During the Colorado 14er & Mountaintop Event, amateur radio operators from around Colorado will be activating Summits On The Air (SOTA) peaks and communicating with other radio amateurs across the state and around the world. Join in on the fun during the annual event by activating a summit or contacting (chasing) the mountaintop stations. Be aware that many mountaintop activators will hit the trail early with the goal of being off the summits by (1800 UTC) noon due to lightning safety concerns.
This event is normally held the first full weekend in August. Again this year, we will add two bonus days to the event. The main two days remain Saturday and Sunday (Aug 2 & 3), while the bonus days are Thursday July 31 and Friday Aug 1 for those SOTA enthusiasts who need more than two days of mountaintop fun!
This event includes Summits On the Air (SOTA) peaks, which provide over 1700 summits to activate. (See the W0C SOTA web page or browse the SOTA Atlas.) The Colorado 14er Event was started in 1991, about 19 years before the SOTA program was set up in Colorado. As SOTA grew in popularity, this event expanded from just the 14,000-foot mountains (14ers) to include all of the SOTA summits in the state. We call it the Colorado 14er & Mountaintop Event because, well, that’s where it all started, and the 14ers are the iconic summits in the state.
Important: The recommended 2m FM frequencies have been changed to 146.58, 146.55, and 146.49 MHz, to align with the use of the North America Adventure Frequency for SOTA (146.58). The National Simplex Calling Frequency (146.52) may be used as appropriate. There will be plenty of action on the other ham bands, for more information see the [operating frequencies page] (ham14er@ham14er.groups.io | Wiki).
First-time activators should read our [Beginner Guide.] (ham14er@ham14er.groups.io | Wiki)
Warning: Climbing mountains is inherently a dangerous activity.
Do not attempt this without proper training, equipment and preparation.