Hi Martin,
This question comes up time and time again. I’m sure the answer must be in the FAQs on the main SOTA webpage by now.
There is NO physical distance that one has to walk from your transport, specified in the General rules. Some (VK) associations did have a rule in their association manuals that equipment had to be carried into the activation zone but I believe they have all been removed in the meantime.
The only rule is that NO support may be provided from a motor vehicle. That’s not only power but also shade in summer or antenna mast support etc. The easy rule of thumb is once set up, can the wife drive off in the car down to the cafe or shops and you can still operate - if yes, then you are within the rules.
The rules are this open so as to enable disabled people, possibly in wheelchairs, to still take part as activators.
Some activators do like to include the fact that there needs to be a good walking distance, perhaps the 25 vertical metres of the Activation Zone, to the summit from where your transport stopped. That however is a personal rule of the particular activator and not a SOTA general rule.
Hi Robert, yes, the December update brought to light a few new promising summits. SOTA Summits is also a 10-pointer that is waiting for a first activator with a car
I believe you are entirely correct there, Ed. I think this is based on an historical misunderstanding about the intention of the general rules.
The background is that there was a sentence in the general rules some time ago indicating that the “final approach to the summit (or to the operating position?)” must be on foot, or that it must not be via motorised transportation, I don’t have any archived copies of it so can’t track it down. In addition, several associations had set up their ARMs to contain the requirement that the AZ must be entered on foot, interpreting the “final approach” to mean “entering the AZ”. That requirement was included explicitly in the original VK3 ARM, the first VK ARM created, and all subsequent VK ARMs inherited that wording.
However several years later (2015 or so?) I and others queried whether that was the intention of the general rules, and received the advice that it was not the intention at all. We subsequently removed that requirement from the VK ARMs and I believe many other associations did likewise. However some myths live on.
In summary, drive-ups are acceptable but the equipment and all parts of the station needed to be portable and had to be independent of any vehicle. I updated the VKFAQ.ampr.org page on SOTA to add the suggested test that if the motor vehicle was removed from the summit, the activation would proceed unchanged, confirming that it was not supplying shelter, power or antennas to the activation.
It follows that the same concept applies to summits accessible via cable cars, trams or helicopters. As long as the equipment used for the activation is portable and arrives at its operating position by foot/bicycle/ski (ie. carried by unpowered transport) it is perfectly acceptable. There is no minimum distance specified in the general rules. So you get out of your cable car or helicopter, carry your equipment over to the operating position and start setting up.
As you say, some activators have adopted a personal goal of always entering the AZ on foot, even backtracking from parking areas etc in some cases. Good on them. But that is a personal decision and not a SOTA requirement.
“However, the use of a bike (non-motorized) or animals to enter the Activation Zone is permitted.” (3.7.1 item 3).
Now, this sentence gives permission and does not explicitly forbid anything. But given its presence, I think the casual reader could be forgiven for assuming that using a motorized vehicle to enter the Activation Zone was not permitted. What otherwise would be the point of including this sentence?
Martin, I enjoy them somehow, although they don’t offer spectacular views quite frequently – but they bring me to discover parts of your country and local culture I’d never seen without SOTA. I even tend to prefer this simplicity to a spectacular summit in the Alps.
And I’m also looking for the mentioned car (with a chauffeur, and no QRL), hi.
Yes, and those easy ones are (1) good for training operating skills etc. for when it really counts and (2) are a little compensation for the more difficult ones that failed or semi-failed (like OE/VB-248 Formaletsch and OE/TI-104 Pirchkogel, two nice 10-pointers I failed to qualify)…
Hi Martyn,
That’s an interesting point you make, I would suggest that the MT look at removing it in the next release of the general rules to avoid confusion.
Ah, that just adds a bit of spice to the task! I thought I had it as a .doc or .rtf but can’t see it. I’ll get an editable format sent to you by email.
PDF documents can be converted to word and other editable formats for free by using this website:
73 Ed.
I just converted the General Rules from April 2015 (not sure if that’s the latest but it’s the PDF I had handy) - conversion to DOC created a corrupt file, creation to ODT worked and is editable and of course Open Office can export to PDF to create a new version.
For such summits, Once I have validated them, I have been adding a comment on the Summits page of these being summits that provide “access for those with mobility difficulties” - here is an example:
I will activate Hochsten tomorrow morning (Wednesday 30 May) at around 0500z-0645z and will try the usual 7.033 CW & 7 MHz SSB and then 10.119 MHz. I doubt 14 MHz will be open then / and I will lack much time as I need to return to the hotel for my breakfast.
We checked in this evening at the Friday night SOTA dinner Hotel - Landgasthof Zum Goldenen Kreuz in Pfrungen - first impressions on the welcome here by the proprieter and his wife was superb and the room has everything we need. Shower excellent, and very clean indeed. We are heading down for our main meal soon.
73 Phil
PS Hopefully activation tomorrow in the OE/VB area also as OE/G4OBK/P. I need to study the maps and see what can be done. I will be keeping an eye on the weather forecasts.
Good luck Phil,
I’ll be at breakfast when you’re on your first summit … so won’t be able to chase you.
Have you read my report on two easy summits in OE and HB0 ?
I will look at those. Maybe Liechtenstein is too far for us, we will see.
Great activation of Hochsten today - I still haven’t had my breakfast but I back at the hotel in Pfrungen. The logs are in - 23 QSOs on 40, 30 and 20m bands.
I operated on a seat near the viewing shelter - shaped like a bandstand, which would serve as good cover for any activators going there during the forecasted wet weekend coming up Some pics (with brief captions) taken and hour or so ago from the summit here:
Thanks for the ground-wave (I guess) contact this morning Phil.
Good luck with the OE activations - don’t forget to avoid the the Austrian Autobahns unless you have bought a “Vignette” sticker.
73 Ed.
P.S. I guess that message board was set up by the Gasthaus nearby as it lists translations from Schwabische (the local dialect) into “high” German for food and drink items.
