Rebooting my SOTA adventures
I have really been slacking with my favorite amateur radio activity, SOTA. Or as I jokingly refer to it here in Wisconsin as "POTA on a slight incline." I wrapped up my 2023 portable radio fun with a roadtrip to activated Wisconsin's two highest summits. W9/WI00-1 Timms Hill and W9/WI-002 Sugarbush Hill.
That's right. The two highest points in Wisconsin are named hills...
Both summits are 6 pointers, but with the Winter Bonus they are worth 9 points this time of year. Sugarbush Hill is a drive up. Since I only need to move a reasonable distance from my truck, I took full advantage and brought the 100w Yaesu FT-891 along. Figuring if I'm going to drive over 4 hours to get the drive up summit, I'm stacking the deck for a good activation! And it was, but unfortunately I didn't have my microphone turned on while recording. "Too bad" I thought because I had a QSO is one of my favorite SOTA Chasers, F4WBN Christian. Many SOTA enthusiasts will recognize his voice in any pileup.
Then it was another 1.5 hours of driving to Timms Hill. During the summer, W9/WI-001 Timms Hill is almost a drive up. There is a one lane road that cuts through the county park the summit is located in, and there is a parking area within a fairly short hike to the Activation Zone (AZ).
However, in the winter the road is closed, so there is about a mile hike to the summit. While I could have brought the 891 in my pack, I took my Yaesu FT-818 for the hike. QRP and SOTA are such a fun combination, plus I don't use my 818 nearly as much as I should.
As the video shows, 5w SSB on 15 meters was awesome. Much to my surprise (and excitement) I was able to log Christain F4WBN another time that day. Along with a few other of the fantastic, dedicated SOTA Chasers. Such a fun time!
Midwest SOTA is not for everyone
I am not ashamed to admit that I am flat out jealous of most of the SOTA Hamtubers. Seeing the magnificent views on their activations and the shear number of nearby to them summits. It makes it questionable if SOTA in the Midwest is even worth the effort. Lots of windshield time for few summit and little points.
But it's so much fun!
However it is the challenge of this activity that got me into HF in the first place. The challenge of SOTA alone, is fun for me. Setting up a man portable station at a specific and limited location. SOTA combines radio with general hiking and sprinkles in a bit of orienteering.
Since, unlike POTA, not all SOTA summits are on public lands. This adds to the challenge by requiring some research. Is part of the activation zone in public land? Can you find out who the landowner is and reach out for permission to access the AZ?
Then the additional logistics of planning the activation. Route to the summit and back. Time it takes to get to the AZ for the activation time you want. Spotting if there is no cell coverage and a host of other things.
Then there are the stricter rules than POTA has, like one activation per summit per calendar year. No part of the station can be in or on a vehicle. All of the above weeds out a fair amount of potential SOTA activators. Then on top of all of that, look again at the Midwest on the above map.
By may calculations, if I keep at this at a pace of one or two activations a month, I should reach Mountain Goat status in about 10-12 years.
It's not about the Mountain Goat for me
While working my way up to the title of SOTA Mountain Goat would be pretty cool. It's really not an objective for me. I just really enjoy the challenges of SOTA. I'm doing something that some SOTA enthusiasts think is crazy. Activating SOTA in the Flatland, USA.