National Parks On The Air / Amateur Radio

  • HTML tutorial

Mad Garden Gnome

Rank V
Launch Member

Off-Road Ranger I

2,771
Templeton, Ca
First Name
Ryan
Last Name
Marlett
Member #

661

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W6ORV
I just got wind of this today and it looks pretty enticing.

NPOTA

NPOTA on Facebook

For those of you unfamiliar with the "....On The Air" programs of Amateur Radio, there are award programs for "activating" or working specific landmarks. To mention a couple there is

Summits On The Air (SOTA) - You operate from, or work with a station on, a geographically designated summit. Easy for the most basic of users. You need the ability to get there and a radio. You go to the SOTA website and "activate" your summit. This consists of declaring on the SOTA site what summit you are activating, what frequencies and modes you will be operating on, and when you will be there. This is necessary for operators to know they can work your station, or for you to know there is a summit active for you to work.

Islands On The Air (IOTA) - This is a very popular one. Same basic principal as SOTA, but these turn into full blown expeditions. Anyone can "work" Hawaii, people live there. Who wants to work, or operate from, an obscure uninhabited island off of the coast of North Korea, with the Supreme Leaders permission? Yes, people will get sponsors and put their own money into an expedition, years in planning, negotiate with governments, to charter aircraft and vessels, gather logistics to support and equip the operators, in order to spend maybe as little as seven days operating from a spot in the ocean.

National Parks On The Air and Overlanding

In celebration of the National Park Services 100th anniversary, the Amateur Radio Relay League has created an award program based on operating in, or operating with someone in, a National Park. Any one of us could pack up our rig and head out to an activated park of our choosing, set up, and enjoy some time outdoors while participating in amateur radio. This would be a good opportunity to give your "comm game" a pressure test and see if your setup has what it takes to coordinate a rescue or social event.

List of current active parks.

.-- -.... --- .-. ...- / -.-. .-.. . .- .-.
 
Last edited:

maktruk

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

2,741
95046
Member #

0912

Stop it. I think I blew up my trail CB running my antenna untuned. Now I'm looking at radio setups and my wife will throw me out of the house if I spend more $$$
 

maktruk

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

2,741
95046
Member #

0912

I'll never be homeless, I have overlanding gear...

Might be a little stinky...
 

maktruk

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

2,741
95046
Member #

0912

Hmm...Pinnacles is the newest national park and its only 30 miles from me.
 

Mad Garden Gnome

Rank V
Launch Member

Off-Road Ranger I

2,771
Templeton, Ca
First Name
Ryan
Last Name
Marlett
Member #

661

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W6ORV
Yea, I was looking at Pinnacles earlier too. Anywhere vehicle accessible is in a hole. I could probably get out with low power JT65/9 on 10m. Or if someone had a high angle HF setup.
 

maktruk

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

2,741
95046
Member #

0912

As soon as I posted I remembered Pinnacles is hikers haven...

Fremont Peak would get ya some clear air but obviously, not a NP
 

Lars

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate II

2,093
Wyldwood, TX
Member #

0654

I'll have to register my trips when we go. I can put the Padre Island National Seashore on the air for both IOTA, and NPOTA. And then when I take the wife out to Big Bend National Park I can put that on the air as well.

This is one of the primary reasons I got the BuddiPole.

Padre Island Active April, 2015. (From the 60 mile marker, which is to say 60 miles from the nearest paved road, or the southern most edge of the island)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mad Garden Gnome