in the field in total. Knocked out a POTA activation, about 28 contacts in less than an hour on 20m. Then switched antennas and checked into the Sniper’s Net. Then deployed the N9TAX roll up Jpole and checked into the Seward Amateur Radio Club weekly simplex net on 2m. Beautiful day. Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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20m hasn't been too good lately, I normally only get to hunt on my way to work I have about 20 minutes drive, and 1/4 of that there is too much local QRN. I used to get about 5 parks every day, now I'm lucky to get one, I can hear a few hunters, and maybe a faint activator..
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MIA: M/SGT James W. Holt USSF 2-7-68 SVN
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
The propagation has been terrible lately. I just started a YouTube channel and go figure the bands have been crap! I did an activation at what I would call my qth park (Silver Spring State park us-1024) and lets just say the video shows the frustration lol But I got 10 QSOs (barely But a day at the park is better than a day at the proctologist office. |
THIS IS THE WAY
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Originally Posted By tyrex13: Had a fun night. About 3 hours in the field in total. Knocked out a POTA activation, about 28 contacts in less than an hour on 20m. Then switched antennas and checked into the Sniper’s Net. Then deployed the N9TAX roll up Jpole and checked into the Seward Amateur Radio Club weekly simplex net on 2m. Beautiful day. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/83116/IMG_4370_jpeg-3538135.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/83116/IMG_4373_jpeg-3538137.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/83116/IMG_4374_jpeg-3538138.JPG Beautiful location! |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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Originally Posted By tyrex13: Had a fun night. About 3 hours in the field in total. Knocked out a POTA activation, about 28 contacts in less than an hour on 20m. Then switched antennas and checked into the Sniper’s Net. Then deployed the N9TAX roll up Jpole and checked into the Seward Amateur Radio Club weekly simplex net on 2m. Beautiful day. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/83116/IMG_4370_jpeg-3538135.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/83116/IMG_4373_jpeg-3538137.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/83116/IMG_4374_jpeg-3538138.JPG Your pictures are always amazing |
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Originally Posted By tyrex13: I think it just has to be posted in once every 90 days or something. Originally Posted By tyrex13: Originally Posted By Colt653: How do we keep this new POTA thread from falling into the archives, like the old one did ? I think it just has to be posted in once every 90 days or something. I recently saw a mod say they can make it so threads never get archived. |
Global Warming Hoax Skeptic before it was cool
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Originally Posted By Colt653: Yep Mod @dryflash3 does it often in the reloading forum Who are the ham Radio mods ??? that keeps that particular thread out of the archives once it's been toggled. Ask the mod or one of the mods if they will do this for you. |
Selling agent for Algores carbon credit scam.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
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Originally Posted By dryflash3: The mod for that particular forum have the option of "setting the archive toggle", which is mod speak that keeps that particular thread out of the archives once it's been toggled. Ask the mod or one of the mods if they will do this for you. Thanks |
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Originally Posted By Colt653: who are the mods for the ham forum ? TomJefferson Waldo XxSLASHERxX ETA: so you know how to find who is the mod(s) for a particular forum, just go to the parent group listing and look for the mods icon:  For example, Ham Radios is a sub group of Outdoors There should be a link at the top and bottom of every page Outdoors » Ham Radios Click on "Outdoors" and you'll see the list of sub forums in the middle-ish column is where you'll find the icon shown above |
MIA: M/SGT James W. Holt USSF 2-7-68 SVN
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
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@TomJefferson @Waldo @XxSLASHERxX gentlemen can we please tag this thread so it doesn’t fall into the archives? PARKS ON THE AIR is a very popular and fun way to play ham radio Attached File |
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Originally Posted By Colt653: @TomJefferson @Waldo @XxSLASHERxX gentlemen can we please tag this thread so it doesn’t fall into the archives? PARKS ON THE AIR is a very popular and fun way to play ham radio https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/2275/IMG_6076_jpeg-3539621.JPG I set it to no archive for you. |
Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it..
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Originally Posted By Mach: I activated a new for me park yesterday and got 34 QSOs in 1.5 hours. So far 6 parks, I have not returned to any yet. I still have quite a few parks in the local area to activate. Been doing POTA for exactly 1 week NICE WORK!!! 
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“Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.” Ronald Reagan
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Originally Posted By K9-Bob: NICE WORK!!! Originally Posted By K9-Bob: Originally Posted By Mach: I activated a new for me park yesterday and got 34 QSOs in 1.5 hours. So far 6 parks, I have not returned to any yet. I still have quite a few parks in the local area to activate. Been doing POTA for exactly 1 week NICE WORK!!! I wish I knew about POTA when I was working and traveling around the country with an HF antenna and a radio. I set up next to the pool, in city parks, on the hotel room deck, etc but didn't know about POTA. I used to through an EFHW antenna out the window if the high rise city hotel window opened, mostly at night though. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
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Nobody is coming to save us.
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| POTA is definitely the cheapest and easiest way to drum up a pileup. It's a ton of fun. My favorite is popping cherries. Looks around you for a hard to get to park that hasn't been activated yet. When I was in CO a couple of years ago I claimed one in UT. I got my eye on one in WY... |
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So... as far as proper etiquette is concerned... Is there any issue with responding to a POTA CQ call from my base station ? or do the POTA guys prefer to hear from other POTA's and DX ? I have responded to a few and have them in my QRZ log, but wasn't completely sure I was the response they were looking for. They seem to prefer other POTA when I hear those 2-way QSO's. |
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Originally Posted By Dragracer_Art: So... as far as proper etiquette is concerned... Is there any issue with responding to a POTA CQ call from my base station ? or do the POTA guys prefer to hear from other POTA's and DX ? I have responded to a few and have them in my QRZ log, but wasn't completely sure I was the response they were looking for. They seem to prefer other POTA when I hear those 2-way QSO's. yes work them Look on the POTA spotter and hunt them https://pota.app/ |
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Originally Posted By Dragracer_Art: So... as far as proper etiquette is concerned... Is there any issue with responding to a POTA CQ call from my base station ? or do the POTA guys prefer to hear from other POTA's and DX ? I have responded to a few and have them in my QRZ log, but wasn't completely sure I was the response they were looking for. They seem to prefer other POTA when I hear those 2-way QSO's. Most POTA hunters are working from their QTH |
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Originally Posted By Dragracer_Art: So... as far as proper etiquette is concerned... Is there any issue with responding to a POTA CQ call from my base station ? or do the POTA guys prefer to hear from other POTA's and DX ? I have responded to a few and have them in my QRZ log, but wasn't completely sure I was the response they were looking for. They seem to prefer other POTA when I hear those 2-way QSO's. No issue. They want to make a QSO with as many people as they can. If you set up a free account on https://pota.app/ you can login and see stats on how many people you've had QSOs with. The person doing the park activation sends in their log, so your contacts get counted without you having to do anything. You can also look up a park number to see where it is, etc. |
Don't confuse where I live with where I'm from.
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Activated US-0804 this afternoon, great location but the bands were trash. I rehung the OCFD but didn't change anything. Made 11 contacts and called it good. Attached File |
We should have been working on a vaccine for Liberalism rather than a vaccine for COVID. gunham
PFG # 195
PFG # 195