Ham Radio Portable Operating Insights: Transitioning from a POTA Activator to Hunter

For the last several years, my emphasis in amateur radio has been on activating parks for the National Parks on the Air (NPOTA), Parks on the Air® (POTA), and World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF) programs. While I maintain a station at home, it seems to be used surprisingly rarely.

That all changed this summer, thanks to a couple of surgeries—one planned, the other not so much. Suddenly, my portable operating adventures were put on hold, and I found myself spending a lot more time at home.

So, I decided it was time to flip the script and talk about transitioning from activating to hunting.

This won’t be an all-inclusive “how-to-do-it” type of article. Instead, I’ll be sharing thoughts on hunting from my perspective, along with some tips on setting up a home shack, finding the time to operate, and a few of the tools and utilities I’ve found useful along the way.

Of course, hunting from your perspective may be quite different. That’s one of the things I enjoy about amateur radio—there’s rarely only one way to do something. But perhaps you’ll pick up a tip or two that will help you.

The Home Shack

This section assumes that you may not already have a home station, so if you do, feel free to skip ahead.

The home shack is wherever you can set it up. One of my friends uses his kitchen table. It works very well for him, but I consider myself extremely blessed to have a dedicated room that serves as both my office and my ham shack.

Over the past 40-plus years, I’ve set up stations in basements and on above-ground floors of the house. I must say, though, that I much prefer having a window to the world. There’s just something about being able to see outside while I’m working or on the air.

At its most basic, all you really need for a ham shack is a place for the radio, a source of electricity, and a way to get your antenna wires outside. That last one can be a challenge, especially for apartment dwellers. Just ask another friend of mine about that!

Electricity is usually the easy part. You no longer need to have a dedicated electrical line run to your shack just to get on the air. Today’s radios are remarkably efficient, and a typical station can operate quite comfortably from a standard household circuit.

Of course, as your ham radio addiction—and it is an addiction—progresses, you may start thinking about adding an amplifier. Whether you’re talking about an HF amplifier or something for VHF/UHF, that’s when it might be time to have a conversation with your electrician about whether your existing electrical service can handle the additional load.

As for the location, the usual rules apply. You’ll want a spot that’s somewhat removed from the noise and activity of the house, but not so far removed that the kids start asking who that person is when you wander out of the shack at dinnertime.

Normal heating and cooling are also a must. As a teenager, my first ham shack was an uninsulated attic. You couldn’t pay me to do that again!

Finding the Time

After spending so much time at home, you might think that you’d have nothing but time to operate. But isn’t it funny how quickly free time slips away as life happens?

I know what you’re thinking: Just take all the time you used to spend activating parks and hunt instead.

Yeah, I found out real quick that it doesn’t work that way.

When you’re an activator, you generally have a specific goal. You pack up the radio, drive to a park, set up your station, make your contacts, tear everything down, and head home. There’s a beginning and an end to the operation.

Hunting from home is different. The radio is always there, waiting for you. You can sit down for five minutes, or you can spend the entire afternoon. And, somehow, those five minutes can disappear without you realizing it.

Amateur radio is one of the greatest ways I know to spend time, but life has a way of sneaking in. There are always chores to be done, projects waiting for attention, and someone who needs you to do something right now.

I’m still trying to find the right balance between the things I need to do and the things I want to do. But I’m also discovering that hunting can fit into those small pieces of available time in a way that activating sometimes can’t.

And that’s probably one of the biggest advantages of having a home station.

Plug-ins & Utilities