I’m a complete beginner in SOTA. For a long time I was just following activations, reading the forum, and thinking about giving it a try — but I kept hesitating. Eventually I decided to stop overthinking and finally activate a summit myself.

My portable setup is built around the Yaesu FT-891 and the Chelegance MC-750 antenna. The real turning point, however, was adding a 20Ah LiFePO₄ battery to my kit. That was the missing piece that gave me enough confidence (and power reserve) to go out and actually make it happen.

Still learning with every activation, but already enjoying the mix of hiking, radio, and the great SOTA community.

See you from the summits.
73!