Aspects are provided which allow coverage enhancement and support in NTNs for repetition, frequency hopping, and antenna switching during msgA transmissions based on a preamble-to-PO mapping. In one aspect, the base station provides and the UE obtains a RACH configuration associating a preamble with at least one PO for two-step random access, where the PO spans a time interval greater than one slot. In another aspect, the base station provides and the UE obtains a RACH configuration associating a preamble with a plurality of POs for two-step random access. In a further aspect, the base station provides the UE a plurality of configurations each indicating a PO for two-step random access. In an additional aspect, the base station provides the UE a configuration indicating a guard band for a PO for two-step random access, where the guard band is indicated in units of subcarriers spanning less than one PRB.