NZART Portable Activity day will once again take place on New Years Day, 1 January.
What better way to celebrate the New Year than by getting outdoors and operating knowing there will be others doing the same. As an activity day this is not a contest so it is up to you where, when and how you operate. There will be a lot of Summits on the Air (“SOTA”) activity on this day (VK and ZL) owing to them being able to claim double activation points by operating either side of 0000z 1 January UTC (1:00 pm NZDST). You could therefore activate a SOTA summit, or if that is a bit much, participate in the NZART Awards programme by activating a lake, lighthouse or park (make sure you know the rules before you start). Alternatively you could just park up at your favourite spot and make a few QSOs. Apart from SOTA which stresses portable activity without your station being connected to a motor vehicle, you are free to use any method of portable operation you like.
This could be a chance to take the family on a picnic, a branch activity, or you could get together with a bunch of mates, head to different places and meet up in the pub afterwards to swap “the DX that got away” stories. It is entirely up to you. It is also a great chance to test your portable emergency capability.
There is no fixed operating period, although as a rule of thumb SOTA activators will generally be operating between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm NZDST, and you can operate as long as you like. Activity on all bands, HF, VHF, UHF and up is encouraged.
Based on SOTA activity we suggest the following HF frequencies. SSB: 3850 kHz, 7080-7115 kHz, 14300-14330 kHz; CW: 3875 kHz, 7030-7040 kHz, 14060-14070 kHz. Higher HF bands may also be productive. 2m FM: 146.500 simplex. Note: repeater contacts are generally not acceptable for awards but can be used to organise simplex operation. If you are not award chasing then repeater contacts are fine.
Can’t get away? Then just fire up the rig at home and work as many stations as you can. Who knows, by the end of it you may be able to claim an award!
Good luck and we hope to hear you on the air!