1. National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) and Summits on The Air (SOTA)
Quick summary and lessons learned
N6MDV
September 20, 2016

2. Summary Week long camping trip to multiple national parks
Kings Canyon
Lassen Volcanic
Redwood
Pinnacles
Brought Elecraft KX-2 radio and amplifier
NPOTA activations from campgrounds
Park Ridge W6/SS-354 summit activation < 4 mile hike
Activated 3 of the parks and the summit
Sharing experience and lessons learned…

3. NPOTA 100th Anniversary Celebration National Park Service
ARRL event
Activators and Chasers
Points each time contact or activate a park
Redwood National Park
Just 10 QSO’s
24 QSO’s
49 QSO’s

4. Simple Setup – lightweight, portable
Elecraft KX-2 transceiver with KXPA-100 amplifier
66 foot dipole AWG 26 wire roughly 5-7’ above ground – 40M NVIS
35 foot RG174 coax with BNC connectors
Tucked into space available within camp site
40M contacts from west coast to east coast!
Used 90 AH 12V battery for power

5. Summits On The Air International program operate from peaks
Activators and Chasers
Points awarded based on altitude of peak and season climbed
No operation from cars or generators – hike or bike
Park Ridge (W6/SS-354) 2 mile easy hike in Kings Canyon NP
Near Azalea campground
Never been activated before this trip!
Eight contacts on 2M FM – one as summit to summit
Hand held likely sufficient, but used an Arrow 4 element yagi too
20M SSB and CW difficult with all the weekend contests
QRP HF transceiver
2-2.5AH batteries
CW paddle and mic
5W HT
Log sheet

6. How to do it… NPOTA rules and information on ARRL web site
Choose a park
List your upcoming activation
Show up, set up radio, and call CQ
Ask someone to spot you on DX cluster
Record time, band, call sign, and signal reports
Create a Cabrillo log when you are back (or ADI format)
Upload your contacts using TQSL
10 QSO’s activate a NPOTA
Need Log Book of the World (LOTW) certificate to record QSO’s
Again ARRL web site explains how
Sample Log book of the world page
Shows a completed QSL – both have logged contact

7. Lessons Learned
Really fun to operate with low background noise and people wanting to contact you – NPOTA chasers are very appreciative of activation
Noise near S0 and contacts nearly one per minute on NPOTA
Hands get very dirty setting up antennas in camp or on peak (caked with dirt)
Have water and a cloth to clean up before using radio
Spotting on DX cluster helps immensely
DX cluster and NPOTA Face Book – have someone spot you
Try not to activate a park during contest weekend
Even a modest antenna does amazingly well on non-contest weekends
FL, NC, GA, AL, VA, CT, MT, ID, OR, WA, KS, TX, NY on 100W dipole at 5-7 feet 40M
NPOTA activation “friendlier” than contests yet pace is very high
1 QSO or more per minute with time to say hello, thanks, and …
Noise level in Pinnacles NP was S0 – very nice
Also low in other parks
On the other hand, critter noise can be very loud – crickets, birds, …
Quiet time in campgrounds is 8PM – be courteous
Use headphones/ear buds even before 8PM
Pre record CQ if radio has that capability so only need to speak unique info
Parks may not allow ropes in trees – be prepared with some poles
Lock in frequency if radio allows that so don’t accidently drop off frequency