Unfortunate - but necessary.
Iâve noticed that Craig @2M0LXX recently activated Mullwarchar GM/SS-073 earlier this week and wrote a report about this here The Galloway Forest Park - Mullwarchar GM/SS-073 & Craignaw GM/SS-096 - Activation Reports - SOTA Reflector. I can see that he also managed to activate Craignaw GM/SS-096 on this very same day and on the same walk also. I have also noticed today that Craig 2M0LXX was spotted on Lamachan GM/SS-061 earlier today. I think Craig 2M0LXX would be a good contact if those wishing to bag these summits for best routes and information etc.
Jimmy M0HGY
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4 times in just over 10 years (that I can recall)
Or to put it another way⊠approx 1 in 150 activations⊠note my sample size should not be treated as statistically significant.
So not THAT unusual an occurrence.
As Iâve moved towards collecting unique summits as oppose to just going for points, my rate of meeting people has fallen. Iâm mostly climbing less popular hills.
3 Likes
Funny you should mention that. Just yesterday I ran into these two characters (see link below) on Ortiz Mountain in New Mexico. Alan NM5S for those who donât know is a multi-goat with 508 unique summits. It was quite a thrill.
73
Eric KG6MZS
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A couple of years ago my brother and I were on Blood Mountain (W4G/NG-004) and we worked a station on Springer (W4G/HC-005) a few miles away. Just over an hour later we were approached by a lady walking by on the Appalachian Trail and she asked if we were doing SOTA. When we told her yes she told us her husband was on Springer doing an activation. When she told us his call we recognized that he was the one we had worked. Just felt like a small world in that moment.
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My only random encounter was a âS2Sâ with Allen VK3ARH who was activating the same summit on the other side of the comms hut and neither of us could see the other until we handed out a summit ref and went âwhat?â. I also met a JA ham prior to SOTA going live there about midway between Jimbasan and Takaosan in Tokyo.
In less random encounters, I had a nice meet up with Adam @VK2YK who came up to visit me on VK5/SE-013 this weekend after working me from his home, and some nice catchups with other hams as Iâve toured the world, like Pat @WW4D on Cheaha Mountain in Alabama, Phil @ON4TA on PA/PA-002, Fukuno-san JF5VWH on JA5/KI-015, and Jason @HL4ZFA and Andrew @HL5ZBA/@ZL3AME on various HL summits.
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In winter 2015 I activated The Hump, a 10 point summit on the Mount Buffalo plateau, in north east VK3. As I was coming down, I met a fellow coming up with a pack and a squid pole. âHave you been activating?â he asked. It was David VK3IL. I was new to SOTA at the time and had not activated. Iâm not sure if David had. Anyway it was a fairly unlikely coincidence. Itâs never happened again.
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Itâs funny how often I suspect that people I come across on my SOTA outings are other SOTA activators â and how seldom that actually turns out to be the case. This is probably the result of living around the Los Angeles Basin with that regionâs high SOTA op density.
Other than having the good fortune of meeting Alan NM5S and Gene AF9O last weekend here in New Mexico, I did see a hiker on November 15, 2020 with a suspiciously large pole attached to his pack on the way up to Saddle Peak in Malibu. This turned out to be K1BAA -Bret. We activated the summit together. Below is a shot of Bret and the crowd up there that day with Santa Catalina Island in the background.
73
Eric KG6MZS
1 Like
I had nearly a random encounter on August 17th in 2019 on HB/GR-114 but donât met RenĂ© 
.
left of the center and lower Piz Campasc HB/GR-115
HB9CRY/p ended his activation 10:04 UTC and I started 11:29 UTC. In consideration he needs some time to pack up, I had a clear view on the summit at least 10 minutes before reaching and needed also some time for set up, the gap was not more than 45 minutes. It was the first activation on this summit after 7 months and the last for the next 5 months, 3/4 hour between and 5000 h nothing before and 3600 h nothing after.
73, Ludwig
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Well hereâs another oneâŠ
Me (MW0WML), Shaun (G6WBS), Shauns partner (ooops sorry⊠Iâm awful with names) and Kevin (M0KXN)
I met them on the summit of Mickle Fell G/NP-002 yesterday (Sunday 6MAR22)
We had a lovely chat. Always nice to meet fellow activators.
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I nearly bumped into Allan GW4VPX on GW/SW-008 (Cefn Yr Ystrad) a few days ago.
I had plans to activate it but noticed when I checked the alerts the night before that Allan had beaten me to it as he had already put up an alert for the same summit.
Not wanting to cause QRM or get in the way I changed my plans & activated GW/SW-041 (Black Hill) instead, which gave the opportunity for a S2S (and more points for both of us)!
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I wouldnât worry⊠having done several planned activations with others there is no problem managing concurrent activations as long as you chat to each other.
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March 12 couldnât have started any worse. While packing my things for the planned activations I got the sad news of Guruâs passing. It was a sad journey to the first summit and I struggled to find anything to cheer me up.
Only on the second one, DM/BW-057, my spirits lifted, when Albert, @HB9BCK arrived at the top. I had read his alert earlier and was half expecting to meet him up there. We had a nice talk and exchanged hints for the activation. Then Albert set up his station and I left for my third summit, promising to give him a call for an S2S-QSO.
By the time I arrived at DM/BW-195 I had spoken with Andreas, @DF1AKR, on 2 metres FM. He had started his activation from the top of Zundelberg (which is actually a large, flat, wooded area).
I was about to ask him (via radio) for his exact location, when all of a sudden someone with a rucksack came out of the woods, smiling brightly. Apparently he had spotted my HT or my SOTA-hat because he was approaching me. It turned out to be Erik, LB7PC, who was doing a SOTA-tour in DM/BW. We had a friendly chat about the summits in DM/BW, his tour details and the places he already visited. Then we agreed to set up with some distance and said goodbye, promising an S2S later from the next summit.
I had just set up the station, when DF1AKR arrived with several QSOs and the activation points under his belt. As Andreas is a local, we had a long conversation about the nearby summits and also further activation plans. Finally we bade farewell, promising to stay in touch.
Itâs always a pleasure to meet other activators on a summit, but meeting three activators in less than two hours is something I wouldnât have dreamed of 
73, Roman
6 Likes