Influencer I
- 2,358
- First Name
- Dillon
- Last Name
- Wilke
- Member #
-
20298
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- KJ7LVO/ WRQL275
- Service Branch
- USAF
In a recent conversation @M Rose asked me if I could put together a little intro to SOTA, and because I love the idea of it so much, here we are!
First off what is SOTA? It is Summits On The Air, a program where ham radio operators build portable kits, hike to qualifying peaks and make radio contacts. Depending on the summit there are a number of points awarded. There are certificates and trophies awarded at certain points levels. To qualify an activation you need to make 4 contacts, all that is required for the contact log is time and call signs. You should also get a signal report to verify your set up is operating well and to give information on possible improvements. You will need to register on their website, which for me was a bit tricky. My verification e-mails kept coming many hours after I requested them, but I emailed the webmaster and he manually verified my account quite quickly.
The website can be a bit hard to navigate so heres a direct link to the registration page,
https://sso.sota.org.uk/auth/realms/SOTA/protocol/openid-connect/registrations?client_id=sotadata&redirect_uri=/&state=7b813bdd-7ea8-4c3b-87b8-6dcce29d19f5&response_mode=fragment&response_type=code&scope=openid&nonce=29424459-7343-415c-8f87-1da9c03214ac
To locate summits and find out what region you are located in you will use this page. Note for registration you will need to list your region, for me that is W7W for USA Washington state. SOTA Summits
Once you find your region it will be broken up into smaller sub regions and have lists of qualifying summits. With each summit listing is a link showing a map and GPS coordinates for the location. One important thing to note about SOTA is they consider leave no trace an absolute duty. Also if the exact location is crowded with people there is a 25meter rule. In order to not interfere with the enjoyment of others on the summit you are allowed (even encouraged) to go up to 25meters away from the absolute summit so your radio operation does not bother other people. They also encourage the use of head phones. Im torn on this as I like to remain aware of my surroundings, I just ensure my volume is no louder than it must be. The rules also require that no motorized means be use to power your equipment or be used to reach the final summit. Basically the spirit of this is to challenge yourself and gain experience in portable operation, so use your best judgement.
Now let's talk gear. You're probably thinking, great this is where Dilldog shows us his $1000 Elecraft. NOPE. Gear was a huge hanging up point for me. I allowed myself to think I needed one of those hotrod compact battery powered transceivers. Now while one of those is definitely on my wish list it's not needed. What I use is an Icom V86 hooked up to an Ed Fong Jpole antenna. For the base I'm running a scrap piece of 2x10 with a pipe bulkhead connector screwed to it that I can thread in a short piece of pipe and use a pair of backpacking gear straps to hold the antenna up.
I have had QSOs at 30miles running 7watts on FM. So you don't need something super fancy. Really the most important thing is getting your SWR as low as you can and minimize the length of your feed line, I'm at about a 1.1, so with the loss of 3' of RG8X coax I'm getting about 97% of my power out through the antenna. More than just gear, making sure your gear works well together is critical. The second biggest issue with gear is keeping it compact and light enough to carry to the summit. Many summits require a mile or more hike and include many hundreds of feet of elevation difference. My gear fits in a small messenger bag and I just carry the antenna.
I hope this shows you that getting into SOTA may be easier than you think. For most of us all that getting a SOTA activation would include is a short hike and making come contacts. A lot of us already have the gear and back country know how, its just realizing that existing skills and interests can combine into an amazing new experience.
First off what is SOTA? It is Summits On The Air, a program where ham radio operators build portable kits, hike to qualifying peaks and make radio contacts. Depending on the summit there are a number of points awarded. There are certificates and trophies awarded at certain points levels. To qualify an activation you need to make 4 contacts, all that is required for the contact log is time and call signs. You should also get a signal report to verify your set up is operating well and to give information on possible improvements. You will need to register on their website, which for me was a bit tricky. My verification e-mails kept coming many hours after I requested them, but I emailed the webmaster and he manually verified my account quite quickly.
The website can be a bit hard to navigate so heres a direct link to the registration page,
https://sso.sota.org.uk/auth/realms/SOTA/protocol/openid-connect/registrations?client_id=sotadata&redirect_uri=/&state=7b813bdd-7ea8-4c3b-87b8-6dcce29d19f5&response_mode=fragment&response_type=code&scope=openid&nonce=29424459-7343-415c-8f87-1da9c03214ac
To locate summits and find out what region you are located in you will use this page. Note for registration you will need to list your region, for me that is W7W for USA Washington state. SOTA Summits
Once you find your region it will be broken up into smaller sub regions and have lists of qualifying summits. With each summit listing is a link showing a map and GPS coordinates for the location. One important thing to note about SOTA is they consider leave no trace an absolute duty. Also if the exact location is crowded with people there is a 25meter rule. In order to not interfere with the enjoyment of others on the summit you are allowed (even encouraged) to go up to 25meters away from the absolute summit so your radio operation does not bother other people. They also encourage the use of head phones. Im torn on this as I like to remain aware of my surroundings, I just ensure my volume is no louder than it must be. The rules also require that no motorized means be use to power your equipment or be used to reach the final summit. Basically the spirit of this is to challenge yourself and gain experience in portable operation, so use your best judgement.
Now let's talk gear. You're probably thinking, great this is where Dilldog shows us his $1000 Elecraft. NOPE. Gear was a huge hanging up point for me. I allowed myself to think I needed one of those hotrod compact battery powered transceivers. Now while one of those is definitely on my wish list it's not needed. What I use is an Icom V86 hooked up to an Ed Fong Jpole antenna. For the base I'm running a scrap piece of 2x10 with a pipe bulkhead connector screwed to it that I can thread in a short piece of pipe and use a pair of backpacking gear straps to hold the antenna up.
I have had QSOs at 30miles running 7watts on FM. So you don't need something super fancy. Really the most important thing is getting your SWR as low as you can and minimize the length of your feed line, I'm at about a 1.1, so with the loss of 3' of RG8X coax I'm getting about 97% of my power out through the antenna. More than just gear, making sure your gear works well together is critical. The second biggest issue with gear is keeping it compact and light enough to carry to the summit. Many summits require a mile or more hike and include many hundreds of feet of elevation difference. My gear fits in a small messenger bag and I just carry the antenna.
I hope this shows you that getting into SOTA may be easier than you think. For most of us all that getting a SOTA activation would include is a short hike and making come contacts. A lot of us already have the gear and back country know how, its just realizing that existing skills and interests can combine into an amazing new experience.
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