Parks on The Air

How POTA & SOTA Work

Both POTA and SOTA center on websites that direct hunters to activators. A network of radios across the world (called the Reverse Beacon Network) will hear an activator when they send out their callsign in a call for contacts. If the callsign if followed by “POTA” or “SOTA”, the network will report that callsign to the POTA or SOTA websites. These websites will then “spot” the activator, letting all of the hunters know that the activator in immediately available for contact on a particular frequency by a specified mode. The activator is then usually inundated with contacts from around the country and, sometimes, the around the globe. The contacts are normally just a brief exchange of signal report and state so that the activator can move on to the next hunter. Here is a good video on how to participate in POTA.

How to Get Licensed

Students have the choice of learning the theory or simply memorizing the exam questions and answers. We suggest doing both but erring on the side of memorization, simply because, the sooner your student gets on the air, the greater will be their motivation to truly understand the theory.

We will provide your student with study materials but they may also benefit from any of a number of inexpensive online courses such as this one:

https://hamradioprep.com/technician-license-course/#pricing

Free video-only study materials are available here. You can find in-person and online exam information here. As noted below, we will reimburse you for the incremental cost of studying for the General class license in addition to the Technician class license.

How to Learn Morse Code

There are two aspects to learning Morse Code: copying and sending. Copying is understanding morse code that one hears. Sending is, of course, sending a message in Morse Code. Students should aim to “head copy” (understand entire words without writing the letters down) short words at a speed of at least 8 words per minute before learning how to send.

The easiest way to learn to copy Morse Code quickly is with an app called Morse Mania, which is available for Android, Apple, Windows, and Apple OS. We suggest starting with a speed of at least 12 words per minute and quickly ramping up to 18 to 24 words per minute. Why start so fast? The temptation for new learners is to count the dits and dahs, but that is ultimately a limiting strategy. It is better to simply learn the sound of a particular character so that one can eventually understand Morse Code at speeds where counting the dits and dahs is impossible. Also, when the app begins to teach entire words, it is better to head copy the entire word before entering the answer into the app, instead of entering each letter into the app as it’s decoded.

If your student struggles with regular code study, it might be worth trying shadowenigma.com, a game, modeled on the cipher machines used in World War II, that requires one to copy a cipher sent in morse code to a decoder. Correct copy reveals a hidden message.

Once your student can confidently head copy short words at 8 wpm or faster, it’s time to learn how to send Morse Code. At this point, you face a choice: learning to send on a straight key or a paddle or both. Straight keys are the “old fashioned” Morse Code keys – a single lever that is pressed down to close a single contact. A paddle, by contrast, has two points of contact, one or the other of which is closed by pressing to the right or left, where closing one contact tells the radio to send a dit and closing the other tells the radio to send a dah. This method of keying permits a faster top sending speed but it requires a radio that has (as most radios now do) some additional circuitry. Either type of key can be used to practice sending code on the VBand website, which is the tool we recommend for sending practice. We recommend basic proficiency with a straight key and mastery of the paddle, but it doesn’t really matter where you start.

For SOTA and POTA operation, weight can be a serious concern, which means that whatever type of key you use, you’ll want a key that is designed to be portable. Many keys intended for home use have a very heavy base intended to keep the key from moving around on a desk when keying. By contrast, portable keys are light enough for backpacking and small enough to be held in the hand or magnetically mounted to the radio itself. High-quality, lightweight straight keys are available here, here, and here. Quality paddle keyers are a bit more expensive. Good ones are here and here. But super cheap ones are available here and here. The quality of the build (or lack thereof) will be more noticeable with paddle keyers than with straight keys, so paddles are a place to spend more for quality. Don’t do what this guy did, though building a keyer can be a fun project.

Antennas

For portable operation we recommend that your student build their own end-fed-half-wavelength (EFHW) antenna, unless the radio they get will transmit more than 20 watts. A great option is this device combined with this wire. We can help your student cut the wire to the correct length and waterproof the circuit board so that rain isn’t a problem.

To work properly, these antennas need to be 33 feet high either at the center or at one end. This is easily accomplished in the backcountry, where there are usually plenty of trees that can be used as a mast. For summits (where there are usually no tall trees), a vertical antenna like this one will work well. Alternatively, one can use an EFHW antenna with a mast like this one or this one. We will do mostly POTA work, where trees can normally serve as a mast. If your student plans to also operate from home, though, you should consider where an EFHW (which is 62 feet long) could be strung with sufficient height and far enough away from solar panels and power lines. If no such place exists, we have experts who can help you find a solution that will work well enough for your situation.

Privileges & Licensing

While anyone can participate in POTA or SOTA with the privileges conferred by the Technician’s class license, there is considerable benefit in eventually (or immediately) going for the General class license. The principal benefits of the General class license are (1) Access to frequencies allocated for voice communication, and (2) Access to the 20-meter band. Bands are ranges of frequencies all of approximately the same wavelength. So, for example, the 40-meter band includes frequencies where the wavelength of the photons transmitted by the radio is approximately 40 meters. Different bands perform differently at different times of the day as various layers of the ionosphere charge and discharge. The 20-meter band is a very useful band because it becomes usable for long-distance communication (“opens up”) early in the day and stays open until late in the evening. While the 40-meter band will work for regional communication during the day, the 40-meter band begins to work well for long-distance communication around sunset. For POTA work done through ICO, that’s not much of a limitation because we’ll likely be doing other things (like fishing and preparing dinner) until dusk, but it is a significant limitation for SOTA (because one will hopefully be off any summits by dusk) and, even, POTA on daytrips (when one will probably be home by dusk). Thus, we encourage students to go for their General class license. In fact, if your student will take the online course linked above, we’ll reimburse for the upgrade from the Technician’s-only course to the Technician + General course if they get their General license within a year of registration.

Power & Radio Choice

Your power requirements will differ substantially by mode. For Technicians, all HF transmissions are limited to CW, so power requirements are modest compared to transmission of a voice signal. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want about 3 times as much power for voice transmissions as for CW.

Of course, different amateur radios (or “rigs”) transmit with differing maximum power output. Rigs that transmit 6 watts or less are known as QRP rigs. They are generally lightweight, battery operated, and very portable. Commercially available QRP rigs are discussed at length here. Some QRP rigs can be built from an inexpensive kit. Some of these rigs can transmit a voice signal (known as Single Sideband or SSB), a feature that becomes more valuable if you have an amplifier at home.

There are a couple of commercially-available portable radios that transmit with as much as 10 watts. The Xiegu G106 requires an external battery but is reasonably priced. The Elecraft KX2 has an internal battery (and many other nice features) but is much, much more expensive. The ICOM IC-705 and Yaesu FTX-1 Field (both 10 watts) are also in this category, though both are bigger and heavier than is ideal for backcountry use. At 1 pound (radio only) with a 20-watt output, the BG2FX FX-4CR jumps categories, delivering a lot of power per pound. Also, for a radio with 20-watt output, the ability to transmit SSB and other modes becomes valuable.

There are also a number of rigs that are really designed as a base station but are still (barely) light enough to work for backcountry operation. Top contenders in this category are the Xiegu G90 (20 watts) and the Yaesu FT-891 (100 watts). A group of backpackers could haul one of these rigs and the needed battery into the mountains, but rig and battery together would be a bit much to be carried by a lone backpacker. A day-hiker could pull it off though.

So how much power do you need? Well, even on CW, it can sometimes be difficult to be heard when transmitting with 6 watts or less when band conditions are poor. But with a decent antenna and average band conditions, you can still transmit across the entire U.S. and into Canada or Central America on 6 watts. Don’t believe it? Well, the RBN map, below, was generated transmitting about 5 watts through a mediocre antenna. With 10 to 20 watts, on CW, you’ll be reliably heard anywhere in the U.S. and Canada, and, with good band conditions, many places in Europe and Asia as well. With 100 watts, you’ll make it just about anywhere in the world whenever the band is open. For backcountry POTA CW work, 6 watts is enough but 10 watts is very nice. For a home station, 20 to 100 watts is ideal. And note that, from a summit, low power is just fine; even with a 6 watt radio, one can reach Japan with average band conditions.

A safe bet for those new to amateur radio is a QRP rig, perhaps paired with a 50-watt amplifier. The amplifier is used at home (connected to a 12 volt power supply or rechargeable battery) or while car camping (connected to a 12 volt rechargeable battery). But, of course, while backpacking, it can run off of an internal battery or an external battery that is light enough to be carried without trouble.

Once you get your license, get on the air! Don’t wait until you are super confident in your CW. Just get on the air doing POTA for the reasons explained here.

Useful Links & Resources – The online resources for amateur radio have never been better!

VBand – A website through which one can privately practice sending Morse Code and/or communicate with other VBand users using Morse Code. Note that there is a setting by which one can use a mouse as a keyer but this mode works well only at slower speeds. You will need a proper key (and one of our USB adapters) to get out of first gear.

Reverse Beacon Network – A great way to see how far your signal is getting. Just enter your callsign into the “Spotted (dx)” field and search. You’ll see a map and list of the RBN stations that have heard you. It’s also a great place to see who’s on the air at any given time and the frequency and mode by which they can be contacted.

HF Propagation Map – This map tells you what bands are open for long-distance communication from your part of the world.

SDR Receivers – A map of internet-connected radios that you can listen to for free. You can use these receivers to practice copying actual amateur radio Morse Code transmissions. You can also use these receivers to hear your own signal as it is being received in various locations around the country or the world. If a receiver asks for a callsign and you don’t have yours yet, you can just use KK6SQ.

Morse Invaders – Makes learning morse code a game, styled on Space Invaders. Very good tool for copy practice. It also has a send mode.

Morsle – A good place to practice copying callsigns.

Morse Walker – This website has a very realistic POTA simulator that includes pileups (where multiple hunters are sending their callsign all at once) and QSB (fluctuating band conditions). If you can copy successfully using this tool, you can copy well enough for the real thing.

QRZ – This is the place to look people up by their callsign.

POTA – Parks on The Air, where hunters go to find activators.

SOTA – Summits on The Air, where chasers go to find activators.

World Wide Flora & Fauna — WWFF, like POTA except that the natural area need not be a park. Newer program, so fewer locations registered.