getontheairOn the air
The station (hardware, antennas, setups) gets you to the picnic table. This chapter is what you do with the microphone, key, and waterfall. Logging and software come after you can operate.
You are either hunting spotted stations or you are the spotted station. Those are different jobs. Mix them up and you stall a pileup or fail an activation.
| Job | You are… | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Hunt | Search and pounce. Listen, call once, log, move on. | Hunt |
| Activate | The DX. Boundary, reference, minimum QSOs, your ADIF is hunter credit. | Activate |
| Call CQ | Clear the frequency, spot, run. | CQ |
| Pileups | Partial calls, P2P windows, short exchanges, park field stays correct. | Pileups |
| CW | RBN, filters, XIT offset, activator and hunter rhythm. | CW |
| Satellites | FM birds vs linear, Doppler, parking-lot horizon, the ISS (voice repeater, APRS, SSTV, ARISS school contacts). POTA counts satellite QSOs (rules checked 2026-10-08). | Satellites |
| Digital voice | DMR, D-STAR, Fusion, M17, hotspots, EchoLink/AllStar. Repeater and hotspot QSOs do not count for POTA; direct simplex does. | Digital voice |
| APRS | 144.39 MHz positions, messages and spotting from parks without cell service: SSIDs, paths, aprs.fi, APSPOT. | APRS |
| Meteor scatter | MSK144 on 6 m and 2 m: settings, calling frequencies, shower timing, from a park. | Meteor scatter |
| Moonbounce (EME) | Q65 and JT65 off the Moon: bands, station reality check, contest weekends. | Moonbounce (EME) |
| Microwave | 13 cm to above 275 GHz: 10 GHz narrowband, rovers, beacons, sharing rules, safety. | Microwave |
| ATV and DATV | Amateur television on 70 cm and up: channels, repeaters, ISS HamTV, rules. | ATV and DATV |
| DXing | DX clusters, split operation, DX Code of Conduct, DXpedition calendars, getting the QSL. | DXing |
| Special events | Finding special event stations, 1x1 call signs (coordinators, 15 days or less), certificates, running one as a club. | Special events |
| 60 m | Contiguous vs channels, 9.15 W ERP trap, mode fit ≤ 2.8 kHz. | 60 m in the field |
| Contesting | Contest weekends, Cabrillo basics, state QSO parties, OSPOTA, major contests (not a logger). | Contesting |
| Field Day | Fourth full weekend of June: classes A–F, GOTA station, 1D/1E from home, exchange, submission (Cabrillo accepted, not required). | Field Day |
| Support Your Parks | Oct 17–18, 2026 group weekend: club call vs OPERATOR, club-account upload, mic-passing, JOTA + NY/IL QSO parties, Polo OPERATOR export fix. | Support Your Parks ops card |
| Emergency communications | ARES vs RACES vs AUXCOMM, what Part 97 allows in an emergency, FEMA/ARRL training, ICS-213 / radiogram / Winlink, go-kit. | Emcomm |
| NTS radiograms | Writing, counting and relaying a radiogram: preamble, HX codes, check, worked example, finding a traffic net. | NTS radiograms |
| SKYWARN | NWS storm spotting — free ~2-hour training, no license needed; what and how to report; ham nets. | SKYWARN |
| Public-service events | Races, rides, parades: roles, net discipline, privacy, volunteer-only rules. | Public service |
| Dead cell / QRT | Cell dies mid-activation: offline prep, SOTAMAT/APSPOT recipes, QRT the spot. | Dead cell / rover QRT |
| Field pack | Hard lessons / grab-and-go: paper park #, offline maps, first-aid, knife, UTC, bailout, QRT. | Field pack |
| Leave-park closeout | Doctor → Recap → POTA upload; Full vs POTA pack; 2-fer explode. | Leave-the-park closeout |
| Operating away | Abroad (Canada, CEPT, IARP, reciprocal permits), ships and aircraft (§97.5, §97.11), remote control (§97.109) and POTA's in-park rule. | Operating away |
| Remote stations | Rented stations (RemoteHamRadio) and remoting your own rig (wfview, RigPi); §97.109; why remote isn't a POTA activation. | Remote stations |
Digital modes live next door: WSJT-X (FT8 from a park), FLdigi, SSTV, Keyboard modes (JS8Call, VarAC, Winlink). Same on-air manners. Same “no terrestrial repeaters” for award credit. Confirm on docs.pota.app / sota.org.uk / wwff.co.
Start here
- First time with a new callsign or first net: Get on the air.
- First time in a park as the spotted station: Activate then CQ.
- First time working parks from home: Hunt.
- CW-first outing: CW — still pack FT8 for a dead band. New to Morse: CW learning path.
- Chasing rare DX or a DXpedition: DXing. Special event stations and 1x1 calls: Special events.
- APRS radio and no cell service at the park: APRS.
- Traveling abroad, sailing, or running a remote station: Operating away. Software and rented stations: Remote stations.
- Beyond FM on VHF and up: Meteor scatter, Moonbounce (EME), Microwave, ATV and DATV.
- Ten minutes of sky before HF: Satellites.
- DMR radio or hotspot, and wondering what counts: Digital voice.
- Sixty meters at a park: 60 m in the field — contiguous vs channels before you key.
- Contest weekend prep (QSO parties, OSPOTA, major contests): Contesting. June club weekend: Field Day.
- Club or group outing on Support Your Parks weekend (Oct 17–18, 2026): Support Your Parks ops card — club call in
STATION_CALLSIGN, each person inOPERATOR, upload from the club account. - Serve your community: Emcomm (ARES, RACES, training), NTS radiograms (traffic nets), SKYWARN (storm spotting, open to anyone), Public-service events (the best practice for both).
- Cell dies mid-park: Dead cell / rover QRT — offline prep, unofficial spot recipes, QRT the cluster.
- Driveway prop check: Field pack — hard lessons — paper park #, offline maps, first-aid, knife, UTC, bailout, QRT.
- After the pile: Leave-the-park closeout — Doctor → Recap from Full → POTA pack upload.
On-air manners that also apply on a repeater live on Ethics: listen first, leave a gap, ID. New callsign: Get on the air. Program minimums and 2-fers: Programs.
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