CQ Parks.net

One Planet... Two Ham Radio Park Programs!

How to activate or chase POTA and WWFF

Dual-Park Activating For WWFF & POTA

How Do I Get Started?

Sign up for accounts with both park programs.

Note: For WWFF, you must use your call sign as your username.

Whether you already enjoy POTA, or have been considering it, take some time to become familiar with BOTH park programs. Use their resources, their similarities, their differences, and play into the strengths of both programs to provide yourself with a more enjoyable operating experience while you are outside playing Ham Radio Operator/Portable.

Where Do I Hunt for WWFF & POTA Dual-Park Activators?

You can find scheduled activations at:

You can find active spots at:

Try to work the Activators that you can hear and get yourself into their logs. Look for some SOTA, GMA, and IOTA spots while you are logged in and remember to throw your fellow Ham a QSO just for being out there and doing what they enjoy.

Guess what? In doing this, you already expanded your base beyond that of a single awards program and you are on your way to earning awesome wallpaper from multiple organizations!

Where Do I Schedule My WWFF & POTA Dual-Park Activations?

Before you go out on your activation, you should schedule the activation on both sites. By scheduling your activation, you give your chasers a heads up on approximately when you will be activating, and, as a result, will increase your chances of success by giving you more QSOs.

Note: You should create shortcuts for the WWFF & POTA spot and schedule pages on your phone or computer.

If you have a cell signal, you can spot yourself from your phone or computer while at a park.

How Do I Spot Myself for WWFF, POTA, and even SOTA, Activations?

If you are on a CW activation and have alerts posted on POTA and WWFF, you will be automatically spotted on the spot pages for each of these services when you start calling CQ. As soon as the Reverse Beacon Networks picks up your CQ call, the three services will parse this data and if you calling CQ within the alert hours, they will spot you, and keep re-spotting you about every 5 minutes, 10 minutes for WWFF. If you change bands, they will spot you again.

If you are on SSB, you will have to spot yourself on each program’s spot page.

You can spot yourself at:

Consider re-spotting the SOTA, GMA, IOTA, Hams you work when applicable.

For USA, consider https://CountyHunter.com – Because it continues to bring in the QSOs.

Become familiar with https://www.reversebeacon.net and https://www.pskreporter.info/pskmap.html – Save them to your phone or laptop and use them to see where you are being heard.

Okay, So How Do I Dual-Activate a Park for WWFF & POTA?

In the Americas, I recommend that you run the Dual- Activation like POTA. Why?

  • You can call CQ POTA or call CQ PARKS [I much prefer the latter] on CW and SSB. Both of these statements are widely understood, neither are considered offensive, and neither will earn you a free POTA wrist-slap or a lifetime ban either.
  • The majority of your Park to Park QSOs will favor the POTA number anyway. Your Scheduled Activation, Self-Spotting, and the Re-Spotting by others, makes it known that you are activating a US-Park for some and a KFF-Park for others – Get Some “P2P2P” – PARK TO PARK TWO PROGRAMS!
  • These CQ methods involve far less effort than having to explain and re-explain what WWFF is and how two programs exist. Please include this website URL in your select post-activation emails, should you be interested in spreading the word about WWFF and the additional awards waiting for a fellow Ham.

Ham2k PoLo is the de facto standard “Ham/p” logging app.

Front-end configurations applied to a log setup allows multiple, properly formatted, ADIF exports at the end of a single activation.

WWFF, POTA, SOTA, LLOTA, Contests, and more – All from a single activation.

This, and so many other features important to the “Ham/p Operator” that outgrew the dated brickmold style of templates offered by other programs.

Stuart, VE9CF, gives some tips on dual park activations and on using Ham2k Polo.

What to Do When Your Dual-Park Activation is Over?

Be sure to upload your log to WWFF & POTA in a timely manner.

For those POTA park activations that cross-reference with KFF, simply attach your POTA .adi log in an email addressed to your KFF Coordinator (above).

  • No file modification
  • No additional effort
  • Nothing more than an email with a log attached
  • IF, your park reference is found in both program databases…
  • AND, the activation occurred after the WWFF “Born-on” date…
  • THEN, the log will be reviewed, converted, and uploaded for WWFF credit.
  • Rinse/Repeat the next time you go out – Bring more QSOs to your “Ham/p” fun.
  • Discuss submitting your older POTA logs with KFF Log Coordinator.

REMINDER:

  1. Do not submit logs from references that do not exist in WWFF – Please check first!
  2. Do not submit pretend, make-believe logs created by the unofficial POTA “Ef-fer”, “Goof-fer”, “n-Fer” initiative
    • What they allow to be called “logs” are nothing more than manufactured “Copy/Paste/Re-labeled” credit applied to actual QSOs already found in (an)other log(s).
    • These POTA-program credits have no QSO value outside of their four walls.