1
Get Licensed
You need an amateur radio license to activate or hunt. A Technician license works, but most POTA activity is on HF, so a General license opens up far more bands. Not licensed yet? Start with the ARRL licensing page.
ARRL LICENSING ↗
PARKS ON THE AIR • BEGINNER’S GUIDE
NEW TO POTA?
START HERE.
Everything you need for your first hunt and your first activation — in plain language, with Kentucky parks and KPC tools to get you there.
WHAT IS POTA?
Radio From The Places You Love
Parks on the Air is an amateur radio program that gets operators outside. Activators set up portable stations in parks, forests, wildlife areas and trails. Hunters contact them from home or from another park. Every contact counts toward awards — and Kentucky has 195 POTA parks waiting for you.
THE SHORT VERSION
Go To A Park.
Make 10 Contacts.
Upload Your Log.
That’s an activation. The rest of this page is how to do it well.
TWO WAYS TO PLAY
Hunt Or Activate — Or Both
Most people start as a hunter and catch the activator bug soon after.
HUNTER
Hunt From Home
Work the activators who are out in the parks.
- Watch the spots for parks on the air
- Call the activator and swap a quick exchange
- No logs to upload — credit comes from their log
- Great way to learn the rhythm before you go out
ACTIVATOR
Go To The Park
Set up a portable station and put a park on the air.
- Operate from inside the park boundary
- Make 10 contacts in one UTC day
- Upload your log at pota.app
- Hunters will be glad you showed up
STEP BY STEP
Your First Activation In 9 Steps
From license to log upload. Take it one step at a time — nobody gets it perfect the first time.
2
Make A Free POTA Account
Sign up at pota.app. Your account is where you see parks, spot yourself, upload logs, and track your activator and hunter stats and awards.
OPEN POTA.APP ↗3
Hunt First — It’s The Easiest Way In
Before you head out, spend an evening hunting from home. Open the POTA spots page, pick an activator, tune to their frequency and listen to how the exchange goes. Then call them. You’ll learn the rhythm fast — and you’ll understand what activators need from the other end.
KPC TIP
Hunters don’t upload anything. You get credit automatically when the activator uploads their log.
KPC LIVE SPOTS →POTA SPOTS ↗Hunters don’t upload anything. You get credit automatically when the activator uploads their log.
4
Pick Your First Park
Choose somewhere close, easy to reach, with parking and a picnic table. A state park or WMA near home is perfect for a first activation — save the remote trail parks for later.
- KPC Trip Planner — parks near your town, with directions to official parking.
- KPC Kentucky POTA guides — every Kentucky park with official maps, GPS and access points.
- Rarely Activated Parks — once you’re comfortable, these get you a pileup.
5
Check The Boundary & The Rules
You and all of your equipment must be inside the park boundary and on public property. Use the official agency map first — community maps can be wrong. Check hours, closures and any park rules about antennas or tying off to trees.
WMAs & PUBLIC HUNTING LAND
Check Kentucky Fish & Wildlife season dates before you go, and wear blaze orange during gun seasons.
HUNTING SEASONS ↗BEFORE YOU GO →Check Kentucky Fish & Wildlife season dates before you go, and wear blaze orange during gun seasons.
6
Pack Simple
You don’t need expensive gear. A first kit can be your radio, a battery, a simple wire antenna or vertical, coax, a way to get the antenna up, something to log with, and water, a chair and sunscreen. Keep it simple — you can add gear after you learn what you actually use. Not sure what antenna to bring? Start with our beginner antenna guides.
KPC CHECKLIST ↗BEGINNER’S GUIDE →YOUR FIRST ANTENNA →7
Get On The Air & Spot Yourself
Set up, find a clear frequency, ask if it’s in use, then call CQ. Post a self-spot on pota.app with your park, frequency and mode so hunters can find you. The exchange is short — callsign, signal report and state.
YOU: CQ POTA, CQ POTA, this is KZ4CP, Kilo Zulu Four Charlie Papa, calling from US-1271.
HUNTER: KQ4HZK.
YOU: KQ4HZK, you’re 5-9 in Kentucky.
HUNTER: Thanks, you’re 5-7 in Ohio. 73!
YOU: Thanks, 73. QRZ POTA, KZ4CP.
HUNTER: KQ4HZK.
YOU: KQ4HZK, you’re 5-9 in Kentucky.
HUNTER: Thanks, you’re 5-7 in Ohio. 73!
YOU: Thanks, 73. QRZ POTA, KZ4CP.
Log each contact as you go: their callsign, the time in UTC, band and mode.
CHECK BAND CONDITIONS →8
Make 10 Contacts In One UTC Day
A valid activation is 10 or more contacts from one park in the same UTC day. Don’t worry if you fall short — every hunter you worked still gets credit once you upload.
WATCH THE UTC CLOCK
The UTC day rolls over in the evening in Kentucky. If you’re still on the air when it changes, your contacts start counting toward a new day.
The UTC day rolls over in the evening in Kentucky. If you’re still on the air when it changes, your contacts start counting toward a new day.
| KENTUCKY TIME ZONE | UTC DAY CHANGES AT (DAYLIGHT TIME) | STANDARD TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 8:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
| Central | 7:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
9
Upload Your Log
Export your log as an ADIF (.adi) file — one park, one location per file — and upload it on pota.app under My Log Uploads. There’s no deadline, but upload soon so your hunters get their credit.
MY LOG UPLOADS ↗OFFICIAL POTA RULES ↗THE RULES THAT MATTER
Rules At A Glance
The short list. Always check the official POTA rules for the full details.
✓ 10 contacts, one UTC dayTen or more QSOs from one park in the same UTC day makes a valid activation.
✓ Inside the boundaryYou and all equipment must be inside the park boundary and on public property.
✓ Vehicles are fineOperating from a vehicle parked on public property inside the park is allowed.
✓ Any band, any modeAll bands and modes your license allows, including the WARC bands. Use only the power you need.
✕ No repeatersContacts made through land repeaters do not count.
✕ No relaysCallsigns, reports and park numbers can’t be relayed by a third station — both stations must hear each other.
✕ No fully automated contactsBoth operators must take direct action to make each contact.
✓ 2-fers need overlapActivating two parks at once means standing where both boundaries overlap — and keeping a separate log for each park.
RESPECT THE HOBBY. RESPECT THE LAND.
Good Habits From Day One
Leave no tracePack out everything you bring, and don’t damage trees, signs or plants with antennas or guy lines.
Keep trails clearRun coax and guy lines where nobody will trip on them, and give other park visitors space.
Be easy to workSay your callsign and park often. Slow down for weak or new hunters — everybody started somewhere.
Stay safeWatch the weather, shut down for lightning, carry water, and tell someone where you’re going.
QUESTIONS
New Activator FAQ
Do I need expensive gear?
No. Plenty of activations are made with a basic radio, a battery and a simple wire antenna. Start with what you have and add gear once you know what you actually use.
Can I operate from my car?
Yes — as long as the vehicle is parked on public property inside the park boundary.
What if I don’t make 10 contacts?
It doesn’t count as a valid activation for you, but upload the log anyway: every hunter you worked still gets credit. Then go back and try again.
Do hunters need to upload logs?
No. Only activators upload. Hunters get credit automatically from the activator’s log.
Phone, CW or digital?
Any mode your license allows. Many new activators start on SSB phone; CW and digital modes can stretch a small station a long way. Contacts must involve both operators — fully automated contacts don’t count.
Can I activate two parks at once?
Yes, if you’re standing where both park boundaries overlap. Keep a separate log for each park. The KPC guides flag possible 2-fers — always confirm both boundaries on the official maps.
Is my county or grid square needed?
Not for POTA credit, but hunters chasing counties and grids will ask. The KPC Grid & County Lookup gives you both for any Kentucky park.
MORE WAYS TO PLAY
Try SOTA & WWFF Too
Same radio, same idea, different places. Many Kentucky parks are also WWFF areas, and some have SOTA summits inside them. Here is how the three compare.
SWIPE THE TABLE SIDEWAYS →
| POTA | SOTA | WWFF (KFF) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHERE | Parks, forests, wildlife areas, trails | Mountain and hill summits | Protected nature areas (many are also POTA parks) |
| REFERENCES | US-1234 | W4K/EC-001 | KFF-1234 |
| ACTIVATION | 10 contacts in one UTC day | 4 contacts with different stations to score points (1 still logs it) | 44 contacts for award credit, and they can add up over several trips (1 still counts for hunters) |
| WHERE TO STAND | Inside the park boundary | In the activation zone (within 25 m / 82 ft vertical of the top) | Whole station inside the boundary |
| VEHICLE | Allowed (park rules permitting) | No. Walk the last part, no vehicle power | Allowed |
| POWER | Any legal source | Portable only (batteries, solar). No generators | Any (green power preferred) |
| SIGN UP | pota.app | sotadata.org.uk (also logs you into SOTAwatch) | wwff.co |
| LOGS | Upload your ADIF yourself at pota.app (My Log Uploads) | Upload your log to the SOTA database | Email your ADIF to your KFF call-area log manager |
| KPC GUIDE | New to POTA | New to SOTA | New to WWFF |
Summaries only. The official rules always win: POTA rules · SOTA rules · WWFF global rules · KFF FAQ
KPC TOOLS FOR YOUR FIRST ACTIVATION
We Built These For You
Free KPC tools and guides to plan, find, and track your Kentucky activations.
TRIP PLANNER
Plan A Radio Trip
Parks, summits and KFF references near any Kentucky town, with directions to official parking.
PARK CHECKER
Kentucky Park Checker
See which Kentucky parks you’ve activated, or upload your POTA hunter CSV to see the parks you’ve hunted. Both show what’s still needed, on a map and as a spreadsheet.
GRID & COUNTY
Grid & County Lookup
Grid square and county for any Kentucky park — the first thing many hunters will ask.
ON THE AIR
Live POTA Spots
Kentucky parks on the air right now. Hunt a few before your first activation.
See You In The Park.
KENTUCKY PORTABLE CLUB • GET OUTSIDE. GET ON THE AIR.
EXPLORE KENTUCKY PARKS →