If you read my previous column about becoming a Parks on the Air® (POTA) activator, then you know I like portable operating. It started with Ohio State Parks On The Air (OSPOTA) followed by National Parks On The Air (NPOTA).
What is the WWFF Ham Radio Program?
After NPOTA ended, I discovered the World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF) program. In WWFF, you go to a park, make 44 contacts, submit your logs, and before you know it, you’ve qualified for awards. POTA came along a little later. The big difference for me was that they required only 10 contacts for a valid activation.
After about seven years of activating parks under both programs, I discovered CQParks.net. The best way for me to describe the site is that it’s a clearinghouse for information about WWFF and POTA. It’s not all-encompassing, but if the thought of doing a dual-park activation interests you, then this should be your first stop.
A dual-park activation is where the location (we call them references) is eligible for both WWFF and POTA credit. Not all POTA programs are eligible for WWFF credit and not all WWFF programs are eligible for POTA credit. Also, while the numbering systems for both programs can be similar, they are not identical.
CQParks.net is a convenient place to do a lookup, but not the only one. World Wide Flora and Fauna US also has a lookup for WWFF/POTA parks. It is currently undergoing a redesign, so keep your eye on this site as well.
On either site, the search box accepts either the WWFF or POTA park number, or any part of the park name to bring up the record for that park. For instance, say I’ve just activated South Bass Island State Park in northwest Ohio. I know the POTA number for this location is US-1992, but I do not know the WWFF number. How do I find that? Well, I can go to either CQParks.net or to WWFF.us to get similar info from their lookup pages.
While WWFF.us tells me the POTA and WWFF numbers, CQ Parks also gives me the county, the grid square, and whether there is a number under the IOTA, Usi, or other program. WWFF.us is still under construction, so this may change over the next few months.
What does a “dual-park” activation look like? I activate using mostly CW, so when calling CQ, I alternate between “CQ POTA” and “CQ Parks.” This is probably not necessary since most WWFF hunters will also be answering CQs from POTA activations. Unfortunately, not all POTA activators forward logs to the WWFF program. But a lot of us do.
You can spot yourself to the POTA program by using the POTA spotting page—but I bet you didn’t know that WWFF also has a WWFF spotting page. Though not as polished as POTA’s, it is worthwhile to post your activation in both places.
After the activation is over, I create an ADIF file of that day’s contacts and upload it to POTA using their self-upload tool. Sending your logs to WWFF involves taking that very same file you just uploaded to POTA and emailing it to your appropriate WWFF log upload manager. You can identify your manager in the U.S. by going to WWFF’s log upload page. Yes, the WWFF managers will accept POTA formatted logs and make any changes required for the logs to comply with WWFF standards.
The log manager I use is Bob, KA9JAC. He manages logs for about half the U.S. call areas.
The next step should be to apply for a WWFF log-in. By logging in, you can check your WWFF stats and apply for some really cool awards. That’s another difference between the two programs—awards! In the WWFF program, each country can have their own WWFF program and issue unique awards for contacting WWFF stations in their country. You can learn more about the WWFF award program here.
There are several more similarities between the two park programs and a couple differences. As I mentioned, POTA requires that you make just 10 contacts for a valid activation while WWFF asks for 44.
Given the popularity of the two programs these days, it’s not hard to amass 44 contacts in a single activation, but you don’t need to do all 44 in one activation. You can spread them out over multiple trips. I still need to complete my 44 at some parks I’ve visited. You can learn more about the similarities and differences between the two programs by going to the CQParks compare-contrast page.
Here in Ohio, dual parks are pretty easy to find. If you’ve already picked out a park to activate, then the lookup on either the CQParks or WWFF sites will quickly tell you if it is a dual park or not.
Ham Map is a great resource when researching WWFF references anywhere in the world. You can use the map’s filter to find WWFF parks that have never been activated. These are called ATNOs (All-Time New Ones). There are still several of these in the U.S., and I love activating them. They seem to generate some respectable pileups, especially when the band is open to Europe.
Occasionally at the end of a contact, you’ll receive a 73 44. Returning the 44 is a good gesture and also tells everyone listening that you are trying to get your 44 contacts and will be uploading your logs to the WWFF program.
There is so much information out there in the form of rules and FAQs that I couldn’t even try to cover it all here. If I’ve piqued your interest, why not take the next step and join us in the field? Here’s a summary of some helpful links to get you started.
- POTA: Help/Getting Started, POTA Reference Map
- WWFF: WWFF.co, WWFF-KFF (U.S. affiliate of WWFF)
- CQ Parks: CQParks.net
No comments:
Post a Comment