Free to print, share in a club newsletter or post in a group. Please keep it as is, with the CQDeck name on it.
Read it as text
POTA = Parks on the Air. POTA is a ham radio activity where one operator activates a park and other hams try to contact them.
- Go to a park. An activator goes to an eligible park and sets up a portable radio station.
- Get on the air. The activator calls “CQ POTA” and may post a spot online so hunters can find them.
- Hunters make contact. Hunters listen from home, from the car or almost anywhere, and make a quick contact with the activator.
- Log the contact. The activator logs every contact and uploads the log. Hunters get credit for the park automatically.
In the pictures
- The activator says: “CQ POTA.”
- A POTA spot: KJ5LQM, US-0059 · Rocky Mountain NP, 28.405 MHz · SSB.
- A hunter at home: “KJ5LQM, this is W1DEMO. You’re 5-9!”
- A hunter in a car: “KJ5LQM, this is N0CALL. 5-9!”
- The log: date 2026-09-14, time (UTC) 18:27, call sign W1DEMO, band 10 m, mode SSB, park US-0059, report 59.
Key terms
- Activator: the operator in the park.
- Hunter: the operator contacting the park.
- QSO: a radio contact.
- Spot: an online notice that helps hunters find the activator.
Good to know
- You need an amateur radio license to transmit.
- 10 contacts in one UTC day make a valid activation.
- Technicians can work parks on 10 m voice, on 6 m and 2 m, and with FT8.
- Hunters can join from almost anywhere.
In short: One ham operates from a park, other hams contact them, and everyone logs the QSO.
W1DEMO and N0CALL are made-up call signs.
Checked October 2026 against the POTA rules and FCC Part 97.
