Summits on the Air

SOTA--Summits on the Air

SOTA--Summits on the Air--a great program that combines portable radio operations with hiking. Activators go on top of qualifying summits to transmit and Chasers contact them--both earn points. Because Activators have to carry their equipment to the top, a great many are running qrp, adding an additional challenge for Chasers. CHECK IT OUT!

https://www.sota.org.uk/

My ham radio blog (mostly SOTA)

I write up each activation with pictures as a reminder of the experience. I compile them and have a book made, these are the pdf's of those write-ups (stopped after 3 years):

1st Year (Aug. 2016-Aug. 2017); 2nd Year (Sept. 2017-Aug. 2018): 3rd Year (Aug. 2018-Aug. 2019)

My SOTA equipment (which changes over time): Tentec YouKits HB-1B MK3 transceiver (cw only on tx), 4 watts output, 5 band (15, 17, 20, 30, 40 meters); SOTA gear Pico paddle; Lipo battery (2200 mAh); homebrew linked dipole wire antenna(22 gauge, 4 band, color-coded) with coax; 24' Goture fishing pole for the mast; external speaker, clipboard, log, and watch.

In my pack I also carry water, rain jacket, backup power, guying ropes, 1st aid kit, gloves, hat, mini tripod for camera, paracord, backpacker's tarp, SOTA flag, and a few other knick-nacks. I had a much heavier pack to start with, that got whittled down quickly!

I've also used this rig as well, DC20B, from Pacific Antennas (20m qrp cw, fixed freq with homebrew dipole) as well as a small 40 meter Pixie (including my Mountain Goat summit):

DCxxB 20DC Pixie

POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON SOTA FOR UTAH

On Nov. 10, 2018 I achieved Mountain Goat--I was the 2nd in Utah, 82nd in the US, and 419th worldwide.

Milestones achieved on the road to Mountain Goat: Activator points= 1,000	Currently (as of 10/2/2021) Activator points: 1,338
161 Summits (129 UT; 25 AZ; 6 ID; 1 NV)	224 Summits (173 UT; 39 AZ; 9 ID; 1 NV; 1 CA; 1 WY)
68 First time ever for SOTA! (51 UT; 12 AZ; 4 ID; 1 NV)	81 First time ever for SOTA! (61 UT; 12 AZ; 6 ID; 1 NV; 1 WY)
100 Unique summits	115 Unique summits
15 (approximate) failed attempts (access/weather/difficulty/equipment)	18 (approximate) failed attempts (access/weather/difficulty/equipment)
97% done solo	98% done solo
3,505 QSO’s (all CW QRP)	5,066 QSO's (all CW QRP)
Ave. 21.8 per activation	Ave. 22.6 per activation
Most in one activation: 54	Most in one activation: 54
Farthest: 6,961 miles (New Zealand)	Farthest: 6,961 miles (New Zealand)
449 Chasers contacted	632 Unique chasers contacted
826 summit-to-summit points	1,531 summit-to-summit points
2,243 Chaser points	3,319 Chaser points

Lessons learned (some, general hiking knowledge): Mountain Goat award

--Activating solo means planning longer, going slower, and not taking risks (cancelling if need be).

--An OHV of some type aids greatly in many activations, making many more possible (and saving the pickup). (Thanks, Dad!)

--Multiple activations in a day can make for less enjoyable and rushed summits. Include time to enjoy the summit.

--No matter the amount of planning and preparation, a new place never seems to look like you thought it would.

--Google Earth doesn’t show everything well (gates, road quality, steepness, best approach, etc.)

--Have a backup if possible, fully planned and ready.

--After figuring the time required to drive, hike, breaks, and setup, add at least another half hour to the alert time.

--Weather at home does not reflect weather on a summit.

--You’re not done and safe until you’re home and safe.

--Many summits have their own weather.

--Always double check pack and area before leaving.

--Following a pattern for packing, setup, operating, and take-down makes for a smooth trip.

--The route coming down always looks a little different than it did going up.

--Every step on the journey gets you closer, and each needs to be taken with care.

--There is no shame in cancelling and heading home.

--Planning summits based on bonus points can lead to lots of extra points, but also some tough activations and disappointing cancellations.

--Plan your route looking at the whole mountain if possible, once on it, the view changes and is limited.

--CW suffers much more on a mountain top than in the shack (cold, wind, sitting on rocks, bugs, squatting, distractions of animals/people, awkward angles, etc.)

--Always have someone who knows where you'll be, your route, the times you plan on leaving and returning. Let them know if there are changes in the plan.

--Many areas, even on the summits, will not have cell service, plan accordingly.

--Be realistic about your own physical limitations, listen to your body.

--Alert times posted are always estimates, don't be governed by them, but rather by the mountain and your circumstances.

My videos of SOTA activations (most recent first):