Participate in both COQP and POTA/SOTA!
If you’re already planning a park or summit activation, why not schedule it during the Colorado QSO Party and make it a twofer? You’ll get all the usual POTA/SOTA fun, plus way more activity on the bands as stations across the country fire up their radios for the day.
Why Activate During COQP?
COQP brings a ton of operators to the airwaves who are actively hunting Colorado stations. That means more contacts, faster pile-ups, and a better shot at activating that park or summit you’ve been eyeing. Whether you’re working from a popular spot or trying somewhere new, you’ll have plenty of eager stations ready to work you.
And the best part? You don’t have to change much about how you normally operate. Just do your normal activation, and then submit your logs as usual to POTA/SOTA and submit a Cabrillo log to COQP.
How It Works
It’s super easy:
1. Pick your park or summit. Any POTA or SOTA entity in Colorado works. Feeling ambitious? Choose one in a rarer county and watch the pile-up grow.
This mapping tool can be very helpful for planning (set the layer selection to Colorado, counties, parks and/or summits.)
2. Activate during COQP hours. The Colorado QSO Party runs from 7:00 a.m. to 8:59 p.m. local time on Saturday. Activate for as long or as short as you want—there’s no minimum.
When you’re on the air, you can mention both activities and provide your park ID and your three-character county abbreviation. For example:
“CQ CQ CQ, this is W0̷QRZ for Parks on the Air and Colorado QSO Party.”
“K1QRV, you’re 59. I’m at park US-1234, and county code LAR“
or, on CW:
“CQ COQP de W0̷QRZ”
“K1QRV 599 LAR“
Note: Sending your POTA park or SOTA peak ID is optional.
You do not need to mention your park or summit ID for the QSOs to count for a POTA or SOTA activation. You’ll still get POTA/SOTA credit when you upload your log to their site.
Feel free to spot yourself or solicit contacts on social media. In the spot comment, you can put “POTA and COQP”.
3. Use a logger that supports COQP Programs like N1MM+, N3FJP, and others have built-in COQP support. Just select it in your logging software and you’re good to go. It’ll handle the exchange for you.
4. Submit your log to both. When you’re done, upload your log to POTA or SOTA like usual, then also submit it to COQP. You’ll get credit for both activities. Note: Your log for COQP should be uploaded in Cabrillo format, and POTA & SOTA submissions should be in ADI format.
5. What to Expect on the Air
During COQP, Colorado stations send their county abbreviation as part of the exchange (like “ELP” for El Paso or “JEF” for Jefferson). Out-of-state stations just send their state, province, or “DX.”
For more details, see the COQP Rules.
You’ll probably notice more activity than a typical weekend, especially on 20m and 40m. Take advantage of it—this is your chance to rack up contacts and maybe even snag some of those harder-to-reach parks or summits in Colorado.
6. Do I need to use a special exchange or procedure for POTA/SOTA contacts? No special exchange is needed. Just use the standard COQP exchange — RST plus county abbreviation (for Colorado stations) or RST plus state/province (for out-of-state). Submit your log normally to COQP and separately to POTA/SOTA.
7. If I am at a POTA or SOTA activation in Colorado, should I call CQ COQP or CQ POTA (SOTA)?: We suggest calling CQ COQP (vs. CQ POTA or CQ SOTA) because that will generate more callers. But, by all means, spot yourself (or ask someone to post you) to POTA & SOTA sites [give links] Your operation still counts as an activation – even if you don’t call CQ POTA, etc. [Add this info to the POTA/SOTA page]
8. A Few Key Points
POTA and SOTA stations will generally be entering in the Portable or Mobile category. Consistent with other contests and QSO parties, the COQP allows contacts only on these bands: 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 10m, 6m, and 2m. The COQP does not allow contacts on the WARC bands (30m, 17m, 12m). COQP contacts are limited to CW and Phone, so FT8/FT4 cannot be used. You may choose to make these contacts for your POTA or SOTA activation and not submit those for COQP credit.
9. You’re Part of the Fun
By activating during COQP, you’re not just doing your own thing—you’re helping make the event better for everyone. Colorado stations will be thrilled to work you, especially if you’re in a rare county or at an interesting location. And you’ll enjoy the busier activations.
So grab your gear, pick a spot, and let’s make some contacts. Whether you’re a POTA regular, a SOTA enthusiast, or someone trying it for the first time, you’re welcome here. See you on the air!
For lots more details, see the Getting Started page.