Books, News, POTA

The ARRL POTA Book Prize Package Giveaway!

245 Comments

As I mentioned in my article about the new ARRL POTA book, the ARRL has offered a generous prize package to one lucky QRPer.com reader.

The prize package includes everything you see in the image above:

How to enter…

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling us what you love about Parks On The Air (POTA).

If you have yet to participate in the Parks On The Air program, then please tell us what it is that you find so enticing about the program; why you plan to become active in POTA.

Details:

  • We will keep the comments open until 13:00 UTC on Friday, November 17, 2023. You can only enter once, so please include your callsign (if you have one) in the comment.
  • We will take the total number of comments, use a random number generator to pick one comment, then reach out to you to obtain your shipping information.
  • The ARRL will drop ship this prize package directly to you!
  • This giveaway is open to everyone.

Click here to comment and enter the giveaway!

Many thanks to the ARRL for offering up this POTA prize package!

245 thoughts on “The ARRL POTA Book Prize Package Giveaway!”

  1. The wonderful thing about POTA is that it provides the structure of contesting while being accessible to Hams of all experience levels.

    73 De KD0WGH

  2. Parks on the air has further encouraged my desire to operate at minimum power and footprint possible. I was also inspired to learn Morse code through contacts made through POTA. This is an awesome segment of the hobby with a tremendous sense of community. 73 DE WS0SWV

  3. Thanks,

    I have this Book, ordered it on Amazon . It’s a great introduction to POTA with Chapters on the different ways to POTA like with SSB, QRP and OF course what equipment to use like The Radio, Power source, Antennas and Where to Go! There’s both a QRP and full power Section to read on! Pn

  4. I enjoy hunting POTA as it allows me a low stress way to copy and practice sending code. Ben KQ4ARC

  5. I find that pita and sits the most fun for me. The small and simple radios are all I have.I’ve logged some pota stations on my lunch break from my pickup.

  6. I have always liked portable operating.
    POTA is the highlight of all types of of portable operating and in unlimited ways ! We get to use radio systems of your choosing which is unlimited in choices, Radios you built, had for decades or new??
    I’m a builder and plan on using everything I built to activate my POTA.
    ENJOY ! 73,
    Chuck
    WA6LTV

  7. Starting POTA in the Spring and have quite a few state parks and state forests near me ….. Nice to get outside and enjoy radio !!! de N2JNZ

  8. POTA allows me to combine two of my favorite activities: being in the great outdoors and amateur radio.
    K4RLC

  9. Since I found out about Parks on the Air, I have become interested in first, to be a hunter and then to be an activator. I have, albeit slowly, accumulated radios, antennas, battery power, etc. I now have both a FT818 and a KX3 that I’m learning how to use. Also, locating parks in my area as well as trying to monitor current users to see which I can copy. Also trying to relearn CW from my 1976 novice/general license days…supposed to keep my brain active…hope so! Thanks for your input into Qrper as it is both interesting and informative.
    73 Andrew KD5CQ

  11. I like the experimental nature of POTA. Trying out different antenna configurations to see what works and what doesn’t is a ton of fun. It’s so rewarding when a piece of homebrew hardware works well.

  12. Hi Thomas,
    Love your blog…
    I am not yet active on POTA but still getting all my equipment ready… I hope early next year to become active.
    Been active as a QRPer since 1980… and mostly build my own equipment and antennas.
    I like the idea of getting out in the fresh air, exploring new places and making some QSOs .
    The ARRL pack would help me on my way.
    Cheers
    David PB2X/ G0BZF (old call PA3HBB)
    Hengelo, Netherlands

  14. To me, one of the best things about POTA is engaging with a small (but growing) subculture of hams within the amateur radio community. It’s always fun to meet people who share a common interest, but it’s especially fun when interests intersect along several different lines simultaneously. I’m amazed how much there is to talk about every time I meet a new fellow POTA enthusiast. This is great.

  15. POTA gets people on the air.
    POTA gets people out in the park.
    POTA creates pileups.
    POTA makes people better operators.
    POTA gives people goals.
    POTA brings more people to Amateur Radio.

    … And all the stuff everyone else says here!

    73 DE N9SSA

  17. Love POTA as a way to learn CW and all that entails. From copy practice to running a pileup. Great way for me to build up those skills. It also provides something to do in a hobby where there are near limitless options and one can get stuck deciding what to do first.

  19. Hello,
    What I love about Parks On The Air. This program has helped me grow in Ham Radio. I have only had my ticket since
    2019, I thought that I would be a great contest operator but I have found that I like the pace of POTA. You can move at your own pace , Fast and furious, slow and easy or any where in-between. It has been a great way to make contacts. I look forward to many years of enjoying ham Radio though this wonderful program. Many thanks to all the volunteers that work so hard to make it happen.
    John – KE8MOW

  20. N8CNS here! I’m excited and preparing for the adventure. Equipment is ready to go and I’m brushing up on my code. Hoping to meet other POTA people and start new friendships!

  21. I’m working on my general, now. Taking the test 12/2. If, successful, POTA has great appeal to me. It sounds like a nice way to fold in ham radio with my love of camping, fishing and hunting. Another grand reason to be outdoors!

    KE8WDG

  23. I purchased a KX2 to work portable; that’s been a dream. It is easier for me to activate a beach but I found the BOTA to be way less active and organized than the wildly successful POTA program. My New Year’s resolution is to activate my first park, locally someplace.

    I intend to buck up my CW abilities too. That’s a direct result of the fun of portable.

    Thanks!

    73,
    Susan, WB2UQP

  24. I am interested in activating parks and want to travel after retiring after 36 years of the daily grind. Look forward to using CW and Voice as a modes the make contacts. Thank you for the opportunity to apply.

  26. Love the website, and your work has inspired me to learn CW (via CWOPS) and hopefully soon to activate POTA. POTA and CW are like “Peas and Carrots” and I love the outdoors and making contacts with minimalist gear, POTA means both of those things

    73
    Danny
    NA4DL

  27. So far I have only been hunting POTA in digital modes. But I love the chase! I am working on my rusty CW skills and hope to make it out to do some activations next year (post MN Winter!).

  28. As a new Ham who is learning CW, I enjoy listening to POTA contacts on CW. I sometimes record them and practice sending response as a way to hone my CW skills. I look forward to the day I make my first POTA contact.

    – Aaron, KY4UU

  29. POTA calls to me because there are so many parks around, and because QRP is appropriate for deployments. A chance to use CW for better SNR.

  30. I have become a fanatic about portable operating, either Fox Hunts or Pota or anything else outside from NH to FLA.
    I’m so glad to find the QRPer and recommend it to my QRP friends.

    72,

    Jim Fitton W1FMR
    Past president of QRP ARCI and the New England QRP Club.

  31. I have to strategize my operation plan. Prepare a power backup, and choose a location where I think will have a good progation. I feel excited every time I activate a POTA park and wonder who I will be able to contact after my spotting location. I have acquire knowledge about energy usage to work out how many hour I will get with my rig and computer.

  32. Hi! I’m Clyde G1TCH in England, or F4WEA in France. I have worked a few hams in parks and I have been impressed by the enthusiasm of the activators. I look forward to doing some activation myself in the UK Peak District National Park, which is near me, with my QRP (10W) rig and end-fed antenna. POTA, along with a number of other amateur radio activities, seems really exciting and adds another dimension to the hobby.

    1. Hi..I am Sarach (Tommy) HS0FVS also KV4US in THAILAND.
      I enjoy playing the radio in different places. And I’m very happy to succeed each time. Playing POTA is all about challenge, effort and new experiences. of playing each time I intend to collect as many gardens in 1UTC as the Thai landscape allows. And now what we’re doing is designing the antenna to have the best possible efficiency. Easiest to assemble to play with: My Car Station (10-50W) ,See you on the frequency.

  33. This is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to remote lands while simulating a possible emergency scenario. The book looks great, just waiting for my local HRO to have it in stock. I like when people come up to me and enquirer about ham radio. I’ve enrolled a few folks in my very active club after they got interested in ham radio. This is such a wonderful hobby to develop technical as well as people skills.

  34. Parks on the Air initially helped me get past key fright. Now it gets me out of the house. As a result, I have gone places to activate I otherwise would not have ever visited. Not all are home runs, but there are some real gems to explore. Also, where else can I consistently count on a pile-up and make new friends?

    72, Mike – AD0YM

  35. POTA is a great amateur radio program: outdoors + radio fun. I research, visit and cherish more national/state parks and their natural/historic features than before just by doing POTA related activities, also I become an amateur radio ambassador when other visitors ask me what I am doing next to my radio and antenna. 🙂
    73, de KG6YJ, Jun

  37. Good day! I have worked portable for just shy of 29 years and was hooked since the first time I made contacts from our local park. Getting outside, setting up a portable station and enjoying ham radio cannot be beat.

    Since my first POTA activation in April 2022 I have loved it all and not looked back. Thanks to the hunters who have worked me!

    73 Kevin N2TO

  38. Hello! I have read a lot about POTA but have not yet participated. My interests include both QRP and nature- especially trail biking and hiking. I hope to combine my interests in the outdoors, biking/hiking and QRP into POTA activations. I just retired so I am hoping that will give me the final nudge! Looking forward to it!

    73, Karl KC3DJY

  39. While I have not yet participated, I am planning to become active in POTA, primarily as a Hunter, during December and thereafter. My call is K7RLH and I have already registered with POTA.com.

  40. The best part of POTA is not what it does for me, but that it is highly accessible to new hams, and something that gets younger hams interested in operating. Very little money in equipment is required, no need to have a yard of your own for antennas, and it can be done by back packers, or people with mobility challenges, and everyone in between. Best of all, it looks fun to outsiders who probably imagined hams in… dimmer light. I’m all for being part of that!

  41. I’ve been doing POTA for a couple years, a really nice program to get hams on the air. Not only challenges me to work weak stations, its nice to be able to just make a contact or rag chew for a few minutes. It’s also helping improve my CW skills.

    Vince, AA7JB

  42. Amazing what kind of communication can be accomplished when the noise of civilization is removed! Always fun hunting, someday I’ll get out there to work a park!

  43. What do I Love about Parks On The Air? Everything!
    POTA Sites from “Is this it?” to Spectacular Views
    Planning the Activations
    No Cabin Fever in cold weather
    Bicycle rides to close-to-Home Parks
    Quick setup and tear down
    The rich history of places I would not have otherwise visited
    Returning to Parks I have visited before they were POTA Sites
    QSO with a New or New-to-POTA Ham
    Group Outings with New-to-POTA Operators on the Mic or Key
    Operate on hills, summits, in the woods, on the water, etc
    Experimenting with homebrew and new equipment during Activations
    The thrill of a pile-up
    Interaction with curious on-lookers, Rangers, and other Hams at a Park
    Incentives and overwhelming recognition for everything POTA
    Always learning and always having fun!

  44. My wife is a Type A and hates to see me sitting at my desk on the radio. Since I started doing POTA her attitude toward my hobby has done a complete 180. She loves to come along and sits and sketches while I’m activating. In fact she likes it so much she bought me a brand new KX2 for Christmas. If that isn’t an incentive to get out and do POTA I don’t know what is. BTW Thomas whenever you pop up on the POTA or SOTA spots I make sure and tune in but so far haven’t been able to pick you up. Fingers crossed…….

  47. Hi Tom,
    Great videos and narrations!!!
    I thought you said you were going to just use the KH1 for November? Saw the TR-45 make an appearance.
    Ken, W2GIW

  48. Enjoy the fine courteous operators and the many new friends I’ve made with a follow up email

  49. The best thing about POTA is the greater number of people on the air. With practice we all get better. POTA gives us the practice in an enjoyable way. And, if your not enjoying it, why do it.

  50. I like the idea of pota to keep our SHTF communication skills free of rust and sharp.
    While I have not activated yet, I have hunted several activations via SSB, and FT8.

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