so i finally did my first POTA activation yesterday at a state park about 45 minutes from home. been planning it for like two months and of course the day i go out it's windy as heck and i forgot my antenna stakes so i ended up just kind of propping the end fed against a picnic table and a tree branch. not exactly textbook.

managed to get 12 contacts on 40m with the KX2 before my phone battery died and i couldnt log anymore. i know some guys just write it on paper but i totally blanked and couldnt remember all the exchange info after a while. still counts as an activation i think since i got past 10 but man i was not prepared. next time im bringing a whole checklist taped to the radio bag or something.

haha yeah your first few activations are always kind of a disaster. i forgot my coax connector the first time and just sat there eating a sandwich for an hour before driving home. the checklist thing is genuinely good advice though, i have one in a ziplock bag that lives in my go kit permanently now. also paper logging isnt as bad as you think once you get used to it, i actually prefer it when the weather is rough because phones get weird in the cold.

12 contacts counts for sure, activation is valid. dont stress it. i use HAMRS on an old ipod touch i keep charged just for activations so i dont kill my main phone. works pretty well offline too