I find it very difficult to “browse” the maps looking for a summit to activate. I wish there was a KML file for Google Earth.
I would like to hear how others do it.
I am about to head out this weekend for my first couple of activations, and am particularly looking for summits that have not been activated. Any input is apprecaited.
Thanks!
OH!! EU stations… we are listening here and just waiting our chance to grab you!! I have heard a couple of whispers but not signals strong enough yet.
In reply to K9EZ:
I wish there was a KML file for Google Earth.
There is.
Or click the Mapping link and use the very many great features there to help you narrow your choice.
Andy
MM0FMF
Consult with Rich N4EX. He hears pretty much everything from this side so presumably has got his receiving side set up very well. He is also a superb operator.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to K9EZ:
Hi Kent -
You may be able to find a kmz file here:
The information on last activations may not be current - you’ll need to check SOTA Database for each peak of interest.
73,
Etienne-K7ATN
In reply to K9EZ:
You can get a KML or GPX file containing summits from whatever area you are interested in from here:
http://orion.danplanet.com/sota
To locate summits that haven’t yet been activated, login to the SOTA Database, choose Summits, List of All Summits from the menu, and download the summitslist.csv file from the link at the bottom of the page. The ActivationCount, ActivationDate and ActivationCall fields will show you whether a summit has been activated or not.
Another method would be to go to the SOTA Maps site at http://sotamaps.wsstvc.org. View the summits for a particular region or association, then click on the summit to see if it has been activated or not.
73,
Eric KU6J
In reply to K9EZ:
There is a rather neat bit of software called GPSU available from http://www.gpsu.co.uk/ which will convert almost any form of waypoint/locator type information to almost any other type. I use it extensively in my reviews of summit proposals. Using the File Converter utility that is part of it, I can convert SRTM DEM analysis data or any other raw text data that I can map, to Google Earth, Memory Map, Garmin, Ozi Explorer, Google Maps. There are around 75+ different output formats
It is not cheap, but I have had it for years and updates so far have always been free.
Jim G0CQK
Edit: I should add that I have no interest in the company and that other utilities may be available
In reply to K9EZ:
At a tangent to the discussion, although following the title: for some time, now, I have been working on developing a proposal for a grading system for SOTA summits, analogous to the gradings used by rock climbers, scramblers, alpinists etc and which will give an at-a-glance rough indication of how much effort and difficulty will be involved in activating a summit. In its present format it is a five element, five number grade which at first sight looks like a SINPO report, so that 1,1,1,1,1 would be an easy outing and a 5,5,5,5,5 would be a stretch for an expert. The five categories are length of walk-in, difficulty of approach terrain, type of ascent, difficulty of navigation and finally the summit conditions. Of course, anybody can come up with a system, the fun starts when you start applying it on the ground!
Anybody interested?
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
I am very intersted! I have not been oput yet, but sure can add to the ones I am planning this and next weekend.
And thanks for all of the responses folks. I have been absorbing as fast as I can… and oh ya… working too. 
I am going to try to put out a few 10s that have not been activated yet. These – “LOOK” – easy to get to and I am rather familiar with the area. We shall see if I am up to the snuff!
K9EZ
In reply to G8ADD:
[OT] Brian, I think the grading system is a great idea.
Back to the topic, I have perhaps 8 relatively easy 6-point summits within 90 minutes of my home, so I’m lucky. I have at fair knowledge about the areas, and can rely on friends experiences or DCNR maps if activating in State Parks or Gamelands. Last year I tried a 4-pointer that “looked” easier from the topo maps and a driveby scout, but once on the trail (which was barred from the road) it was much more difficult and took longer, since it was a spiral path to the top rather than a straight run with a switchback or 2, like most summits I’ve done. The Hybrid Satellite maps aren’t always right, either!
I use this local knowledge, combined with asking Rangers and hunter-friends, in selecting what I try. I also hope for a view when I get there, which doesn’t always happen in PA. Usually the top is under a lot of tree cover. Most of the peaks in my area of Central PA haven’t been tried, so I guess I will be putting up some details for the peaks I’ve tried, so others can have some help when they try.
Good luck on your activations!
73 de Eric
KB3UYT
In reply to G8ADD:
I am very intersted! I have not been oput yet, but sure can add to the ones I am planning this and next weekend.
And thanks for all of the responses folks. I have been absorbing as fast as I can… and oh ya… working too.
I am going to try to put out a few 10s that have not been activated yet. These – “LOOK” – easy to get to and I am rather familiar with the area. We shall see if I am up to the snuff!
K9EZ
In reply to K9EZ:
If I may pile on… how many times have you run into private land? I can see some of the very remotes areas in North Carolina may seem to be private land. I was thinking about bringing the SOTA flier and see if I could talk to them. That said, many of the moutnain people like to be left alone. It sure is going to be interesting putting some of these out!
In reply to K9EZ:
I am going to try to put out a few 10s that have not been activated
yet. These – “LOOK” – easy to get to and I am rather familiar with
the area. We shall see if I am up to the snuff!
If I may pile on… how many times have you run into private land? I
can see some of the very remotes areas in North Carolina may seem to…
Here you go, a Google Earth KML file containing all of the W4C summits that have not yet been activated:
http://www.grizzlyguy.tv/files/SOTA_W4C_CarolinasSummits_NeverActivated.zip
Sorry I didn’t mention this option before, I write a lot of software and it completely slipped my mind that I had written some custom software last year in conjunction with our big W6 summit update that could do exactly what you were looking to do. When you mentioned “North Carolina” it somehow caused my brain to re-remember that. Either that, or it was my second margarita this evening that caused me to re-remember that. What would the world do without good Tequila? 
Anyhoo…
The summits have different icons depending on their point value: the blue flags are the 10-pointers. You can click on any icon to get the summit reference and more info on that summit. If the 10-pointers are really all that you’re interested in, you can hide the rest of the summits by unchecking the appropriate Waypoint boxes in Google Earth’s Places sub-window over to the left of the map.
73,
Eric KU6J
In reply to G8ADD:
At a tangent to the discussion, although following the title: for some
time, now, I have been working on developing a proposal for a grading
system for SOTA summits, analogous to the gradings used by rock
climbers, scramblers, alpinists etc and which will give an at-a-glance
rough indication of how much effort and difficulty will be involved in
activating a summit. In its present format it is a five element, five
number grade which at first sight looks like a SINPO report, so that
1,1,1,1,1 would be an easy outing and a 5,5,5,5,5 would be a stretch
for an expert. The five categories are length of walk-in, difficulty
of approach terrain, type of ascent, difficulty of navigation and
finally the summit conditions. Of course, anybody can come up with a
system, the fun starts when you start applying it on the ground!
This is a joke right?
In reply to G3CWI:
No, sir!
The people with hill-walking or mountaineering experience may think it unnecessary, after all, we’ve got by without it for a decade, but even we may take a glance at it for the more remote summits in the more remote places that we have rarely visited, in my case it might be the Northern Highlands! It is the people that are new to the hills that would find it most useful, if only for eliminating possibilities when deciding on what summits to activate.
I have to go out, now, but this afternoon I will start a new thread, post the grading system as I currently see it (after all, it is a work in progress) and add a few examples to show how I see it working.
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
ROTFL 
Will it be finished before or after the FAQ?
In reply to G3CWI:
We have a FAQ. We have had one since May this year ISTR. There’s a link on the database.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
This one?
“The FAQ pages will appear here.”
Ashtray, motorbike, chocolate.
In reply to K9EZ:
Getting back on topic, there is or was a google earth kmz file on the original summits yahoo site provided by Martyn M1MAJ. He seems to update it as more summits are added to the program as I regularly get the “update in your groups” message from Yahoo. I looked this morning to get the message “oops invalid path”. Maybe Martyn can shed some light on the current situation. I use a recently downloaded version of his file & find it invaluable when I`m planning sota trips to Germany / Scotland etc.
edit, found it here (you may need to register or log in):-
scroll down to summits.kmz & either download or open
last updated 2013-08-03
In reply to G3CWI:
That’s the chap. They just haven’t appeared yet.
Andy
MM0FMF
I use a kmz summits file that I have generated myself. Wrote a program to read the csv summits file and create a kml file. It has the following differences from Martyn’s file, only currently active summits, draws a border around the Sota regions, different point color scheme. When google earth is zoomed out my kmz file will only show SOTA regions not all the summits. This makes google earth more responsive, this might also be useful assocation managers to help find large coordinate errors. (For awhile I was placing a copy of my kmz file in the yahoo Sota group files section. Could do it again if there is intrest or email it to those that are intrested.)
Besides the kmz summits file, I find SummitPost.org useful. Often there are trip reports and route descriptions. Sometimes it is easier to use Google to find a particular summit on SummitPost than to try and figure out which area or range a summit is in.
Don’t overlook the summit info here on SOTAwatch. I have found useful information from previous activators.
I usually use my kmz file to look for potential summits, then do a google search for identified summits to see if I can find trip reports and other info on the identified summits.
Doug, N7NGO