Amateur Radio · VHF/UHF · Summits On The Air · Colorado Mountains · Adventure
When I talk about doing VHF SOTA activations, people often wonder about what kind of contacts to expect. VHF propagation from a mountaintop can be surprisingly good, and the range of possible contacts runs from the routine to the remarkable. Having done a lot of these activations, I’ve noticed that VHF SOTA contacts tend to … Read more
Big news — I’m proud to announce that the Second Edition of my book VHF, Summits, and More is now available. I’ve received tons of positive feedback on the first edition, published in 2019, and I decided it was time for an update. This new version is printed in color, which greatly enhances the photos … Read more
The SOTA Management Team launched a special challenge for 2026: a distance-based scoring challenge using CW and SSB on the 2m and 70cm bands. The announcement is here on the SOTA reflector. The basic idea is to encourage SOTA contacts using CW or SSB on these two bands. Because the scoring is based on distance, … Read more
On December 1, most SOTA summits in Colorado gain an additional 3 points due to the Seasonal (Winter) Bonus. Joyce/K0JJW and I were looking for a summit not too far away that was still accessible for us to activate. This time of year, many US Forest Service roads are gated shut. Other roads remain open … Read more
Here’s an update on the most activated SOTA summits in Colorado. See my previous report here. Mount Herman (W0C/FR-063) still leads the pack by a wide margin, with many activations by Steve/WG0AT. Genesee Mountain has passed up Pikes Peak to take second place in the running. Genessee is in a park just outside of greater … Read more
When I get asked why I only use VHF/UHF frequencies for my Summits On The Air (SOTA) activations, I usually reply with: Height Above Average Terrain More specifically, I mean that using VHF for SOTA is fun because Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT) has a dramatic effect on the propagation of my radio signal. HAAT … Read more