This presentation is an invited discussion for VU HAMs organised by VU2AZK.
Who am I? 1
- License in October, 2024, a novice and recent HAM
- Interested in home-brewing & experimentation
- I’m in no hurry to complete milestones
Why accidental?
- Stay in a concrete jungle
- Not possible to deploy antenna at my QTH
- Travel for work is unpredictable
- Work related travel is often in flights
- POTA locations are accessible by flights2
My first POTA
Figure 1: A trip that did not happen!
- My first activation was at Tadoba National Park (IN-0067), operating from the buffer zone.
- It was an accident to say the least!
We made it!
Figure 2: zBitx at IN-0067
- Rig: zBitx, EFHW, a tonne of 18650s
- Deployment: Hoisted a QRP EFHW over a tree using a filled plastic water bottle.
- Operations: Made 36 QSOs entirely on FT8 across 15m, 20m, and 40m.
Figure 3: Park Activated!
Learnings
The field test exposed several quirks with my initial setup:
- Power: My 18650 LiFePo4 cells drained rapidly, dropping from 7.4V to below 6V, ending my activation prematurely.
- Thermals: The zBitx gets terribly hot during FT8 operations.
- Logging: Exporting ADI files from PoLo and using a browser workaround on my iPhone to upload to pota.app was highly cumbersome.
- Fail-safe: Backup mics/rigs to help with continuous operation in the field
- Regulatory: Carry WPC notices and licenses.3
Enjoy the park!
Figure 4: Junabai at Tadoba
Making the zBitx field-worthy
To make the zBitx truly “field-worthy”, I implemented several hardware upgrades over the Labour Day weekend:
- Cooling: 3D-printed a new case with more vents to address the FT8 heating issues.
- Power Delivery: Switched to a 20,000 mAh flight-safe power bank capable of PD 3.0. I paired this with a 9V USB-C PD trigger board to provide stable power without the rapid voltage drops of the 18650 cells.
Figure 5: Labour day well spent with modifications to the zBitx and powering it using a USB-C PD trigger
Preparing a go-bag
Figure 6: Back-pack v1
During an unplanned trip to a tea estate in MK81fm, I attempted to deploy my home-brewed vertical coil as a backup antenna.
- Radios: QMX, zBitx
- Antennas: EFHW, SA2CLC vertical coil
- Misc. equipment!
- Complete details with the links at blog.
- I have listed the items, their source and approximate prices and weights.
- Possible 2-fer or 3-fer since I was in the middle of three parks, but I wasn’t prepared well enough.
Compromised antenna deployment
- Wx makes travel to the park impossible
- We are down to no Tx at all from field site!
Learnings
- Too heavy at 5.5 kgs if I want to back-pack!
- Fibreglass and Carbon Fibre for RF
- Vertical needs some work.
- QRPickle needs additional modification
Community engagement
- Due to location challenges, hoisting antenna became a community project
- Everyone got excited despite the failed attempt
Figure 7: Instagram reel by a participant
- Involve them in all operations!
- Right from setting up the antenna to the radio signals
- Give them something to remember the event and the day
Figure 8: Handpainted bookmarks as souvenirs for participants
Preparing V2 of the bag
I refined my gear into a sub-20L, flight-safe modular back-pack weighing just over 1.5kg (or up to 5.5kg fully loaded).
- Radios: QMX and zBitx v1.
- Antennas: QRP EFHW and a home-brewed 40-10m vertical coil.
- Tools & Power: NanoVNA, QRPickle, Anker N20 power bank, and a 5L dry bag to protect against the weather.
Next POTA and ARSI QRP Day
Figure 9: Brahmagiri Wildife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats
- Unplanned trip to the Western Ghats, I attempted to activate Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (IN-0189).
- This coincided with the ARSI QRP-DAY Contest.
- Despite the incessant rain and thick cloud cover, my 2W-5W FT8 signals reached Japan, Australia, South Africa, Poland, and England using the modified go-bag setup.
- Absolutely, horrible conditions for SSB and QRP.
Activated
Figure 10: QSO Map from the activation attempt at IN-0189
Learnings
- As you can see, I have no photos of the deployment or the surroundings
- Absolutely hard conditions to deploy the antenna
- Create check-lists to prepare better for the next trip
- The joy of community participation is often more fun than just making QSOs
- The kids enjoyed getting the antenna up!
- Explaining RF propagation, radios, antennas to adults is hard too!
Check-lists anyone?
The full details are available on my post about the same topic.
Figure 11: Step 1
Figure 12: Step 2
Figure 13: Step 3
Figure 14: Step 4
Figure 15: Step 5 and Leave No Trace
Note: Office Memorandums from the Dept. of Telecommunications explicitly clarifying that carrying amateur radio equipment on domestic flights and operating portably in India is permitted. See the FAQs and OM at: https://arsi.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Frequently-Asked-Questions-on-the-Telecommunication-Amateur-Service-Rules-2024.pdf
Status of POTA in India
Complete details are available on the post titled Status of POTA in India
Figure 16: Distribution of parks
Figure 17: Growth of POTA since 2021
Figure 18: Not many parks activated!
Figure 19: Who is activating our parks?
Figure 20: HF Operators interactive with DX operators
Note: This census was generated using a dual-methodology: tracking intentional log uploaders over a 3-year baseline (LoTW, POTA, CQ/ARRL/IARU contests) and capturing recent snapshots of active RF emitters via automated spotting networks (RBN, PSKReporter, WSPRnet).
Hypotheses for Low Activity
- Regulatory Friction for:
- Park Operations
- Transit and Travel
- Equipment Accessibility
- Cultural Operational Preferences
- Ageing Operator Demographic
- Lack of Post-Event Youth Mentorship
- Park Accessibility
Approaches for POTA
- Group or Solo: Please see https://youtu.be/MZzqekrGJtI?si=36zFxp8Xths6k-sK and https://www.facebook.com/VU2UUU (Last accessed: 15 Jul 2026).
- QRP or QRO: Please check https://www.youtube.com/@Harisriramaiah/videos (Last accessed: 15 Jul 2026) for detailed POTA activations with an elaborate station setup by VU2UCR.
- Wilderness or Quick-mode: Please see https://youtu.be/-dt-KXlIckg?si=OttEdbJtdviN4Efy for challenging conditions as well as engagement activities by VU3KOX (Last accessed: 15 Jul 2026).
- Activation or Achieve targets or Experimentation
Photos from the presentation
Since I don’t have too many photos from the trip, here are some photos from the presentations :-)
Presentation at BARC monthly meeting
Figure 21: Talk at BARC July 2026
Note: Photo credits: VU3LLC
Figure 22: Talk at BARC July 2026
Note: Photo credits: VU3LLC
Online meet for VU HAMs
Figure 23: Discussion with VU HAMs July 2026
Note: Photo credits: VU2AZK
Figure 24: Discussion with VU HAMs July 2026
Note: Photo credits: VU2AZK
I maintain an online presence since 2009, please feel free to read about it. ↩︎
Because of my work related travel which tends to place a premium on travel time as the work itself expands to occupy all other time available. ↩︎
Office Memorandums from the Dept. of Telecommunications explicitly clarifying that carrying amateur radio equipment on domestic flights and operating portably in India is permitted. See the FAQs and OM at: https://arsi.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Frequently-Asked-Questions-on-the-Telecommunication-Amateur-Service-Rules-2024.pdf ↩︎