Hello Martin,
the POTA points system differs significantly in one respect. As a chaser (or hunter, as they say in POTA), you can’t upload qsos. Only the activator enters the contacts.
73 Chris
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POTA hunters (chasers) don’t submit a log; they are credited for a QSO with an activator based solely on the POTA activator’s log.
A useful rule against phantom QSOs, hi.
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The downside for a POTA Hunter who contacts an activator on a SOTA summit which is in a POTA park is that if the SOTA activator doesn’t take part in POTA and hence does not enter a log, the POTA hunter does not get the park.
The other side is a SOTA chaser who has been working POTA/SOTA activators, eventually sets up a POTA account, to find he or she already has earned several POTA hunter awards.
73 Ed.
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A similar thing happened to me, Ed. I unknowingly accumulated 3,765 park contacts whilst chasing SOTA. On July 5, I chased 9 SOTA people who turned out to be in parks, and I accidentally collected points for all of them. POTA is just like a good laxative… works for you while you sleep.
Elliott, K6EL
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Last weekend I was at a family celebration… I always find such celebrations quite exhausting, so I sneaked away for a while to use the radio.
Unfortunately, there was no summit nearby. So I did POTA. There was a 3-fer nearby (3 POTA references with one activation).
Even though I had spotted on the POTA site, it was very tedious. There were hardly any hunters… I get the impression that POTA hasn’t really caught on in Europe yet.
If you spot on a SOTA reference, the number of chasers quickly increases!
I’ve now noticed that many SOTA activators also upload their data to POTA if the summit was in a POTA area. Perhaps there will soon be a number of POTA hunters in Europe as well. They will then chase the SOTA activators… to get parks. 
73 Armin
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Sure this is the exact opposite of how you want a laxative to work 
Or was that your point 
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Ditto. 
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I think it’s a pity that the discussion has shifted somewhat from the original starting point to simply comparing SOTA and POTA. This has already been dealt with in several other threads.
Vy 73, Markus
I thought the original comment had been suitably addressed.
Markus,
That’s only logical, because all the many amateur radio enthusiasts don’t have exactly the same ego to satisfy. 
So don’t take this too seriously, hi.
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SOTA is a hobby. For some, part of a wider hobby, and for others, SOTA is the hobby. In all hobbies, there those that dabble and there are those thst consume themselves with it. Then there there are those who end up organising it. In many hobbies, the organisers end up soley organising and stop taking part in the hobby. Motorsport is a great example.
The only battle in SOTA is the one inside your head. Activate a region, get to goat, use 6m, data, climb Mt. Blanc, make 100 QSO’s on a summit, etc. etc.
The only issue I have is, as soon as one challenge is completed, the next one rears its head!
@OE5JFE Joe made a promotional video for SOTA. It is superb and covers many aspects of activating. Time to make it public, Joe?
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That will happen as soon as I have added all links to every features channel in the listing. Hopefully I will find time this evening.
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Not entirely true! In my day I have had many a battle just to get to a summit, and in the days when weather forecasting was more of an art than a science, I sometimes had battles to get off a summit safely. Its worth remembering that just getting to a summit and vacating it safely is on its own a sufficient hobby for many people, and SOTA is an add-on to that hobby as well as to ham radio.
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Made me smile. Any plans yet when access has been restored to all ES summits besides currently only 05, 11, 24, 37, 45, 52, 58, 66, 69, 76 and 85?
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la la la la la la la la. I can already hear the voices in my head. Make them go away!
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The ancient Greek Sisyphus already knew this. Only he carried stones up mountains, not radios.
73 Chris
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and I love chasing you guys…
W6LEN / Jess
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And here it is:
This video introduces SOTA activators around the world that are active here on YouTube with a short video sequence. It was created with their written permission. The video was running in loop at the Friedrichshafen Ham Radio 2025 SOTA booth to show how Summits on the Air can be all around the world.
Personal note: I would have liked to have more gender and cultural diversity. South America and Africa are not represented at all (Okay EA8 but that’s a technicality). But it was what I could put together and were I got an answer to my requests - and it fitted in the video flow. But I hope to expand on that concept and maybe have a bigger better video version for next year
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Excellent video , I do feel exhausted after watching it
I’ll stick to the nice easy ones
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Great video!
Really shows the breadth of the hobby.
Obviously you can only go with what you can find… my only suggestion for a future one might be to include a drive on summit showing less physically able people. But of course you can’t do this if no one has shared one! I’ll see if I can get some footage for you. I have a few near me.
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