I first heard about SOTA almost a year ago and have finally done my first activation today (11/24/2012). This is something that I have wanted to do for months now.
I met a friend of mine that used to be a ham back in the early 70’s when he was 12. He’s no longer licensed but does enjoy hiking so he said he would help me with some activations. So today we decided to activate a hill very local to him, Pt. 1676 (W1/HA-176) in Lyman, NH.
All in all a pretty easy hike, and a good view of the White Mtn range and up into Burke Mtn in VT as well. Access was easy for us as we were able to park at my hiking companions friends house and access ATV and logging trails to the summit.
All log entries are 2 meter simplex using my HTX-202 @ 2.5W with a loaded telescoping whip (3.5dBi gain).
Thanks to all my local hams who responded to my CQ SOTA calls!
Well I am just in from the hike about an hour ago so I’m going to make a warm cup of joe and some grub! More to be posted later (pics included)!!
In reply to KB1CRQ:
Matt,
Great to see your name and call here! Congrats on becoming involved and your first activation. Herm and I look forward to chasing for you sometime. Post an alert for your next one and we should be able to reach across NH for a contact from our QTH.
Thanks for the heads up about NA-SOTA Mike, I will join shortly! Yeah I need a small HF rig, currently all I have is a Kenwood TS-120S weighing in at 13 pounds… much more than I would like to pack up the mountains with everything else I need to bring. I am looking at a Yeasu FT-897 as it will do everything I need as a base, mobile, or portable! The 817 is nice and small, but it just doesn’t seem to fit my needs. I’m looking at more than just SOTA portability for this transceiver.
Thanks again Mike and 73,
Matt Gibson KB1CRQ
Monroe, NH - FN34xg
Merle, thank you very much! I’m glad I was finally able to do an activation! Yeah I didn’t bother posting an alert or a spot as I only used my 2M gear and figured that most people wouldn’t be able to hear me. I just gave a shout on the Cannon repeater when we arrived at the parking spot and warned people that I would be on summit within the hour and calling CQ SOTA on 146.49, 146.52, and 156.55. There’s a diehard simplex group that I talk to regularly in .55 anywho and most of them were local to the mtn (Pt. 1676) so it all worked out pretty well. I am planning an activation soon for Black Mtn. in Benton NH in the next few weeks so stay tuned. I will email you or give you and Herm a shout on the Mt. Washington repeater a few days before. Talk to you soon Merle!
Yeah I can see by the pictures that the 857 is smaller, but I do like the 897’s ability to run off from INTERNAL batteries… one less separate item to find room for, OR forget! I’m also looking at it from the standpoint of camping, and ARES activations and the ability to pack it up quick and move to a new location, while still having more power than the mere 5 watts of the 817.
I have limited funds so it’s not like I can afford to buy multiple radios for multiple activities! Otherwise I probably would get an FT-817 for SOTA and camping trips.
but I do like the 897’s ability to run off from INTERNAL batteries.
Except it doesn’t run off them for very long. They’re expensive and heavy.
I have limited funds
A situation we all find ourselves in! An 857 with external RC LiPO batteries is probably a much better bet for SOTAing and is still usable in the shack with a PSU. When funds are better you can buy a better shack rig and leave the 857 for mobile/SOTA use.
The final decision is yours however. There is no correct answer. Only opinions. Of course, mine is the correct opinion!
Congratulations on your first activation. You do know that SOTA is exceptionally addictive.
