Since the POTA gods (or in this case, a goddess) designated the Iron Belle State Trail (US-13184) a. POTA entity, this spring, I’ve been working a lot of POTA. The park is less than a mile from my house, and I can be on the air within 20 minutes of leaving my house. After this morning’s activation, I have a total of 900 contacts from US-13184.
This has given me a lot of time to make some observations about POTA operation. Here they are in no particular order:
- I’m hoping to hit the kilo mark at US-13184 sometime this week, so that I can hit some of the other parks in the area again. Specifically, I want to head out to Pinckney State Recreation Area (US-3322). There’s a nice little lake with a sandy beach there, which is great for warmer weather.
- Although there is more activity on the weekends, weekdays can be good days for activating as well. On Saturday, I made 60 contacts in an hour and a half. This morning, I made 52 contacts in about two hours and 15 minutes.
- If I’m out early (say before 9 am), I begin operations on 40 meters. This lets me work close-in stations before the D-layer gets too hot for ionospheric propagation. I’ve also noticed that ground wave propagation can be good on 40 meters early in the day.
- When it seems as though I’ve worked all the hunters on 40 meters, or when propagation begins changing, I’ll go to 20 meters. You don’t want to wait too long to to this, but you don’t want to be too quick, either.
- Being a CW guy, I mostly operate CW. The last couple of activations, though, I’ve given phone a try. With only 15 W from my KX-3, I’m certainly not the strongest signal on the band, but I have made contacts, and phone is a nice change of pace. Who knows? I might even give digital a whack one of these days.
- 18 or 19 wpm seems to be the optimum speed at which to call CQ POTA. Calling at higher speeds could put off slower hunters. Calling at slower speeds is a bit aggravating for me.
- Listen for the weak signals. Because you’re not asking for a long contact, QRP stations will call you for a contact. Other park activators will also have weaker signals on average. I don’t actually do this myself, but I’d say that always using headphones will help you hear the weaker stations. I really should because it’s kind of comical seeing me lean in to hear a weak one on the less-than-great KX3 speaker.
- In general, there seem to be a higher percentage of women operating POTA. It’s not an incredibly higher percentage, but it is something that I’ve noticed.
- My 9 Ahr battery is good for at least 4 activations. I could have gotten away with a much smaller battery, but it’s nice not having to recharge after every activation.
- Activations can be more fun with a second operator, even if you’re working CW. A ham friend stopped by the park this morning, just as I was wrapping up. We shared some observations, and when I was done, he set up his station. Next time, I’ll bring my 40-meter contest filter so that we can both operate at the same time without interfering with one another.
Now, here are a couple of observations directed at hunters:
- If an activator doesn’t repsond to your first call, don’t get discouraged. Be patient, especially if you’re running low power. If you hang in there, the activator will eventually get to you.
- Hunters don’t need to repeat exchange, unless asked to do so. If you’re giving an activator a 559 report from Michigan, simply send “559 MI”, not “559 559 MI MI.”
Having said all that, I’d love to hear some of your observations. Please leave a comment below or email me directly.
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