We’re excited about the event coming up in a few months. Here are the highlights of the changes. Enjoy!

Bonus Theme for 2024

“North Carolina Outdoors”

We are encouraging hams to go outdoors portable or expedition style and get on the air! POTA is really getting big in NC and we want to challenge our in state activators to do their thing on Sunday, February 25, 2024. We see this as a way to get rarely activated counties on the air. Go to the website under the “County Activity” tab to view a great list of POTA parks by NC County. Spend the day at your POTA honey-spot no matter where you might live! That said, this is not a POTA event. Therefore, the “Outdoors” spot you pick does not have to be a POTA sanctioned place. A city park, private park, etc. is OK for NCQP. There’s no reason, though, a POTA activator can’t go to a recognized park and make their operation a “two-fer” a POTA and NCQP!

Work the bonus stations that will be on the air operating Phone and CW modes from a North Carolina (POTA) park as follows:

N4AMW – Carl Sandburg Home, National Historic Site, Flat Rock, NC, N4AMW Op.

N4W – Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kitty Hawk, NC, W4MPS Op.

N4A – Alamance Battleground, Alamance County, N4MIO Op.

NI4BK – USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial, Wilmington, NC ACARC, W4MY Ops.

NC4QP – Goose Creek State Park,, Beaufort County, W4TTX/K4RLC Ops.

N4RAL – QTH TBD, Raleigh Amateur Radio Society, Raleigh, NC*

*Will be updated when known

Expedition and Portable Categories

Please take the opportunity to read the new descriptions of these categories if they apply to you. There have been some small, but significant, changes. First thing you will notice is the name change. We brought back the name “Expedition” to describe the classic scenario of going out and setting up your station outside “Field Day” style. There are some new restrictions (no mobile equipment) to better level the playing field. Maximum simultaneous transmitters was reduced to one.

The name “Portable” is now reserved for a kind of new operation style that we see the need to accommodate. Many POTA activators who (for example) travel to a park expeditiously deploy their radio equipment using a combination of mobile radios and quick setup antennas. After making the desired QSO’s, they pack up quickly and travel to a new QTH doing it again. Its sort of a “no restriction” category where you get on the air with just about anything, move quickly and tak advantage of working everyone again in a new county. One transmitter only here also, and no QSO’s are to be made while in motion.

100 NC Counties on the Air

Our desire is always to light up North Carolina with as many of our friendly hams as possible for a day. It’s never been a disappointment! I am frequently amazed and humbled by our level of participation. That said, we always are trying to think of new ways to get all of out 100 counties represented.

NC Weather

With all the emphasis this year on the “outdoors” the issue of weather is always in the front of our minds. February is in the middle of winter and that’s always a concern. Over the years we’ve had snow, rain, fog, freezing temps, warm temps, clear skies… no telling what’s in store. But whatever it turns out to be, we NC hams are a hearty bunch! Minnesota, with their QSO party in the dead of winter (Feb 3), has nothing on us! At least they can depend on ice, snow, and sub-zero temps, we never know what we are going to get!

Make your plans!

Think about what you want to do this year and gather up your plans. Please announce your activation, on the website (/map/create.php) whether operating at home as a single/multi-op, or outside with the new Portable or classic Expedition categories. Of course, we always want our Mobiles out there also!

See you in the pile-ups