POTA & FT8 Data

[Stom]

Now that I have retired, I am thinking about entering the world of amateur radio! I like outdoor activities so that POTA/SOTA is highly appealing.

To minimize the sound intrusion into a natural area, it seems that the data format (I presume, most likely FT8) would be better than SSB voice. From a casual look at the POTA page (I haven't figured out how to get total counts of CW-data-SSB), it seems like people do use data for POTA activations, but it doesn't look like too many.

I'd appreciate any input to get a better 'real world' feel for the level of data activity in POTA/SOTA. I've started studying for my license. I'm fearful of my ability to learn CW, so FT8 may be a better fit for me.

Thanks.

Stom Ohno

[Brian - K3ES]

Hi Stom,

Congratulations on your retirement. I did the same last year, and amateur radio has been a great activity for me, with an emphasis on POTA. I am a recent licensee (August 2020), and I have been having a great time developing and using my CW skills.

The July 2022 POTA update video on YouTube gives some information on Phone, CW, and Digital mode activity (link below). There is a great amount of activity on all of the modes, and it is increasing rapidly. I believe you will have no problem finding contacts on any mode you select, and things are improving with the rising solar cycle and the rapid growth of POTA.

https://youtu.be/N7EfnufPzag

Best 73 de Brian - K3ES

[SkipRD]

Ditto on the congrats. I retired in 2016, so I'm an old (literally) hand on how to be retired. And have fun getting into ham radio. I'm sure you'll love it.

Remember, for FT8 you'll need not only the radio, antenna, power supply, etc., but also a computer of some sort and a way to connect the radio and antenna. If the radio has a built-in sound card, it'll be easier, but many radios designed for portable use do not, which means you'll need another piece of equipment. I do FT8 POTA activations from time to time, and it's fun, but often involves lugging more stuff and doing more setup than I'm in the mood for.

As to CW, I got my General back in the early 90s when I had to pass a 13 wpm CW test. Then I promptly abandoned it and never sent a single dit for 30 years. But I quickly realized that CW is a GREAT mode for POTA, probably the best. So I decided to give CW a try, which means I had to start over learning a new language at age 71! I was never very good at languages anyway and 71 is not a good age to start. But I did. And after 6 months of study (see below), I'm now fairly good at 15-18 wpm, which is just fine for POTA, especially since the exchange is short, simple, and usually predictable. And the POTA community is so gracious that if I miss something, all I have to do is send "?" and I'll get it the second time. I'll be up to 20+ wpm in a couple months, which is way more than enough.

If you decide you might want to try CW, I highly recommend the CW Academy run by the CW Ops guys. Basically, it's a bunch of guys who are both (1) unbelievably good at CW and (2) wonderful, generous teachers who love sharing the fun of CW with others. The CW Academy courses start at the "Intro" level, which assumes the student doesn't even know any Morse Code whatsoever, and then progresses through "Basic" (which gets the student up to 10 wpm), "Intermediate" (up to 20), and "Advanced" (for people who want to send code faster than they can talk, mainly those interested in CW contesting). The classes consist of 8-10 students and are held twice weekly over Zoom or something similar. More information is available here: https://cwops.org/cw-academy/cw-academy-options/. I wouldn't let a concern over learning CW stop me. If your brain is capable of learning code (and I think every brain is), the CW Academy instructors will figure out a way to get the skill into your cranium somehow.

Hope that helps. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need any more info.
73 Skip K4EAK

[K1GC]

Ditto to considering CW. I thought I would never learn it, and now it is 95% of what I do on air. You just have to commit to it and practice a little every day. The learning curve is steep at first, but progressively eases into a long slow climb of improving comprehension and speed. CW makes an excellent POTA/SOTA mode.

CW OPS is highly recommended and I also have nothing but great things to say about the group at Long Island CW Club, which was part of my learning journey over the last two years.

[Stom]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

I do agree that CW and POTA seem like a natural fit. And I do appreciate the fact that FT8 would require bringing along a laptop and associated stuff. Given that my ideal vision would be for CW-POTA, I probably at least try to see if I can learn it, albeit a slow wpm rate. Thanks for the encouragement!!!

Stom

[Brian - K3ES]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

I do agree that CW and POTA seem like a natural fit. And I do appreciate the fact that FT8 would require bringing along a laptop and associated stuff. Given that my ideal vision would be for CW-POTA, I probably at least try to see if I can learn it, albeit a slow wpm rate. Thanks for the encouragement!!!

Stom

Stom,

One suggestion for learning CW: try to learn the characters at a higher rate, so that you train yourself to recognize the distinct sound of each character. Going slowly enough to enable counting and translation is a mistake that I have regretted, because I had to overcome it to make further progress. With that said, enjoy the journey!

Best 73 de Brian K3ES

[N8TGQ]

Welcome to retirement and ham radio! Both are great fun and I wish I had started both sooner than I did.

If you're in the US, one thing to consider is you can use CW on the 80, 40, 15 and 10 meter HF bands with just the Technician license. For the digital modes, you'll need the next higher General license.

There are so many ways to learn morse code these days, I wouldn't presume to tell you which one is best. Try a few different ways to see whats best for you.

I only run QRP CW, whether at home or in the parks. I dont do any of the contests or xxOTA things-I'm just out for the fun and relaxation, so I do a lot of just listening and talking with friends I've made over the years.

Have fun!
Rick N8TGQ

[Stom]

Thanks, everyone! All the thoughts have helped me and I will sign up for CW classes in the winter when it gets cold up in New England.

Stom

[K1GC]

If you decided to give CW a go, also have a look at the Long Island CW Club. https://longislandcwclub.org/

I never thought I would learn CW, and while I am still honing the skill (one probably always is) it quickly became my favorite mode.