Elliott,
My patterns are similar to yours, except that I regularly repeat several peaks that are within a reasonable distance from home, and I also try to activate many other peaks for points. I like to activate several times a week, and it’s really weather-dependent, so every one is different. Colorado has a huge range and mix of weather, and although it’s often snowy, cold, and/or windy this time of year, the good weather outside is often really nice.
Maximizing my activator points is no longer “the” priority, but I’ve become more obsessed about getting S2S points. This is more interesting and satisfying for personal reasons, as many of us are aware. It’s very focused, in-the-moment, very like a cat going for a bird. This is true for both CW and phone S2S. Experience leads to strategies that improve the logs, along with careful listening and timing. Lately many of us are hearing each other as we chase the same activators, and we’re contacting each other with on-air comments like “up 1” to log more S2S Q’s. We can see SOTAWatch on our phones, we have S2S pileups, and we both compete as well as cooperate. S2S can be complex, it’s relatively unpredictable, and it’s full of interesting conflicts. Every activation is incredibly unique. With another activator on the same summit we have to be patient, tolerant, and flexible, but we step on each other.
It’s certainly MUCH better to activate a summit previously activated - for zero activator points - when it’s possible to get over 100 S2S points in one session, on the right day - than not to go out. Often the S2S session is more fun than a for-points activation with more driving. An S2S activation close to home can be a good follow-up to a long-trip activation the previous day. This game-within-a-game is much more intricate than working dozens of regular chasers to log a few activator points. Often we’re chasing 2 or 3 other activators in the same time period, and we must QSY often to react to various situations that arise as the activators move from band to band, work their piles, etc.
Here, where I live, with many SOTA peaks within 2 to 3 hours of driving and hiking, it’s more fun to stay closer to home and concentrate on S2S, instead of driving farther and hiking higher to get new activator points. Being retired I have more options, and I can be more choosy about weather and timing.
We’re all different, we have personal strengths and constraints, and yet we have many interesting options withing the SOTA framework. These types of operating are very different from “traditional” ham radio, and we’re still evolving.
That’s enough - thanks for starting this thread!
Happy Holidays and CU soon S2S!
73
Carey/George
KX0R