Summits On The Air (SOTA) is an outdoor activity that encourages amateur radio enthusiasts to operate portable stations from mountain summits all over the globe. The program is divided into two main groups: Activators, who hike to the top of qualifying peaks with radio gear in their backpacks, and Chasers, who attempt to contact those activators from their home stations or other locations.
The activity is a technical and physical challenge. Activators must carry their own power source, radios, and antennas to the summit to make a minimum of four contacts to “validate” the peak for points. For ham ops, SOTA provides a practical way to test portable gear, learn about terrain-based signal propagation, and practice emergency-style deployments. It turns the hobby into a competitive sport where operators earn points based on the height and difficulty of the summits they reach.
SOTA Resources
- SOTLAS (The SOTA Atlas): The best visual map for SOTA. It shows every qualifying mountain peak in the world. You can click on a peak to see photos, recent activity, and how many points it’s worth.
- SOTAwatch: This is the live “heartbeat” of the program. It lists real-time “Spots” (who is on a mountain right now) and “Alerts” (who is planning to hike one soon).
- The Official SOTA Website: The home for the global rules, the award system, and the “Joining In” guide for new activators and chasers.
- SOTA Reflector: The community forum where operators share trip reports, photos of their summit setups, and technical advice on lightweight gear.
- Ham Radio Crash Course (YouTube): Search this channel for “SOTA” to find excellent “Introduction to SOTA” videos that show exactly what a day on the mountain looks like.
SOTA YouTubers
If you want to see what SOTA looks like from the perspective of the person on the mountain, check out these creators:
- K6ARK Portable Radio: Adam is a master of ultra-lightweight SOTA. His videos are great for seeing how to pack a full station into a tiny kit and operate from rugged peaks.
- KD7DTS: Mark provides excellent, high-quality vlogs of his mountain activations. His videos are perfect for seeing the actual hiking and setup process involved in reaching a summit.
- NJ7V (Red Summit RF): Charlie produces high-energy, cinematic SOTA content. If you want to see the “adventure” side of the hobby with great drone shots and summit views, this is the one.
- Ham Radio Crash Course: Josh covers all of ham radio, but his SOTA/POTA playlist is one of the best introductions for beginners to see the gear and the process in action.
- W6IWN SOTA & Ham Radio: A fantastic channel for practical SOTA tips, especially regarding antennas and real-world activation vlogs.
- K4SWL (Thomas): While he does a lot of Parks On The Air (POTA), his “real-time” activation videos are incredibly educational for learning how to handle a radio pileup in the field.
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