Reach 1000 unique summits 5Mhz all modes (my prefered band).
Finish my all worked G summits (174) I have 10 left.
G/DC-008
G/NP-023 G/NP-026 G/NP-027
G/SC-011 G/SC-013
G/SP-003 G/SP-010 G/SP-012
G/WB-006
subliminal message in the air
Activator :
I’m a long way off the mark of ever being an MG, but I love being on a summit and contacting SOTA friends. I will do what I can to activate according to my state of health.
Several years ago I set myself the challenge to see if I could manage a ‘scratch built’ transatlantic QSO. I’d been persuaded my a friend and also Pete Juliano N6QW to try an Arduino DDS for the first time. With help from Pete, via emails from California, I managed to build a working 20m SSB rig.
I gave the rig a test run in my garden, with the bare circuit board arranged on a table.
I had finished building the rig around the end of winter, and I’d heard about early morning propagation to Australia. The temptation was too great, so I headed up Sharp Haw G/NP-029 early one morning. I’d not actually tried the rig since I’d finished putting it into the home made case, I’d still only had the one QSO on the rig - in the garden as a naked circuit board. I made a few European QSOs but then I was called by VK1DI! I went on to make a further three QSOs to VK. I still regard this achievement as my ‘ultimate’ achievement in ham radio - I still think its magical, building a voice radio from scratch and contacting at the other side of the globe - I can’t see how it can get any better.
I’ve not managed to achieve a home brew transatlantic CW QSO yet, which is one reason why I built my tuna can RockMite. I think I’ll have to wait a few years until the propagation supports a QRPp transatlantic QSO.
My personal goal is reaching MG status in a beautiful, satisfying way; as a string of alpine experiences that make sense in themselves given our limited time on Earth; outdoor adventures in calm solitude or crowded companionship that are amplified by the always stunning joy of realizing from strings of dits and dahs in a sea of noise that there is a fellow mind somewhere on this beautiful planet… this combined with a tiny, humble feeling of linkage with the pioneers of alpinism when beeing able to do a first activation evey now and then.
@K6EL EL, I’m almost sure I did share that with you and also that at the time it’s what I adamantly believed!
To some extent as we grow older I think we become more aware of what we really would regret not doing as much as what we want to do. With that, mastering CW is in former camp for me. I don’t think it’s an easy journey for most but after almost 5 months of daily practice and now being in the second of four CW Academy classes, I can finally see a path to success (well that what I want to believe).
I suspect Kay will beat me but I won’t be far behind.
Hi Mark!
The only way I could do it is by camping at a summit knowing that Africa and South America will activate and that the propagation and weather conditions help.
Very impressive Colin @M1BUU and I like the board lay out using the MePADs which on a much smaller scale I’ve always found fun but hard to arrive at a working circuit that looks sharp. I’m sure you are aware of a fellow Brit Dave Richards a Manhattan King who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area that is (was) a big proponent of Manhattan style.
Pete N6QW chased me on Blanco Peak in the White Mountains on 40m. Given we weren’t too far apart he was 59+ and while I have never worked him before his voice is so distinctive (on YouTube) I knew it was him before he even gave me his call sign.
@M1EYP Activate a whole region within a calendar year
My dream is to activate whole OE/NO.
200 summits. I now have 40. Some of them are not valid any more.
I’m on sota for 8 years now. Some calculating: It will take me 32 years. I’ll be 76 years old then,
seems like a life-time challenge. Well, Tom can do it in one day, no question.
73 Martin
Hello Armin, hi everyone,
a good question that is not so easy to answer.
Yes, there are goals that are not fixed and also change due to various circumstances .
I am 73 years old and my goals change as a result of different restrictions.For me, Sota is first and foremost the ideal combination of two hobbies, mountaineering / hiking and amateur radio. At first, both take place in nature!
Yes, and sometimes it turns into a sporting event and you also look at the points achieved.I came across Sota late (2016). I am still looking forward to every activity and hope to be able to pursue this variety of our hobby for a long time to come.
It would be important for me to get to know many new areas and maybe also meet one or the other activator.
Best 73
Paul DL6FBK
Hi @M0NOM, I’m not too sure what’s the most continents I’ve worked s2s, during a single activation. I’ve got some very rare ones though. South Africa, Asiatic Russia and probably the rarest of all, Lebanon, when I worked Joe OD5/HB9JOE/P on 15m ssb, back in February 2014. Not too sure, but this may well be the only s2s made with Lebanon.
(i) Activating all of G/LD from my QTH using only human powered transport to get to or from the start point (31 uniques done so far)
(ii) Activating G/NP from my QTH using only human powered transport (2 summits only so far)
(iii) Activating as many summits as possible using human powered or public transport
(iv) Overnight on as many SOTA summits as possible
I have 2 challenges for myself, One was is to get to 100 points this year but I may end up short due to work and my second goal is to learn CW and start Activating via CW and my next activation on the 3rd of October I plan on doing just that!! I chased my first summit the other day from my qth via CW and it lit the fire under me to get Activating haha.
Something I have been thinking about recently is doing a first activation of a summit that can only be accessed via lead climbing. I’ve found a couple of prospective targets. Now I just need to disguise an expedition as a climbing holiday to my non-ham friends
I do some activating occasionally but now I’m 80 I guess I won’t be treading many of the high tops in future - the family is a little discouraging on that score! Still, chasers have challenges, too! As soon as I made SS I decided to try and chase all the summits in as many regions as possible, and chase all the summits in as many Associations as possible. Hopefully the slow but steady progress on those fronts will accelerate now the sun has woken up (with a vengeance!)
Dean ~ K2JB
