POTA Presentation Updates from January 2024 BARA Meeting
by Steve KA2YRA
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
BARA Family:
Thanks again for the opportunity to present on POTA and Portable Ops
at the January meeting. There was great knowledge, enthusiasm, and
interaction from the group. I would like to share some updates and follow ups.
I look forward to joining the group on more outdoor activities, especially when
it gets a bit warmer out ;-)
Links to BARA You Tube page and the presentation (contains links to other references)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8_HDjX0J_Q
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JdYWvRAVnMpR7kvDXB69NnnY03B1nrxc/view
Local POTA hero with an awesome YouTube channel
Thanks to Tom Jenkins W2TJ for "introducing" me to Evan Thorson K2EJT from Endicott. Evan is an active and proficient POTA/QRP/CW activator and his YouTube channel looks awesome. I just started browsing through it, and definitely want to share it with the group. Link is https://www.youtube.com/@EvanK2EJT/featured.
Follow up on question of getting credit for multiple contacts from same park and same operator
This question came up during my presentation at the January BARA meeting and I checked the official guide at https://docs.pota.app/docs/hunter_guide-english.html (excerpt follows) and confirmed that you can get credit for "almost" repeat QSO's if one or more of the following parameters changes: the band, mode, park reference, or the park state/province/prefecture (some parks span multiple states). If all the settings are the same then it will be considered a duplicate and rejected.
Repeat QSOs and Duplicate Rejection
If you find an activator activating the same park again, don’t hesitate to work again. Repeat QSOs still earn you and the activator points towards awards. Activator also needs a minimum of 10 QSOs.
However, if you already work an activator today-UTC, repeat QSOs only when at least one of the following is different from any of the QSOs from today-UTC: the band, mode, park reference, or the park state/province/prefecture (some parks span multiple states). Multiple QSOs with identical arrangements will be rejected as duplicates when the activators submit their logs.
Near the end of a UTC day, hunt all available activators now and wait until 0000Z. Then work all the activators again for additional credits and the extra late shift credits. (There will be a whole new set of activators tomorrow!) There usually are little pileups right after 0000Z for this reason.
Potential updates to POTA list ... new, old, corrections, etc.
Thanks again to Steve Klock KE2AUS for his suggestion about the Berry Hill Fire Tower in Chenango County as a potential site, and my apologies for not responding to him sooner. Turns out that the POTA Facebook page also just covered the subject and it appears that even though the tower is on public land it is managed by a non-government organization and thus is not eligible as a POTA site. My counterpart Karl Heinz Kremer K5KHK ([email protected]) is the state mapping rep for New York. I cover New Jersey and am glad to assist with any questions.
I have included a link to the POTA Facebook page (great resource) as well as the info and photos that Steve sent along. Looks like a great place to operate from, and it is very close to several POTA sites. Remember that if a location is later added to POTA you can submit your prior logs and get credit.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=berry%20hill%20fire%20tower
Best wishes and 73.
: Steve KA2YRA