I often do POTA activations with two friends: Paul, KW1L and Rick, K8BMA. We almost always operate CW. On a recent activiation, Paul asked if there was a way to do a joint activation like many phone operators do. If you hunt phone POTA activators, they often say something like, “Stand by for a second operator,” then the second operator gets on and makes their contact.
This rarely happens on CW. In fact, I don’t think that there’s a standard procedure for doing this, and sending something like “QRX for a second operator” probably wouldn’t’ work. For one thing, it’s too long to send. For another, many POTA CW ops are not very experienced and probably wouldn’t know what QRX means.
Even so, Paul and I wanted to be able to set up one station and then make contacts jointly. Paul emailed Tom, K4SWL, if he had any suggestions. Tom wrote back, suggesting a possible way to do this, but added, “I’ll be honest. I think that this would throw off most hunters.”
Paul and I tended to agree with him, but we thought we’d give it a go anyway. This morning, Paul, Rick, and I headed out to the Pinckney State Recreation Area (US-3322). After getting set up, I suggested that what we might do is for me to spot myself and call CQ, and after getting a reply somehow indicate that a second operator, and therefore QSO, was available. The first transmission was pretty much standard, but after the hunter replied, I would send something to indicate that Paul was also there. Here’s an example:
CQ CQ POTA KB6NU KB6NU POTA
W1ABC
W1ABC 599 MI BK
599 MA BK
TU NW W1ABC DE KW1L 599 MI BK (This is the crucial step. With this transmission, we’re telling the hunter that there’s a second station that want a contact, too.)
If the hunter responded with an exchange, we counted that as a contact for KW1L. If not, we didn’t count it.
We experimented with slight variations of this format. For example, instead of just a single KW1L, we sent it twice. If neither transmission elicited a response, I would give another call, simply:
W1ABC DE KW1L 599 MI
This would sometimes get them to reply. Another trick that we tried was to slow down when sending that final transmission, thinking that that would be a clue that there was a second operator present. That seemed to work sometimes.
Overall, a little less than half the time, the hunter would get the idea and realize that we had a second operator. The other times, the hunters either didn’t understand what we were sending or tuned away after their transmission and didn’t hear ours. If the latter, it’s a shame because they could have had a second contact.
We made 12 contacts for Paul, after which, he decided to call it quits. So, he now has his first legal activation under his belt!
As a result of this experience, I would like to suggest that CW hunters listen to the final transmission of the activator in case there is a second operator present. I would also like to suggest that activators use the format:
TU NW <hunter call sign> DE <second activator call sign> <second activator call sign> 599 <state> BK
I’m not wedded to this, though, so if you have a better suggestion, please let me know.
As a hunter, if I heard another station calling me after the 1st contact, I would assume it was someone trying to take over the frequency, and I’d just ignore them.
This seems to be what happened several times. We’re going to keep trying this or something similar until it become a more commonly-accepted practice.
Yeah, this is a poor practice. My son hunts POTA via SSB (I’m all CW) and he frequently complains about this practice. This doesn’t result in added new parks for the hunter, it’s only a benefit for the activator and pretty presumptuous that any hunter would be willing to do this. I mean once or twice, sure, especially if it’s for the benefit of a new operator. But to head into the field with a “plan” to have multiple operators milk the hunters for all they are worth is weak sauce and poor amateur practice in my view. But I am an old curmudgeon set in my ways….
73 de Jeff KE9V
I’m not against activators doing this. It’s certainly fun to activate with friends, and the hunters may not get another park, but they do get a second Q.
As an activator, a park to park with multiple operators is a godsend when the bands are rough.
K0JJW and I often share a station for POTA or SOTA. If we can get a good pile going with a good run rate, we don’t do the pass the mic thing. It just slows things down. Better to let one op run for a while followed by the other op. This is the usual case for HF POTA.
However, if the Qs are slow and more precious, we will pass the mic. This is more common on VHF/UHF.
Perhaps some words in the comment section of the Website post indicating there are multiple activators. Might list the call signs.
Why not have two radios – one per operator? Maybe one on 20m and the other on 30 or 17? Having two operators in the same QSO is confusing.
We have done that, but we wanted to make contacts with the same hunters.
I found your post and blog through Google because the question literally just came up. I just tagged along for a SOTA activation with two friends. My first, and I only had a 2m HT on me which didn’t get anywhere, so they got the credit (on 20 m CW). But it took a long time because at 65 N in the wilderness, 5W QRP isn’t easy to get heard, or even to get spotted.
Neither of us knew how to say “stand by for a 2nd operator” in CW, which seems common enough for POTA at least on phone. From digging around, AS and/or QRX might be expected in the exchange, and it would be good to have an agreed formula.
Interesting comments here, some of which sound harsh. “Milk” the hunters? Huh. I guess the motivation of the hunters isn’t super clear to me just yet. They do (and should) get credit for two separate QSOs, in any event. Plus few seemed to mind to have two QSOs with the same summit when both my fellow operators managed to get themselves spotted.
Shortly before his key went silent far too soon, N4NTO Tripp demonstrated a multi operator CW POTA activation to/with N4MQU Mark, who filmed a video of their activation. I think the procedure he demonstrated, if my memory serves, was:
CQ POTA DE CALL1 ES CALL2
THEIRCALL
THEIRCALL [GREETING] RST STATE BK
BK [GREETING] RST STATE BK
BK [GREETING] RST STATE [DE] CALL2
BK [GREETING] RST STATE BK
TU STATE 73 EE
EE
Op CALL1 sending first two lines, op CALL2 sending at least the next line with their call. Extends obviously to more operators.
I like that it opens with all the calls so that the other op knows to expect the extra ops, instead of being surprised. Either the last op or the strongest op can send the sign-off.
Supports having the strongest CW op call CQ and help the other op(s) along.
That looks like a good approach. You don’t know the URL of the video, do you?
I completely missed your followup here last month, I’m so sorry. Here’s the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dizAvSVZR58&t=1323s
Starts with SSB and QSYs to CW
Tried this today with K4CBW Brantley and some of the other operators seemed to have no trouble and some were confused. But I’d like to do this again.