Live
POTA spots: Parks on the Air live
Who is activating a park right now, and how likely you are to work them from your grid.
On the air now
--
Parks active
--
Spots today
--
Top mode
--
Who can you work?
Scored from live propagation
Your location: EM89mx
(?)
Current conditions: SFI 101 · K-index 1
Loading workability data…
Loading band conditions…
New to POTA? How this page works
What is POTA?
Parks on the Air is a ham radio activity where operators set up portable stations
in parks and make contacts. It combines hiking/camping with radio!
- Activator = Operator at the park (you go to them)
- Hunter = Operator at home trying to contact activators
- Spot = Announcement that someone is active on a frequency
What's a Grid Square?
A Maidenhead grid square is a location code used by hams worldwide.
- EM13 = 4-char grid (about 100x200 km area)
- EM13rb = 6-char grid (more precise, ~5x10 km)
- First 2 letters = region (EM = central USA, JN = central Europe)
What do the percentages mean?
The workability score estimates your chances of making contact based on:
- Distance + Band - Is this frequency good for that distance? VHF/UHF are line-of-sight only
- Time of day - High bands need daylight; gray-line (sunrise/sunset) boosts DX
- Solar conditions - SFI, K-index, and seasonal patterns
- Real spots - ✓ means actual FT8 signals confirmed on this path via PSKReporter
- Signal strength - SNR margin above mode threshold (SSB needs +8dB, FT8 works at -20dB)
- Spot freshness - Older spots decay in score (activator may have moved)
What's SNR and why does it matter?
SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) measures signal strength in decibels (dB).
- FT8/FT4 works down to -20 dB (magic!)
- CW (Morse) needs about -5 dB
- SSB (voice) needs +8 dB or better
What does "Band Closed" mean?
HF radio waves bounce off the ionosphere. At night, the ionosphere changes:
- High bands (10m-20m) need sunlight - dead at night
- Low bands (40m-80m) actually work BETTER at night
- Skip zone = too close for skywave, too far for ground wave
- VHF/UHF (2m, 70cm) are line-of-sight only - max ~50 miles (no ionospheric propagation)
- 6m is special - sporadic E can open it to 1000+ miles in summer!
What's the difference between modes?
- SSB = Voice (Single Sideband) - talk into a mic
- CW = Morse code - beeps and boops
- FT8/FT4 = Digital weak-signal modes - computer decodes
Why am I not making contacts?
Even with good propagation, these factors matter:
- Antenna - The #1 factor! A dipole up high beats an expensive radio with a bad antenna
- Power - 100W helps but isn't required; antenna height matters more
- Timing - Activators get mobbed with callers; be patient and persistent
- QRM - Other stations calling at the same time; wait for a gap
- Wrong sideband - Below 10 MHz use LSB; above 10 MHz use USB
What antenna should I use?
Budget-friendly options that work:
- Dipole - Simple wire antenna, $20 or DIY. Height is key!
- End-fed half wave (EFHW) - Single wire, easy to deploy. Popular: MyAntennas EFHW
- Vertical - Needs radials but works all bands. Good: Hustler 4-BTV, DX Commander
- Loop - Good for limited space. Chameleon F-Loop or MFJ loops
Short version: find an activator, check the score (higher = better chance), tune to their frequency and call.
A green ✓ or dot means real signals have been heard on that path. Not getting through? Check your antenna first. It's always the antenna.
Live spots
Loading…
| Activator | Park | Frequency | Mode | Spotter | Comments | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loading spots… | ||||||
Activity by hour (UTC)
When are operators most active? Loading activity data…
Modes
Bands
Spots, last 24 hours
Spots over timeTop activators
Loading…
Busiest parks
TodayLoading…
Band and mode
Where the activity is happening Loading matrix…