so i finally did my first activation last weekend at a state park about 45 minutes from my house, been putting it off for months because i kept convincing myself my setup wasnt good enough. anyway i threw my KX2 in a backpack with my linked dipole and drove out there saturday morning.

got set up in about 20 minutes which felt pretty good, found a picnic table with a decent view, no trees exactly where i wanted them but i made it work with a trekking pole on one end. started calling CQ POTA on 40m around 10am local and... nothing. like genuinely nothing for almost 10 minutes which felt like forever. i started wondering if my antenna was even radiating.

eventually spotted myself on pota.app and then things picked up fast, had a little pileup going for a bit which was a shock honestly. ended up with 14 contacts before my battery started worrying me and i called it. i know you need 10 to count as a valid activation so i was relieved but man it was close. the logging app on my phone kept freezing too which didnt help my nerves.

is 14 contacts on one band in like an hour and a half considered pretty normal for a first time? felt like i left a lot on the table but also felt awesome. already thinking about the next one.

14 contacts and a valid activation on your first try is honestly a solid start, don't sweat it at all. A lot of people dont get their 10 the first time because they pick a dead band or forget to self-spot or just get rattled by the silence and pack up too early. The fact that you stuck it out says something.

The self-spotting thing is huge and you already figured that out which puts you ahead of where i was on my first couple activations. Once the hunters see you on the map it changes completely. I'd say try to get on a second band next time if you can, even just 20m for a few contacts after you've worked the 40m crowd, helps pad your numbers and you might snag some DX too depending on conditions. The logging app freezing is a pain, i switched to a paper log as backup after losing contacts once and just upload after. old school but it works.

congrats that's awesome, i'm still working up the nerve to do my first one lol. quick question though — when you say you spotted yourself on pota.app, how does that work exactly? like do you just add yourself before you go out or can you do it from the field? i've been reading about POTA for a while and that part still confuses me a little bit.