Every day hundreds (thousands?) of US and international Amateur Radio stations bring their gear to parks all over the globe.  They set up portable stations in the parks, and try to make as many contacts as possible.  The operators in the parks are called “Activators”, and other people contacting them are called “Hunters”.  Activators and Hunters make up what is called the Parks On The Air (POTA) program.

On Sunday June 8, from 10am until 2pm, Newport County Radio Club will be holding a demonstration of a High Frequency (HF) POTA activation at Fort Adams State Park (park number US-2874).  Our activities will be located in the parking area behind and to the right of the Eisenhower House (Northwest).  Upon entering the park, turn left at Lincoln Drive, and follow it past the Eisenhower House.  Enter the parking area that faces the East Passage of the bay – see the area circled on the map below.

By attending this event, you can see several stations engaged in a POTA Activation, and understand the equipment and antennas used – a great way to understand what you will require for your own portable operations.  At least one voice and one digital station will be on the air.  You do not need to sign up for anything, but you can make contacts for yourself, if you like.  (By the way, this is an excellent way to get some on-air experience for Field Day.)

An activation can be as simple or complex as you desire – talk to a few or hundreds of stations.  Run 1 watt QRP, 100 watts, or more.  And of course all modes are possible. There are handy on-line tools available to help you find where the parks are and who is on the air, plus a very expansive awards program to help encourage your POTA activities.

POTA is a wonderful way to combine your love of Amateur Radio with fresh air outdoors and beautiful sea views for us lucky Rhode Islanders.  We hope to see you there on Sunday June 8th from 10am until 2pm.