WK4DS Amateur Radio Blog
Over 100 QSOs at Chito Branch US-5524 POTA Activation AAR
Once on 15 meters with a warm radio, I set off with calling CQ on a clear frequency. I called for maybe two or three minutes before I started getting replies…and then I got more, and more, and more till I had a genuine pileup on 15 meters! There was times when I am sure I could hear at least ten stations calling at once and this happened a coupe of times today!
Today saw me working on my kilo at Chito Branch again. I figured I would net 30, maybe 40, contacts considering the band conditions and the problems I was running into, but nothing prepared me for what happened today…
The Antenna and Radio Setup
I arrived at the park after hitting a pretty heavy traffic jam this morning a little frustrated since I am attempting to secure the kilo before we leave town for the rest of the year. I get to the park and there is not a single person on site other than me, which gives me the pick of the litter of locations. I immediately go about setting up the antenna and tuning it.
I also noticed today something about the antenna that was of interest to me. I will be investigating it further and writing about it soon. It is that the characteristic impedance of the vertical can not be made purely 50 ohms without a reactive component at all. It simply doesnt work. I testing it for a few minutes as I was curious and as I would tinker with the vertical and the radials to move the plot to purely resistive, it would move the frequency of the antenna off at the same time (stands to reason) but I couldn’t get it to a nice clean 50 ohms no matter what I did. I tinkered with it and the radials till I got the null on frequency and the SWR as low as feasible and moved on to the radio.
After I finished setting up the antenna, I chose to use the TenTec Scout 555 amateur radio and only pulled the 15 and 20 meter band modules for today’s activity. I wanted QSOs in the log and not exotic bands today… I had made a mistake last night though, this radio is temperature sensitive to some degree, it will drift in frequency (mine wanders slowly up) till it warms up from use. So when I am running the keyer and the radio is in transmit a lot calling CQ, the radio heats up in the back and slowly that heat creeps forward in the case to warm the rest of the electronics. Once warm I find the radio to be very stable and work exceeding well, but until it does, I have to watch it and turn the VFO down a little at a time till it is warm. This is what I had to deal with today
The POTA Activation Begins…
People were sending me notes in the spots on the POTA website about my frequency so I would know about the drift. I love how the hunters are there for you all the time, even once they have you in the log. That is awesome camaraderie if I must say so. I racked up a staggering 35 QSOs in short order! It was going so well that I figured I would hop onto 15 meters and see if I could get 40 or 45 before I ran out of time… What happened next blew my mind. After I worked those 35 stations it is like the radio simply turned off, I don’t know if I had worked everyone on the band or if the band had started to close, but I could no longer hear anyone calling. So I called CQ a couple more times and finally after not hearing anyone else for a coupe of cycles, decided to QSY to 15 meters.
The ¼ wave telescoping vertical antenna was simple and effective today.
TenTec Scout 555 Amateur Transceiver with Begali Travler CW Key
15 Meters Gets Sporty!
Once on 15 meters with a warm radio, I set off with calling CQ on a clear frequency. I called for maybe two or three minutes before I started getting replies…and then I got more, and more, and more till I had a genuine pileup on 15 meters! There was times when I am sure I could hear at least ten stations calling at once and this happened a coupe of times today! I also knew from prior experience that 15 meter is kinda where I start really hearing DX stations when the band is in good shape so I was kinda listening for stations with callsigns that start with letters other than A,K,N and W. I have found that after doing POTA for a while that my brain instinctively listens for one of those letters first in the call. If I don’t hear one of those 4 at the beginning then something in my brain trips and I only get the last 2 or 3 letters of the callsign and require a repeat…unless…I am on 15 meters and above.
It is really rare for me to even hear DX with the antennas I use for POTA until I get up to 21 mhz or higher. To be honest, I am surprised I hear them at all with some of the antenna designs I use. The ¼ wave vertical pictured above is a prime example, I am pretty sure this antenna needs to be a good bit higher in the air for a good DX take off angle, but here we are….
Here is the list of the DX I worked today from a POTA park:
DX Countries Worked:
Working DX on simple antennas is one of the joys of amateur radio. The ARRL's guide to HF propagation explains why 15 meters can be so productive for European contacts from the US.
Venezuela - YV1GIY
England - G0LLU, G3NKQ
France - F6CAX, F6OYU
Spain - EA4MZ
Belgium - ON5JT, ON4ZD
Czech Republic - OK1MGW, OK1XC
Germany - DF2PI
Cape Verde - D4HP
Belarus - EW6GB
Russia - R1QBD/3
Israel - 4Z4DX
China - SH2NR
I use HAMRS for my POTA logging.
AAR POTA Wrap Up
As you can see, I was hearing people from all over the world! I couldn’t believe some of the ones on this list. I don’t think I have ever worked Cape Verde before! He was really weak too, I could just make out the call and signal report after him repeating it a few times, but we got it done! Europe would come booming in with spurts of band openings apparently as I would work two or three at one time then it would go silent in the EU for a while then it would happen again.
Now this is not to say the band was in perfect condition. There was considerable QSB (fading) of the signals today, but it was manageable with a decent set of headphones and a properly adjusted radio. I could hear all but maybe 3 stations that I could hear at all. Of those three, one of them I almost got but then it faded out completely. I was so close too… Anyway, the calls just kept coming in and over the next hour I hit 50 then 60 then 70 and the log just kept building. I use HAMRS for my POTA logging and it shows the total in the top corner like a little scoreboard...
I finally got to something like 78 and had a couple of duplicate calls by now so I wanted to finish with a solid 80 and started really working towards this new little goal I had thrown up. Then I did it and then ran right past 80 to almost 90! It just kept happening! 15 meters was on fire today! I finally got to about 98 and I was almost out of time so I decided to stop at 100 even if I didn’t account for the duplicates. 98 is better than being late for picking up the XYL (the wife)… haha. But then I hit a little run of 5 and landed finally on 103 and the goal being reached, I called QRT and powered off the station. This is what I love about POTA, the callers were coming in from everywhere.!
Screen capture from the HAMRS logging software QSO map.
This map blows my mind, all of those calls were worked on a 30 year old, 40 watt TenTec Scout 555 radio (I turned the power down from factory spec for a reason)that has to warm up to stay on frequency, with an “outdated” mode that appears to be very NOT outdated at all, with a less than ideal antenna! So with all this I have to say, just get something together and don’t worry too much about if it has perfect SWR or if the antenna is “high enough” for DX, obviously that don’t matter when the band conditions get right! Now of note, most of the DX (I think almost all of it other than Venezuela, is 15 meters only) also all of the west coast if 15 meters as well as several of the ones due north of my position.
Elated at the fact that I had put over 100 calls in the log toward my kilo, I hurriedly broke down the antenna and packed the radio away and drove off to get the wife from school. Now if I can just repeat this again tomorrow…haha.
How many watts does the Ten-Tec Scout 555 output? The Ten-Tec Scout 555 outputs 50 watts from the factory, I have mine “turned down” to 40 watts as this is a simple adjustment and helps protect the radio from high SWR issues in the field, which is more than adequate for POTA activations and working DX on CW. Despite being a 30-year-old radio, it performed exceptionally well during this activation and many others in the past.
What bands work best for DX during POTA activations? 15 meters (21 MHz) and above typically offer the best DX opportunities during POTA activations (for me at least). At US-5524, nearly all European DX was worked on 15 meters, while 20 meters provided primarily US contacts.
Do you need a perfect antenna for POTA DX contacts? No - this activation proved that DX is possible with simple antennas. Using a basic quarter-wave vertical with radials at ground level, I worked 12 countries across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia…in one sitting.
Why does the Ten-Tec Scout 555 drift in frequency? The Scout 555 is temperature-sensitive and drifts slightly as it warms up during transmit cycles. Once warm (after 15-20 minutes of operation), it becomes very stable. Simply adjust the VFO slightly downward as it warms. The radio drifts in frequency due to component value changes as they warm up, this is common in older equipment or less sophisticated designs like the Scout 555. Things like crystals will change frequency when they get warm, other things like capacitors will also change value with temperature if they are not specifically stabilized versus temperature.
What is the best logging software for POTA activations? HAMRS is excellent for POTA logging - it's free, works offline, handles POTA references automatically, and generates helpful QSO maps. It also exports to ADIF format for easy upload to pota.app. Is it the best? For me it is…
Related Posts
Hope you enjoyed this AAR, leave a comment and I look forward to hearing from you in a future one,
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David - WK4DS
![Ten-Tec Scout 555 POTA: 74 CW Contacts at Raccoon Creek WMA [US-9875]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d17806ce65eba00011667cb/fe9e1368-6e59-44e9-9c7e-d01d02e14fe8/IMG_7569.jpg)
Ten-Tec Scout 555 POTA: 74 CW Contacts at Raccoon Creek WMA [US-9875]
As you can see from the QSO map above, the bands were alive and well on this day from Raccoon Creek WMA (US-9875). The calls just kept coming in and I finally had to got QRT, with people still calling, and pack up as I had to meet the wife for a dinner date! I normally clear the little pile up I will draw in and then I can simply power down. I really felt bad about having to shut down with stations still calling me. I now know what those rare DX station feel like… It is surreal to experience that to be honest… especially from Alabama.
Today got so fast paced that I forgot how to do CW properly! Let me explain…
As you can see from the QSO map above, the bands were alive and well on this day from Raccoon Creek WMA (US-9875). The calls just kept coming in and I finally had to got QRT, with people still calling, and pack up as I had to meet the wife for a dinner date! I normally clear the little pile up I will draw in and then I can simply power down. I really felt bad about having to shut down with stations still calling me. I now know what those rare DX station feel like… It is surreal to experience that to be honest… especially from Alabama.
You see, today I activated US-9875 Raccoon Creek WMA and I went at a different time of day. I wanted to spend several hours here today as I dont get over to the area often and I wanted to try to get as many contacts as I could in the afternoon. My goal was 60 QSOs today which is way more than I usually worry about, but like I said, this park is a solid 40 minutes in one direction and I dont go this way too often so I wanted to “make it count” if you know what i mean.
I rolled into the WMA at about 14:30 local time and set out to build the radio down by the Tennessee river. This is a small parking lot at the end of one of the gravel roads into the WMA and a lot of locals come to this spot to fish in the river from the shore. Did I mention it started raining right after I got the antenna setup and I got into the truck? Well, let me tell you, the rain set in and it didnt stop the whole time. I even broke down the antenna and stuff out in the rain today!!!
The above photo shows what the station looks like right before I plug all that stuff in and turn the power on. Everything I need to get on the air is in that pile for both SSB as well as CW. To be fair, I can get by without the Picokeyer and the 1/8 mono to 1/8 mono cable and I could simple plug the paddle right into the radio and it would work just fine. So there is really excess here above what is absolutely needed.
I did get the nanoVNA out and look at the antenna to make sure the rain didn’t do something to it like push it out of band due to the conductivity of the wet earth or what ever. Turns out it was just fine… It was a little low with the water on everything but the null was really close to the bottom of the 15 meter band edge so I used it and didnt worry about it. If you will notice, it was only 1.233:1 SWR at the band edge so it was plenty happy and we never checked it again after this on 15 meters. When I switched to 20 meters, the SWR had moved up to about 1.8:1 or maybe it was at 2:1 but I ran it and as you can see in the log, that didn’t seem to matter at all.
I setup shop on 15 meters SSB for a change and wanted to see what I could get before 15 faded out, but I noticed almost immediately that the ALC light wasn’t coming on at all when I would transmit audio. This lamp should just blink on the energy peaks but it wasn’t coming on at all. I messed with the mic gain and nothing. I did notice that I could wiggle the cord at the plug and it would make all sorts of stuff happen. This pointed me to the connector being faulty somehow but workable to some degree.
I made a few contacts with it like this and basically yelling at the radio would barely get the ALC to illuminate. I asked the last person for a report and they told me the audio was muffled and weak. Armed with all this knowledge, I decided to open the connector and see if a wire was broken. Well, they were not broken…but they were also not connected either. There were two cold solder joints from the factory…figures. I got a pretty decent photo of the green wire in the below photo. Well…that shuts down the SSB portion of this activation so onto 15 meters CW!
The 15 meter band has two things that make it unique. It is quieter than the lower bands for me and the “skip distance” is MUCH further with mobile, or improvised antennas. I didn’t make many CW contacts on 15 but check out the locations! Washington state is pretty common for me on 15 meters, in fact the entirety of the western United States is easier for me to work on 15 meters during the day. But a lot of people apparently don’t know this so lots of times the band will be open but there wont be anyone on it. Case in point today, I worked 4 ops in 11 minutes of calling CQ.
After vacuuming the bands of CW ops, I moved to FT8 to see what was happening and this is my “yardstick” of how open the band is. Turns out it was REALLY open! 15 meters FT8 netted a nice dozen contacts and got me almost half way to my original goal of 60 QSOs! This didn’t take long either and just goes to show that the higher bands are great if you will just go check them.
I had switched radios to use the sBitx V4 (I did the software upgrade and got some new features like the color coding of FT8 information you see below) You can also see that I was transmitting with 17 watts too. This is not precise, but it is close and I use it for my logbook notes.
After finishing on 15 meters I moved down to 20 meters to finish out the day. The sun was starting to set at this point and I knew 20 meters would serve me better at this point. after hunting W9XT, I set up shop on a clear frequency and started calling CQ, this is when things got a little crazy. I had a nice little pileup form pretty quick that took me about half an hour to clear, then nothing… It must be band fading at this point as the stations just vanished. I figured I would switch over to FT8 for a few minutes at this point too and see what I could get in that mode. I didn’t mention that I used the sBitx for CW at this point and to be honest, I dont think I will use it for CW seriously till there is a software change to make it work better. If you try to use it much past 18WPM it is like it fights you and induces mistakes for some reason. The people smarter than me in the email reflector seem to think is has to do with how the software scans the inputs on the radio, but I do know it will induce mistakes in your sending if you are not very attentive and send a very specific way. It will work if your careful and go about 18WPM max. I can use a keyboard to send CW but that really isnt all that much fun to be honest.
I struggled with FT8 today on 20 meters for some reason. The QSO could not complete to the 73 so it would not autolog the QSO. It would also not finish the exchange many times either. I could get it to send the signal report then they would send back and they would just get stuck in that step and never move past it. It got really frustrating towards the end, but I did manage to net some contacts here too.
At this point I had made 48 contacts which is a phenomenal day out for me, but I wanted 12 more to have that 60 that I started out my goal with! So at this point I move back down into the CW portion but this time on the Ten Tec Scout 555 instead since the CW mode on it works beautifully.
It took me a couple minutes to switch the radios out and to find a clear frequency and get started, but once I did, it didn’t take long to get a HUGE PILE UP going!!!! I got so excited during this part that I was racing the clock to see how many I could work before having to shut down the radio and go home as I was almost out of time. I started rushing the closing and it was here that I got sloppy with my CW. You see, I normally use QRP power levels for the most part, just the sBitx and the Ten Tec Scout are QRO by the rules and the sBitx is borderline to me. I will usually turn the power down to 5 watts or so anyway to preserve the finals in the radio but today I had the Scout and it is set at 50 watts and is not easily field adjusted from that power level.
As the pile up raged on, I got so lost in the process that I started sending 72 intermingled with contacts getting 73 instead and finally someone stopped me and asked why I am signing both modes and this is when it hit me. I had been running on autopilot about half the time just logging contacts and the muscle memory would just send the 72 and I would not even think about it. I would then called QRZ and get another call, rinse and repeat… Here is the next problem for me. My ragchew copy and my POTA copy are very different levels. He sent me the message at the speed I was working POTA contacts. Your brain will learn how to copy the formatted style exchanges without even thinking about it. I know that I am going to get a two letter state after the signal report and I can copy callsigns really well for some reason up to about 25 WPM, but send me a full sentence question and it breaks my brain. I cant copy half of it without writing it down. I can ragchew comfortably at 18 WPM max at this time, but if you ask me a question about my radio or something that isn’t part of the usual banter in a POTA contact and I am lost… I apologized for this mistake I had been making for probably 20 minutes without even realizing it and it was really close to when I had to leave anyway so I went ahead and called QRT to get the radio put away as it was raining really well at this point too…
To everyone that reads this that I didn’t get to work on this day, I am sorry to have to had shut down the rig and leave, I was having a wonderful time and wanted to stay longer!!!
The moral of this part of the story is dont get in such a hurry that you cause confusion with the hunters, take your time and be sure in what you are actually sending out over the airwaves.
On a brighter note, I got my 60! and 14 more!!! I dont know how long it has been since I got that many calls in the log in one day. Until next time I hope to work you on the air!
Read more Ten-Tec Scout 555 POTA activations:
- [Another Scout 555 POTA post]
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73
WK4DS - David
Rainy day CW POTA is the best...for me.
When I set out to activate a park today, I didn’t know where, but rather, only how I wanted to do it. I have been using FT8 so much lately that I got to missing my little CW only radios.
When I set out to activate a park today, I didn’t know where, but rather, only how I wanted to do it. I have been using FT8 so much lately that I got to missing my little CW only radios.
The Penntek TR-35 CW QRP radio is perfect for POTA
Today saw the re-emergence of the Penntek TR-35 and all the little widgets I made to go with it. I really love this little radio and now I have built an actual travel kit around it so if I wanted to take it somewhere on a plane, the kit will fit in my carry on baggage.
The travel kit doesn’t include the s-meter module or power pack/speaker, but those are “luxuries” anyway. The kit does have everything needed to get the radio on the air and making contacts and that is all that it has. Anyway, let’s get to today!
Pictured above is the radio and the “S meter” I built to go along with it. This meter works really well and makes using the radio just a little more fun for me. Is it needed? No, not at all, but that isn’t the point. This needle bouncing around while I copy code somehow is soothing for some reason and I can see how strong the signal is visually as well. I wrote about how I built in in this blog post.
Another thing of note is that this tiny little N6ARA key works REALLY well. Way better than something this simple should work… It actually works so well that it is worth using as a regular key. It is that good. Now to be fair, I dont know what the life of the key would be as it is PC board material so the contact thickness isn’t that much, but these keys do work really well. It takes a while to get it dialed in (read that as adjusted to your sending feel and style) but once you do, it is amazing how well it works. I should have gotten the larger variant, but I had this silly idea about minimalism and because of this, I got the little one.
Getting the key adjusted correctly and then some practice using it and this thing is amazing. Take it from me, if your not super concerned with every gram of weight, then get the bigger unit. It gives you so much more to hold onto that it isn’t even a option for me now. I still have the small one, but I do plan at some point to get the larger case for it.
Getting a spot on the POTA website
I posted this screen shot, of my spot on the POTA website, because I wanted to thank David- WA2OTC for going to the trouble of spotting me on the website while I was at the park without good cellular signal. He even came back to me and let me know that he had gotten the spot on there before moving on with his hunt. Thank you David!
It was really nice to not have to worry about getting on the website and getting myself spotted. You are probably thinking, then how did you get the screen shot? Well, I didn’t have a total black out, but just weak signal, so I simply loaded up the website and waited the 5 minutes or so for it to populate (seriously, I thought it would never load) so I could grab a screen shot for the blog. It would update EVER SO SLOWLY if I left it on the page. This location is a geographical oddity, it is close to the city but in a particular spot where there is terrible cellular coverage for some reason.
Welcome to fall and winter in the south. I have realized over the years that we get most of our water in the winter and I have planned accordingly. Things like the tape on the coax connector below to keep the rain out during an activation… Don’t forget to keep a roll of electrical tape in your car. Another trick I learned in working electrical maintenance over the years is that if you wrap the tape inside out (sticky side to the outside) then it wont leave residue on the cable and it works just as well for this purpose. We used it on factory motor connections so the rubber insulating tape would not stick to the connectors and it make changing the motors so much easier.
This exact weather event is what drove me to build the truck-tenna mount and figure out a power source for inside the truck cab to start with. POTA in the rain can still be fun as long as you plan for it.
The Inside-Out Electrical Tape Trick (From 20 Years of Electrical Maintenance)
I learned this trick working electrical maintenance over the years and it's perfect for POTA rain operations. The standard method that most people use is wrapping electrical tape with the sticky side to the connector, and this works fine for permanent installations where you're never going to take it apart again. But here's the problem for POTA: it leaves sticky residue when you remove it, it attracts dirt and moisture over time, and it's a pain to clean off in the field when you're trying to pack up and get home!
The inside-out method is way better for portable operations. You wrap the tape sticky side OUT, which sounds completely backwards but hear me out! The first wrap still sticks to itself even though it's reversed. It forms a perfect… well, close enough… waterproof barrier just like normal tape would. But here's the magic: when you peel it off after the activation, there's no residue on your connector! You can do this multiple times without any sticky buildup.
So how did I learn this? We used it on factory motor connections in industrial settings so the rubber insulating tape would not stick to the connectors and it made changing the motors so much easier. Motors would run for years in dusty, dirty environments and when it came time to replace them, the tape would peel right off without leaving any mess behind. The connectors underneath would be clean and ready to reconnect immediately.
For ham radio applications, I wrap coax connectors sticky-side-out, cover BNC connections between the radio and coax, and protect any exposed metal from rain. It works perfectly! Here's the actual process: Connect your coax normally first. Start the tape wrap with the sticky side facing OUT (this feels weird at first!). Wrap it around the connector 2-3 times, overlapping each wrap by about half. Press the tape to itself as you go so it forms a good seal. And that's it! You're done and it's completely waterproof…for a little while (long enough to complete the activation).
After the activation when you're packing up, peel off the tape and toss it in the trash.
Just like the tape on the coax connector below to keep the rain out during an activation... Don't forget to keep a roll of electrical tape in your car! This simple trick has saved countless activations from rain-related failures. I'm serious about always having a roll in the truck because you never know when weather is going to change on you!
Another thing that has happened at this location is that someone has cleaned it up… I am guessing the park service since there were chainsaws used…a lot. The cut all of the dead trees out as well as cleaned up all the dead-fall and then mowed the entire site! This is the first time I have seen this happen since doing POTA! The photo below was take just a month or so back.
The Joy of CW-Only Operations
There's something special about CW-only rigs like the Penntek TR-35 that's hard to explain until you've actually used one for a while.
The first thing you notice is there's no mode confusion. It's CW and that's it! You don't sit there thinking "should I try SSB instead?" or "maybe FT8 would work better in these conditions?" You just do CW all the time and you stop second-guessing yourself. That simplification is actually really freeing!
This leads to simplified operating in general. There are fewer controls to fiddle with. There's no mic gain to adjust, no audio levels to mess with(other then the obvious AF Gain knob for your headphones), no VOX settings or anything like that. It's just frequency and volume and you're done. You send code, you receive code, and that's the entire operating experience. No menus, no submenus, no functions buried three levels deep in software!
Here's something I didn't expect when I first started using CW-only radios: it actually forces you to improve! You can't fall back on voice modes if CW is hard. You actually have to learn the code better. You have to build your speed and confidence because there's no other option. And you know what? This makes you a better CW operator! When you go back to radios that have multiple modes, your CW skills are way better than they were before.
There's also this Zen quality to CW that's hard to describe. The rhythmic sending and receiving, the meditative quality of copying code, the direct brain-to-brain communication without any voice involved... it's pure information transfer! No misunderstood words, no voice characteristics, just the message itself getting through. I know that sounds kind of woo-woo but it's real!
After using FT8 (which is great!), phone modes (also great!), and other digital modes (all great!), sometimes I just want the simplicity of CW. One mode, one band (20 meters on the TR-35 is a good safe bet), one purpose which is to make contacts! No computer required, no sound card interface, no USB cables, no software updates. Just the radio, the key, and propagation.
This is exactly why today's activation was so satisfying for me. No menus to navigate, no mode switching to think about, no computer to set up and troubleshoot. Just me, the key, the radio, and the other operators on the other end. Simple! And after almost an hour of non-stop contacts, I realized this is what I really love about ham radio. The simplicity and the direct connection to other people through Morse code. I really love this little radio!
So after getting the radio setup and checked for SWR, I hopped on 20 meters right away. I wanted to be sure to get the activation fairly quickly as I didn’t a long time to stay and I also was using my Penntek TR-35 radio which is QRP power too. This gives me the best possible chances at activating…well, I underestimated the capability of the radio a little as you can see from the log. LOL. I first hunted AC4BT to just see if I could get through, this is because lot’s of activators today use 100 watt radios so just listening to the other stations no longer gives you an idea of how strong your signal will be. I make my point with the signal reaport I got back. He was booming into my radio and I was a 339 to him. 339 is workable so I moved to a clear spot, called QRL a few times, then called CQ and that is when things took off!
For almost the next hour, the bands were on fire! The only time there was a significant time between contacts was when I tried to reply to KM3STU and couldn’t get him. He came in strong and then vanished. Shoot, at one point I worked Germany! He was closer to the noise than the other stations but I was able to dig his call out after a minute. It is ALWAYS awesome to work another continent with a QRP radio!!! Alas, after about 45 minutes of non-stop contacts, the band just fell silent for me and after calling CQ for a few minutes, I called QRT and shut down the station as I needed to pack up anyway. This was a great POTA activation for me and one where I look back fondly at how much fun a tiny little radio can be.
I will say it again, if you have thought about activating a park, just do it. If you have hunted, then you know the exchange. Just write the park number at the top of the page for when you work another activator and the want to exchange park numbers with you. You can see that I paper log in the field then enter it into a computer when I get home to submit it to the POTA site so the hunters get credit. I will be honest here, if the hunters didn’t get credit for the contacts as well, I wouldn’t bother uploading the logs at all. For me it is about the experience and not the awards, this is why I have never submitted anything for awards from any organization. I just like operating on the air. So those logs upload are for you, not me… you see, without the hunter, this would not be a huge hobby like it is today, so I want them to get the credit they deserve. Anyway I will stop rambling and until next time, get your radio out and talk to someone on it!
Frequently Asked Questions About CW POTA and QRP Operations
Can you do POTA activations in the rain?
Absolutely! POTA in the rain can still be fun as long as you plan for it. This is exactly what drove me to build the truck-tenna mount and figure out a power source for inside the truck cab to start with. Here's what you need:
Waterproofing:
Electrical tape on coax connectors (keeps rain out!)
Pro tip: Wrap the tape inside out (sticky side to the outside) so it won't leave residue on the cable and it works just as well
Keep a roll of electrical tape in your car at all times
I learned this trick working electrical maintenance over the years
Operating from the vehicle:
Truck-tenna (receiver hitch) mount lets you operate from inside
Power source in the cab (battery or power supply)
Stay dry and comfortable
Still counts as a valid POTA activation as the whole station is inside the park boundry.
Welcome to fall and winter in the south! We get most of our water in the winter, so I've planned accordingly. Don't let weather stop you from activating parks!
What is QRP and why do you use it for POTA?
QRP means low power operation, typically 5 watts or less. My Penntek TR-35 is a QRP radio, and honestly? I love using it for POTA! Here's why:
Why QRP is awesome:
Small, lightweight radios (easy to carry)
Lower power consumption (batteries last longer)
Challenge and satisfaction (you worked them with 5 watts!)
Proves propagation is good (if you can get through at QRP, conditions are solid)
Fun factor (there's something special about making DX contacts on 5 watts!)
Reality check: The signal report I got from AC4BT was 339 (readable but weak). But you know what? It's workable! I hunted him first just to see if I could get through, because lots of activators today use 100-watt radios so just listening to other stations no longer gives you an idea of how strong your signal will be. At one point I worked Germany with this little radio! It is ALWAYS awesome to work another continent with a QRP radio!!!
QRP isn't for everyone, but if you enjoy the challenge and the simplicity of small radios, it's incredibly rewarding!
What's the advantage of CW over voice or digital modes for POTA?
CW (Morse code) has some real advantages for POTA activations:
Narrow bandwidth:
Gets through noise better than voice
Can copy weak signals that would be unreadable on SSB
Works in poor conditions
Lower power required:
QRP CW is more effective than QRP voice
5 watts CW = 20+ watts SSB in terms of effectiveness
Better battery life
Faster exchanges:
CW POTA exchange can be quick and efficient
Less time per contact = more contacts per activation
Usually people can make clean contacts in poor operating conditions with CW where voice would fail or require many repeats.
Personal preference: I have been using FT8 so much lately that I got to missing my little CW only radios! There's something meditative about copying code and sending with a straight key. The rhythm, the simplicity, the direct connection to the other operator. It's just fun!
That said, use whatever mode you enjoy! POTA is about getting on the air and having fun, whether that's CW, SSB, FT8, or anything else.
How do you activate a POTA park without good cellular signal?
This is a real challenge! At this particular location (a geographical oddity), I'm close to the city but in a spot where there's terrible cellular coverage for some reason. Here's how to handle it:
Before you leave:
Download offline maps of the park
Have your POTA park number written down
Know the exchange you'll use
Pre-plan your frequency and mode and schedule them on the POTA website ahead of time
At the park:
Self-spot if you can get any signal at all (even slow!)
Ask another station to spot you (like WA2OTC did for me!)
Just start calling CQ and hunters will find you eventually
The WA2OTC story: I wanted to thank David WA2OTC for going to the trouble of spotting me on the website while I was at the park without good cellular signal. He even came back to me and let me know that he had gotten the spot on there before moving on with his hunt. Thank you David! It was really nice to not have to worry about getting on the website and getting myself spotted.
Getting screenshots with weak signal: I didn't have a total blackout, but just weak signal, so I simply loaded up the website and waited the 5 minutes or so for it to populate (seriously, I thought it would never load) so I could grab a screenshot for the blog. It would update EVER SO SLOWLY if I left it on the page.
The ham radio community is great about helping activators get spotted. If you can't self-spot, just ask on frequency!
What is the Penntek TR-35 and why do you like it?
The Penntek TR-35 is a tiny QRP CW-only transceiver for 20 meters. It puts out about 5 watts and is incredibly simple. I really love this little radio! Here's why:
What makes it special:
CW only (no distractions, just Morse code)
20 meter monoband (one band, done well)
QRP power (5 watts, battery-friendly)
Small and portable (travel kit friendly)
Simple to operate (no menus, just tune and send)
My travel kit: Now I have built an actual travel kit around it so if I wanted to take it somewhere on a plane, the kit will fit in my carry-on baggage. The travel kit doesn't include the S-meter module or power pack/speaker, but those are "luxuries" anyway. The kit does have everything needed to get the radio on the air and making contacts and that is all that it has!
Real-world performance: For almost the next hour after I started calling CQ, the bands were on fire! I worked Germany! The only time there was significant time between contacts was when I tried to reply to KM3STU and couldn't get him. After about 45 minutes of non-stop contacts, the band just fell silent for me.
This was a great POTA activation and one where I look back fondly at how much fun a tiny little radio can be!
What is the N6ARA key and how well does it work?
The N6ARA key is a tiny straight key designed for portable operations. I have the small version, and honestly? This tiny little N6ARA key works REALLY well. Way better than something this simple should work!
Why it works:
Simple PCB construction (printed circuit board material)
Adjustable contacts and “spring” tension
Compact size (fits in tiny kits)
Surprisingly good feel when dialed in
The adjustment process: It takes a while to get it dialed in (read that as adjusted to your sending feel and style), but once you do, it is amazing how well it works! Getting the key adjusted correctly and then some practice using it and this thing is amazing.
My regret: I should have gotten the larger variant, but I had this silly idea about minimalism and because of this, I got the little one. Take it from me, if you're not super concerned with every gram of weight, then get the bigger unit. It gives you so much more to hold onto that it isn't even an option for me now. I still have the small one, but I do plan at some point to get the larger case for it.
Longevity question: To be fair, I don't know what the life of the key would be as it is PC board material so the contact thickness isn't that much, but these keys do work really well. It actually works so well that it is worth using as a regular key. It is that good!
Why did you build an S-meter for the Penntek TR-35?
The Penntek TR-35 doesn't come with an S-meter, and I wanted one! I built a simple S-meter module that works really well and makes using the radio just a little more fun for me. I wrote about how I built it in this blog post.
Is it needed? No, not at all, but that isn't the point! This needle bouncing around while I copy code somehow is soothing for some reason and I can see how strong the signal is visually as well.
Why I like it:
Visual feedback (see signal strength)
Satisfying to watch (needle bouncing with code)
Helps tune in weak signals
Just makes operating more enjoyable
It's one of those "luxuries" that isn't necessary but adds to the fun factor. And isn't that what ham radio is all about?
Should you upload your POTA logs even if you don't care about awards?
Yes! I will be honest here, if the hunters didn't get credit for the contacts as well, I wouldn't bother uploading the logs at all. For me it's about the experience and not the awards. This is why I have never submitted anything for awards from any organization. I just like operating on the air.
Why upload logs:
Hunters get credit for their contacts
Without the hunter, this wouldn't be a huge hobby like it is today
Those log uploads are for you, not me
It's the right thing to do for the community
My logging process: I paper log in the field then enter it into a computer when I get home to submit it to the POTA site so the hunters get credit. You can see my paper log in the photos!
I want hunters to get the credit they deserve. Without them, POTA wouldn't be what it is today!
What should a beginner know before attempting their first POTA activation?
Just do it! If you have thought about activating a park, just do it. Here's what you need to know:
If you've hunted, you already know the exchange:
Your callsign
Signal report
Park number (write it at the top of your log page)
If working another activator, exchange park numbers
Start simple:
Pick a mode you're comfortable with (CW, SSB, FT8, whatever!)
Bring a paper log (you can log electronically later)
Start on 20 meters (most activity)
Call CQ and see what happens!
Don't overthink it: I underestimated the capability of the radio a little as you can see from the log, LOL. I first hunted AC4BT just to see if I could get through, then moved to a clear spot, called QRL a few times, then called CQ and that is when things took off!
The hardest part is just getting started. Once you make that first contact, you'll realize it's not scary at all. It's fun!
What power source do you use for in-vehicle POTA operations?
I figured out a power source for inside the truck cab specifically for rainy day operations. Options include:
Battery options:
Bioenno LiFePO4 batteries (lightweight, efficient)
Sealed lead acid (cheaper but heavier)
Cigarette lighter adapter (if your vehicle supports it)
QRP advantage: Since the Penntek TR-35 only uses 5 watts, battery consumption is minimal. You can operate for hours on a small battery!
Rain operations: Having power inside the vehicle means you can operate comfortably in any weather. The truck-tenna mount lets me set up the antenna outside while I stay dry inside. POTA in the rain can still be fun as long as you plan for it!
BONUS QUESTION: What's your favorite part about POTA activations?
The experience! For me it's about the experience and not the awards. There's something special about:
Taking radios to beautiful parks
Making contacts from random locations
The challenge of QRP and CW
Meeting other operators on the air
Just being outside with radio gear
Today was a great POTA activation for me and one where I look back fondly at how much fun a tiny little radio can be. The bands were on fire, I worked Germany on 5 watts, and I spent almost an hour making contacts in the rain from my truck!
That's what ham radio should be: fun, challenging, and rewarding. So get your radio out and talk to someone on it!