K0USA

We did it!  With time to spare- Now the quest is to make it to 1,100,000... so keep on working to stations.. the event winds down at 23:59Z on December 31st.   K0USA will be on the air from Homestead National Momunent all day.

http://www.arrl.org/news/national-parks-on-the-air-contact-tally-tops-1-million
 
It started on January 1^st, 2016.  Deep in the heart of winter the first signals could be heard calling “CQ CQ CQ National Parks on the Air”.  By January 31, 2016 there had been 243 different National Park Units activated, 606 different activations and 72,117 contacts had been uploaded to the ARRL’s Logbook of the World.   By the end of February it had grown to 311 National Park Units, 1569 activations and 136,539 total contacts made from National Parks.

As of November 30^th, the numbers are 461 National Park units have been activated at least 1 time, 174,694 activations and 926,803 contacts have been uploaded to Logbook of the World.   

The group of amateur radio operators who are on the ARRL National Parks on the Air Facebook Page (more than 5000 members and growing daily) are determined to make it to 1,000,000 contacts by the end of the contest on at 23:59 UTC December 31, 2016.     With less than 75,000 to go, and as a group, they and other hams are currently averaging  about 29,000 contacts a week. Their goal appears to be within reach. 

So, what is National Parks on the Air – also known as NPOTA?   It’s a yearlong event that runs in parallel with the National Park Service (NPS) Centennial.   The idea is to:

1. Promote the capabilities of Amateur Radio to the general public through operations at eligible NPS Administrative Units
2. Promote the NPS Centennial and the heritage of the National Parks through Amateur Radio
3. Encourage portable Amateur Radio operation from as many of the officially-listed NPS administrative units and recognized Affiliated Areas as possible

Activators are those that go to the various park units and call CQ.  To be an official activation and get credit for an activation they must make 10 QSOs  - any band, including the WARC bands as this isn’t a contest, any mode, CW, SSB, PSK, etc..  no repeaters contacts, no digipeated contacts except via satellite or the International Space Station.  

There are few rules other than the activator and all of their equipment must be within the boundaries of the park unit, or in the case of trails and rivers the activator and equipment must be within 50 to 100’ depending on the type of trail.   Some people will operate from their car, others setup in the park on a picnic table or under a tent, much like Field Day.  Then there are the locations that demand portable battery powered operations.    

The chasers are those that work the various park units and they can earn points for each unit they work.  And it’s the chasers that make it fun for the activators.  Even DX stations make the effort to get through. K0USA has worked many European stations and South American stations using nothing but a ham stick.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Amateur Radio Club has been involved since the beginning of the event and responded to an invitation from Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, NE to do a multi-day activation during their annual Homestead Days Celebration.   The first K0USA activation was in January from Homestead National Monument. The KØUSA NPOTA Team (KAØVNY, KØCTU, KEØBHP and NØTRK) have activated Homestead National Monument  seven times, (including a 3 day stay on the grounds of the monument) , with another activation planned for December 31^st.       

Other club members have joined the core group during their trips to Homestead, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, Lewis and Clark Trail, California Trail, Pony Express Trail, Missouri National Recreational River and the Niobrara Scenic River .   They have also hosted hams who have driven from Hastings and Concordia, KS as well as many locals who have stopped by to get on the air for a while.   They have made contacts on CW, SSB, PSK, Satellites and even a few 2 meter FM contacts.   

So, make plans to spend part of the day at Homestead with the team!  They will gladly share the mic or you can help log the stations.  Logging is a great way to learn to pick up the call signs.  There will be operations inside where it is toasty warm. And Beatrice is close by for food and drink, and there is lots to see at Homestead. So come be part of this record setting event on the final day of operations, December 31, 2016.   It promises to be a busy time! 
If that doesn’t work for you just tune around the bands, (look for the pileups) check the DX cluster for NPOTA stations and be one – or more- of those 1 Million QSOs.   

If you’d like a bit more info about the operation at Homestead on December 31, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.