🏕️ Parks on the Air
Real-time POTA spots, park analytics, and activator statistics
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Active Now
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Unique Parks
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Spots Today
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Top Mode
📍 Who Can You Work?
Propagation-based workability scores
Your location: EM89lx
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Current conditions: SFI 110 • K-index 4
Best chances right now - combining real-time PSKReporter FT8 spots with solar/distance analysis
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Loading workability data…
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🤔 WTF Does This All Mean?
New to ham radio? Click to expandWhat 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
TL;DR: Find activators, check the score (higher = better chance), tune to their frequency, and make contact!
Green ✓ means real signals exist on that path. 📡 means we have actual PSKReporter data.
Not getting through? Check your antenna first - it's always the antenna!
📡 Live POTA Spots
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| Activator | Park | Frequency | Mode | Spotter | Comments | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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🔥 Activity by Hour (UTC)
When are operators most active? Loading activity data…
📊 Mode Distribution
📻 Band Activity
📅 Activity Trend (Last 24h)
Spots over time🏆 Top Activators
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🏕️ Hot Parks
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📶 Band × Mode Matrix
Where the activity is happening Loading matrix…