On Saturday, May 31, 2025, Ara N6ARA activated from Pacifico Mountain, W6/CT-015. For this he used a 100W radio and a hex beam on a rotator. During the six-hour event he made 250 QSOs, doing CW on 5 bands, SSB on 3 bands, and FM on 2m. For this he earned 6 points bring his total SOTA points to 1000, thus becoming the 42nd W6 Mountain Goat. Joining him this day was Mark KD7DTS who filmed the event for a YouTube livestream on the SOTA+ channel. Also present was Adam K6ARK. And, of course, the hundreds of chasers who returned his radio calls made this a special day for him. Congratulations, ARA. We include below Ara’s story, as was posted
to the SoCalSota mail list.
The Journey of How I Got Here
SOTA changed my life. Four years ago, I was walking up the stairs to my apartment and found myself huffing and puffing from being out of shape. I realized that all that time indoors had done a number to my body, and that it was time to find a way to exercise consistently. Around that same time, I was also looking to get back into ham radio. I was a Technician at the time and thinking about upgrading to General for HF operation. Problem was… I lived in an apartment without a good way to put up an antenna (trust me tried). While describing this problem to my friend Brent KB1LQD, he suggested SOTA. I had not heard of it but figured I could just download the SOTA Goat app and drive over to a nearby mountain (Mt Lukens) to make some contacts. So, I did exactly that. I drove to the base of the mountain and thought “this looks close enough to the pin drop on the map”, so I set my station up and called “CQ SOTA” and made my first HF contact with David N6AN - who just so happened to be across the valley on Flint Peak. Being the incredible elmer he is, David informed me about the ARM and what doing SOTA actually entails. Turns out, I was far from summit and activation zone. I then realized that there was no way that I could ever hike up to the summit of Mt Lukens (7 mi / 2500 ft of gain) and almost gave up the idea of SOTA entirely. Thankfully, I noticed that Flint Peak was somewhat doable with my fitness level at that time (0.5 mi / 400ft of gain). So naturally, I decided to pack my backpack with heavy of radio gear (30lbs+) and made my way to the summit. After setting up my station, spotting on the app, and calling CQ on 20m SSB, I made my first non-local contact to a station in Canada. After that, I got a bunch of stations calling me back and struggled to keep up with the log. That was a defining moment for me. I was hooked to this new hobby. The rush of making multiple contacts and realizing that there were real people on the other side of this *direct* communication path - made on less power than what’s required to run a cellphone - was just mind blowing to me.
After this experience, I found myself researching local summits, planning gradually tougher and tougher hikes while learning how to bag them safely. Around this time, I joined SoCal SOTA group and quickly found myself surrounded by friends. This group has been incredibly supportive and positive. Something that’s very difficult to find now days (especially on the internet of all places). I specifically remember one night where, Mike KN6EZE, asked if any newbies have questions, so I raised my hand to ask how folks lighten their packs and get contacts in places with poor VHF/UHF coverage. The answer to both questions was “CW”. I asked by a show of hands who in the group knew CW, and almost everyone raised their hands. It was clear to me in that moment that CW offered a way to reduce power, and as a result, reduce the weight of the pack. Little did I know where this would take me.
I spent months learning CW. Along the way, I struggled a lot with head copying characters and memorizing callsigns. I wanted to give up at times, but thanks to everyone’s support, I was convinced to stick with it. After lots of practice, I finally mustering up the courage and made my first CW QSO with a VERY patient chaser. The thrill and joy of making that first contact is still something I struggle to describe. I yet again experienced another defining moment. I unlocked a whole new mode that would not only bring me endless joy but would change the course of my life.
As some folks here might remember, one of my CW keys broke in the field while I was activating. I almost lost the activation as a result. After getting home, I decided to design myself the smallest paddle possible. The idea was to have a “backup paddle” to avoid having this problem ever again. I finished building the first ever “TinyPaddle” and posted it on the SOTA Slack channel to share my progress. The next morning, I woke up to a few messages from folks asking if they could buy one. Again, I experienced another defining moment that kicked off a growing business where I build and sell ham radio gear. N6ARA Electronics has not only been a wonderful outlet for my passion to build things, but it has taught me a lot about production, manufacturing, marketing, and customer support. Most important to me, however, is the fact that it has given my father a newfound joy after retiring. His focus shifted to building some incredible tooling to expedite manufacturing, making it possible for us to build these products at scale. I have his amazing ingenuity and hard work to thank for this.
Most recently, I realized that at the core of this business is something that I also enjoy doing, but don’t really get to share much: process. I love learning, designing, building, testing, and iterating on an idea. So much so that I decided to start a YouTube channel to capture how I go through this process. I don’t know where this will go, but I’m having a blast doing it!
All this is to say, the SOTA community has given me so much. You’ve motivated me to learn. You’ve motivated me to push myself to climb higher and harder summits. Most recently San Gorgonio - the tallest summit in SoCal and the only 10-pointer down here. You’ve given me the opportunity to start a business. You’ve given me more than I could have ever asked for. Now, I know the 1000-point marker is somewhat arbitrary (and frankly - something I never thought I’d ever achieve anyway), but it’s the perfect milestone for me to reflect on those who gave me so much: the chasers.
In closing, I’ll admit… leading up to Mountain Goat, I was worried I’d stop doing SOTA. I know myself to be a very goal motivated person, and I’m often lost after achieving them, so I mostly say this to hold myself accountable: I plan to continue this journey. I want to bag taller and tougher summits, work on my completes, and get an FA. I want to continue testing and experimenting with gear, enjoying the beauties of nature, and best of all - continuing to enjoy my time with this awesome group of friends.
I look forward to hearing you on the air!
Thank you and 73,
Ara N6ARA