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Rules

The CNPOTA Event is supported by Radio Amateurs Of Canada and Parks Canada.

1. Duration

  1. The CNPOTA event will run from 00:00 UTC January 1, 2019 until 23:59 UTC December 31, 2019.

2. Goals

  1. To promote Canada’s National Parks and National Historic Sites to the world.
  2. To promote Amateur Radio portable operation creating activity on the air from as many of the officially-listed Parks Canada Administrated units as possible.  Also we need people from their home QTH to chase these activations.

3. Eligibility

  1. The CNPOTA event is open to all licensed Amateur Radio operators world-wide.

4. Administration

  1. The Canadian National Parks on the Air Program will be administered only through this web site.
  2. No paper logs or QSLs will be allowed for award credit.

5. CNPOTA Units, QSOs, Bands and Modes

  1. The complete list of CNPOTA Units and their alphanumeric unit identifiers is available here.
  2. Units eligible for the CNPOTA event are based on the officially recognized Parks Canada administrated National Parks and National Historic Sites.  As of December 18, 2018, there were 220 Parks Canada “Administrated Units”.  Units not on this list are ineligible for CNPOTA credit.
  3. QSOs (contacts) made on all Amateur Radio bands and modes are permitted, with the exception of the 4-Meter and 60-Meter bands.  Cross-band QSOs, QSOs made through remote stations, repeaters, digipeaters, Echolink, or IRLP will not count.  A specific exemption is granted for QSOs made through the recognized Amateur Radio satellites and through the International Space Station.
  4. You may work any Parks Canada administrated unit once on each mode, on each band (with the exception of 4-Meters and 60-Meters) for CNPOTA credit.  There will be no tracking of QSOs by band or mode.

6. Exchange

  1. The exchange is RST plus the Parks Canada administrated unit identifier (eg. “BC01”).  See Parks Lookup for a complete list of accepted unit identifiers.
    Example 1: Excellent phone contact from Banff National Park: –  59 AB01
    Example 2: Readable Weak CW contact from Alexander Graham Bell Historic Site: –  469 NS10
  2. RST may be omitted for Satellite contacts.  Log files uploaded in ADIF format will be accepted without RST when the <sat_name> tag is present.

7. Valid Activations of Units

For an operation from a Parks Canada administrated unit to be valid, the following criteria must be met:

  1. The Activator and all components of the Activator’s Amateur Radio station must be physically present on the property of the claimed Unit, or within 100 yards/meters of the gate, trail or site.  Activations from parking lots, visitor’s centres and other property of the specific Unit are acceptable.  Operations from public sidewalks are not permitted.
  2. The Activator must make a minimum of five (5) confirmed QSOs during their activation.
  3. The Activator must upload their log to this web site as soon as practical.
  4. All logs to be submitted no later than January 31, 2020,
  5. Activators must exit a Unit for 48-hours before an operation from the same Unit is considered a separate activation.
  6. In the event an Activator fails to make the required 5 confirmed QSOs for a valid activation, any QSOs made will still count for the Chaser stations that worked the Activator.
  7. No remote stations in Parks Canada administrated units are eligible.
  8. No home fixed-stations that happen to be within Units are considered Activators, they may only be  Chasers.  Portable and mobile operations are permitted as Activators.  A specific exemption is granted for QSOs made from permanent club Amateur Radio stations set up in a National Park or National Historic Site.
    Example 1: Signal Hill National Historic Site of Canada.
    Example 2: Marconi National Historic Site of Canada.
  9. If one location provides for activation of more than one Unit it is permitted – submit proof.
    Example 1: The Cave and Basin National Historic Site of Canada is in Banff National Park of Canada.
    Example 2: Kejimkujik National Historic Site of Canada is in Kejimkujik National Park of Canada
  10. Overlapping parks in 2 Provinces can be activated separately from each Province.
  11. During an activation, multiple call signs may be used with the same equipment and antennas provided that: (a) each call sign makes its own contacts, (b) separate logs are maintained and submitted for each call sign, and (c) once a call sign is changed it cannot be changed again for 30-minutes.  Two or more separate activations using separate equipment and antennas may be in the same Unit at the same time.
  12. No Repeater or third party solicitation for contacts is permitted.  DX cluster spots and web page listings of activations is permitted.
  13. Contacts in various modes to be conducted in “gentleman’s agreement” accepted portions of the band.
  14. Only confirmed QSOs will count towards activations. Any time there is a gap of more than 48 hours between confirmed QSOs a new activation attempt will be started.
    Example 1: You vacation in a park for 4 days, make 8 contacts on Monday, 3 on Tuesday, 0 on Wednesday and 6 on Thursday. There is no confirmation for your Tuesday QSOs but all of the others are confirmed. You will get credit for activating the UNIT once with 8 QSOs. The second activation of the same UNIT with 6 QSOs will not count against the activator leader board. If your Tuesday QSOs are later confirmed you will have a confirmed activation of the UNIT with 17 QSOs.
    Example 2: You spend a long weekend in a park and make 100 QSOs on Saturday, 0 on Sunday and 50 on Monday. Assuming they are all confirmed this will count as an activation of the UNIT with 150 QSOs.

8. Certificates

  1. Four awards certificates will be available.  You’ll find more details here.
  2. All awards will be electronic for self printing.

9. Accreditation Criteria

  1. While it is unlikely RAC will ask for documentation, RAC reserves the right to ask for verification of any claimed operation from a Parks Canada administrated unit at any time.  Activators of Parks Canada Units should secure as much documentation as possible to verify the operation did indeed take place at the claimed Unit on the claimed date. This documentation can include, but is not limited to:
    • A photo of the Activator in front of the Parks Canada Unit’s main sign or distinguishing landmark.
    • Image of GPS latitude/longitude coordinates.
    • Park receipt.

10. Miscellaneous

  1. All entrance fees to Parks Canada administrated units are the responsibility of the Activator.
  2. Activators must present themselves to Park officials and explain their activities, if available, as some sites may not be staffed.  Printable Introduction to Staff letters are available on the CNPOTA web site.
  3. All contacts for a Chaser award must be made using call signs issued to the same station licensee.
  4. All QSOs for the Chaser Award or National Parks Honour Roll must be made from Canada, the United States, or from your home DXCC entity.
  5. QSOs made with a club call sign count only for the club, not the operator.
  6. The use of remote stations is permitted for Chasers only.  Activators are not permitted to use remote stations.
  7. Exemplary conduct is expected of all Amateur Radio operators participating in the CNPOTA event.
  8. Actions that may lead to disqualification include, but are not limited to:
    1. The submission of forged or altered confirmations.
    2. The presentation of forged or altered documents in support of an Activation.
    3. Participation in activities that create an unfavorable impression of Amateur Radio with Parks Canada authorities. Such activities include malicious attempts to cause disruption to or negatively affect the accreditation of an Activation, or disregard of Parks Canada or Industry Canada regulations.
    4. Not submitting activation logs to this web site in a timely manner.  The deadline is January 31, 2020.
  9. ALL Activators are reminded that they are ambassadors of Amateur Radio to Parks Canada staff and to the general public, and should do everything possible to present Amateur Radio in a positive light when operating within a Parks Canada administrated unit. Parks Canada Staff have the right to enforce Parks Canada rules at Parks Canada administrated units as they see fit and all Parks Canada staff must be afforded all possible cooperation, courtesy and respect.
  10. Operations from roads within National Parks may be conducted as a mobile station while traveling on the road, or from rest areas and scenic lookouts directly attached to the route. Parking on the shoulder of the road itself to conduct an activation is dangerous and should be avoided.
  11. Each CNPOTA participant, by applying, or submitting documentation, stipulates to
    1. Observing all pertinent governmental regulations for Amateur Radio in Canada.
    2. Observing all Parks Canada rules
    3. Being bound by the CNPOTA rules.
    4. Being bound by the decisions of the Awards Committee.

11. Waiver of Liability

  1. Participants in the CNPOTA event do so at their own risk. Participants activating any Parks Canada administrated unit agree to: take all necessary safety precautions, follow all  rules and regulations of Parks Canada and instructions from Parks Canada staff; choose an operating site wisely; avoid interactions with wildlife; and not to disturb other guests.
  2. Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) and Parks Canada assume no liability for any Amateur Radio operator participating in the Canadian National Parks on the Air (CNOPTA) event and participants agree to assume all risk and liability for damage to personal property and injury to persons that may result from such operation, and to hold Parks Canada and Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) harmless therefrom.

12. Results

  1. Results can be viewed on the Leader board and Honour Roll pages of the CNPOTA web site.
  2. Results will be published in “The Canadian Amateur” magazine published by the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) after the January 31st, 2020 log submission close date. The results will also be published on the RAC website at: http://wp.rac.ca/contesting-results/cnpota.
  3. All entries (electronic only) must be submitted using the upload facilities of this web site no later than January 31, 2020.
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