The 9/24/22 W2ZQ POTA activation was successful. Thanks to all who participated.
A new W2T Battle of Trenton “Pop-Up POTA” occurred on Friday 12/30 at Washington Crossing Historic Park in PA with 130 completed contacts… and a separate POTA for W2P commemorating the Battle Of Princeton was conducted on Monday, Janurary 2nd at Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton, with 337 completed contacts. This story was posted online prior to those events.
“Parks On The Air” (POTA) has become a very popular Amateur Radio program. It’s an on-air activity that helps Amateurs practice many skills while enjoying our great hobby, including:
- emergency preparedness, allowing us to obtain and hone the ability to operate “off the grid”, and away from our home station
- temporary antenna and station deployment “in the field”
- utilization of emergency power equipment (no-noise battery power is preferred in POTA settings)
- “working pileups” on both ends: getting through them as a Park Hunter, and working and managing them as a Park Activator
- Finding yet another way to get outside and enjoy our wonderful State and Federal parks, which have been called “America’s Best Idea”
- Positive public relations for our hobby via exposure to the general population. Members of the public stop by and watch us enjoy Amateur Radio in the great outdoors
Whether you’re a current DVRA Member or not, are currently registered with the Parks On The Air program or not (registration with POTA is simple and free of charge online at Parks on the Air | POTA, provided you’re a currently licensed Amateur), you will be included on our submitted log as the Operator for your completed QSOs and get POTA “activator” credit for those contacts from our park stations. The W2T and W2P commemorative stations will be set up on Friday, December 30th at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania, and on Monday, January 2nd at Princeton Battlefield State Park in New Jersey. The weather forecast is currently excellent for both dates! If you join us and operate during either or both of these events, and if you work at least ten stations per event as an Operator, you will get POTA credit for successful Activation(s) under your callsign.
Here are the details:
WHEN: Friday, December 30 at Washington Crossing Historic Park (PA), and Monday, January 2nd at Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton, NJ. If the weather forecast for either of the dates looks at all questionable, contact Bob Bowden KB3BB by email at thebowdens@yahoo.com to get status updates for the event. The schedule on each deployment day is for antenna and station deployment to begin at 10am, testing to occur at 11am, and for Parks On The Air operation to occur from 11:30am to 3:30pm. Operators will work in half hour blocks (on the half hour). To sign up for one or more half hour on-the-air blocks in advance, contact Bob KB3BB thebowdens@yahoo.com for the signup sheet and be onsite and ready to begin operating for any half hour block(s) you sign up for.
WHERE: On December 30, we will set up within 100 feet of the towpath for Pennsylvania’s Delaware Canal State Park (POTA designation K-1347) within Washington Crossing State Historic Park, POTA designation K-6432. This will make it a “twofer”, a double park activation. And on January 2nd, we will set up in the treed/grassy area adjacent to the main parking lot at Princeton Battlefield State Park (POTA K-1628) in New Jersey.
The nearest and best place to park your car on December 30 is at Washington Crossing Gateway Heritage Park, which is an environmental “park within the park” (it’s part of Washington Crossing Historic Park). The address is 1201 General Stark Rd., Washington Crossing, PA 18977 and the Google Maps link is https://goo.gl/maps/2wPxhy1CjainoJL9A . Park in the lot and walk toward the Delaware Canal, and you will easily find our operating position.
In the unlikely event of an incoming rain shower, we’ll scramble back to our cars to operate from the shelter of our vehicles in the parking lot, perhaps utilizing a long wire strung from an overhanging tree such as the one pictured below. We Amateurs are always resourceful!
However our Plan A is to deploy outdoors on Friday at the intersection of two parks, within 100’ of the canal towpath as per POTA rules.
On January 2nd at Princeton Battlefield State Park, 500 Mercer Road Princeton, NJ 08540 Princeton Battlefield State Park – Google Maps , park in the main parking lot and you’ll easily find our operating position adjacent to the parking lot in the treed/grassy area.
WHAT TO BRING: Bring your licensed self, and of course bring family member(s) or a friend if you think they might enjoy seeing Amateur Radio practiced in the great outdoors! Bring folding lawn chairs for yourself and for anyone else in your party. And bring snacks and / or sandwiches and beverages to keep fueled and hydrated, and of course bring warm clothing, despite the hopeful weather forecast. DVRA is bringing operating equipment; the rest is strictly BYO. Note that alcoholic beverages are NOT permitted in these state parks. Stay for whatever period you wish – if you have other plans, your DVRA friends will understand if you must leave mid-event. Any time you can spend with us will be great!
We’re very excited about these new, hastily planned DVRA POTA activations made possible by great weather forecasts, and we hope you can join us for at least part of one or both activities, to help us achieve successful Activations for W2ZQ operating under the commemorative callsigns W2T and W2P.
Bob Bowden KB3BB
