SOTAmat 2-minute explainer video

Online Resources Third Party Software
21

Glad to hear of your successful spotting @OE5EEP !

Now that you’ve used SOTAMAT for internet-free spotting, the next step on your journey is to learn what SOTAMAT can do when you DO have internet: the 2-way commands like:

  • Getting a list of current spots for summit-to-summit
  • Getting hyper-localized Weather info on a specific summit (via MeteoBlue)
  • Getting Summit info
  • Getting Callsign info
  • The easiest way to spot and QSY with minimal typing (useful on Garmin inReach, etc.)
  • For CW operators using RBNhole: use SOTAMAT to post the Alert using “now” without having to compute UTC in your head.

All those other features are documented here with many examples:
https://sotamat.com/sms-services

…and since you have an Elecraft, you might also be interested in the SOTACAT - a hardware module that plugs into KX2 or KX3 radios and lets you:

  • Click-to-pounce (when you have internet, see a list of current spots and click on one to tune the radio)
  • Integrates with SOTAMAT - allowing sending SOTAMAT commands without any audio as it teaches the KX to directly synthesize the FT8 FSK tones by rapidly sending the CW tone at different FSK frequencies. Yes, this is cool and crazy but works great. Direct non-audio synthesis of FT8 FSK by the radio packs more “punch” than if you use audio.

73 de AB6D - Brian

3 Likes
22

I’ve been using SOTAMAT, using the smartphone app and TRX mic, on practically every summit I’ve done in the last year, and I have to say I find it very useful indeed, and easy enough to do that a dummy like myself can use it. Many summits hereabouts have no cell or phone coverage (likewise VHF/UHF), so being able to use the HF bands to send a spot is an activation-saver. A few times a spot might not get through, so sending it again usually works.

My only worry with using SOTAMAT is that, if too few people use it, then Brian might decide it’s not worth the effort in keeping the system running and close it down. Fingers crossed it doesn’t come to this!

3 Likes
23

SOTAMAT is the un-sung hero of my SOTA activations since I started using it nearly two years ago. It has been utterly reliable and easy to use, increasing my enjoyment of activating. I don’t even worry when I am in areas where there is no possibility of cell phone service. On summits where there is cell phone service, the web function adds a lot of useful features. I have used it in North America, Asia and the Middle East where it has worked perfectly.

5 Likes