What a beautiful day for a hike! I spend a great deal of time talking about amateur radio in my day to day life. It is no surprise that I get many questions from non-hams about the hobby and how it works. Recently I decided to host a monthly “nerd hike” where I invite friends to join me for a SOTA activation and see what all the buzz is about!
This outing, I was joined by Edward KO6DVZ, Mark K3MGM, and three curious friends Luiza, Violetta, and Pamela!
The ‘hike’ to Flint Peak is mild, but offers some great views of Los Angeles on the ascent. On the walk to the summit I explained to our guests about a typical SOTA exchange involving a signal report and possibly a maidenhead grid square. I really enjoy teaching others about amateur radio!
When we hit the summit, there is a nice landing north of the tower site that served as our activation location. While Mark and Edward set up an HF station, I quickly deployed my ICOM IC-705 to begin working 2m SSB.
I gave our guests the opportunity to work the radio and log contacts. It was important to me that this be a hands on experience for guests vs just sitting on the sideline and observing. Based on the smiles, I think everyone had fun!
HF conditions weren’t amazing, but we did make some longer distance contacts on HF / CW. Our longest contact was with VE7JCF in BC Canada, 1,036 Miles!
After the activation, we stopped by a local cafe for a smoothie and great conversation. Big thanks to Mark K3MGM and Edward KO6DVZ for help making this event a success!
Here is a short video of some of the action!
🏔️ Activation Hike Path
📊 How Hike Stats Are Calculated
These figures are derived automatically from your GPX track file.
🥾 Hiking Time & Distance
Time and distance accumulated while moving outside the activation zone at a speed above the stationary threshold (default 0.3 km/h). Periods where you were stopped — waiting at a trailhead, taking a break — are excluded and counted separately as Rest Breaks.
⏸️ Rest Breaks
Stationary periods outside the activation zone lasting longer than the rest threshold (default 3 minutes). Anything shorter is ignored as normal GPS noise or a momentary pause. Rest break time is shown inside the Hiking Time box for reference but is not added to hiking time.
📻 Activation Time
All time spent inside the activation zone, regardless of whether you were moving or stationary. This captures the full period from when you first entered the zone to when you left — including any walking around the summit, setting up gear, and operating.
The activation zone boundary is determined by one of two methods (see below).
⏱️ Total Time
The elapsed time from the first to the last GPS trackpoint in the file. This equals Hiking Time + Activation Time + Rest Breaks + any unclassified transition time at the boundaries.
📈 Elevation Gain & Loss
The cumulative altitude gained and lost across all trackpoints. Each uphill step between consecutive points adds to gain; each downhill step adds to loss. Out-and-back routes will show roughly equal gain and loss.
🚶 Hiking Speed
Average speed calculated as Hiking Distance ÷ Hiking Time. Only moving segments outside the activation zone are included, so rest stops and summit time do not drag the average down.
⛰️ Peak & Base Elevation
The highest and lowest elevation values recorded in the GPS track. The highest point is also used as the starting reference for the activation zone when the API method is used.
📍 Activation Zone Methods
API-based zone (currently active): The boundary is retrieved from activation.zone using Digital Elevation Model (DEM) terrain data and the official SOTA rule — the zone extends to where the terrain drops 25 metres below the summit. This is the most accurate method and matches what SOTA adjudicators use.
🗺️ Contact Map
📡 Activation Logbook
| Date | Time | Callsign | Frequency | Mode | My Summit | Their Summit | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | 1542 | NT6E | 144.200MHz | SSB | W6/CT-225 | ||
| April 17, 2026 | 1546 | KE6TH | 144.200MHz | SSB | W6/CT-225 | KEITH PASADENA | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1555 | KM6VBS | 144.200MHz | SSB | W6/CT-225 | JEFF TEMPLE CITY | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1557 | WA6WV | 146.580MHz | FM | W6/CT-225 | TORRANCE | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1600 | KE6SRO | 146.580MHz | FM | W6/CT-225 | TOM LA CANADA | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1605 | K4HD | 7.215MHz | SSB | W6/CT-225 | KEVIN CASTAIC LAKE | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1608 | KE6SRN | 7.215MHz | SSB | W6/CT-225 | CARROLL | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1611 | AG6JY | 7.215MHz | SSB | W6/CT-225 | MONTEREY CA | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1615 | N6ARA | 7.215MHz | SSB | W6/CT-225 | LA CRESCENTA | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1639 | WU7H | 14.066MHz | CW | W6/CT-225 | WASHINGTON | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1642 | WW7D | 14.066MHz | CW | W6/CT-225 | CANADA | |
| April 17, 2026 | 1644 | VE7JCF | 14.066MHz | CW | W6/CT-225 | CANADA |
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