Here’s how to create a map of your SOTA QSO’s on the SOTADATA web site. When you login it will default to the Statistics tab. Under the Recent activations section, click on the map icon for a summit, You’ll see the map with a triangle with the points for the summit. The line color represents the frequency, for example dark purple is 144MHz. The line decoration represents the mode, for example, a dashed line for FM.
Hi Brian,
I note at 02:00 in your video, there’s a long QSO line stretching out over the Pacific to somewhere in China. This line represents the QSO you had on that day with KM6CEM who lives in San Dimas, Ca. The reason that line goes way off is due very probably to his having forgotten earlier to enter a minus sign to his position’s longitude (i.e. writing 117.799804 instead of -117.799804) in his QRZ page. The first one puts his position near to Suqian in China instead of his proper position.
He appears to have altered this at some time, however, and his QRZ page now shows the correct value. However, the SOTA record of his position, which that mapping page uses to place an icon on the map, has not been updated - you should contact the SOTA people to correct this.
The reason that particular line is separate from the others in the map? Most of the mapping engines (Google Maps, Leaflet, etc.) have problems showing such lines crossing the International Date Line (in the Pacific!) - it’s a well-known weakness, or bug in the mapping engines themselves. How each engine deals with this is slightly different, so … it is what it is.
KB8UIP de G4OBK
Thank you for this information Brian. Despite the error in the lat/long picked out by the observant Rob @DM1CM (He doesn’t miss much!), I wasn’t aware of this easy to use feature built into the SOTA database.
Here is the map of the contacts on my last activation of GW/NW-012, when I only made one QSO on 10m outside the UK with the ever strong Herbert @OE9HRV, who is usually the strongest SOTA signal coming out of Europe on 10m when the band is open to UK.
73 Phil
Many thanks for this Brian. I had no idea this facility existed and had assumed that people who produced such diagrams were using advanced logging programs. Having looked at my most recent activation (a trivial local hill) I shall enjoy looking back at the logs and maps for the many summits we activated in Scotland.
73,
Rod
I was looking this morning. I wish that it was possible to zoom out a bit further or have a ‘pop out’ map.
Colin
The mouse scroll wheel zooms in and out.
73 Ed.
Well, to be fair, if you will set your browser window to ~ 700px by 330px, then yes, your view is going to be restricted. Set the window/browser window to something larger (or use a different device) and you’ll see more. Or just live with what you have. ‘Pop-out’ windows are a huge pain to get right, and can be safety loopholes as well; I think the map is about right as it is.
Cheers, Rob
Which is what I was going to say Ed. But there’s something odd/different/strange about Colin’s image…the “-” button is not highlighted which I assume means it wont work. That’s probably why Colin cannot zoom out. As to why? Don’t know… could be lots of different things. It works for me which is not much of a help.
Good spotting Andy @MM0FMF - yes when the Minus is greyed out, it means it can’t zoom out any further.
I think Rob @DM1CM has spotted the issue that the browser window is set too small. Colin @M1BUU , Is this on your smartphone perhaps?
73 Ed.
Yeah, I hate computers!
I use my Android phone for everything. I do have an ancient Win7 machine but it rarely gets turned on.
It’s not highlighted because it’s disabled, and it’s disabled because Colin has already zoomed out as far as it can go - at that maximum zoom-out level, the button is disabled to show the user it ain’t going any further out. This is borne out by the map view, which shows the whole world, or at least as much as the small viewing port of the device he’s using CAN show. No online map zooms out any further than that - why would it?
On a PC, one can press the F11 button to maximize the amount the system can show of the window’s contents. Maybe there’s a smartphone equivalent? - I dunno, I hate smartphones.
On my newest Android phone I can zoom the map out further than on the phone it replaced. Both are running the same version of Brave browser but one is Android 14 on a 720 x 1600 screen and the other is Android 9 on a 720 x 1440 screen.
Interesting because on FF on a Win10 machine you can zoom out the map further that on Android. Far enough to wrap around.
It’s not the browser or the operating system that makes the map appear to be zooming out further, it’s down to the mapping engine used by the website - the map actually doesn’t zoom out further, nor can it. It’s simply the fact that a wider screen, with more pixels either side (as in your two examples at 2:1 and 2.222:1 formats), can show more of the wrapped-around map than others can.
Thank you for that tip.
A bit awkward, but nice job on tha japan QSO!
Yup, I stumbled upon it myself, when I noticed the little map icon, love having an easy way to creat a SOTA map of QSOs.
Nice job!
Ah that’s a good point, I’ve see that before but had forgotten, thank you!
And now a tip for you. You can combine multiple answers in one post by quoting from the individual statements. That makes it much more readable for everyone 
