SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE

Awards
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Here i need to talk about a remarkable achievement and perhaps about a proper expedition in Tuscany.

On September 23rd, as I do every Monday, I launched the software programs to check if in the past week any New Ones have been carried out in order to update the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE ranking.

I notice that there have been completed some by 2 individuals, HB9HXJ Tabea and HB9EVF Thomas, and following standard protocol I send the, an email to inform them about the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE program and to congratulate them for their activations. Tabea replied mentioning that they had read about the challenge on the Sota Reflector and were on holiday for two weeks in Tuscany, planning daily activations.

The next day I checked again to find out they had activated 3 New Ones, meaning that Thomas, who had already completed three activations in 2019, had had reached the first milestone of 5 New Ones. Therefore, I sent another email to ask him to confirm their address so that I could send the patch to Thomas.
Tabea replies and asks me to hold the shipment because they planned to be active also in the following days of their stay.

I continued to follow their progress, and by the end of their holiday Tabea and Thomas had completed 15 New Ones, all of them with I/TO references. I would like to repeat: 15 New Ones.

This means that they had earned patches for 5, 10, and 15 New Ones, but I was absolutely not even prepared for this last one and I sent it to be processed last Friday. Therefore, they will receive it in a few days with a new postal shipment. I hope they will forgive me.

In conclusion, I like to think that part of this last achievement is also due to the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE program, but above all, the motivation shown by Tabea and Thomas is a clear acknowledgement of the entire SOTA movement, which has created a wonderful synergy between the passion for radio and the mountains.

Grazie Tabea and Thomas

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Toscana é un bel posto per fare Sota :slight_smile:
Tuscany ist a great place for Sota :slight_smile:
Grazie a tutti per i QSO
Thanks to all chaser.
73 Tabea &Tom

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23

Hello everyone, today I received with great pleasure the new patch for the milestone reached of 10 new one activations.
The beauty of the Apuan Alps park and the mountains that reign there have been the reason for my excursions for many years. Since I discovered SOTA, the perfect union between radio activity and mountain hiking has been created.
A special thanks goes to Claudio IK5VYZ (Tuscany Regional Manager) and Andrea IW0HK (Italy Association Manager) for the recognition of the milestone reached.
See You and '73

IK5MEL Antonio

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Ciao Claudio,

thank you for the patches, they have been in the mailbox today.
Was a great pleasure to do some Sota activations in Tuscany during our vacation.

73 de Tabea, HB9HXJ and Tom, HB9EVF

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25

Ready for shipment are the first patches commemorating the achievement of reaching 15 ‘New One’ summits

Of course, these are for HB9HXJ Tabea and HB9EVF Thomas, whom I thank once again, apologizing for the delay, which was beyond my control.

73, Claudio IK5VYZ

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in Tuscany.

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26

The SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE program today celebrates the milestone of 10 New Ones achieved by Eliseo IK6BAK, undoubtedly one of the most passionate, consistent, and experienced Italian SOTA activators in the radio world. It’s worth noting that, since Eliseo doesn’t live in Tuscany, each activation requires significant travel time, making his performance even more remarkable.

Thank you, Eliseo ((patch on the way :smiley:)

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Grazie Claudio.
Tutto possibile grazie alla mitica Royal!

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Ciao Claudio e Andrea,

i patch sono arrivati oggi. Tante grazie!

Saluti e 73 da HB9HXJ Tabea e HB9EVF Tom

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TNX Claudio !!!

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I had a wonderful week in Lucca… Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling very well at the weekend… :expressionless: - So there’s still a lot to do. :wink:

I have posted pictures and information about the summits

73 Armin

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Good morning, Armin,

Great performance, especially considering that the temperatures are far from summer-like. Congratulations!

I hope you’re feeling better now.

So, can you confirm that with the previous 6 summits, you have now reached a total of 13 summits for the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE?

You’ll soon receive the patch for 10 New Ones.

Once again, congratulations!

73 Claudio

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Yes…. But it wasn‘t my last trip to Tuscany :wink:

73 Armin

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I really hope so :muscle:… you’re in the top ranking of the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE!

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Thank you for the patch… now I have something for my backpack again

I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Tuscany… with SOTA activations again, of course. There are now a few completes to pick up there too :sweat_smile:

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73 Armin

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35

New: MAP for the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE

I’ve just added a MAP page to help anyone taking part in the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE.
See it here: Map

What it shows

  • All Tuscan SOTA summits on an interactive map.

  • High-contrast color coding:

    • :blue_square: Activated – already activated by someone

    • :green_square: To be activated – still unactivated (prime targets!)

    • :red_square: Inactive – currently not valid/active

    • :yellow_square: With issues – access/permit problems

  • Hover/click a marker to see code, name, status, and a direct link to the summit page on sotl.as.

  • Fullscreen button (top-left) to expand the map.

  • Filter: checkbox “Show only to be activated” to display only the green summits.

“With issues” means I’ve identified problems reaching the area or the summit (e.g., access restrictions or permits).

Link: Map

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Disclaimer: This map is a beta preview. Always use the official SOTA resources as the primary reference when planning activations.

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Congratulations to Antonio IK5MEL!

With 15 activations completed in Tuscany, Antonio IK5MEL rightfully takes his place among the leading participants of the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE :backhand_index_pointing_right: Ranking.

This is an important milestone worth highlighting, not only for the number of activations but also for the challenging environment where they took place: the Apuan Alps, among the toughest summits in our region.
Alongside his radio skills – with activations carried out almost exclusively in CW – Antonio also brings the preparation and passion of an experienced hiker.

Thank you, Antonio, for your dedication and for contributing with enthusiasm to the growth of this program in Tuscany.
:clap::clap::clap:

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Congratulations to Filippo IU6QEM!

With 5 SOTA references activated in Tuscany, Filippo has rightfully earned a place in the upper part of the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE ranking :backhand_index_pointing_right: Ranking.

This achievement is even more remarkable considering that Filippo lives in another region, which means each activation in Tuscany requires careful planning far from his home QTH.
Operating often in CW, he is also one of the most active operators currently contributing to the program.

Thank you, Filippo, for your dedication and for helping the growth of this initiative in Tuscany.

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Congratulations to Gianluca IW5DUA!

His very first New One activation in Tuscany was something truly special: the summit I/TO-001 Monte Pisanino
At 1,947 meters, Monte Pisanino is the highest SOTA summit in Tuscany and, as far as I know, not an easy one to reach.

As we say in Italy, “se il buongiorno si vede dal mattino” (“a good beginning makes a good day”), we hope this will be the first of many more New Ones in Tuscany for Gianluca IW5DUA.

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Congratulations to Beppe I1WKN!

With 5 New Ones activated in Tuscany, Beppe has reached another milestone in the SOTA TUSCANY CHALLENGE :backhand_index_pointing_right: Ranking.

An extremely active operator in outdoor activations (both POTA and SOTA), Beppe lives in Piedmont. This makes his achievement even more remarkable, considering the additional effort and planning required compared to those of us living in the Tuscany area (zone 5).

These are his words when I informed him of the news, which nicely capture the difference between the SOTA style he was used to and the Tuscan one:

“Thank you Claudio. It was hard. Heat, brambles, sweat… The drive took longer than the actual hike… A SOTA different from what I was used to. But it led me to see unexpected places, deserted valleys. Beautiful! I hope to be back soon. 73”)

Thank you Beppe for your enthusiasm and for bringing your passion for SOTA to Tuscany!

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CONGRATULAZIONI Beppe!!! per le attivazioni nella bella Toscana.

Salutoni HB9HXJ 73/88 Tabea

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