I discovered Parks on the Air around 8 years ago when it was relatively new. In fact, one of my first HF phone contacts was a POTA station who kindly and enthusiastically explained what Parks on the Air was all about. It was new at the time.

POTA is rather addictive. Most operators start by hunting a few stations, then get the urge to hit the field and activate a park. That was me. Now if I turn on my radio one of my primary activities is hunting POTA. And when the conditions are right I go portable and activate a park. Great fun, and it is about the only way I ever generate a pile-up whether I want one or not!

In my estimation, Parks on the Air is arguably the most popular activity on the HF bands, particularly 20 meters. The band is filled with activators and hunters every day of the week, its dominance only occasionally being rivaled by the most popular of contests.

As satisfying and enjoyable as POTA may be, it has a very real limitation that makes it less than ideal as a one-size fits all portable activity. A would-be activator must travel to a designated park. If you are lucky enough to live near one, this isn’t a big deal, but if the closest is 30 miles away and you want to activate frequently, the miles add up fast. Another observation: many activators never leave the parking lot. They just set up an antenna at the vehicle and operate from the car. Nothing wrong with that, but one starts to wonder what differentiates that from driving to a local Walmart or Target store and making contacts from THOSE parking lots?

Recently I fell down another amateur radio rabbit hole on YouTube and discovered something similar to POTA, but also very different called Tiles on the Air. At first I didn’t get it. It appeared you could activate just about anywhere. Upon closer examination I realized that this is actually a well-designed, exciting program. I was hooked.

What Is Tiles on the Air?

Tiles on the Air (TOTA) revolves around activating geographic map tiles or grid areas rather than parks or summits. Instead of heading out specifically for a park designation, operators work from defined geographic areas and attempt activations from those locations. We know these grid areas as maidenhead grid squares, and TOTA is based on the 6-character squares, which are approximately 5x7km. Points are scored based on number of contacts, but then bonuses and multipliers are added. For example, you get a multiplier based on distance hiked or biked and another for elevation gain. My favorite multiplier: ruck weight.

In other words, you get rewarded for carrying 20 pounds of radio gear on your back and hiking 5 miles round trip to make your activation. Good stuff!

There are bonuses for first activation of a grid square in a quarter, bringing a dog, or letting the kids come along.

Like many amateur radio activities, it appears to scratch the same itch as POTA and other portable operating programs:

• get outdoors
• operate portable
• chase new locations
• make contacts
• and create yet another excuse to pack radio gear into a backpack

Unlike POTA, effort is encouraged and rewarded. At the same time the program makes every attempt to remain inclusive. You could, potentially, walk 20 steps into your back yard, set up portable, and make contacts. The rules treat this as a quarter mile hike so you still get a meaningful multiplier. There is also an effort setting that allows you to compensate for injuries and other conditions that may require extra effort. For example, if you have a condition that makes 1 mile walked require the effort of walking 4 miles, you can account for that.

Oh, and the other thing: only one contact is required for a successful activation. Plus the rules allow for up to 2 contacts to be made through 2 different terrestrial repeaters. So even if the bands are terrible, there is hope!

The Backpack Is Already Loaded

The funny thing is I was actually planning to try my first tile activation yesterday. Then life happened. Instead of operating radio, I ended up cleaning the garage.

Not exactly the glamorous portable adventure I had pictured. But the backpack is sitting there ready to go.

Current loadout:

• Xiegu G90
• 16Ah LiFePO4 battery in my ammo-can power setup. Could carry a smaller battery to save weight. Maybe I will.
• 17-foot telescoping whip and tripod setup
• mesh ground plane. Still deciding the best way to carry. Probably will be rolled up and strapped to the backpack.
• iPad with Bluetooth keyboard

This all weighs in at just over 20 pounds. I’ll throw in some water and snacks, which will tip the ruck weight up, but not certain if it will be up to 25 pounds. I’ll keep the hike relatively short for the first run. I haven’t hiked carrying any notable weight since last November, so I plan on driving to a nearby trailhead and hiking the trail to a park just over a mile away.

I’ll Report Back

Maybe my first tile activation will go perfectly. Maybe band conditions will cooperate. Maybe I’ll get a pileup. Or maybe I’ll spend twenty minutes yelling into the void. Portable operating has a way of humbling people.

Either way, I’ll report back after the first activation attempt.