You've found someone operating from a park and you want to work them. These contacts are quick, high-energy, and the operators are always glad to hear you.
Before you key up
- Listen first and figure out their rhythm. Most activators repeat a pattern: call, listen, work someone, call again.
- Transmit the instant they finish, not before. Say your call once and stop.
What to say
They say: “CQ POTA, CQ Parks on the Air, this is their callsign in phonetics, park US four two nine seven, listening.”
The park reference tells hunters which park they are working. Note the US prefix — in March 2024 POTA changed US parks from K- to US-, keeping the same number. K-4297 is now US-4297. Plenty of videos and guides still say K-, so do not let that confuse you.
You say: “your callsign in phonetics.”
Your callsign. Once. That's the whole transmission.
They say: “your callsign, five nine, five nine.”
You say: “Five nine, five nine, thank you, seventy-three.”
Give your report, thank them, done. Ten seconds total. Resist the urge to chat — there may be twenty people waiting behind you.
What they will say back
"Thanks, seventy-three, their callsign QRZ" — and they immediately move to the next caller.
If it goes sideways
If they don't hear you, wait for the next round and try again. Don't keep transmitting on top of the contact in progress. If they come back with only part of your call — "station with Alpha Bravo?" — just repeat your full call slowly.
Why it works this way
Park activators need a minimum number of contacts to make the activation count, sometimes while standing in weather with a battery that's running down. Speed is genuine kindness here. Save the conversation for a repeater, and know that a fast clean exchange marks you as a considerate operator.
Open this in Pocket Elmer, with your callsign filled in
More things to say
- Running your own activation — You're the one in the park