Logging QSOs as a POTA Activator

When activating a park, you will likely be using a portable transceiver and antenna, and logging QSOs with an application running on a smartphone or tablet; such portable logging applications can export an ADIF file containing a record for each of your QSOs.

If the location from which you operated lies in the same DXCC entity as your home station, then you can import the QSOs you logged into DXKeeper, and assign each of them a myQTH that designates your operating location:

  1. If you use LoTW, define a Station Location for the park you activated

  2. Define a myQTH for the park you activated; on the my QTHs tab of DXKeeper's Main window,

    1. click the New button

    2. in the ID textbox, specify a unique identifier, like the word POTA followed by the POTA code for the park you activated, e.g. POTA-US-11292

    3. in the LoTW textbox, select the LoTW Station Location you created in step 1

    4. in the Sig textbox, specify the POTA code for the park

    5. specifying the remainder of the myQTH textboxes is optional, but recommended; the information you specify can be printed on a QSL card or included in each QSO's QSL Msg item using QSL Substitution Commands

    6. if QSOs made from the park are valid for IOTA awards, check the IOTA box

    7. if QSOs made from the park are valid for DX Marathon awards, check the Marathon box

    8. if QSOs made from the park are valid for VUCC awards, check the VUCC box

    9. if QSOs made from the park are valid for WAS awards, check the WAS box

  3. Direct your portable logging application to export the QSOs you logged as an activator to an ADIF file
  4. To import the QSOs you logged as an activator into your DXKeeper log, on the Main window's Import QSOs tab,

    1. in the Options panel,

      • disable Create Mobile myQTHID

      • disable Guarantee unique start times

      • enable Ignore tags with binary data

      • enable Record import errors in error file

      • enable any other options you consider useful

    2. in the Duplicate checking panel, disable Check duplicates on import

    3. in the Substitution Options panel,'

      • enable Substitute for missing myQTH IDs and set the selector to its right to the myQTH ID you specified in step 2b above

      • disable all other options
    4. in the Replacement options panel,

      • enable the Station Callsign option, and specify the callsign you used over the air in the textbox to its right

      • enable the Operator Callsign option, and specify your callsign in the textbox to its right

      • if you were operating in a Contest,
        1. enable the Contest ID option and select the Contest's ID in the selector to it's right

        2. review the description of the State, Province & Section option to determine whether it should be enabled and an information source selected

    5. in the ADIF style options panel, select standard ADIF

    6. click the Start button; in the ADIF Import window that appears, navigate to the folder containing the ADIF file exported in step 3, and select that file

Portable Logging Applications

Additional Topics


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LoggingAsPotaActivator (last edited 2025-05-06 23:50:33 by AA6YQ)