POTA in the UK

MI0PYN

MI0PYN

Super Member
There are many videos on Youtube, mostly US based, that reference POTA or Parks on the Air.
While I enjoy SOTA, it's not always easy to find the time to climb up one of the local or not-so-local peaks for an activation as I have a young family.
The idea of POTA really appeals to me as it would make things a little easier, it's easy to take out half an hour or an hour on a day at the park with the kids.

Looking at the POTA website, it appears that there are are parks registered in England, Wales and Scotland, but not in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland (just my luck).

It would appear that POTA has a lower barrier to entry than SOTA does, but there appears from my admittedly less than in-depth research to have been a much slower uptake in Europe.

So, I'm asking the question of the European members, "Have you ever done a POTA Activation, and if so, where?"
For the US members: "Do you do POTA activations, and if so, what do you like/dislike about them?"
 
MI0PYN said:
It would appear that POTA has a lower barrier to entry than SOTA does...
Click to expand...

Sorry Stefan, you'll have to elaborate on that comment for me. What do you mean by a 'lower barrier'? :-*

73, Mark...
 
I just meant that it would generally be easier to set up in a park at a park picnic table for example, than on a summit. There are some summits that are large and flat and easy to get to, but the majority are not really.
If on a day out with the family, it's easier to sell a day in the park, with Daddy taking an hour to play radio than sell a hard slog to the top of a mountain where Daddy has to then set up and operate on a before schlepping all the gear back down.

Don't get me wrong, I really like SOTA, but for the mobility or time impaired I think POTA is easier to activate. Chasing is the same for both of course, or possibly more difficult for POTA as the advantage of height is lost.
 
Interesting, maybe next year with the good weather and if/when the pandemic is over. I'm a bit reluctant doing outdoor activities within the Birmingham (UK) area, having been assaulted in open spaces a few times in the last 12 months. Maybe in a group of trusted fellow hams...
 
ottavio said:
Interesting, maybe next year with the good weather and if/when the pandemic is over. I'm a bit reluctant doing outdoor activities within the Birmingham (UK) area, having been assaulted in open spaces a few times in the last 12 months. Maybe in a group of trusted fellow hams...
Click to expand...

I share your concern over operating portable around urban areas. I too live in and around the Birmingham area, and although I've never been assaulted, I have certainly been approached by a number of 'menacing' inquirers.

On one occasion I even had one 'interested party' decide to try the doors on the car I was parked in, and when challenged about his actions he said he "was just trying to get a better look at the radio"! :o

Even when operating in groups though you still get folks nosing around, not out of any genuine interest in the hobby, but just waiting for the opportunity to 'liberate' some expensive looking item of equipment.

When working on stalls at a rally we found it was necessary to band the rigs round with plastic wrap in order to prevent the 'Tommy Light-fingers' in the crowds from stealing the knobs off of the radios on display!

There are a number of quite large local parks around this area, but I can say without hesitation that I would not feel comfortable operating portable from any of them, and i would also be hesitant about operating at those locations even from within the relative safety of a vehicle.

73, Mark...
 
That may be the difference, the parks I was thinking of here are forest parks which are normally relatively busy with walkers, cyclists and families out enjoying themselves.

That being said, it'll be reasonably easy to find a quiet area to play radio, especially if you're camping in a campsite associated with some of these parks.

Even where we're not camping, I've never yet felt unsafe in any of the parks we frequent as a family, and wouldn't be concerned setting up a portable station in any of them. There are parks similar to those you've described of course, but thankfully, none of our regular destinations fall into that category.
 
Ahah! I'm also a big fan of Tom's videos. One of the few channels on youtube I check out now and then.
 
MI0PYN said:
For the US members: "Do you do POTA activations, and if so, what do you like/dislike about them?"
Click to expand...

I started doing POTA activations in Colorado a year ago, from the vehicle when it was still winter.  I got a Begali Traveler paddle so I can strap it to my leg in the car.
My wife Merri AB0MV loves to contest on SSB and I've got our portable antenna so it is better than the home antenna !  She really has fun working all the stations that want to work you while activating a park.  Pileups on you from park hunters (many in Europe) on either mode are the rule !! 

If I go alone I use CW, when we operate together I force myself to use SSB with her, we pass the mic back and forth so everyone works both of us :-)  Sometimes she brings a book to read while I switch to CW for a while.
We use a 32 ft fiberglass mast supporting either a 32 ft EFHW vertical (20m single-band) or a full size 20/40m dipole, so the tall mast does attract attention.
I also got a portable "changing shelter" so we have our own porta-potty, never have to seek out public facilities!

BUT, this summer and Fall it has been a challenge, people do want to come up to the car and ask what we are doing.  So far always friendly, some have been hams, but I never, NEVER roll down the car window to talk to them !  There are too many people not using face masks here to be safe.  We have another deterrent, one of the 2 dogs that sleeps in the back seat on our outings (the smaller one) is very UNfriendly to strangers approaching the car, so her constant barking at visitors makes it clear we can't talk.

Some people really enjoy the hiking aspect of activating parks and use QRP and smaller batteries, others stay with their vehicles.  We use a TenTec Eagle radio at 100w from inside the car on our activations, with a 40 AH LiFePO4 battery.  The Yaesu FT-891 is really popular with WWFF/POTA activators because of the small size and 100w output.

Activating parks for WWFF and POTA has been a blast, Merri and I made thousands of QSOs from parks last year.  Waiting for some clear, non-windy days to go out this new year, hopefully this weekend :-)

https://wwff.co/
https://parksontheair.com/

Glenn AE0Q
 

Attachments

  • DSC_0129_antenna.jpg
    DSC_0129_antenna.jpg
    199 KB · Views: 108
  • DSC_0970_kff-0227.jpg
    DSC_0970_kff-0227.jpg
    227.4 KB · Views: 96
  • DSC_5558_mast.jpg
    DSC_5558_mast.jpg
    260.6 KB · Views: 94
  • DSC_0900_car_antenna_NWR.jpg
    DSC_0900_car_antenna_NWR.jpg
    513.1 KB · Views: 92
There does not seem to be too much info on the scheme for the UK at the moment (that I could find anyhow). Most references say to check out https://parksontheair.com/

Following the links on there you come to a section for park designations outside of the U.S.

https://stats.parksontheair.com/reports/park-info-select.php?entity=

So I would guess you find the park you plan to activate/operate from, and then keep an eye on the activity dates shown on the home page for the parks on the air website.

73, Mark...

 
Ham4CW said:
So I would guess you find the park you plan to activate/operate from, and then keep an eye on the activity dates shown on the home page for the parks on the air website.  73, Mark...
Click to expand...

All you need to do is find a park near you that is on the POTA list (with an assigned number). 

https://pota.us/#/map

You can then schedule your activation in advance so it shows up on the POTA web site, AND if you operate CW and the RBN spots you, it automatically becomes a spot on the POTA real-time spotting page !!  It's a great way to get spotted while you are calling CQ at a park, no need to mess with a cell fone and spotting yourself (I don't have a smartfone so can't do that anyway).

https://stats.parksontheair.com/spotting/scheduling.php

At the bottom of the scheduling page is where you post yours before you go, so you get spotted automatically.

Glenn AE0Q
 
Somewhat eye-opening (and disconcerting at the same time) to read of potential miscreants arriving at POTA sites... makes me ever so happy that I live in an Argyll forest with 10's of square miles of 'safe' places if I wanted to operate that way.

But since my own gaff is right in the middle of one I can do a POTA from my garden!  OK, not strictly POTA but I could open the garden to visitors!

 
I do activations.  I?m still new.  I have 10 activations.  I chase whenever I can also.  Activations are 100% CW.  Once in a blue moon I will get on SSB to chase a station.  I enjoy the contacts.  And when I get spotted on WWFF it really gets fun.  Got a New Zealand station the other day from a park on CW.  That?s over 8000 miles.  Understand that I was SSB for years and really only went 99% CW last year.  So I?m trying to do everything all over again in CW.  I enjoy the practice and skills I get copying call signs etc.  trying to build my speed.  I really love QRP so that?s fun too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top