I hope to activate my first SOTA summit in a month, but I’m interested to know what is the best logging/info software to use.
The most important requirement is that it must work WITHOUT an Internet connection. My tablets don’t have 3G, there isn’t 3G at many summits, and I’m too stingy to pay for 3G anyway. This RULES OUT Rucksack_Radio_Tool. That said, I’m looking for something that will.
Provide data concerning a list of preloaded summits (lat/lon, height, ref, etc)
Using the inbuilt GPS, be able to tell when I am in the activation zone. (Map support would be nice)
Log contacts for later download to my real log (i.e. ADIF export)
Provide data concerning a list of preloaded summits (lat/lon,
height, ref, etc)
Dedicated Garmin GPS receiver (Oregon) with summits list from SOTA Mapping Project (you can download GPX-files using the export-button there) and either Garmin or Openstreetmap vector maps.
Using the inbuilt GPS, be able to tell when I am in the activation
zone. (Map support would be nice)
The Garmin GPS does not automatically calculate the vertical 25m distance, but displays distance and bearing to a selected summit. Actual height can be displayed so with the height info of the summit (covered in GPX-data from SMP) I can calculate this manually.
Log contacts for later download to my real log (i.e. ADIF export)
Paper on clipboard and ballpoint pen or pencil (when the ballpoint pen fails due to humidity). This solution is unrivaled concerning flexibility (write anything down you like to in any order), readability in bright sun and battery life. It is compatible with every brain OS providing at least primary education functions
Despite its advantages there is no ADIF export so I have to type in the log manually when returning to home.
Using the inbuilt GPS, be able to tell when I am in the
activation
zone. (Map support would be nice)
The Garmin GPS does not automatically calculate the vertical 25m
distance, but displays distance and bearing to a selected summit.
Actual height can be displayed so with the height info of the summit
(covered in GPX-data from SMP) I can calculate this manually.
GPS are rather bad (very bad) in calculating your elevation. You have to pinpoint your position on a contour map to accurately read your elevation.
An excerpt from the GARMIN website:
“It is not uncommon for satellite heights to be off from map elevations by +/- 400 ft. (~122m) Use these values with caution when navigating.”
Wow! That fact surprised me but here is the link to the Garmin support website:
Note the Garmin support answer is dated Apr 2014. Another data point from the same Garmin support website states:
“With the Auto Calibration feature turned on, the altimeter accuracy can range from +/- 50 to 125 feet (same as GPS elevation). With a strong GPS connection with WAAS, it’s possible to obtain an accuracy of +/- 25 to 50 feet.” (See a few entries earlier in the Garmin FAQs.
So don’t always trust your maps…they may have significant errors in elevations.
In reply to VK3OHM:
I definitely use the old style pen + paper (I usually get spare pen and notebook in case of problems).
However, let me recommend you the software created and shared with all SOTA community by Alain F6ENO.
This application is very good for activations and allows you to introduce the QSOs either in real time, in case you have a laptop with you at the summit, or afterwards, once you’ve got home. When you have finished introducing QSOs, you can ask the program to save 2 files at a time, one is an .adif file, which you can import into your typical logging program and the other one is a .csv file, which you can load into the SOTA database. It takes care of the S2S QSOs too, so you load the same file twice, one for an activation and one for S2S contacts.
This is the link for you to download the program in case you want it. http://www.sota-france.fr/pages/programmes/Saisie_SOTA_setup.zip
I’ve used it a couple of times so far and found it very helpful and time saving.
Good luck and best 73 de Guru - EA2IF
GPS are rather bad (very bad) in calculating your elevation. You have
to pinpoint your position on a contour map to accurately read your
elevation.
Correct: GPS height accuracy is normally 2-3 times worse than horizontal accuracy, i.e. 20-60m. But the Oregon (as many other models) also has a barometer. Barometers rely on constant air pressure. So depending on wx they need to be recalibrated frequently. I normally recalibrate at the parking place when starting the walk in case reliable height data is available. The Oregon also has some “autocalibration” feature using the averaged GPS height to track the barometer. This works better than one would suspect.
Looking at my tracks in SMP my height data seems to be quite ok. At least if I did not miss the initial barometer calibration.
Of course I use contour maps (also on the Garmin) additionally and also try to reach the exact summit. So I can recalibrate the barometer at the summit and minimize the barometer uncertainty to a minimum.
In reply to VK3OHM:
I have found the only summit(s) I need codes for are the one(s) I am activating. The thousands of other summit codes in the database are not necessary for my activation.
Anyone I work S2S knows their own summit code and even if they don’t, the summit code is not a necessary part of a valid SOTA contact so it is quite legit to look it up when you get home, hear it from someone else or whatever.
I do have an iphone app that contains a list of summits but I have never used it on a summit and it gets outdated every month with the additions and changes.
Regarding knowing when you are in the activation zone, you can do that by using your judgment. Mostly it is possible to get to the peak of the summit and then you can estimate where the 25m zone is.
The number of contacts most VK activators make is small enough that capturing the contacts offline and off summit is a minor chore. I find that as I type up my log entries I recall parts of the activation and that is a pleasant part of the job. I use excel or SOTA CSV editor for preparing my log. The SOTA CSV Editor (Windows) provides the CSV file you need for a SOTA upload and also provides an ADIF output for importing the same contacts into your station log software. Also if you include the signal reports sent and received in the comments field (like S59 R57) the SOTA CSV Editor will identify those strings as reports and output them in the appropriate ADIF fields for your log.
