Note: Starting with this article, I’ll be adding Protected Area Radio Community (PARC) numbers along with the POTA and WWFF references. PARC is similar to the other two and uses a numbering system similar to POTA. I’ll talk more about it in an upcoming article.
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This week, let’s talk about POTA After Work. When I first got involved with Parks on the Air® (POTA), some of my favorite activations weren’t the ones I spent days planning. My favorites were sometimes those spur-of-the-moment ones I decided to do at about four in the afternoon. This was especially fun in the winter because I had a limited amount of time to operate before dark.
I’d leave work and look for a nearby park. No rove was planned ahead of time—simply a spontaneous couple-hour activation at a local park. Sometimes I just wanted to put the radio on the air for an hour, make a few contacts, and enjoy the end of the day.
My favorite location in those days was the First Ladies National Historic Site (US-0813/KFF-0813). This site is in downtown Canton, Ohio, and is bordered to the north by a three-story parking garage and to the east by a six-story hotel. If you think that doesn’t matter, then you have never operated from an RF hole before. As with most cities, downtown areas are not especially RF quiet. There’s lots of QRN to deal with. But I kept at it and eventually earned my Kilo at this location. In the process, the Repeat Offender Award also landed on my account.
With fall approaching and the days getting shorter, those after-work activations become a little more challenging. There isn’t nearly as much daylight left when the workday ends, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t enough time for POTA.
In my case, there were plenty of days when I would be looking at park stats before leaving work. It didn’t take much coaxing to convince me to head to a local park.
I’m very fortunate to have several choices when choosing a location for an after-work activation. Here in Stark County, Ohio, we are close to a number of POTA parks. Besides First Ladies, there’s also Quail Hollow Park (US-1987/KFF-1987/US-OH-1987).
Quail Hollow Park seems an unusual exception to the POTA park criteria. It was once a state park but was transferred to county management back in 2016.
Another POTA after-work location has been the Zepernick State Wildlife Area (US-9522/KFF-6493/US-OH-9522) in Columbiana County. Then there’s the Lake Park State Wildlife Area (US-9473/KFF-6897/US-OH-9473) near home.
Anyway, back to the story. An after-work activation works because you’re not treating it like Field Day. The equipment is probably already in your vehicle. Setup takes minutes, and ten QSOs is all you need for POTA.
If you aren’t carrying a basic POTA station in your vehicle, why not? Is it because of the possibility of damage? I can sure understand that. My solution was to invest in a couple of plastic equipment cases for my gear.
They are readily available and inexpensive. DX Engineering sells the line of NANUK cases, which are a more reasonably priced alternative to Pelican cases.
I’ve found that the Afternoon Shift from noon to 4 pm can be a bit slow for POTA. So that’s another plus for getting out there after work. The bands seem livelier, which means more contacts. If you decide to hang out until 0000 UTC, there’s always the Late Shift to enjoy. Late Shift…
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- The First Ladies National Historic Site can present some interesting operating challenges, with a parking garage on one side and a hotel on another. (Image/WG8X)
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- Quail Hollow is one of many POTA sites in Northeast Ohio. (Image/WG8X)
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- Operating at dusk is a great way to have most sections of a park to yourself. (Image/WG8X)
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- A simple operating setup is all you need for a quick after-work activation. (Image/WG8X)
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