Yes — the 2026 changes to the GOTA (“Get On The Air”) station are a pretty big deal for Field Day.

Under the 2025 rules, there was a cap on how many GOTA QSOs could count for scoring and bonus purposes.

For 2026, the American Radio Relay League expanded the GOTA station rules significantly:

What changed

1. Unlimited GOTA QSOs now count

Previously:

• Only a limited number of GOTA contacts counted toward the score.

Now in 2026:

• All GOTA QSOs count for QSO points.
• There is no maximum cap on GOTA contacts.

So if your GOTA station is very active all weekend, every contact adds to the club’s total score.

2. Up to 5 GOTA bonus points per QSO

The rules now allow:

• 5 bonus points per completed GOTA contact
• instead of the older limited bonus structure.

This dramatically increases the value of operating the GOTA station.

Why ARRL changed it

The goal is to encourage:

• more new operators
• youth participation
• public participation
• coaching/mentoring
• hands-on learning

ARRL wants clubs to treat GOTA like a major activity station instead of a side station.

What this means strategically for your club

For your Daytona Beach Amateur Radio Association Field Day setup:

A strong GOTA station could now become:

• one of the highest-scoring stations
• a major public outreach attraction
• a youth/STEM showcase
• an easy place for visitors to participate

It’s now worth:

• putting up a GOOD antenna
• assigning coaches
• keeping it active continuously
• promoting it publicly

Example

If the GOTA station makes:

• 200 QSOs

And each QSO gets:

• normal QSO points
  PLUS
• 5 bonus points

That can become a huge score contribution compared to prior years.

Important detail

The GOTA operator eligibility rules still apply:

• newer hams
• inactive hams
• generally non-regular contesters
• supervised operation allowed

The station is still intended as an educational/onboarding station — not just another power operator station.