ARRL Community and Events 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is Parks on the Air (POTA)?
- An FCC regulation requiring portable radio operation in national parks
- A program where amateur radio operators make contacts from national and state parks to earn awards (Correct answer)
- An ARRL contest held only in federally designated wilderness areas
- A public education initiative to bring radio to park rangers
Correct answer: A program where amateur radio operators make contacts from national and state parks to earn awards
POTA encourages amateur radio operators to activate parks by setting up portable stations there, earning awards for both activators and hunters.
Question 2: What is Summits on the Air (SOTA)?
- An award program for making contacts from or with amateur radio operators on mountain summits (Correct answer)
- An ARRL-sponsored contest held at high-altitude club stations
- A weather-reporting network using amateur radio from mountaintops
- A training program for search and rescue radio operators in mountainous terrain
Correct answer: An award program for making contacts from or with amateur radio operators on mountain summits
SOTA awards points to operators who activate summits (hike to the top and make contacts) and to 'chasers' who contact them from home.
Question 3: What is a 'fox hunt' in the amateur radio context?
- A contest to work stations in a specific country before others
- A direction-finding activity where participants locate a hidden transmitter (Correct answer)
- An ARRL award for working all 50 US states
- A digital mode competition held on HF frequencies
Correct answer: A direction-finding activity where participants locate a hidden transmitter
A fox hunt (also called ARDF — Amateur Radio Direction Finding) challenges participants to locate a hidden transmitter using portable directional antennas.
Question 4: Which ARRL award recognizes amateurs who have made confirmed contact with stations in all 50 US states?
- DXCC
- Worked All States (WAS) (Correct answer)
- Triple Play Award
- Fred Fish Memorial Award
Correct answer: Worked All States (WAS)
The Worked All States (WAS) award is issued by ARRL to amateurs who confirm two-way contact with stations in all 50 US states.
Question 5: What is the purpose of ARRL's 'Straight Key Night'?
- A VHF operating event emphasizing meteor scatter propagation
- A New Year's Day operating event celebrating traditional Morse code using straight keys (Correct answer)
- An annual examination to verify CW proficiency for Extra class upgraders
- A marathon contest to work 100 stations in CW within 24 hours
Correct answer: A New Year's Day operating event celebrating traditional Morse code using straight keys
Straight Key Night is held on January 1 and encourages operators to use traditional straight keys rather than paddles or electronic keyers, celebrating CW heritage.
Question 6: What organization typically sponsors public service communication at events like marathons and parades in the US?
- The FCC regional office
- Local ARRL-affiliated amateur radio clubs through ARES or RACES (Correct answer)
- The Department of Homeland Security ham radio division
- The National Weather Service volunteer observer network
Correct answer: Local ARRL-affiliated amateur radio clubs through ARES or RACES
ARRL-affiliated clubs, often through ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) or RACES, provide communication support at public events like marathons and parades.
Question 7: What is Winter Field Day?
- An ARRL-sponsored event identical to June Field Day but held in January
- A winter operating event sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association, separate from ARRL (Correct answer)
- A cold-weather training exercise for ARES emergency nets
- The Canadian version of ARRL Field Day held in February
Correct answer: A winter operating event sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association, separate from ARRL
Winter Field Day is sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association (not ARRL) and is held on the last full weekend of January to practice cold-weather emergency operations.
ARRL Community and Events 3
What is Parks on the Air (POTA)?