First (Non) Activation Newcomer

What a good tip Ed. Thanks for that, never crossed my mind.

73 Phil

I was at the teeth chattering and sore hand stage by the time I took the mast down. I will definitely take some inner gloves for next time, thanks for the tip. Three layers sounds about right, too.

Hopefully be back up in the area next weekend if the weather and work allow so I can put the advice into practice.

3 Likes

Set an alert and we’ll watch out for you. Maybe I’ll also be on some summit.

Good luck!
73 de Martin / HB9GVW

Hej, Richard! Velkommen til SOTA og gratulerer med din første “aktivering” :slight_smile:

I spent a few years living in Tromsø and now regret that I was QRT from the hobby while in such fabulous terrain for it. I only got back into radio when I returned to the UK in 2017.

I’ve had several failed attempts at activating summits - the most frustrating is when you can drum up only three contacts despite calling your heart out :joy:

I’ve found time of day to be an important factor. Most of my failures have been later in the day, particularly at times when people are likely to be eating or winding down for the evening. I mention it because at your latitude, and at this time of year, you must have been on the hill quite late to get such beautiful shots of the sun low in the sky. There seems to be more activity and more chasers paying attention during the middle of the day (09:00z - 14:00z).

I agree with the other comments about paying attention to the non-radio equipment you’re taking with you, especially in more remote areas. Keeping yourself warm, healthy, fed, watered and able to complete your trip safely is more important than a few SOTA points. If you search this reflector you’ll find many posts discussing what others find useful to take into the mountains with them. In terms of clothing, the Norwegians with whom I used to hike would march full-speed directly up the mountain via the shortest, steepest possible path. Arriving at the summit in a sweaty mess, they would then strip off their top layers and replace them with dry ones from their pack, put on a down jacket and eat their lunch before doing anything else!

Lykke til neste gang! We will be listening out for you.

4 Likes

Thanks again for the replies. I Tried another one on Sunday(similar result)! I think next time I will try some digital. Due to work constraints I only have a few windows of opportunity and they tend to be last minute. Was a nice view and a pleasant overnight camp. Found the call record feature on the 705, too! Will boost with a battery to 10W next time. The tips were useful. I self spotted this time and had plenty of warm clothes and a sleeping bag.




7 Likes

Hello Richard,
One suggestion that I did not see in the above notes, is to do an activation with a person who already has several successful activations. Everyone I know, including myself, has learned a lot just by seeing how someone else tackles SOTA activations.
I am not familiar with the Norwegian SOTA scene, but it is possible to get a list of previous activators of summits near your intended target.
For example, while LA/SF-513 has not yet been activated, LA/SF-514 has been activated 3 times by LB4FH and LB0OG. SOTA Summits
Perhaps you can contact these people and arrange to meet them, or even to do an activation together.
Good Luck,

Ian
VE6IXD

2 Likes

Hi Ian

It is something I might try, although I must admit a good chunk of the excitement going up these summits is the thought of being the first activator……silly, I know, but there, nevertheless!

Having worked with Norwegians for several years it would be nice to get a UK callsign on a few of these hills…….(!):grinning:

1 Like

I don’t know if the screenshot was typical but 80m is very hit and miss I think. I would concentrate on 20m to start with. 30m and 17m also worked at times this week but 20m usually raises someone.

1 Like

Ok, thanks for that. Will try that next time.

2 Likes

Yap, during summer 80m with all its noise is not the best band to be heard with 5W.
In general, the nordic condx are a bit different. Don’t expect 20m to open before local noon.

Ahoi
Pom

1 Like

Hello Richard

My experience the easiest way to validly activate an outlying Summit:

  • Learn CW (qrs is no problem)
  • Set an alert in sotawatch
  • call cq in cw (qrs is no problem!) with your set callsign in the range of recommended frequencies, on a band where you already hear qsos.

73 Armin

4 Likes