I activated Kit Hill on 2m FM last year and had a long and interesting conversation with a passer-by who “used to do that sort of thing in the Royal Signals” and was marvelling at how small the kit had become - and I was using the FT857D at the time, I don’t know what he would have made of the 817! I also remember several years ago having a long conversation with a hill walker on Dale Head who found the whole idea of SOTA so interesting that I gave him a copy of the old SOTA leaflet. I don’t know if he went on to get his license. The only time I ever had a negative reaction was in the days before SOTA, about 40 years ago I took an FT290R and a mast with an HB9CV up a Welsh summit and a passer-by grumped that “I don’t climb mountains to see this sort of thing!” but otherwise I would say that the people you meet on mountains are friendly and have a healthy curiosity about what you are doing. I am always friendly and informative - after all, who knows? One of those passer-by might get bitten by the bug and one day will give you some SOTA points!
i try to avoid setting up my antenna at the highest point / summit cross where all the other hikers are … on most summits it is possible to find a quiet operating place a bit away from the crowd. i always use headphones and i set up my kx2’s mic-gain a little higher, so I don’t need to shout into the microphone. i love the idea of @EA7GV to programme a voice keyer memory for “OE5REO/P SUMMIT TO SUMMIT” into the KX2 … never thought about that (although i use the voice keyer for my CQ calls regularly).
73 martin, oe5reo
In days of Corona, there are SOTA activators who suspect other HAMs sending a policeman to control permitted activation during outgoing restrictions.
Really stupid, this.
John OE7PHI
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I always feel a bit self conscious if there are people around when I’m setting up - but I only do morse and once I’m doing that I normally forget about them unless someone comes and asks a few questions:- Which leads nicely too:-
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Information for the public. It would be nice if I had some small ‘business’ cards to hand them to the public. a web address to take them to a SOTA page - rather than just tell them, as sometimes I’m QRL on the radio/key.
It is more for ham … i made a prasentation about SOTA in my club, printed them and gave them as a handout.
I think we should have something easier for muggles.
73 Armin
Just the job Andy. Thanks for that. I’ll be looking forward to giving my first leaflet out!!
Dave
I always do CW. Problem solved 
Kent K9EZ
This usually not an issue on Scottish summits. Due to the sound of high wind, no one can hear you shouting into a mic. 
Not any more. When I first was licensed I was mic shy. But now no problem. I activate using CW mostly these days though.
Roland K7FOP
Stupid while using SSB? No, why? I felt stupid for calling CQ and nobody coming back until I got voice keyer mic. And I feel stupid for doing the same on FT8. I think I won’t bother hauling FT8 gear up the mountain anymore.
Phone modes can be quite advantageous as regards other people on the summit. Most passers-by are interested in what I’m doing and inevitably ask questions. If I’m operating SSB (or FM), it’s much easier to demonstrate amateur radio to interested folks, and they can hear it for themselves. It has a much greater impact than them hearing a CW or data signal, and me explaining to them what it is they’re hearing!
Also, with CW or data, other people passing by don’t recognise/realise that you’re communicating with someone else, and will happily talk to you over it, which can be quite disruptive for operating. With phone modes, they tend not to interrupt and wait to speak to you.
As for “feeling stupid” - well I always feel a little bit stupid extending a 7m fishing rod on a summit, something which practically guarantees perplexed looks of bemusement from others, and the usual hilarious one-liners from them that are becoming a little bit tedious.
Agreed. People do find Morse interesting briefly. I can’t imagine that FT8 is remotely interesting to the passer-by.
That’s interesting. I’m currently finding that FT8 is, by a significant margin, the easiest and quickest way to get HF QSOs as a summit activator. I guess it depends on how you do it. Answering others’ CQ calls is a slow, tedious and unrewarding experience on FT8, for sure. But finding your own clear TX frequency (and making sure to check the “Hold TX frequency” box), self-spotting on SOTAwatch, and running as an activator, tends to be very successful.
To someone who is not into FTwhatever, that sounds like valuing quantity rather than quality! 
I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick Brian - a bit of confirmation bias perhaps?
Valdi @S52CA reported finding it difficult to get replies when using FT8 mode from a summit. My response acknowledged a similar experience using using one style of operating, and shared my solution to the problem.
The JT modes all follow a rigid algorithm with exchange of only basic QSO data, so there really isn’t a “quality vs quantity” consideration involved in any case. The slight exception is the optional use of the single “Free msg” line - which I do use in most of my FT8 QSOs (to give the SOTA reference) - putting me above the 95th percentile in terms of quality FT8 QSOs I would say. 
I’m with Tom on this one. Despite a preference for using CW when needs must I take to FT8 for quality. Like the QSO I had on 50 MHz yesterday with J69DS (St Lucia) using the machine mode, which is valid for DXCC. Now that is quality, as was the half QSO I had to discount with a VP9 just after that before the band dropped out!
Don’t knock it until you try it Brian - have you tried it yet?
73 Phil
@OE5YYN designed this leaflet last year for interested people. i already handed out several of these on different occasions …
73 martin, oe5reo
THIS is a very good info for the public in austria. I would wish something like this for germany, too.
I would always have some of these in my backpack.
73 Armin
I’ve found data mode chasing only occasionally successful. It is certainly easier to chase activators who have held (and, ideally, spotted) their TX frequency and who are calling CQ (and if they are using a /P suffix they’re easier to spot in the crowd). Even then, more often than not, I either see no evidence of an activator, or I can see responses to an activator but not the activator’s transmissions. On the whole, I find chasing in CW is more rewarding…