I try to give my state along with the signal report. If you have the pota.app site up you can enter the park identifier and it will show you were it is locate.
Each operator will do it a little different. I include the park number and name in the CQ. If I start getting a pile up I will do calls and signals and add the park every third or forth contact. My reasoning behind that is most are probably in the pile up trying to contact me and they already have the park number. I have had some contacts ask for the park in the exchange which is fine and dandy to me as well. I have pretty laid back activations. 73
"The absolute worst step you took was to "number" every park. Consequently, I have absolutely no idea where a specific park identified only by the number is located. This is garbage!! At least require that the park location be given WITH the number " I agree, a grid or State can help with aiming the beam to get a better signal from a weak CQ.
I hunt POTA activators a bit and I found using the Parks on the Air website/spotting page https://pota.app/#/ ) easy to use. It's just a web site, nothing to download and you don't have to sign up to use it but I did sign up to help keep track of my contacts. Once you have a park number you just type it in the search box top center and it gives you information about the park, where it is, and a map. You can click on the map as well to zoom in and out and it'll also show other nearby parks when you zoom in. If you want to hunt regularly it's a useful site.
I'm already out on this challenge....from day one lol. Was away with family on New Year's day so I never had a chance, but at least I've made a contact everyday since. Thanks for posting the POTA update Shane.
Well done to all the park activators and hunters too! Hoping to do some activation this year. Been mostly hunting... 73 Al N9UO
Conditions were very up-and-down at the weekend for Support Your Parks but the sheer volume of people who are hunting now filled the log up. It will be really interesting to see what the numbers of QSOs are when the report on it all comes through. I worked several hunters on 2 bands out of 20/17/15 and a couple on all 3 yesterday. The sun was shining and I was at a new park with a beer and a pork pie, what more could a man ask for from life?
I like POTA because I can get many contacts in an hour (like 40 to 50). If I call CQ from home, I don't get nearly the same response. The noise floor is much lower in the park as well, which makes up for missing the power amplifier.
Thanks so much for the extremely kind words Mindy. The staff of 100+ thanks you for trying our free program out. 73 W3AAX
