Hi,
I did my 5 first activations last month and I wanted to keep my pictures and a small recap of each activation somewhere.
I just wanted to know how some of you do it ?
I guess I just want to do a small blog with a page for each activation with some pictures and a bit of text to have the possibility to look back on my different activities.
I see that some of you put it in the activation report but I guess it’s more for “special” activities.
My goal is to have somewhere kind of organized to put all that.
If possible online so I can easily share it.
Does anyone have the same need or is it just me ?
If I can’t find it I’ll probably do something custom like a github page with Hugo, but if something already meets my needs I’d rather use it 
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I keep a spreadsheet. From the activator log in the database I tick Show Analysis and copy the line to the spreadsheet. I then update some running totals and then record the equipment I used and write some notes. I record weather, route, time it took, phone coverage and possibly notes on how well my homebrew rig is working (or not). I don’t take many photos on activations so they aren’t in the spreadsheet. But I find the notes useful when I revisit a summit.
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I use a free weblog
73, Alan
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I only put my pictures (if taken) on a PC file, other data are on SOTA database.
HNY & 73 to all
Claudio
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You can write up a blog like mine. I am quite verbose as I enjoy writing, but it is very time consuming, especially if you do a dedicated SOTA Tour with multiple summits when it can become hard work catching up and recalling what you did, although photos make it easier to recall. You sometimes wonder, is it worth it, as it can take up hours of your free time.
https://catterblog.blogspot.com/
73 Phil G4OBK
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Spreadhseet indeed sound like a good way to keep specific data like you said in an organized manner.
@2E0JWA @G4OBK The blogspot solution sound really intersting and easy to setup, I’ll probably do a mix of your 2 solutions, maybe a spreadhseet for technical data and a blogspot for a small text and pictures !
Thanks
I’m still interested if some of you use something else
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Yes Antoine. My friend Luc ON7DQ also writes a good Ham Radio blog on Blogspot. Not just about SOTA either but electronics projects and inventions etc. See it at:
Good luck with youir plans for recording a means of recap on your activations. It’s nice to look back, especially as you get older and when can no longer take on the challenges and risks in the mountains, as you did in your younger days!
73 Phil G4OBK
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Last year (or the one before) I had the photos I took printed and put them in an album.
With hindsight, making a photobook would have been a better option.
I used the Polarsteps app when I was travelling because it lets you add some text to go with the photos which gets included when you turn it into a photo book.
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several activators have their own blog sites.
Mine is
An advantage not only to keep your memories but also you can add a link to your blog entry into the SOTA information page for the summit, so that if others want to activate that summit, they can read your information. Perhaps there are access restrictions, Perhaps there is more than one route to the summit? and so on.
So your blog then becomes a service to other SOTA activators.
73 Ed.
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Love this idea too, I guess having an album is a really good way to remember your activities !
I’ll start with a blog and then I’ll try to figure a way to create a photo album from the blog entries !
Thanks
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You also can upload some videos to YouTube in order to use those videos for your blog or sotareflector entries. I think It’s good idea for keeping your local storage low, have the memories online and giving the chance to show how fun It’s this hobby.
73!
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Bonjour Antoine:
This is what I do:
Case 1) When I visit a summit for the first time
I take pictures that I store in folders in my computer. They help me remember the time required for that hike and very useful: the space available for antennas in that summit.
I write a Report here in the Reflector. Then I add a link in the Mountain database so that I can always find for free if I ever want to get back there again. This report can help also other to plan the same hike.
Such article includes several items:
-
Motivation:
describe the reason why I decided to activate that summit (sometimes it’s a new one for me, sometimes is a rarely activated summit, or perhaps it’s because I ran a especific radio/ antenna test on it, or maybe it’s because it is near to where I am spending my holidays…) -
Driving directions:
how to get close to it by car; nearer cities or villages and road listing. -
Climb:
Any specific hints on the climb: path length / height gain. Useful recomendation if mountain sticks are advised, or if certain weather makes the climb any better / worse. -
Activation:
Info about the radio / antenna setup used and any relevant point in my log / bands, S2S, etc. Also any description on where to activate up there. -
Photos:
landscape while hiking / summit / radio & antenna setup
You can search for such reports here easily on my profile info.
Case 2) When I visit a summit again in the future
I take again pictures that I store in folders in my computer to remember the activation and the equipment I used but don’t write a report.
Just my 2 cents.
73 de Ignacio
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I use Youtube to share all my SOTA activations.
Tonnie - PA9CW
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A google sheets of schedule is handy for future reference.
A blog is nice as it means others can benefit from your experience, although more likely to find it if you post on here. Also Discourses makes writing and adding photos very easy.
Alternatively just make some folders on your computer (eg /2024/XX-YY-123/), put in the pictures and a text file with your notes about it. Practical notes or more thoughts and feelings. Whatever you want as it’s just for you.
Also a website to save your routes is good - eg plotaroute.com. Or upload them to sotamaps.
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Following your advices I did try to write some small blog posts
https://f4lvl.blogspot.com/
I’ll see if I can keep the pace but as I don’t have too much time to do activations it should be alright !
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I’m publishing pictures from every SOTA activation on my blog organised by year and sorted by date. I kindly invite you to take a look at them (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025).
Furthermore I maintain a searchable SOTA tour database for most of the SOTA summits I’ve visited so far (reduces preparation time for repeat visits 
).
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Beautiful website, can I ask which stack you used ?
Looks like Wordpress.
Hello, I use youtube, my channel
73 & HNY
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