Hey, great video... I learned the hard way and with limited success. I seldom check the Spots page, and dial around for signals. Most of my hunting is done from my back patio. On occasion, I'll drive up near Bogus Basin north of Boise for the view and elevation. From there I'm nearer the ionosphere, and can usually make out even weak signals. The QMX, an EFλ/2 attached to a fiberglass mast leaning into a tree does it. All from the warm comforts of my Jeep... Me time! TU 4 V 72 de W7UDT ID sk e e
Awesome video! I started hunting POTA using CW in August. It was my first time on the air. I was sweating, my heart was racing, and the only thing I copied was my own call sign and 73 at the end. I had to lie down afterward. Now two months later it feels so much more natural, and I try to hunt at least a couple activators daily. I still make mistakes, but I no longer feel so bad about them (just this morning I sent GA instead of GM). One thing I did in the beginning to make things easier was to give everyone a 5NN, regardless if that was accurate. I then later added 55N to my "vocabulary", so I had 5NN for when signals were super good, and 55N for when they weren't. Now I try to be more accurate. Another thing I still sometimes do is practice certain parts just before replying, with the radio in practice mode, so it's still fresh when I actually send it. Like for example a 23N, which I don't often send, I still find hard to send in the moment. 73 de VA2WLM
Thank you! That is an amazing story! Your first time on the air was a CW QSO with a POTA station. That's incredible! Sending and copying will get better with time and practice. One thing you can do is record your QSOs so you can replay them if you missed copying something in the moment. Great Job!
Great video! This should be required watching for new CW hunters! I try to listen to an activator to get a feel for how they are running their activation. If they are running 'contest style', just sending a signal report and BK, I will shorten my response to just signal report and state, and then BK. N7BBQ
Would you expect to hear the pota park id anywhere in the QSO? Sometimes you may not have an internet connection to access the spotting page and would not know where the person is. I’ve seen some videos where the activators send their park number at some point in the exchange.. starting to learn cw now and finding these vids very useful.
Normally you don’t hear a park ID unless someone is making a park to park contact, meaning a park activator is hunting another park activator. If that’s the case then you will hear P2P in the exchange and at some point they will exchange park numbers. It’s really not necessary to exchange park IDs though because the POTA website will automatically figure out if the contact was a park to park when both sets of logs are uploaded. If you hunt a park and you don’t have an internet connection, the easiest way to find out what the park was is to check your hunter log on the pota.app website later on when you get internet access again. You could also ask the activator if you really wanted to know but if they have a pile up then that’s probably not the best time to ask. HTH 73
As a hunter if I wasn’t comfortable with a long form QSO then I would just move to another activator. As an activator I would expect that it is someone inexperienced or who doesn’t know about POTA. It can be annoying but I would just be kind to them and have a longer QSO. A POTA activation is for fun anyway. No one’s life is in jeopardy if you don’t have fast QSOs. I would rather not scare away a new CW op.
Great video overview for hunting POTA. I agree it’s a great tool for learning CW. It was thanks to a POTA hunting script UA-cam tutorials 6 months ago that gave the courage to get on the air. 73 de KI7QCF
I thought the same thing last year too but I think Begali is in his 80s now. I was thinking I might not get a chance at getting one if I waited too long.
I was working on my courage to do the same two months ago. I would listen, wait for the perfect moment, I'd start sweating just thinking of pressing that key, and then put the radio in practice mode once more to practice my own call sign. I'd repeat that enough times until the activator went QRT, and I could tell myself "ah well, not today I guess". And then one day I was home alone, so no distractions from the kids, signals were super strong, the activator I was listening to was sending very clearly and in an easy format, and then I just went for it. I didn't actually copy a single thing, apart from my call sign, BK, and 73 haha, but I made it through. It got easier after that.
Hey, great video... I learned the hard way and with limited success. I seldom check the Spots page, and dial around for signals. Most of my hunting is done from my back patio. On occasion, I'll drive up near Bogus Basin north of Boise for the view and elevation. From there I'm nearer the ionosphere, and can usually make out even weak signals. The QMX, an EFλ/2 attached to a fiberglass mast leaning into a tree does it. All from the warm comforts of my Jeep... Me time!
TU 4 V 72 de W7UDT ID sk e e
TU ES HPE CUL 72 e e
Great video, thanks, as a new CW operator I really appreciate it. Thanks! 73!
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome video! I started hunting POTA using CW in August. It was my first time on the air. I was sweating, my heart was racing, and the only thing I copied was my own call sign and 73 at the end. I had to lie down afterward. Now two months later it feels so much more natural, and I try to hunt at least a couple activators daily. I still make mistakes, but I no longer feel so bad about them (just this morning I sent GA instead of GM).
One thing I did in the beginning to make things easier was to give everyone a 5NN, regardless if that was accurate. I then later added 55N to my "vocabulary", so I had 5NN for when signals were super good, and 55N for when they weren't. Now I try to be more accurate.
Another thing I still sometimes do is practice certain parts just before replying, with the radio in practice mode, so it's still fresh when I actually send it. Like for example a 23N, which I don't often send, I still find hard to send in the moment.
73 de VA2WLM
Thank you! That is an amazing story! Your first time on the air was a CW QSO with a POTA station. That's incredible!
Sending and copying will get better with time and practice. One thing you can do is record your QSOs so you can replay them if you missed copying something in the moment.
Great Job!
Nice video. I do alot of POTA hunting on SSB. I mostly operate QRP. I’m working on my CW so I do some hunting with it soon.
Hope it was helpful.
Great video! This should be required watching for new CW hunters! I try to listen to an activator to get a feel for how they are running their activation. If they are running 'contest style', just sending a signal report and BK, I will shorten my response to just signal report and state, and then BK. N7BBQ
Thank you! Yes, I totally agree. Listening to the activators style is key to not breaking the rhythm.
Would you expect to hear the pota park id anywhere in the QSO? Sometimes you may not have an internet connection to access the spotting page and would not know where the person is. I’ve seen some videos where the activators send their park number at some point in the exchange.. starting to learn cw now and finding these vids very useful.
Normally you don’t hear a park ID unless someone is making a park to park contact, meaning a park activator is hunting another park activator. If that’s the case then you will hear P2P in the exchange and at some point they will exchange park numbers. It’s really not necessary to exchange park IDs though because the POTA website will automatically figure out if the contact was a park to park when both sets of logs are uploaded. If you hunt a park and you don’t have an internet connection, the easiest way to find out what the park was is to check your hunter log on the pota.app website later on when you get internet access again. You could also ask the activator if you really wanted to know but if they have a pile up then that’s probably not the best time to ask. HTH 73
Hi, thanks a lot for your videos. I have a question:how to’ behave when in Pota activity someone answers with a standard qso, sometimes it happens.
As a hunter if I wasn’t comfortable with a long form QSO then I would just move to another activator. As an activator I would expect that it is someone inexperienced or who doesn’t know about POTA. It can be annoying but I would just be kind to them and have a longer QSO. A POTA activation is for fun anyway. No one’s life is in jeopardy if you don’t have fast QSOs. I would rather not scare away a new CW op.
Great video overview for hunting POTA. I agree it’s a great tool for learning CW. It was thanks to a POTA hunting script UA-cam tutorials 6 months ago that gave the courage to get on the air. 73 de KI7QCF
And look at you now... you're a superstar! You've done in months what has taken me years.
Saving for the traveler light… $409.00 and they are on vacation right now… or might wait till ham vention next year
Wow. Prices went up. I got mine a year ago for $100 less than that with the aluminum finger pieces too... jeez.
@@JoeN2DI prices are crazy… I’m leaning on not getting it… just to expensive… It’s more than my G90 cost me…
I thought the same thing last year too but I think Begali is in his 80s now. I was thinking I might not get a chance at getting one if I waited too long.
@@JoeN2DI understandable… but I’m retired and have to keep my priorities in line with my income…
what keyer is that? looks nice
It’s the begali magnetic traveler light.
I was wondering what key that was as well. Thanks for answering his question. I believe Begali keys are the best. N3EDO. @JoeN2DI
vy helpful tnx
Glad it was useful. 73
Great Video. This would have been very helpful back when I got started, I had to learn the hard way! 73 K5OHY
Thank you! I should have done it sooner!
Great video. I’m working on the courage to try hunting CW. This helps so much.
De KK4LBJ.
Glad it was helpful! The POTA community is very beginner friendly. Just go for it.
I was working on my courage to do the same two months ago. I would listen, wait for the perfect moment, I'd start sweating just thinking of pressing that key, and then put the radio in practice mode once more to practice my own call sign. I'd repeat that enough times until the activator went QRT, and I could tell myself "ah well, not today I guess". And then one day I was home alone, so no distractions from the kids, signals were super strong, the activator I was listening to was sending very clearly and in an easy format, and then I just went for it. I didn't actually copy a single thing, apart from my call sign, BK, and 73 haha, but I made it through. It got easier after that.