Parks On The Air (POTA) may have started out as a fun way to get outside into the Big Blue Sky Shack and play radio, but now it has become very competitive. Those who like to take a casual approach to activating parks can still enjoy their hobby their way, but others have a different, more intense approach.
At a recent TechTalk on contesting at my club (Georgian Bay Amateur Radio Club in Owen Sound ON) the presenter talked about POTA being “like a contest”. There is a leaderboard based on number of activations and number of QSOs at each park. Almost every one of my own activations has involved intense pile-ups just like in a contest. At almost every unactivated park (aka ATNO: All Time New One) there is a race to be the first to activate it.
For the very dedicated there are the positions of “Top Activator” and “Top Hunter” to compete for. You have to be very dedicated indeed to vie for those honours. That’s major league. I’m keen but in the peewee class.
A Wild Rover?
The POTA organization has a “Rover” award for activating five or more parks in a day. Personally I have never activated more than three, and even then two of them were at a “two-fer” – a point that lies within two parks so that the same set of QSOs can be claimed for activating each of the two parks.
Only 10 QSOs are required for a valid activation, but who stops at just ten? I have logged the minimum in as little as nine minutes on more than one occasion. I generally go on to make 20, 30 and even 50 or more QSOs before calling it a day. If one is competing for a Rover award, there is an incentive to call QRT early and move on to the next park. Rush, rush, time is of the essence!
One a Day – Every Day!
Hams have been known to attempt – and succeed – at activating at least one park every day for a full year. If you have ever experienced the intensity of an event like the ARRL Field Day, then imagine doing that every day for a year through wind and rain and snow and ice.
The competitive bug does tend to infect many of us who enjoy activating. I often find myself checking the leaderboard for parks I have activated. How is my QSO count lead holding up? Has anybody activated the park more often than I have? QSO counts are cumulative. If you activate the same park multiple times your QSO count for that park steadily builds.
Very Leisurely, No Pressure – What?
This is the first year in which I have activated parks during the winter. In previous years it was purely a summer activity – usually done while camping. Very leisurely, no pressure. This year I ventured out to a local park while there was deep snow on the ground. I wore snowshoes and pulled my gear on a sled. I posted some pictures of the activation on the POTA Slack forum and received the comment: “That’s wanting to POTA bad my brother!”
Just a few years ago my forays out into the Big Blue Sky Shack often yielded no QSOs at all, nada, zip. The consolation was the “fun” of throwing wires into trees and eating up battery amp-hours while enjoying the great outdoors. And then along came POTA and it became addictive. Yes, I want to POTA bad brother!
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Ham Radio Outside the Box 
Its so awesome to go to a park, spot and make contacts without calling CQ with 5w SSB on 40m to be told “you are light and come back when your amplifier is warmed up”. OK but Mr Texas KW I am a QRPer by DNA.
I have worked 3 adventurous hams using the TRuSDX which by all means seems like this cant work and guess what it does with readable signals on 40m using 1 watt into a proper antenna
Is it a contest? Maybe, is it fun? YES
At least I know i can at least get a contact from the park with a weird or experimental antenna under POTA. One OLD timer lamenting the demise of CW in ham radio keeps telling me he wont POTA because its too competitive. Its what you want it to be and it beats sitting at home viewing ham radio guys on YouTube doing POTA while you whine to your spouse how you will never go outdoors because its too competitive.
I went to the park and with a 705 barefoot and a EFHW worked several EU stations and mid west hams on 20m…thats fun a lot of fun as you know
John VE3 Italian Pizza Slice
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John, I still get a bit of a thrill when I see I’m a park leader. But, these days I’m happy just to enjoy getting out to play radio. I even completed a couple of activations just by hunting other activators from a park – nice and relaxed with no pressure.
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I’ve been hunting POTA for a few weeks and am planning on going out activating a few local parks on my off-road mobility scooter when the weather is OK.
Paul G1OVK
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Hunting POTA can be fun, but it can also be very competitive when a lot of hunters are trying to contact the same activator. When you are the activator the hunters are all eager to contact you which makes it even more fun. Good luck with your POTA contacts Paul and thanks for joining the conversation.
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Is POTA a contest? Maybe not officially, but it has contest-like similarities, as you mentioned, and some see POTA as a contest. Radio Amateurs of Canada adding POTA to their multipliers for the RAC Portable Challenge has fueled the competitive nature of POTA. For example, there is one amateur in Ontario who has become obsessed with POTA and the need to be the top dog. But what does that really give him? Nothing, really—maybe a temporary feeling of satisfaction, but that’s it.
I’m sure the POTA-holic behaviors have led to divorces and amateurs missing important life events just to get out and do POTA.
Then there’s the expense. Fuel is expensive, and the costs related to activating just keep rising.
Then the American aspect. POTA claims to be international, but it really isn’t. It is an American non-profit, run by an American board of directors, and the organization is 100% American. American hams have no interest in working stations outside the USA. Look at them running 40m during the day and even 20m to work the guys in the next state.
Anyway, POTA has done a lot of good for ham radio for some, and for others, just name it PITA and not POTA. 🙂
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Thanks for some useful and valid points. I have begun to lose enthusiasm for POTA. It started when I suggested adjusting the rules to disallow QSOs within the same park. Some ops use HT to HT contacts with fellow ops to complete their activations. I felt this was not in the spirit of good operating. The reply from the POTA management team was dismissive. I was told not to worry about what others were doing and just enjoy my own activations. If what I consider cheating is condoned all the “awards” lose any value.
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I have lost all enthusiam for POTA, not for Portable, just POTA. The fun has been sucked out. I enjoy working DX portable, POTA seems to be how many people can squeeze into 40 and 20 during the day, both on the our side and the other side of the Atlantic. Now joy for DX chasers like me. I will still continue to operate portable, just not under the POTA brand.
Stuart VE9CF
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