What is POTA?
Parks on the Air (POTA) is an amateur radio program where operators set up portable stations in national, state, and local parks. Activators go to the park and make contacts. Hunters contact them from home or another location. It's one of the fastest-growing activities in ham radio — combining outdoor recreation with radio operating.
POTA is free to participate in. No membership required. You just need an amateur radio license and a registered account at pota.app to upload logs.
Activator vs. Hunter
Activator
- - Go to a qualifying park
- - Set up a portable station
- - Make at least 10 contacts
- - Log and upload to pota.app
- - Earn activation credits
Hunter
- - Operate from home or anywhere
- - Find active parks on the spotting page
- - Contact the activator
- - Log the contact
- - Collect park references
Equipment for Your First Activation
Budget Setup (Under $500)
- - Radio — Xiegu G90 (20W, built-in tuner) or used Yaesu FT-818 (6W QRP)
- - Antenna — End-fed half-wave (EFHW) wire for 20m/40m. Throw line over a tree branch.
- - Battery — Bioenno 6Ah LiFePO4 or similar. Lasts 2-4 hours at 10W.
- - Logging — HAMRS app (free, runs on phone/laptop) or paper log
- - Coax — 25 feet of RG-58 or RG-174 with connectors
Popular Portable Rigs
- - Elecraft KX2/KX3 — Gold standard QRP. 10-15W, excellent receiver, built-in tuner and logging.
- - Icom IC-705 — 10W, all-mode, all-band including VHF/UHF. Touchscreen. Built-in GPS.
- - Xiegu G90 — 20W, affordable, built-in tuner. Great bang for the buck.
- - Yaesu FT-891 — 100W mobile rig. Overkill for QRP but reliable if you already own one.
Best Bands and Modes for POTA
20 meters (14 MHz) — Best daytime band. Open to most of North America and beyond. SSB around 14.280-14.310, CW around 14.060.
Check our Propagation Dashboard for current 20m conditions.
40 meters (7 MHz) — Best for afternoon/evening. Regional during the day, extends at night. SSB around 7.280-7.290, CW around 7.030.
CW (Morse code) — Many activators prefer CW. Lower power works well, QRP-friendly. Even 5 watts can pull a pile-up.
SSB (voice) — Most popular for beginners. Call "CQ POTA" on a clear frequency.
FT8/FT4 — Digital modes work well with QRP. See our FT8 guide.
Your First Activation — Step by Step
- 1. Find a park — Search pota.app for parks near you. National forests, state parks, wildlife refuges, and many local parks qualify. Look for a park reference number (e.g., US-0058).
- 2. Check propagation — Use our Propagation Dashboard to see which bands are open. Plan your operating time around good conditions.
- 3. Pack your gear — Radio, battery, antenna, coax, throw line, logging device. Don't forget water and sunscreen.
- 4. Set up — Find a picnic table or bench near trees (for wire antennas). Get your antenna up as high as possible.
- 5. Spot yourself — Post your frequency on pota.app or the POTA spotting page. Hunters are watching — this dramatically increases your contact rate.
- 6. Call CQ — "CQ CQ CQ Parks on the Air, this is [your call] activating [park reference], [your call] Parks on the Air." Repeat.
- 7. Log contacts — Record callsign, band, mode, time (UTC). HAMRS makes this easy.
- 8. Upload your log — After the activation, upload your ADIF log to pota.app. They handle the QSL confirmations automatically.
Tips for Success
- - Spot yourself early — Post your frequency BEFORE you start calling. Hunters pile up fast once they see a new spot.
- - Weekends are busiest — More hunters are on the air Saturday and Sunday. Weekday activations can be quieter but still doable.
- - Try two bands — If 20m is slow, switch to 40m (or vice versa). Different hunters monitor different bands.
- - Park-to-park contacts are gold — If you hear another activator, work them. Both of you get credit for a P2P contact.
- - Don't give up at 8 contacts — If you're close to 10, keep calling. The last two always come.
- - Check POTA spots — Our Activity page shows live POTA spots so you can see who's currently active.
POTA Awards
POTA tracks your progress automatically. Activator awards start at 10 activations (Bronze) and go up to Platinum (1,000+). Hunter awards work the same way based on unique parks worked. All awards are digital and free. Your stats appear on your pota.app profile.