Activating — running the site

Activators carry the log that hunters depend on. You choose the frequency, set the pace, and submit the ADIF that becomes hunter credit on pota.app. Hunters can help with spots and short exchanges; they cannot fix your MY_SIG_INFO.

Official baseline: POTA activator rules · Digital modes

Before you transmit

1. Boundary: you and all equipment inside the park / AZ / reserve. Photograph ambiguous boundaries.
2. Reference: correct designator (US-xxxx, W3/SV-001, KFF-xxxx) in Polo activity or AC Log before CQ.
3. Grid: 6-character Maidenhead for this pin — planning · ADIF.
4. Spot ready: pota.app account, phone data or plan for RBN/CW auto-spot.

SOTA adds: no vehicle-powered station in the AZ. WWFF adds: confirm national QSO totals and portable-power rules.

Trails and linear refs: confirm the current activation zone on docs.pota.app before you claim the trail as its own entity.

Before you transmit — comfort and clocks

Have a snack and visit the restroom. UTC midnight and a 40-minute pile do not wait. Set every clock (watch, phone, Polo, laptop) to the same UTC source before the first QSO. P2P matching dies on a five-minute drift.

Paper log and two pens on the table even if Polo is open. Photograph each filled page before you pack. Copy the ADIF to USB or cloud when you still have power — phones die in the lot.

Opening sequence

Follow Calling CQ literally:

• QRL twice
• Self-spot with exact frequency and mode
• Short CQ including program name and reference
• Logger fields verified between every few QSOs

On CW, RBN often spots you without cell — still self-spot when data returns so hunters see mode and reference.

No cell at all: ask the first hunter to spot you on pota.app, and ask again when the spot goes stale. Stay on or next to the frequency you advertised.

10 QSOs in the UTC day is the POTA validity floor. Repeaters do not count. Simplex VHF/UHF does. Hunters do not upload — your ADIF is their credit.

Working toward the minimum

Dupes: same hunter, same band, same mode, same UTC day — one QSO toward the minimum. Different modes on the same band count separately on POTA — use that for slow days (SSB then CW then FT8), not to pad with confusion.

Mode rotation without losing the pile

When rate drops:

1. Announce QSY in the spot and on air.
2. Move band or mode, not both silently.
3. Fresh spot within two minutes of first CQ on the new frequency.

FT8 activators: refresh spot every ~30 minutes; park reference in WSJT-X comment field. See WSJT-X.

P2P / S2S priority

Field-to-field contacts are harder than hunter QSOs. Periodically:

Listening for park-to-park or summit-to-summit — call now.

Give a real window (30–60 seconds). Log their reference on that QSO. Resume the general pile. QRPer POTA/SOTA etiquette — hunters should step aside when P2P is called.

P2P exchange is callsign plus both park references. 1×1 and club calls: log what went over the air as STATION_CALLSIGN; put the operator in OPERATOR if both should get credit. Ask the 1×1 for the operator’s home call if they offer it.

Double-dip other OTA programs only when each rule set is true at the same time. SOTA is portable-only (no vehicle station). Some QSO parties forbid self-spotting — do not assume POTA spotting is legal in that contest.

Pileup discipline (activator side)

You are traffic control. Full detail: Pileup management.

• Partial calls beat repeating “QRZ?” endlessly.
• Keep ragchews for after minimums or move to a calling frequency.
• Glance at MY_SIG_INFO between callers — a wrong park ID zeros the upload.

Digital and CW specifics

• CW: consider starting on CW for RBN visibility; narrow filter; see CW operating.
• FT8: split TX, Hold Tx Freq, no tuning on top of hunters.
• PSK/RTTY: FLdigi suite.

Public contact and rangers

You represent the hobby. Answer questions briefly. If a ranger asks you to move or stop, comply first — follow up later offline if you need to clarify rules. Leave no trace (ethics).

A line that works: you are enjoying the park your way with a little radio, the same way other visitors hike, fish, or photograph. If they want more, explain that amateur radio is a licensed hobby with a long tradition of emergency preparedness — a communications backup for agencies and for families when cell towers fail. Curious spectators often appreciate hearing that the contacts you just made are community service in practice; mention how many QSOs, states, or countries you worked that day if it helps the story land. Keep it short, friendly, and non-defensive.

Closeout

1. Last call — say it a few times before QSY or QRT. Stations waiting on a fading band will take it.
2. Note end time UTC. Photograph paper pages.
3. Export POTA file / Full ADIF from Polo or AC Log export — Polo exports.
4. Run ADIF Doctor if unsure (2-fers, missing parks, merge WSJT). Recap from Full ADIF, not the POTA pack.
5. Upload yourself at pota.app My Log Uploads. Do not email the area coordinator as the normal path. Replacements go through the site’s Request Help / helpdesk.
6. Optional: Recap card for your own record — not a substitute for upload.

QRZ: if you do not do paper QSL, say so on the profile. LoTW: a TQSL Station Location per this grid (and state/county when you chase WAS). Club sitting: N3FJP STATION_CALLSIGN vs OPERATOR.

Habits / gotchas / checklist (activator)

• Inside the unit / AZ. Photo the sign if the map was fuzzy. Trail AZ confirmed on docs.pota.app.
• Reference in the logger before CQ (US-####, not K-xxxx). GPS grid matches the field sheet.
• Every clock UTC. Paper log on the table.
• QRL twice. Spot exact frequency and mode on pota.app. Stay on that frequency.
• Ten QSOs this UTC day (POTA). Repeaters do not count. Simplex VHF does. Hunters do not upload.
• P2P window with a real pause. Their park in SIG_INFO on that row. Clocks within ~15 minutes of the other activator.
• Glance at MY_SIG_INFO between callers. Wrong park zeros the file.
• Last call, then QSY/QRT and update the spot.
• Export → Doctor (merge WSJT, explode 2-fers) → POTA pack to My Log Uploads. Recap from Full.

Related

• Calling CQ · Pileups · Hunt (perspective flip)
• Programs · Planning