If you are here, chances are you worked me while I was on a "Summits On The Air" mountain-top Activation. SOTA is a fun way to bring outdoor adventure to Ham Radio. More than just operating outdoors like Field Day, SOTA operations are strictly portable from remote mountain tops. No operation from a vehicle is allowed. Power source must not be from grid power or fossil-fueled generators. Final access to the summit must be non-motorized. The challenge for summit Activators is to communicate from sometimes remote, wilderness mountain tops with only the gear you can carry with you! QRP!

SOTA Activators basically hike up to the top of mountains and work QRP all over the world. Any Amateur band and operating mode are allowed.This is called a summit Activation. Stations working them are called Chasers. Points for each summit is awarded to both Activators and Chasers based on its altitude.

If you don't think you're up to the physical challenges of Activating a summit, no problem. Chasing the QRP Activators from your home can be fun too! So "Turn the house around" listen and answer the call when you hear someone out there end their CQ call with "Summits On The Air!"

For more information about SOTA go to http://www.sota.org.uk/

For more information on up-comming Summit Activations go to http://www.sotawatch.org/index.php

For discussion group about SOTA in North America go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nasota/

For a map of qualifying Summits go to http://www.qwj.de/Select Mountains at the top of the screen.Use the drop box at the bottom of the page to jump to your area.

73' Andrew