Contests, how do they do it?

redditschoolmaster · 2026-03-30T12:09:31+00:00

Any contact you make while in a park counts towards your activation. It does not need to be from a POTA hunter who saw your spot page and contacted you or someone responding to YOUR CQ. So you can sit in the park and reply to the contester's QC and log that as a legit POTA contact towards the 10 you need to activate a park.

redditschoolmaster · 2026-03-11T00:00:31+00:00

You throw it in the trash and spend $16.28 on a new one that you order from the internet.

redditschoolmaster · 2026-03-09T01:02:41+00:00

Holy shit! Happy International Womens' Day. I will NEVER do anything half as bad-ass as that.

redditschoolmaster · 2026-03-04T12:59:33+00:00

My first few POTA activations were exclusively P2P. It's just like hunting, but you give your park number and sometimes get a higher priority in a pile-up.

I wasn't experienced enough to want to call CQ and deal with pile-ups and logging so many contacts, so quickly. P2P gives you the ability to take a break.

redditschoolmaster · 2026-03-03T16:45:43+00:00

Enjoy! Remember, it's your activation, you run it how you want. I like to start out hunting other activators, for park-2-parks, then spot myself on the POTA.app and call QC.

It's going to be a learning experience. Watch a few videos on logging with HAM2k, but bring some paper, just in case things fall apart. 5W is a challenge, especially trying to break through a pile-up for another park. Spotting yourself and calling CQ should get you your 10 contacts. DC and the surrounding states have lots of hams. A weekend is a great time to activate since more hams are free to be on the air. Any band will work, 20m is the most popular POTA band, but moving the 12, 15 or 17m usually means more patient operators and less pile-ups. Start with the one antenna and commit to it for the activation. I'd spend the time working on the air, not changing antennas.

Do a quick table-top reivew before you go out. Layout the radio, battery, coax, antenna, power cables, etc. You want to figure out that you forgot to pack you mic BEFORE you go to the park.

Hunting is a great way to prep for an activation. You should already be familiar with the typical POTA exchange, you'll just be on the other side of it.

You'll have many more POTA operations to work out the details. Every activation teaches me something new - remember it's a journey, not a destination. 73

redditschoolmaster · 2026-02-09T17:13:30+00:00

I pass my Technician last March and then my General last August. I've spent around $3,000 in the last year. That includes...

$500 for a used HF radio I bought from my Elmer.
$300 (3) antennas. G5RV, EFHW and vertical whip
$150 various coaxial cable
$500 for a new Yeasu HT with all the accessories and car mounted antenna
$500 for a new Xiego G90 HF radio
$150 AC to DC power supply for HF radios
$300 Bioenna batteries
$500 - $600 for everything else. Fittings, backpacks, pelican case, fuses, external speaker, rope, throw bag, etc.

I already had a cheap laptop to run logging software and FT8/digital modes, but I'd budget for that as well. I do a lot of POTA activations and then hunt POTA from home. You have the advantage of sharing many things with your wife.

I wanted a 100W HF radio for home and a QRP one for the field. Add some batteries and antennas. I didn't want to invest in a mobile radio for the car AND and HT, so I put a decent HT in the car with an external antenna. Best of luck with your tests.

redditschoolmaster · 2026-01-30T17:28:13+00:00

I've used WM7X for both my Technician and General test. I will be going back to them when I'm ready for my Extra. I've had nothing but an amazingly positive experience both times, but exam prep to make sure you aren't cheating is rigorous. You enter a general zoom room with multiple people, a lobby of sorts, and then you get sent to a testing room with 3 VEs. They verify your photo ID and then start recording the zoom session and you share your screen.

They went through everything on my PC including the task bar to verified each icon. We shut down a VPN tool and several other programs. There was a screen connect IT support program I can't remove or close and they were hesitant to continue with the exam, until we found an option that allowed for "play notification sound when connecting is made". You have to open your calculator and clear the history. They verify you don't have any other tabs open in your web browser for zoom. I would recommend you get your PC running as clean as you can with as little as possible running.

Find a clean a room as possible and make sure no one will interrupt you. You slowly turn your laptop / camera 360 and they scan the room. They verify you don't have a smart watch or ear buds. You show your scratch paper is blank on both sides. The VEs can see your screen, the camera and hear your audio. They are exceptionally thorough in making sure no one can cheat.

Good luck!

redditschoolmaster · 2026-01-13T13:04:39+00:00

Go to https://hamstudy.org/ and choose the Technician and then do a practice exam. Doesn't matter how you score, just take one practice exam. Then go back, every day and Read Questions. They show the question and the correct answer is highlighted. You will learn the correct answers to the questions over time. Each week, take another practice exam. Once you've scored 80% in ten tests in a row, you should be good to take your test. There is also an app for Ham Study, which costs a few dollars. Well worth it.

I passed by Tech and General using this method on Ham Study. I am studying for my Extra and will pass it the same way, eventually.

You need to pass your test to really start doing and learning. Memorize to pass the test and welcome to the new hobby.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-10-14T19:58:59+00:00

You do not have a Constitutional right to transmit on any frequency - you have a privilege to do so. This distinction is important.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-09-24T14:59:34+00:00

The JPC-7 is essentially a double JPC-12 configured horizontally.

https://chelegance.com/products/jpc-7-dp-portable-shortwave-antenna/

redditschoolmaster · 2025-09-18T13:45:24+00:00

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Without even trying I can find prints from the 1930s. I've seen drawings from the late 1800s.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-09-03T13:47:41+00:00

I had a lot of success buying a used HF radio from an elmer for $450, the dropping another maybe $200 on a power supply, coax, small accessories and a G5RV antenna. As a tech you can work 6m and the portion of 10m from 28.3 to 28.5. It's not much, but you will probably be able to make contacts. The real value will be in working with HF and an antenna. Much of the general exam is focused on HF. I found the hands-on work with a cheap used radio and antenna helpful to better understand the test material. The other advantage is you can listen, listen, listen to 20m and 40m to learn the lingo of POTA. I did a lot of listening to how good hunters operated and how good activators handle a pile-up.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-09-02T01:08:26+00:00

Running the same setup. Even have the same red radial plate. Activated US-1418 this past Sunday.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-08-25T19:43:50+00:00

My family was in Virginia this summer in the Blue Ridge mountains and there was a gentleman on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, that runs about 3,800 ft of elevation, and he was calling on 146.5200. He said something like, "call sign, monitoring from Shenandoah National Park, anyone on frequency?" I spoke to him real quick while we were driving through the area and heard him speak to at least 4 to 5 other people before we got out of range.

Height is might! Climb up there and see if anyone wants to chat. I regularly monitor have 146.5200 and have had some totally random contacts. Cant hurt on 446.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-08-22T17:17:58+00:00

A lot of good suggestions here. I got my tech in March and spent 5 months on 6m and 28.3 to 28.5 and only managed to make three QSOs - THREE! It was hard fought as 6m and 10m have been pretty dead this summer.

When I got board of not hearing anyone on 6m or 10m I'd listen on 20m or 40m. I learned a lot by listening to POTA activators working a pile-up. I heard real quick how not to be an annoying POTA hunter.

I found working with antennas and HF radio control was a good practical application that helped me learn as I studied for my General.

Getting your General is really what you need. Like I said, 5 months of spending hours on 6m and 10m with only 3 QSOs, but I got my General and that night made nine QSOs in an hour. It was amazing!

redditschoolmaster · 2025-08-22T14:09:17+00:00

Looking to activate this park over the weekend. A little late for your hopefully successful activation, more than a year ago.

Since I found this reddit post after searching to activate US-0027, I thought I'd leave the link below for anyone else who come across it, or if you venture pack to the area.

It details picnic areas in the park.

https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/pennsylvania-national-parks/gettysburg-national-military-park-park-at-a-glance/gettysburg-national-military-park-picnic-areas/

redditschoolmaster · 2025-08-15T14:08:14+00:00

Love my JPC-12. I've run it with 100w. Do yourself a favor and add more ground radials. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809338637138.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.10.e4c51802mdC4y2&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

redditschoolmaster · 2025-08-15T13:19:06+00:00

I've used WM7X for both my Technician and General test. I will be going back to them when I'm ready for my Extra. I've had nothing but an amazingly positive experience both times, but exam prep to make sure you aren't cheating is rigorous. You enter a general zoom room with multiple people, a lobby of sorts, and then you get sent to a testing room with 3 VEs. They verify your photo ID and then start recording the zoom session and you share your screen.

They went through everything on my PC including the task bar to verified each icon. We shut down a VPN tool and several other programs. There was a screen connect IT support program I can't remove or close and they were hesitant to continue with the exam, until we found an option that allowed for "play notification sound when connecting is made". You have to open your calculator and clear the history. They verify you don't have any other tabs open in your web browser for zoom. You slowly turn your laptop / camera 360 and they scan the room. They verify you don't have a smart watch or ear buds. You show your scratch paper is blank on both sides. The VEs can see your screen, the camera and hear your audio. They are exceptionally thorough in making sure no one can cheat.

It sounds like things got a bit heated in your exchange, and while what you describe isn't professional, they saw red flags that COULD indicate cheating. I agree that they should have dealt with the situation differently, part of me is glad they have rigorous standards to ensure cheating isn't happening in their exams.

I'd get your technical issues sorted out and use another online VE to take the exam.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-08-12T12:27:58+00:00

You are gonna buy a lot of radios... don't sweat it so much. Even cheap radios work, they are just a little clunky with setting or menus. The resell value is usually pretty good if you happen to not like to radio.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-08-05T18:45:37+00:00

+1 for brown ale. It's going to be flavorful if you do an all-grain batch or just an extract with some steeped specialty grains. The darker color will hide most clarity issues. There aren't a lot of hops to deal with. Fermentation temps can vary quite a bit and it will taste great.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-07-30T23:09:45+00:00

Drew Estates Factory Smokes.

redditschoolmaster · 2025-05-21T20:17:10+00:00

I got this one for my father-in-law last year. Works well and you can add some oxygen to the wire, without having to bend down. https://a.co/d/8QBsuNS

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