Just wondering how folks that love a good 'OTA (SOTA, BOTA, POTA, MOTA,IOTA, LOTA and so on…) fit it in to their lives.
Personally, I’m spontaneous. When I get a window to do it, I go. SOTA is more time consuming, and thus more infrequent. So most times I go POTA and BOTA.
Radio around life. Not the other way round. For me at least.
How about you?
There is very little spontaneity in our lives at the moment, so my trips are planned well in advance. I have “allotted” myself one day per month as a personal day, and I use it to hike the mountains and play radio at the top. Since my spare time is extremely limited, the operation is planned fairly extensively.
August was a fortunate month for me, lots of activations and family participation too! I’m building up my mileage for a couple long hikes in Tennessee this October.
My wife is incredibly supportive and I could activate much more often every month with her blessings, but I choose to prioritize my roles as a husband and father above hiker & radio op.
I am surrounded by summits… and since I like being outdoors, it just happens… especially since I don’t have good antenna options at home and I like to do amateur radio…
Holidays are always combined with activities on summits.
But sometimes I also need NOTA (nothing on the air)
73 Armin
I’m strictly a SOTA guy. The other “OTA” options don’t interest me. The one exception is that often the SOTA peak I’m activating is collocated in a POTA park… like a National Forest. Then, if I make a Park-to-Park contact from the peak, I’ll log it in POTA so that the other operator’s log has integrity. I try to get out once a week… and this is my primary means of staying active… and my “happy balance” in life. I’m retired, and live in Colorado, so I’m spoiled with all the SOTA options available to me. I’m activating year-round, and look forward to the bonus points available in the winter. If anyone plans to visit W0C and wants some local beta, look me up in QRZ.
One of my first jobs when I get on line is check SW3 for Spots and Alerts. Then spend my days doing other stuff but always try to be home to work any pending SOTA or WWFF ops out on hills if I can hear them. I do lots of activating as well and most of the VK activators are my chasers too as we help each other out with a score where possible. Chasing comes with knowing what a SOTA or Parks operator has gone through to be out doing the activity. Some long distance travel is involved with over night accommodation to all be payed for, property access permission some times is required. Then the easy/fun part of SOTA comes in like the slog/ hike up and radio stuff when you get there, maybe a bit of play 4x4 to get out to the summit area. Having the kit all work properly when the activation gets under way with your best home brew antenna and fancy radio is the best part and making contacts. I also make sure my CW speed is set to what the chasers or activators can handle to make the QSO. That’s what inspires me to play portable radio in SOTA and WWFF hopefully for a few more years to come.
Regards
Ian vk5cz …
Good call on the CW speed settings. I’m learning at the moment and am worried when I try my first CW QSO that nobody will want to make contact as either I’m too slow for them or they are too fast for me.
Great to see everyone’s different angles at 'OTAing though.
I see many spots where the operator asks to QRS and I am happy to turn down the speed. We all have to start somewhere.
But the most irritating for me is when an operator sends too much information really slowly. No need to send “tnx for call ur rst is 599 599” when “ga 5nn bk” will do nicely. Actually the worst is when I call CQ at 22wpm and somebody blasts back at 30wpm and it takes several retries to get his call.
I operate the same way as you do Richard but recently I have worked a few activators sending at 18-22 WPM who cannot receive at the speed they are sending. So after matching the speed they are sending when I call and then make the QSO, they ask for a repeat or they send QRS and I slow it down.
I think its better to call and work stations at the speed at which you can receive. I tend to send my call once when calling the more experienced activators, but with lesser experienced ops, I tend to send my call twice so I can be more sure they copy it.
73 Phil G4OBK
Isn’t this the golden rule of CW? Never send faster than you can receive. For SOTA I send at 22wpm but if I was after a rag chew I’d send much slower.
On this note (being a new CW op myself), I’ve noticed it takes me longer to write their call down than for me to copy it mentally. I find myself reaching for the key to reply at the exact moment they are sending a repeat, and I have to appreciate the gesture because there are certainly times my mind just shuts off, particularly if the other half of the QSO is using a bug or if I’m mentally accustomed to the 18-20wpm mark and they burn me down with 28+. At home I practice receiving at 25wpm but in the field I still only send at 18wpm to act as a safety buffer for heat of the moment mental blanks.
Keep the call in your head (it comes with practice) and then write it down when the op comes back after you have replied with his/her report. One reason why for normal SOTA QSOs when activating (Not contest) I favour a paper log. Plenty of others do the same… You get to memorise the regular callers, especially if you chase most days like I do - and then it becomes second nature.
73 Phil G4OBK