[K3CAL] CARA POTA Activation This Sunday

Wed Jul 16 09:19:37 EDT 2025

Andy, Thank You for all of your efforts with CARA POTA activations this year. Your efforts are already paying off, some CARA members have activated parks on their own.

Expanding on Andy's comment... "This sets POTA apart from field day." 

I'll add... Right! POTA is not like field day or any other event that CARA takes part in. Operators are not dragging around hundreds of pounds of gear, spending hours setting up radios, power supplies or big antenna systems, operating for hours.

In fact, POTA is quite the opposite! Many POTA operators carry every thing they need in a small school back pack. Simple wire antennas take only minutes to set up for use with battery powered radios. This light weight gear nakes it very easy to pull into a park with a cup of coffee, set up, call CQ and make a dozen contacts before the coffee cup is empty. Often POTA operators like Andy often stop in to a park on their way home from work or while out running an errand. It's really that simple. 

Don't be afraid to pick up the mic and put a call out. Here are some tips....

1) Call CQ with your call sign...

Say "CQ POTA, CQ Parks on the Air, KB3WFV" (use your call sign)

2) Answer the stations calling......

Pick one of the stations that will call. If you hear the whole contact, great answer them. Don't worry if you don't, You can call for the station with the letter Z or A ir what ever letter you heard. They will come back with their whole call.

3) Pass along the appropriate exchange information, such as the park number as required. 

4) Log the contact.

Either in your favorite device using an app or on a plain sheet of paper with a pencil or pen, remember those? Write down the call sign of the station you contacted and any other information required to be a valid contact.

IT'S THAT SIMPLE! and IT'S FUN!

Hints...... If you speak softly or really fast, then the stations answering you will do the same, if you speak slowly then the answering stations will mimic you. Speak ckearly, at a pace that you can comprehend when spoken to you. This will nake it easier to understandd the call signs in the pile ups.

Tune around the bands and find a POTA station on the air. Listen along for a while, hear how that station calls CQ, listen to how they answer calling stations, how they speak the exchange and then how they move on to the next contact. After a bit of listening you will notice the pattern and suddenly realize... Hey! That's easy!

So, stop by to see Andy. But don't just watch him have all the fun. Grab the mic and GET ON THE AIR!

Brian
KB3WFV

     On Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 02:49:09 AM EDT, Andy Byzet <wa4brx at gmail.com> wrote:  

 Bill, 
Thanks for the questions.
I have the club call set up with POTA and it certainly can be used. POTA rules state that you either use the club call or use the individuals call. We are free to use either. The calls can be logged independently in separate logs for separate contacts. You can’t “double dip”.
The spirit of the CARA POTA team this year is to get individuals out to the parks. This is an opportunity to try out your portable gear, ask questions, get familiar with POTA rules, and activation planning and execution. I encourage those who attend to use either call, but with the preference they use their personal call. This is an opportunity for club members to get their first POTA activation under their belt, so to speak. While POTA can be done in small groups, it is also an individual activity which can be done anytime from any listed park or entity. This sets POTA apart from field day. Seize the opportunity and get that first activation! Many more will hopefully follow.
I cannot stress this enough, we need members to get on the air. Thus far we have had no members hop on the stations or bring gear to test out.  These activations are for YOU the members to make the activation. Come have some fun in the park!
73,
Andy WA4BRX

On Tue, Jul 15, 2025 at 10:23 PM W3SI <W3SI at brighthouse.com> wrote:

Curious Andy,
Why do you not use K3CAL call sign when activating a park on behalf of the club?  You should be able to add your call to the log providing you tell each caller that "YOU" are the operator for a club station.  
I am not sure of the exact rules but if I'm going to activate a PARK for a CLUB activity, It is only correct to use the CLUB's callsign.
My opinion and I may be the only one who thinks so.
Bill _W3SI

Bill -W3SI
-----------------------------------------
From: "Andy Byzet" 
To: "Calvert Amateur Radio Association - K3CAL", "KB3WFV"
Cc: 
Sent: Monday July 14 2025 7:22:07PM
Subject: [K3CAL] CARA POTA Activation This Sunday

Good Evening,
There have been requests to have a POTA activationin the northern end of the county. We are bringing the POTA fun toKings Landing Park this Sunday at 10:00AM. The plan is to use thepicnic tables by the pool parking lot. This will be an activationof the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail,US-4581. 
“War vessels passed by here in 1814. The Chesapeake Flotilla,consisting of 50- and 75-foot gun barges, sought safety in shallowwaters upstream. British ships hotly pursued, and Americanseventually scuttled the flotilla to keep it from enemy hands. TheBritish conducted raids June 15-17 upriver at Lower Marlboro andMagruders Landing, and downriver at Hollands Cliffs. For moreinformation on the trail can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/stsp/index.htm “
 I have attached a picture of the location anda few maps. Talk in will be on 146.580 when you get close to thepark. 
While I plan to bring my usual POTA gear, this isan opportunity to test out your gear and get on the air! I haveband pass filters, so we can set up multiple stationssimultaneously.
Hope to see you there!
73 and POTA on,
Andy WA4BRX______________________________________________________________
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