Welcome!
If you are here, I suspect you’ve come across me on a hill with my radio gear and may have wondered what I was up to. I’ll be handing out this link to people who wish to know more, feel free to read on! I’ve tried to keep this a short five minute read!
I’m a licensed amateur radio operator, sometimes referred to as a “radio ham”. In simple terms, our licenses allow us to use radio equipment to talk to each other.
A part of the hobby is called “Summits on the Air” or SOTA for short and this is what I was doing when we met. In simple terms we climb to the top of a qualifying summit and see how many people we can make contact with while we are there. Points are allocated based on a number of factors (primarily height) with extra points to be gained if you can make contact with someone else also on a qualifying summit. There is a Summits on the Air website that we use to track our progress. Individuals like me who climb summits are known as “Activators” as when you’ve made a contact you’ve “activated” the summit, and those who seek to make contact with people on summits are known as “Chasers”.
To receive points for the activation, we need to make contact with at least four people while at the summit.
Each licensed radio operator has a unique callsign (Mine is 2M0NZB) and this is how we’re primarily known on radio. Due to the mixed quality of radio equipment, conditions and accents we tend to spell things out phonetically as many letters are easily mixed up. We use the NATO phonetic alphabet so my callsign is read as “Two Mike Zero November Zulu Bravo”.
What do you talk about?
Radio operators talk about a variety of subjects, the most popular being radio itself. While at a summit we typically exchange our callsigns and a signal report - the signal report is two numbers that record how well we’re hearing the other station. We may discuss how the walk was, the weather conditions, etc. As we discuss this, we may use a notepad or mobile app to keep a record of who we’ve spoken to.
How far can you reach?
There are a number of variables that should be considered to accurately answer the question but I’ll simplify it as much as I can.
If using a VHF FM radio such as a handheld you’ll need pretty much line of sight with the antenna of the other operator, with the summits being high up however this gives you an advantage to avoid buildings, trees and hills. I’ve seen in exceess of 100 miles being achieved this way.
If using an HF Shortwave radio the radio waves are not transmitted line of sight and instead are transmitted via the ionosphere - the ionosphere reflects the radio waves back down to be heard elsewhere miles away. The trade-off here is that HF radios require larger antennas, telescopic poles, heavy batteries and radios that are larger in size.
In summary - the handheld radio is very small and convenient on a long walk, but as it relies on line of sight you may not always get your four contacts. The shortwave radio takes a little more effort to carry, but you’ve got much greater reach and have much greater success of getting the four contacts. As I said at the start however, there are many other variables to consider.
Is it expensive?
Not at all. I’ll break down the costs to get started with SOTA!
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Online Radio Course | £0 |
| RSGB Radio Exam | £35.50 |
| Callsign Registration | £0 |
| SOTA Website Membership | £0 |
| Handheld VHF FM Radio | £25* |
* This is based on a popular entry level radio (Quansheng UV-K58) from a reputable supplier in the UK in September 2024. There are better radios, there are cheaper suppliers. But this will work, and does work for many.
So there you are, to go from nothing to getting involved with SOTA will cost you £60.50 in September 2024. Should you wish to upgrade to a higher quality antenna, radio, license - the costs start to increase however cost alone won’t stop you getting started.
Are there other parts of the hobby like SOTA?
There are, the closest and most popular would be Parks on the Air (POTA) which is doing the same thing at National Parks. It’s very popular in the United States and is growing quickly in Europe, I’ve done three park activations. Another one gaining traction in the UK at the moment is Bunkers on the Air (UKBOTA).
However with a license you can talk on the radio anytime you wish, SOTA is only one part of the hobby and this page was only created to explain what I was doing when you met me on a hill. If you’ve any questions, feel free to get in touch by emailling email@chrisbryson.me.uk