Our daily discussion group at the local repeater has a few POTA activators. So naturally, POTA comes up as a topic quite often. On one of these occasions, a participant remarked that he does participate in POTA hunting or activation. "Quick contacts are not for me", he said. He said that he preferred long chats with a microphone, it allowed for a more personal connection he opined.
The group is very friendly and no one takes offense. Amateur radio is a hobby with a wide range of participatory choices. To each his/her own is my deeply held opinion as well. We accepted his opinion at face value.
However, when the discussion ended, his remarks got me thinking! I am both a rag-chewer and a POTA nut. I am mostly CW; but by no means a CW snob. My choice of CW is purely mathematical; more distance per watt with my less than ideal antennae. I frequently have CW rag chews, and have had some deep and meaningful exchanges. So I don't think SSB is essential for a personal connection. With that out of the way, I wanted to see if his opinion about short contacts and POTA held water for me.
Here is where the surprising fact surfaced. I found that POTA provides for more meaningful ham radio partnerships and have allowed me to bond with some of my fellow operators in its own unique way.
Please allow me to explain...
In recalling my rag chews and long QSOs, I see that they go beyond the typical ham radio stuff such as the rig and weather. They have ventured into something trivial such as the new car they were buying ... to homebound ham with injuries who was having trouble with his kids. But the deep connection ends with the end of the QSO. I rarely ever get to hear from them again. There almost seems to be some unwritten rule about not working the same call again. These meaningful exchanges fade into oblivion...their call signs forgotten..
Not so with POTA. My typical activations net about 20 QSOs; I am not a power activator. This low volume comes with several advantages. When I come back home to log my QSOs I look up each and every call sign on QRZ. I will also glance into any blogs or websites linked on their profile. Over time, I started recognizing frequent hunters. Every time I hear the call of a repeat hunter, I will try recollect their names. I do not use a computer during activations and my phone is strictly used for spotting. So when I respond to hunters by name, it is because I recall them from the QRZ lookup. Over time, their profile picture and significant details in their page are also recollected as I respond. I now have a clearer picture of who I am responding to. These days, I am more efficient and good at recognizing first time hunters. I circle the calls and try to pore over their profiles when I get back home to see what they are all about! [Note to Repeat Hunters: If I do not respond with your name when you hunt, don't despair, it is only a matter of time before I get your name into memory :-) ].
I am sure that most hunters also look up the activators QRZ. If not, I sincerely encourage them to do so. It is really fun to form a fuller picture of the ham on the other side of the QSO.
POTA is about fellowship even when you treat it as dealing with anonymous entities. Every time I head out I know I can always count on hunters to make my activations successful. Being an activator, I appreciate the effort that goes into making one and the fear that grips you when your CQs go unanswered at the beginning of every activation. I have been surprised by hunters in the west coast respond to my CQs at 6:30 AM [ 3:30AM their time] when I have activations before getting into work.
The fellowship extends in the other direction as well. I realize that for many HAMs hunting POTA is a major activity for the day. I am happy to have done my little bit in making their day a little sweeter. I once worked a hunter in WA state from one of my state parks. I got a letter with his QSL a few days later. In the letter this HAM mentioned that he used to frequent the park in his childhood days in Michigan. He also added that he has not been back here in over 40 years. He fondly recalled his summers spent in the park and thanked me for the park and the reminiscence. I was deeply moved that a simple activation can have a powerful impact on a person's day. Now, I don't get to work WA state every activation, but every now and then I will work this hunter and we always exchange a quick sentence or two.
POTA also brings people together as common interests do. Our morning group is planning joint activations over time. This is another way POTA enriches participant experience and brings people closer together.
That being said, I am a participant in a few HF SSB nets. The camaraderie of a regular gathering of people with frequent exchanges is indeed hard to beat; you really build bonds and friendship over time. But short of that, to me, POTA is indeed the next best thing if one is willing to put in the effort. If you go beyond the 5NN exchange you'll find that it is better than rag-chewing with strangers whom you may never see or hear from again!
What do you think?
Your post on QRZ.com led me here. My initial suspicion was quickly squashed by your well written and heartfelt blog post. The story about the letter from the WA state hunter was the clincher. Thanks for taking the time to post both here and on the Zed. With 72/73, Jeff WN1MB
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