What Is POTA? Parks on the Air and Ham Radio Explained

Parks on the Air (POTA) is one of the fastest-growing amateur radio programs. Here's how it works, what equipment you need, and why it has captured the community's enthusiasm.

Parks on the Air (POTA) is an amateur radio program that encourages operators to take their radios outdoors and activate parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and other designated recreational areas. What started as a small program has grown into one of the most popular activities in amateur radio, with thousands of activations happening every week and hundreds of thousands of logged contacts.

How POTA Works

POTA has two roles: activators who take their radios to a park and transmit, and hunters who stay home and try to contact activators. An activation requires making at least 10 contacts from within the boundaries of a designated POTA site. Activators earn credit for each unique park they activate; hunters earn credit for contacting activators at various parks.

The POTA Network

The POTA program maintains a database of designated park entities — currently over 20,000 sites in the US and more worldwide. Parks include:

National parks and monuments
National forests
National Wildlife Refuges
State parks (in many states)
Bureau of Land Management areas

Equipment and Bands

POTA activations happen on any amateur band and mode. HF operations on 40 and 20 meters are popular because they reach hunters nationwide. VHF/UHF POTA activations are less common but valid. Many activators use portable HF rigs like the Elecraft KX2 or Yaesu FT-818, combined with simple wire antennas deployed in the field.

License Requirements

The license class required depends on the band you activate on. VHF/UHF POTA activations require Technician or higher. HF activations require General or higher for most popular bands. Many new Technicians start with 10-meter POTA when the band is open, then upgrade to General to access 40 and 20 meters.

Logging and Awards

POTA maintains a real-time spotting network (pota.app) where activators post their operating frequency so hunters can find them. After the activation, logs are uploaded to the POTA website for credit. Awards are granted at milestones — activating 10 parks, 100 parks, and so on.