After managing a couple of QSO’s on HF, and feeling confident with our set-up, we decided to give a POTA activation a go. Before you start, make sure that you have a POTA account created (it can take a few hours to get it confirmed, so make sure you do this in advance). We did not have high expectations, as the 10 QSO’s necessary for a successful activation seemed like quite a lot (especially considering our struggles with HF), but it was a lovely evening, and a good excuse to get out and enjoy it. The park we chose was Tice’s Meadow which can be found on the POTA website here: (https://pota.app/#/park/GB-4296). We were surprised to see that it had not yet been activated, and the chance to be the first activators was very exciting! We announced the intended activation on the activation page: https://pota.app/#/activations, with the time we expected to be at Tice’s Meadow. This has the advantage of letting hunters know on which frequency they can listen out for you, and at which time.
As we had limited daylight hours, we decided to drive to the park. You can park on the Badshot Lea road, and either follow a path through the park, or through the estate. We took the path through the estate to avoid the sodden, muddy ground through the park, and entered the park through a gate over the blackwater valley river. Tice’s meadow is good for birdwatching, with bird feeders and a hide overlooking a lake. As it was late in the evening, and no one else was at the hide, we decided to set up just to the right of the bird hide, with a beautiful view of the sunset over the lake.
We decided to set up my Dad’s new vertical whip antenna, the JPC-12, as it is slightly quicker to set up than the 1/4 wave ground plane we had built (https://m7isy.rootfs.net/2025/02/28/building-a-1-4-wave-ground-plane-for-20m/), and needs less space. We had bought the JPC-12 at Martin Lynch and Sons, and had been advised, that you can buy an additional longer whip for the antenna, and this allows you to also be able to tune it for 80m. Or, if you remove the coils, it would be tuned for 20m. This is exactly what we did, and with some small adjustments to the length, checking the SWR on the nanoVNA, we were ready to go.
Once we were ready to go, we self-spotted ourselves on the POTA website, https://pota.app/#/ so that hunters would know that we were now actually at the park and which frequency we were on. It was decided that I should have a go at calling CQ first, so after connecting the Yaesu FT-818nd to the antenna, I dialled to our selected frequency and tried a CQ POTA. To my utter shock, someone responded right away! I was so unprepared – I did not have notepaper to write the callsign and time on, and had no idea what to say in response! I ended up babbling about our setup, which was longer than necessary, as most people just want a signal report and to make way for the next contact. The QSO’s came fast, as soon as I had finished one, the next person arrived. We quickly reached the 10 necessary contacts, and reached 14, which included a contact with someone in New York! This was especially pleasing, as not only had we completed the first activation of Tice’s Meadow, but proved that our HF set-up really does work, and that it is possible to make contacts using SSB and QRP.
The next time we try POTA, I will definitely bring a pen and paper to write down the callsigns and the time. We ended up using the notes app on a phone to write down the information, but I personally find pen and paper easier. I will also write down some notes so that I have a script to follow when I answer QSOs so that it keeps the nerves in check! The main pieces of information will be to give a signal report, and the identification number of the park. Once you have finished your activation, make sure to log your contacts on the POTA website, as this gives the hunters points. This should be done regardless of if you make it to the 10 QSO’s necessary for a successful activation or not.
Now that we start to get longer days and nicer weather, I am very much looking forward to doing some more POTA activations.
