10 Reasons to Give POTA a Try
- POTA activations are an easy way to hold your own mini-DXpedition. Ever wanted to be a station in demand without having to traipse halfway around the globe? POTA is your answer.
- It doesn’t require a mega-station to make contacts. For a modest investment you can start making QSOs from a park on day one.
- With thousands of qualified sites, finding one within a reasonable driving distance shouldn’t be too difficult (this, of course, depends on where you live). How about picking a new spot every couple of months for a weekend getaway with the family or significant other?
- While you may experience pileups, it’s still low pressure. Handle what you can based on your capabilities and improve your skills the more activations you take on.
- Even if you don’t set the airwaves on fire, you’ll get to enjoy the foliage, an infusion of vitamin D, and perhaps some curious wildlife observing you from behind a tree.
- Become an ambassador for ham radio. “Hey, what’s all this stuff you’ve got here? Looks like a blast,” someone—or perhaps dozens of folks—will undoubtedly inquire. It’s your chance to show them (without overdoing it) why ham radio is the greatest hobby in the world.
- Like a personal Field Day adventure every time you set up, POTA is a great opportunity to experiment with a new antenna, QRP operation, and alternative power sources as you free yourself from the confines of the shack.
- POTA offers plenty of achievable operating milestone awards for hunters and activators.
- It will help you become a better operator, especially from an EMCOMM perspective. From the POTA website, the program is meant to encourage “amateur radio operations that promote emergency awareness and communications from national/federal and state/provincial level parks.”
- The best reason of all—POTA operations are fun. After all, isn’t that why you spend hours thinking about refining your stations, getting on the air, and filling your logbooks?
Thanks onallbands.com -- please see https://www.onallbands.com/fall-weather-offers-ideal-opportunity-for-outdoor-fun-10-reasons-to-give-parks-on-the-air-a-try/