"He's like a manufacturing assembly line for parks" -Gary Izzo KC1CBQ

     Well, the big day has come and gone, and I have to say that NPOTAthon 2.0 was a blast!  I didn't manage to break my personal record (10 parks in a day), but I did successfully activate 9 of the 12 parks I stopped at, earning the quote above from Gary, KC1CBQ, who managed to reach me at 7 of those stops.  Even with 7 stops though he wasn't the front-runner for the day - that honor goes to Michael, K4MOA, who contacted me at all 9 of my successful activations (plus a couple others later in the week, just for the icing on the cake!)  
​     I had a slightly tighter schedule this time around because stops 10 and 11 were both at parks that closed at sunset.  This meant that all my stops leading up to those had to stay pretty much on schedule.  Once I finished those stops though, I was able to spend a little extra time at my last stop, Green Springs.  Enough about me though, because really, the whole day was about me if you think about it.  With that in mind, instead of talking about myself, this post will be for you, the chasers.  Since everyone loves stats, this post will be NPOTAthon 2.0, by the numbers.

     Okay - So these first few stats are still about me in a way, but they will help set the stage for the day:

     Less than a contact a minute might not sound like much, but considering that my first 3 parks were bust, meaning I had essentially an hour a half with no contacts, I can't complain.  Anyway, on to the results...

     This one could be up for debate, because I didn't take the time to look up every single call sign - I went based on the numbers so I only looked up the call signs in the call districts further away.  Being on 40 meters most of the day limited the contacts to "local" but with the airwaves being a zoo for the weekend because of the CQWW contest, I'll take whatever I can get.  Additionally, because I was moving from park to park, this is a "rough distance" number.  With all that being said, the prize for longest distance is between these 3 operators, who were all in the  900 / 1000 mile range (based on their address in the database):
​NU0Q, W0GHZ, W0IS

     This award goes to those operators who hung in there, played their cards right, timed their calls at just the right moment, had just the right amount of luck, and managed to contact me, even though I could just barely hear them!  Congrats to these ops on being persistent and getting a contact in spite of the conditions...each of these I barely heard, with sent reports of 22:
KM4I@DZ08, NU0Q@DZ03, W5DRR@DZ03

     This award is the inverse of the persistent operator award.  This is the people who worked me, even though they could barely hear me!  These folks worked me in spite of only being able to give me a 22:
​K4MI@DZ07, W4LBG@DZ04

     I had just wrapped up at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania, and had already updated my post on the NPOTA Facebook group that I was heading out for the next stop.  As I was punching the next address into my GPS my phone chimed and I saw a Facebook post pop up that said "DANG! I just missed you!"  It was from Nick Mollo, who I've contacted and chatted with on the air several times, because my work regularly gets me into his area (We'll eventually get the timing right to work out an eyeball QSO!)  I quickly grabbed the mic because the frequency was still clear, and I hadn't pulled out yet:
     Vance:  "This is N3VEM, are you there Nick?"  
     Nick: "Yes I am!"
 After doing the proper exchange following that, Nick, KC1DKY was able to sneak a contact in at what was a new park for him, right as I was slipping out of the park.  That quick contact also gave a couple others the chance to sneak in right before I left, so with Nick leading the charge by getting his foot in the door, here were the "Phew! That Was Close!" award winners:
KC1DKY, WX2I, K4WES, KB2YLP, W1NG

     So, to finish up this post I'll leave you with just a couple of additional things from my end:

• I had a blast, even though I forgot to eat for most of the day!  (Luckily I had plenty of water and coffee)
• I made my first ever contacts on 80 meters - I had never actually tried using my 80 meter hamstick, figuring it was probably such an inefficient antenna, that it wasn't worth bothering with.  A couple folks requested 80 meters though so I stuck it on the car, checked it with the antenna analyzer to see what part of the band I could use it on, and called.  And people answered.  Just goes to show you that you really shouldn't overthink it - just try stuff and see what works!  If only I had tried 80m at my first three, pre-dawn, stops I might have gotten all 12...
• I need a screwdriver antenna (*N3VEM pokes his YL*) - if I had the ability to change bands quicker I probably could have handed out a lot more contacts.  When you're on a tight timeframe, swapping hamsticks in and out can really eat into the operating time.

     While I probably won't be doing any more NPOTA marathons this year, I will be activating some more parks.  Specifically, watch for me on November 7th, 8th, and 9th because I'll be spending the nights inside one of the national parks, and will be on the air "holiday style" every evening after work.  I'll give the details in an upcoming post!

     "I am the law" - Joseph Dredd (Sylvester Stallone, in Judge Dredd - 1995)

     We've all heard it - the person tuning up on top of someone else.  This specific activity is pretty easy to sum up, because Part 97 is littered with references stating that we must not "cause harmful interference to..."
     Part of the definition of Harmful Interference is "...obstructs or repeatedly interrupts a radiocommunication service operating in accordance with the Radio Regulations." 

     It's really about tuning up, and station ID requirements.  There might be some minutia here, but the idea of tuning up always made me question how this type of transmission applies to the ID requirements.  Don't I have to ID every 10 minutes, and at the end of a transmission?  When I'm done tuning do I need to ID?

     To answer these questions, let's break it down.  First - it is clear that we are allowed to do short transmissions, where we don't expect an answer, in order to adjust our equipment.  This is covered in 97.111 where it talks about allowable transmissions.  Specifically this part: "(1) Brief transmissions necessary to make adjustments to the station."
     Okay, so I'm allowed to tune - good to know.  There are all kinds of scenarios that pop up after that but the ones I've been thinking about these:

• ​An operators tunes up, but then doesn't call CQ, or talk to anybody.
  • ​In this case, the operator "broke the law" (watch over your shoulder for the Judge!!)  This is because tuning up does transmit a carrier, so you have in fact made a transmission.  The instant we make any kind of transmission, we fall under 97.119 which states that the station "must transmit its assigned call sign...at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication."  If we tune up, and aren't planning on talking, we still need to ID ourselves.  A good practice to use might be to just give a quick "tuning complete N3VEM" at the end to keep Mr. Dredd off our backs.
• An operator, being courteous, has moved down from another station a few kHz to tune, and then moves back up to the original frequency in order to answer the calling station.
  • So, this is an area that could get a little goofy.  We tuned up, but then we announced our call-sign as we attempted to answer the other station.  But we didn't announce our call sign on the exact same frequency that we tuned on.  Is that a problem?  The wording of Part 97 could be a bit gray, because it says (also in 97.119) that the station "must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel."  Well, Whisky Tango Foxtrot does that mean? Channel?  This is ham radio, not CB, and not TV - what on earth do they mean by Channel? As long as I'm still in the same band, is that my "Channel?"  Normally in any type of code, we just go to the definitions sections for questions like these.  Unfortunately, the FCC conveniently uses this word "Channel" all over Part 97, without defining it.  In these cases, the "suits" will generally tell you to reference the good old fashioned Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  The part of the definition that applies to us, is this one: "a band of frequencies of sufficient width for a single radio or television communication."  So basically, the bandwidth of our transmitted signal is our "channel".  This means that if we move far enough away from someone to keep from interfering with them, we probably moved far enough away that we are now considered to be in a different "Channel." For that reason, we probably need to ID ourselves when we're done tuning, before moving back up to the original frequency to answer the calling station.

     Not to be out-argued, someone who wanted to take the counter-point on my tuning argument could point out the fact that the statement that each station "must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication" uses another undefined word - communication.  Doesn't Mirriam-Webster say that communication is "a process by which information is exchanged between individuals?"  If i'm not talking to another individual, and I'm just tuning, I'm not actually communicating, so I don't have to ID...right?
     To that I would say "Nice Try"  because the full definition of communication includes some potentially, quite applicable alternative definitions, like "an act or instance of transmitting" which would imply it doesn't have to be a 2-way street.  Also, Part 97 includes in the section on ID requirements the phrase "No station may transmit unidentified communications or signals" which implies it isn't just "communication" that needs an ID, but any signal you put out on the airwaves.

     I'm done.  I'm so glad I'm not a lawyer because these circular arguments could around and around.  If I had to argue in circles like that in front of Judge Dredd I'd probably get sick on his shoes.  Blech.

     I have another another story for everyone.  Don't worry, I promise this is ham radio related, so don't bail out too early!  Sometimes it helps to give the background to how we ended up somewhere.

     So back to the task at hand - we loved the musical, so we watched the PBS special about it.  During the special, there were some references to Valley Forge (which just happens to be a national park...)  After having seen that, the YL said "we should go there tomorrow!"  As if I needed an excuse to go to NPOTA unit HP46....

     It was a rainy, somewhat chilly day, but considering some of the weather Washington and his men had to deal with while they were, I have no right to complain.  Our trip started with a stop at the visitor center so we could watch the short video, and grab a map.  Future Operator 1 was well dressed for the weather - rain coat and all!

     I also made sure to sign the visitor's log while we were there, along with grabbing our map, and snapping this picture of GW himself.

     Once we did the driving tour, and made a couple stops, we decided that the parking lot for Washington's Headquarters would be a great place for me to do my activation.  I wasn't on the air long, but in the 30 - 45 minutes or so that I was on the air, I managed 50 contacts - awesome!  Since I like to learn things, or at least have a couple takeaway's (although sometimes it's just new questions...) here's the things that jumped out this time around:

1. There are a lot more people on the radio on the weekends!  Most of my activations end up being weird weekday / random times because I do them during work travel.  this was probably the fastest and biggest pileup I ever generated, and it wasn't even a rare park!
2. Some people turn into instant weirdo's in a pileup.  At one point I started going by the numbers because the pileup was such a zoo.  I wasn't surprised that some people called out of order (I usually just ignore those folks - if you can't follow directions, you won't get the contact) but there were 2 this time that were really odd:  There was one person, whom I never acknowledged, but who held their entire half of a contact, as though I had answered them (whoever you are, you're not in my log.)  Then there was the person that called over and over, with a BIG signal, during the 2's, that wasn't a 2.  I finally answered that person but gave them a 0-0 report - I read somewhere that this is the short way of saying "I hear you, but I'm not logging you because you're being a lid."  Again, whoever that was - you're not in the log.  Lastly, was the "pileup police"  who insisted on yelling at everyone else in the pile-up who called out of turn (P.S. that doesn't help!  It's like the auditorium full of kids in an elementary school all hushing each other.)
3. In spite of the couple bad eggs, Ham radio is awesome!  I've done 20-some different parks now, and every time has been a blast!  It makes me even more excited for my upcoming NPOTAthon 2.0 - it's less than a week away!

     I used my RigExpert antenna analyzer to make sure it was good to go, but I still wanted to make sure it worked, so I called out on the local repeater.  Luckily, one of the professors at Millersville University (which is close to us) is a ham, and he heard me, so he ran up to the University's station, and we had a quick chat on 10 meters, and I got to put WA3MU in my log!
     Here's the best (worst? most amusing?) part...till Net time came around, the littlest operator was just refusing to fall asleep. I took him for a ride in the car, so he would fall asleep, and I ended up checking in from my mobile instead of using the Buddipole anyway.  Oh well - such is life when you have little people in the house!

     Here it is folks!  Some of you asked for it, and I didn't think it was going to happen, but the stars aligned, and I am now pleased to announce that NPOTAthon 2.0 will be happening on Sunday October 30th!  Mark your Calendars, because just like my first NPOTAthon, I'll need all of you to make this a success!

     During the first NPOTAthon I tried for 12 as well, but only successfully activated 10 parks in 1 day - I'm going to attempt to beat that record, AND I'm going to attempt to do it in less time!  The shorter timeframe isn't just a goal because I'm part masochist - it's an unfortunate side effect of the fact that a couple of the parks near the end of this route close at Sunset, and the days are getting shorter!  My first stop will start around 6:00 am.  My schedule gives me 30 minutes to operate at each park, with a total of about 1hour of wiggle room in the whole day - it will be tight, but with your help I can do it!

     Like all good plans, I have this timed down to the minute, but on the day of big show, anything could happen, so follow along on my Facebook Page the day of the event, where I'll post as I go.  Be sure to "like" my page so that you get the notices in your feed as I move from park to park!  You can also keep your eye on the NPOTA Facebook group as I'll share the posts there so that the regular gang of chasers can keep tabs on me as well.  

This leg covers the first 6 stops of the day, starting at approximately 6:00 EST / 10:00 UST.

• Eisenhower                NS13     6:00EST     10:00UST
• Gettysburg                 MP03     6:34EST     10:34UST
• Catoctin Mountain     DZ01     7:29EST     11:29UST
• Monocacy                  BF06      8:30EST     12:30UST
• Hampton                    NS33      9:56EST     13:56UST
• Greenbelt Park          DZ04      11:16EST   15:16UST

This leg picks up where leg 1 left off, and covers the next stops.

• Fort Washington                     DZ03     12:22EST     16:22UST
• Piscataway Park                     DZ07     13:11EST     17:11UST
• Manassas                                BP02     14:39EST     18:39UST
• Prince William Forest Park    DZ08     15:48EST     19:48UST
• Fredricksburg/Spotslyvania   MP02     16:44EST     20:44UST
• Green Springs                        AA09     18:23EST     22:23UST

     These activations will all be from my mobile, because that is the only way to hit this timeline.  It is also quite likely that all the activations will be on one band - either 20m or 40m (but probably 40m again) depending on propagation.   At the end of NPOTAthon 2.0 I'll be sending out QSL cards, the same way I did last time, and I'll also publish the list of "Most Contacted" so that everyone can see who got me at the most parks on the day of the event - will there be some new leaders, or will it be familiar callsigns?  That's up to you!

     Also, just like last time, if anyone wishes to contribute to the event, I am asking for no monetary support.  All I need is your best wishes, prayers for safety on my travels, and for you to be there on the other end of the radio waves when I call:

​CQ CQ CQ November 3 Victor Echo Mike for Parks on the Air