In Summits On The Air (SOTA), to activate a summit you only need to log one contact, but to get points for your activation you’ll need to make at-least 4 contacts while in the activation zone. This article assumes you know the basics of SOTA. If not, take a look at the 4-part video series, SOTA 360, by N1CLC.
Sometimes you are buried in a pileup with chasers, other times you need to use every trick in the book to get those contacts. Below are a list of tips that will help maximize your chances of getting those 4 contacts, and more. You may know some of these but give the list a quick read anyway.
In General
Make sure you get spotted. (See Spotting - Improving Your Chances for SOTA Activating). This lets the chasers around the world know where you are, what your frequency is, and what mode you are operating.
Set an “Alert” on SotaWatch which lets people know your plans. For CW operators, it’s especially handy because there is a service that monitors RBN which will post a Spot for you when you call CQ.
Let your ham friends know you are going out using a mailing list, social media platforms, or other tools. There is a SOTA slack site channel setup so you could use that as well.
Run a QRO station. You don’t have to run QRP but it is a lot lighter. We know one operator that loves to pack his 7300 to the top of a summit and has a ton of fun. More power will definitely improve your chances of getting contacts, especially when running SSB, and it can be a lot of fun when there is a contest going on.
Spot yourself on POTA if you are in a qualified park. If you are within a “Parks On The Air” park, post a spot on POTA.app as well. I’ll do this at times using PoLo. By entering the SOTA and POTA designator for my activation in PoLo (my logging app), it will post a spot to both services at once, doubling the number of chasers that are looking for me. NOTE: If you work POTA chasers (AKA hunters), don’t forget to upload your logs to pota.app, otherwise POTA hunters don’t get their points.
To reduce big pileups, spot and work SOTA chasers first, then spot on POTA. (See comment above regarding uploading your POTA logs).
The more bands you operate, the more opportunities you have. This obviously means that you will need to have one or more antennas that work for the bands you plan to operate. Simple linked dipoles work great for multiple bands, and my favorite, a random wire is awesome, as long as you have a good antenna tuner to go with it.
Try chasing from the summit. Not only will you get some summit-to-summit points, you’ll add more contacts to your log and it’s a lot of fun. To see who else is currently activating, you can use the SotaWatch website, a mobile tool like SOTA Goat, or possibly your logging app, like Polo. You can also chase (aka “hunt” POTA activators).
When sharing the same radio using SSB, it can be confusing and or difficult for chasers to remember to work both stations. If you are using SSB, have the operator that is spotted call CQ and answer first, before saying “73”, say “standby for second operator”, then pass the mic. Keeping to this pattern works well and other chasing stations will hear what you are doing and be ready. It won’t always work.
When sharing a radio using CW, you can use the prosign <AS> (which means “wait”). For example, AS AS here is Tom. This can be very effective for chasers that know you but unexpected by other chasers. If you can, have the other operator spot separately. Using a different band helps ensure that more chasers have a chance.
Be Present; Try to stay on the same band for at-least 5 to 10 minutes before changing frequencies. Don’t forget 40m for the locals, who are generally motivated to lend a hand.
Run your QSO in generally the same way every time. This helps chasers know the flow and when one QSO ends, and the next begins.
Be patient and keep calling CQ if you don’t hear anyone. Chasers will generally listen for a bit to check if they can hear you, if they can’t there’s no reason to try for a QSO. If you aren’t calling CQ, you might miss someone stopping by for a listen or someone else may take over the frequency.
If you’re really struggling to get the full activation, consider using the local repeater and see if they will move to a simplex frequency to help you out.
Spin the dial. You can always turn the VFO and find others calling CQ, or you can find a QSO in progress, wait till the end, and then ask for a contact. (N1CLC did that a lot till he learned about spotting.)
If you’re new, log on paper to reduce overload, then switch to logging on a mobile app when you are comfortable.
Tips for VHF / UHF Operators
Make sure you get spotted. (See Spotting - Improving Your Chances for SOTA Activating). It’s been mentioned above but this is important when conditions are tough.
When using VHF or UHF (2m, 70 cm typically), you’ll want to make sure your planned summit has a good look into a populated area. For example, getting contacts from a summit that is located in the back country is going to be more difficult than summits that have a good reach into the LA basin. Also, if there is a big freeway near you, those mobile stations might pick you up.
Ask others what frequency most hams in the area use. In some areas, like in SoCal many operators have been using 146.58, the adventure frequency. It’s being monitored in places like the LA basin and San Diego. If you’re not sure what is used in your area of operation, use the national calling frequency for 2m and 70cm (146.520 and 446.000). As another example, the Phoenix metro area prefers 144.41, and Tucson typically prefers 146.52. Again, when in doubt, spot on 146.52 and move if needed.
Maximize your antenna for the band you plan to activate. There are lots of choices for VHF and UHF, but we think some good choices over the rubber duck that came with your HT are:
A telescoping whip. Smiley Antenna makes several for Amateur radio. We like the 5/8s wave the best. Telescoping whip antennas are very portable and a quick setup.
A small Yagi antenna. Arrow Antennas makes several models, like this one. They have models that have a split shaft and a bag to enable portability. This should be the most effective directional antenna.
Try small Log Periodic antenna. Elk Antennas makes some of the more popular ones. Their antenna is easy to assemble and also has an optional bag for portability. They are known to be a little less directional than a Yagi.
Cut some wire for a 2m dipole and wire it up to some coax and a connector.
And more... I’ll stop here but hopefully you get the idea.
For VHF / UHF, vertically polarized position works the best (elements are straight up and down). It’s not a hard and fast rule but followed more often than not.
Don’t forget to open your your squelch when listening for responses to your CQ.
Tips for HF Operators
Spotting for the win. See Spotting - Improving Your Chances for SOTA Activating). It’s been mentioned twice so far, but it’s the single best tip for improving your full activation chances.
You don’t have to work CW to participate in SOTA but it will give you an advantage over SSB. In general, the signal to noise ratio (SNR) comparison indicates that running a 5W station running CW is similar to the SNR of SSB at 80w. When conditions are tough, CW will always deliver. If it doesn’t, we’re having a backout.
As we all know (or you will soon find out), antennas are what the paintbrush is to an artist. Without dedicating the next several pages to portable antennas, in general, the more bands your antenna can work, the better. The small ultra-portable antennas like the Elecraft AX1 are awesome but if band conditions suck, you’ll struggle. K6ARK.com has some awesome kits for SOTA. Check out the K6ARK channel to see some of his more epic activations using directional HF antennas as well.
Attribution
Original draft by N1CLC. Thanks to KE6SRN, WU7H, NN7O, KK7LHY, AI6XG, KC1MXB, WW7D for their review, comments, edits and other contributions.
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