[Jim Clark]

Parks on the Air has a pretty cool program for those wanting to get started with HF radio.  I would love to share this with any members interested.  I have never done a park activation, but have been  a park “hunter” for several months now.

Some of us started out shy when it came time to speak on the air.  We just don’t know what to say. There is the fear of saying something not allowed.  Perhaps the greatest fear is of saying the wrong thing and being embarrassed.   I have been guilty of both and have found that as long as you aren’t making a pest of yourself, others take it in stride with some occasional ribbing.

 

[Wyndell Ferguson]

I love POTA!

As a hunter I like that I know where to go to find people to contact either FT8 or SSB.  Sure saves time trying to find someone to contact, and removes the fear of getting on the air.

As an activator Im still having issues.  Ive made 2 attempts but didnt get the required 10 contacts to count.  Mostly technical problems with radio, laptop etc.,  Ill get those worked out.  My last attempt was a state park in IL when I was up there getting my new gear (see thread under Equipment).

 

73 (Best Regards) Wyndell K5WJF

[Jim Clark]

I am tracking what works and doesn’t work in my HF tinkering.  For instance if you are wanting to keep logs and get confirmation of contacts, you need to be on an online logging service like ARRL’s Logbook of the World or QRZ.COM’s free online logbook.  If you want confirmations, it helps to be on one where lots of people are confirming contacts.  Parks on the Air gives me by far the best confirmation percentage as  the numbers below show:

Svc             POTA     QRZ       LOTW
#QSOs      108         83            122
noQSL      9              186          147
%QSL       92.31%   30.86%   45:35%

Of the above options, the ARRL LOTW has the most cumbersome and needlessly complex interface for the user.

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