Category Archives: POTA

MOTA (December 18 11 AM to 1 PM) No Sunday event.

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NCRC had an in-person get together at Lehigh Grove in Portsmouth on Saturday December 18th from 11 AM until 1 PM.   Since the weather did not dampen our intrepid members from participating on Saturday, we will NOT use the rain date on Sunday.

A more complete report on the event is being prepared but we did make 30 contacts on 40m.

This was the club’s first MOTA (Mine on the Air).  It also qualifies as a US Island on the air, International Island on the Air, Lighthouse on the air, and Park on the Air – more events than you can shake a stick at!

Details can be found by clicking on this link.

Club POTA Event Saturday October 23rd: 11 AM at Colt State Park

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We have just put back a POTA Tab on our website, which we will populate with information that might be helpful to POTA  Activators and Hunters.

More importantly, Next Saturday (Oct 23) Jim KA1ZOU, John K1JSM, and Andy AB1BX, will be holding a NCRC club-wide POTA adventure at Colt State Park in Bristol RI. We’ll be on the air with two K3 radios on 20 & 40m. The event will start at 11 AM. Club calls W1SYE and NE1RI will be used on air..

This is primarily a show & tell for any NCRC club member who has an interest. Other members who are POTA veterans are welcome and needed to help explain POTA operations to others.  Since this is an outdoor location (and stunningly beautiful too), this is a COVID safe activity.

You will be able to see the simple hardware (radio, battery, antennas) that can be used as well as electronic logging via laptop (N3FJP’s ACL – Amateur Contact Log.  In some ways, it is easier to get on the air from a car/truck/van than from a home location.  20m and 40m bands are excellent for working dozens of POTA contacts.

Be sure the check our website BEFORE heading to Colt State Park.  We may be able to provide some more specific location details.  Also, in the event of cancellation due to bad weather, will we post a cancellation notice on the website.

Email invitations will be sent out shortly to club members and will have a cell phone # for John Mills so he can help you locate the spot.

Get On The Air Challenge

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Those of you who have been joining our monthly Zoom meetings know that we have a Get On The Air Challenge underway for at least the first quarter of 2021. The objective is to work as many SSB contacts as possible on the HF bands.  All you need to do to participate is to keep count of your HF SSB contacts and report them at the end of each month (just the count, no details on the QSO required).  If there is enough interest, we will extend the challenge throughout the year.  There will be prizes awarded in the form of certificates and bragging rights.  Email your results (or questions) to gota@w1sye.org

Also, so you can be kept advised of the goings on for the GOTA Challenge, please email gota@w1sye.org to let the folks know you are participating.

It goes without saying that Parks On The Air SSB contacts count as well, so you can operate as a Hunter or Activator and get credit for both POTA and GOTA.

Have a safe and happy 2021, and hope to hear you all on the air soon.

NCRC POTA Group

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The NCRC Parks On The Air (POTA) Group is growing, with many successful activations in the month of October.  Fairly simple radios and antennas are deployed in state or national parks recognized by the ParksOnTheAir program. An example of a recent activation is Coccumcussoc State Park in North Kingstown.  It was activated for the first time by Ryan KC1KUF.  Ryan, 14 and a freshman at North Kingstown High School, started working on his radio license 2 years ago, and completed his General this summer.  In that time he has become an accomplished Winter & Summer Field Day operator, so it is only natural that he would find new ways to get on the air in the field.

Ryan KC1KUF activating Coccumcussoc State Park. Gear: Icom IC-7000, 30 AH LiFePO4 battery, and 20-m HamStick antenna.

Sometimes a single operator is involved, and sometimes a few people join in to put multiple stations on the air.  It is a wonderful opportunity to get outside in the fresh air and have a chance to meet up with our fellow hams in a safe way.  If you would like to join in on the fun and be kept aware of new activations, please email POTA at w1sye.org

The November 9th club meeting (7 PM via Zoom) will have a short presentation on POTA, with plenty of time to ask questions about antennas, rigs, and batteries.

Very Successful POTA Activation at Ninigret Park

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NCRC members John K1JSM, Willy W1LY, Jim KA1ZOU, and Bob WB4SON met up around 09:30 local time at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, POTA Park K-0515.  Three separate stations were setup on 40m, 20m and 17m.  The 20m station used an end-fed half-wave, the 40m station used a random end-fed wire (actually about 35 feet), and the 17m station used a HamStick on the truck roof.  All three stations had successful activations (meaning a minimum of 10 contacts).

A fine time was had by all.  Jim KA1ZOU fed the crew a fantastic beef-barley-vegetable soup, which hit the spot given the cool weather.  Besides being outdoors, and on-the-air, the best part was being able to see friendly faces and chat in a safe setting.

We invite new members to join us on Friday mornings while the weather holds.  Email POTA at W1SYE.org for details.