Amateur Radio · VHF/UHF · Summits On The Air · Colorado Mountains · Adventure
Recently, I gave a presentation to the ARROW radio club in Ann Arbor, MI on the topic of “Having Fun With VHF”. I’ve given this talk several times now, highlighting some of the topics in my book, VHF, Summits and More: Having Fun With Ham Radio. When I discussed my Summits On The Air (SOTA) … Read more
For Summits On The Air activations, I have been exclusively using the VHF/UHF spectrum. I like the HF bands but for SOTA, I just think that Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT) of a summit is an ideal match for frequencies above 50 MHz. See Summits On The Air VHF Mountain Goat. After much nagging peer … Read more
On some SOTA summits that are established radio sites, there can be significant RFI on 2 meters. I recently wrote about that here: RFI on SOTA Summits. There have also been discussions from time to time among VHF SOTA activators on which handheld transceiver (HT) has the most robust receiver for use in high RF … Read more
You have probably heard about the FCC proposal to establish a $50 application fee for Amateur Radio licenses. This is part of an overall redesign of the FCC’s fee structure, affecting many radio services, not just amateur radio. The Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) is found in Docket 20-270. The public is invited to … Read more
One thing to watch out for when doing SOTA activations is the presence of strong Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) on some peaks. The typical scenario is that the summit is also an established radio site with transmitters that interfere with your ham radio operations. I use the VHF/UHF bands for SOTA, so I am writing … Read more
Congratulations to my wonderful spouse and favorite hiking partner, Joyce/K0JJW, for achieving Mountain Goat status for Summits On The Air (SOTA). On August 10th, she reached 1000 activator points while activating Pikes Peak (W0C/FR-004). She had quite the pileup on 146.55 MHz. Her best DX for the day was WY7ATH near Cheyenne, WY at a … Read more