Parks on the Air turns a day at the park into an opportunity to get on the air, make contacts and enjoy amateur radio somewhere new.
Parks on the Air — or POTA — is an amateur radio program built around making contacts from parks.
Take your station to an eligible park, set up, make contacts with other operators and log the people you worked.
VISIT PARKS ON THE AIR ↗Set up a portable station and make contacts from an eligible POTA park.
Find activators on the air and make contact with them from wherever you're operating.
You can enjoy POTA from either side of the contact.
GSARA POTA meetups are a chance to get outside, set up a station and operate alongside other hams.
Hello, World!
You don't need a complicated portable station or years of experience. Start simple, get on the air and learn something every time you go out.
Find an eligible POTA park and choose a place where you can comfortably operate.
Bring your radio, antenna and power. Your station can be as simple or elaborate as you want.
Find an open frequency, start calling and let other operators know you're activating a park.
Exchange the basic information you need and enjoy seeing who you can reach from the field.
When you're finished, upload your contacts to POTA and your activation is in the books.
Your first activation doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to get you on the air.
Come operate, bring your own station, or just stop by and see how a POTA activation works.
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You don't need to figure out your first POTA activation by yourself.
Bring your questions. Bring a radio if you have one. Or just come see how it works.
Sometimes the best way to learn POTA is simply to show up and do radio.
A little chilly weather and some less-than-cooperative band conditions weren't going to stop GSARA members from getting outside and playing radio!