Amateur Radio operators across the US are taking portable communications gear to more than 80 different National Park Service units during NPS Founders Week, August 22-28. They are participating in ARRL’s National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) event, which has been running all year long in parallel with the NPS Centennial. ARRL is the National Association of Amateur Radio in the United States.

“The National Park Service Centennial year has been a major celebration of some of our country’s national and historic treasures, and Amateur Radio is proud to play a small part in recognizing Founders Day on August 25, and throughout the entire week,” said ARRL spokesman Sean Kutzko.

NPOTA’s goal is to raise awareness of NPS units by establishing a temporary Amateur Radio station and communicate with other Amateur Radio operators around the world. So far this year, more than 455 of the 484 eligible NPS units — including National Parks, Monuments, Battlefields, Rivers, Historic and Scenic Trails, and Seashores — have hosted an Amateur Radio presence at least once this year. More than 581,000 two-way radio contacts have been made from NPS units this year with other radio amateurs in all 50 US states and more than 100 different countries.

Interest in NPOTA has become a worldwide phenomenon, with enthusiastic radio aficionados trying to make contact with as many of the 484 eligible NPS units as possible this year. These “virtual visits” are the Amateur Radio version of getting an NPS cancellation stamp in the NPS Passport Program.

“We've received comments from quite a number of Amateur Radio operators in Europe, South America, and even Australia and Japan who are very excited to talk to somebody in an NPS park,” Kutzko said. “Many overseas radio operators are learning a lot about our country’s history through NPOTA.”

There are over 750,000 federally-licensed radio amateurs in the US, and some 3 million worldwide.

Amateur Radio — sometimes called “ham radio” — is a hobby in which individuals use communication equipment for recreation, electronics experimentation, educational outreach, and public service. Ham radio is able to communicate worldwide without any need for traditional communication infrastructure, such as the Internet or a cell phone network. It is extremely adaptive and portable, and is well-known for providing communications assistance during natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. Amateur Radio assisted in the response to the recent record flooding in Louisiana.

“A major part of the recreational side of Amateur Radio is taking your gear and transmitting from someplace other than your home,” Kutzko said. These exercises are fun, but they also serve as training, in case there’s ever a true communication need, such as in Louisiana this past week. We're also in the middle of hurricane season now, which has been predicted to be above average. Many amateurs are using the NPOTA event to keep their portable communications skills up to par.”

Kutzko said he feels a kinship with NPS. “I've always loved camping and hiking, and taking a small radio with me has always been enjoyable. But the NPS Centennial has shown me that we all have a lot  in common,” he said. “The radio spectrum is a global “national park,” of sorts, where all kinds of groups and individuals can go. Radio waves can cross continents and even go well into space. But it needs management and caretaking, just like the places in the National Park Service. There’s a shared sense of community and stewardship there.”