Milestone reached!

A week ago I had only ever made 5 SOTA contacts & those between 2007 & 2015 but as I mentioned in a previous post I came across a 60m QSO so decided to get involved.
This last week has seen me spending far too much time in front on my rig/pc but having just worked a MM portable amongst the WPX contesters on 40m ssb I have reached the magic 100 mark.
It might have been sooner/higher but the OE portable I worked turned out to be on an invalid summit.
He did email me subsequently to apologise.
As a contester/DXer I am used to quick fire exchanges but this does not seem to always be the case with SOTA.This can be rather frustrating as qsb/qrm can creep in when exchanges are longer with the possible loss of the contact.
It certainly calls for a different type of operating than that which I am used to.
I have found the various SOTA resources excellent in particular the SOTAwatch & the links through to the various maps of the area concerned.
I shall carry on but need to work out how I can incorporate SOTA with all my other interests such as DXCC, contests, IOTA ,Russian Districts Award etc.!

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Hi Steve

Thanks for the contact when I was on Rhobell Fawr on Friday. Yes, different scenario to contesting and very enjoyable although I do find I do have to go into ā€˜contest modeā€™ sometimes to get through a pile up but it is so nice to chat to the chasersā€¦thatā€™s just me.

Some of the phone apps can also help if you want to monitor SOTA spots whilst away from your shack but that leads into your last commentā€¦

Just let SOTA take over your lifeā€¦it has with me and XYL :smile:

Looking forward to the next contact with you and well done on the 100,

73 Allan GW4VPX

Thanks for the comments Alan - all noted !
I have found a ā€œpaid forā€ ios app ā€œSOTA Goatā€ which seems to offer a number of options - my xyl likes the ā€œgoatā€ sound alert !
Any other ?
Steve
GW4BKG

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Christophe maintains a list of assorted SOTA apps, programs and websites.

http://on6zq.be/w/index.php/SOTA/Software

Haā€¦ has a habit of doing thatā€¦ speaking as one addict to anotherā€¦ :smile:

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Thanks - a very useful resource.
Steve
GW4BKG

You donā€™t :smiley:

73,
Rod

I think it is a no brainer - you do DXCC and all the other interests from the summits and take advantage of the low noise level out on the hills. Itā€™s a win - win situation. :slight_smile:

73 Gerald G4OIG

I do accept that unless you concentrate on one area of amateur radio activity you will not reach the highest levels.
However if your only interest is DXCC, when you get to a level above about 300 you will spend a lot of time just waiting for new entities to be activated.
The same argument applies to IOTA & of course one is dependent on conditions or the weather to be favourable.
I do accept that with so many SOTA this argument many not necessary apply but again looking at the high scores of some participants time must be spent waiting for new activations.
My preference is to have many irons in the fire but being retired I can spend as much or as little time as I want on the various facets of the hobby.
I do have numerous other interests outside amateur radio !!

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I look at it that as the range of SOTA summits covers from bumps in the ground to Denali or Mont Blanc there is always something on. Most days itā€™s nothing more than a nice hill thatā€™s an hour or so walk from the car. These are the bread&butter summits. Then sometimes you get people out on bigger stuff with say lots of snow, or in VK when itā€™s 35C or more. Or maybe someone is wild camping to get to somewhere remote. Then you get some more serious summits activated. So there is nearly always something everyday to ā€œscratch your itchā€ and now then something worth making a bigger effort to catch.

The fact there is something on 24/7 means you can dip in and out when you want and you can do other things.

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Morning Steve

I do lot of other things besides Sota chasing and the odd summit i get too, well one so far LOL on the radio. I enjoy the variety of things you can do on radio including Sota as spent some time and sorting out few things to make me old portable set up a lot site more portable than before. With making better portable antennas and improving the PPSU big time from a big yellow charger box to a 8400mah Lifepo 4 battery at 1/4 the size and weight.

Now it gets little more a challenge from other continents with just wire antennas and 10w. But sure is a lot of fun.

Karl

Hi Steve,

thanks for the QSOs on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, GM/NS-059 (first activation) and GM/WS-342 (a lot of effort for a single point!).

73s

Colwyn
MM0YCJ

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yes thanks Colwyn - but that QSO took me to the heady heights of 100 points !

Splendid.

73s

Colwyn