Climb & Operate
Hike to the summit, set up inside the activation zone, and make contacts. Four contacts earns that summit's points, once per summit per calendar year.
KENTUCKY PORTABLE CLUB • GET STARTED
NEW TO SOTA?
Summits on the Air: carry a radio to the top of a hill, make four contacts, score points. Kentucky has more than 200 SOTA summits in association W4K. Here's how to sign up, the rules that matter, and how to do your first activation.
THE BASICS
What Is SOTA?
Summits on the Air is a worldwide award program for portable operating from summits. Every summit has a reference (like W4K/EC-001) and a points value based on its height.
Work Them From Home
Chasers contact activators from anywhere and earn the summit's points too, once per summit per UTC day. It's a great way to start: no hike required.
S2S
Two activators on different summits working each other. Both earn points for both summits. Kentucky ridges make 2 m S2S very doable.
FREE
Sign Up in 5 Minutes
One free account covers the SOTA database and SOTAwatch.
SOTA Database
Register at the SOTA database. That's where your logs go and your points are tallied.
SOTAwatch
Log in with the same account. Post an alert before you go so chasers know to listen, and spot yourself once you're on the air.
Find Summits
SOTLAS maps every summit, with recent activations and spots. Or use the KPC Summit Checker to see which Kentucky summits you still need.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The Rules That Matter
A plain-English summary. The official SOTA General Rules and the W4K Association Reference Manual are the final word.
On the Summit
- Activation zone: you and your whole station must be within 25 m (82 ft) vertical of the highest point. Check it with the SOTA Activation Zone tool.
- 4 contacts with 4 different stations to claim the points. One contact still logs a valid activation.
- Points once a year: you can activate a summit as often as you like, but you score its points once per calendar year.
- Activations are per UTC day. Crossing 00:00 UTC (7 or 8 PM in Kentucky) starts a new day.
- No repeaters and no relayed contacts. Simplex only.
Access & Power
- The last part on foot. The final approach must be non-motorized: walking, cycling, etc. Driving to the top doesn't count.
- No vehicle station. You can't operate from a vehicle or connect your gear to one.
- Portable power only. Batteries, solar and the like, carried up with you. No generators and no mains power.
- Legal access. Many Kentucky summits are on private land. Get permission, and follow land-manager rules. See Rules You Should Know.
- Leave no trace. No damage to the summit, and take everything back down.
STEP BY STEP
Your First Activation
- Chase first. Work a few activators from home (watch SOTAwatch spots). You'll learn how the exchange sounds.
- Pick an easy summit with legal public access and a short hike. The Summit Checker and SOTLAS show recent activations, a good sign that access is OK.
- Post an alert on SOTAwatch the day before, with your time, bands and modes. Chasers plan around alerts.
- Hike up, check the activation zone, and set up away from the trail.
- Spot yourself on SOTAwatch (cell signal permitting). Many activators use 2 m FM on 146.52 MHz plus one HF band.
- Call "CQ SOTA" and give your summit reference often. Get your 4 contacts, then keep going if you're having fun.
- Log call, time (UTC), band and mode. Paper is fine.
- Upload your log to the SOTA database when you're home.
Combine it: plenty of Kentucky summits are inside POTA parks and WWFF areas. One hike can be a SOTA + POTA + WWFF activation, as long as you follow all three sets of rules and log to each program.
FROM HOME
Chasing SOTA
- Watch SOTAwatch spots. Activators often have limited battery and time, so be quick.
- Keep it short: your call, their report, "73". Don't hold them up with a long QSO.
- Log your chases in the SOTA database for chaser points and awards.
- Listen hard. Activators are usually QRP on a small antenna. A quiet receive setup helps. See receive antennas.
- CW helps a lot. Many SOTA activations are CW. Practice in the KPC CW Practice Room (it has a SOTA activator mode) and see how summit contacts go on CW Info & Links.
PACK LIGHT
SOTA Gear
Everything goes up on your back, so weight matters.
QRP Rig or HT
A 5–10 W HF rig, or a 2 m handheld. QRP works great from a summit. Why QRP works
Light Wire
An EFHW or linked dipole on a light pole, or a roll-up J-pole for 2 m.
Small Battery
A small LiFePO4 or Li-ion pack. Check runtime with the battery calculator.
Hike Smart
Water, layers, a map, and tell someone your plan. Check the weather, and turn back if storms build.
SIDE BY SIDE
POTA vs. SOTA vs. WWFF
SWIPE THE TABLE SIDEWAYS →
| POTA | SOTA | WWFF (KFF) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHERE | Parks, forests, wildlife areas, trails | Mountain and hill summits | Protected nature areas (many are also POTA parks) |
| REFERENCES | US-1234 | W4K/EC-001 | KFF-1234 |
| ACTIVATION | 10 contacts in one UTC day | 4 contacts with different stations to score points (1 still logs it) | 44 contacts for award credit, and they can add up over several trips (1 still counts for hunters) |
| WHERE TO STAND | Inside the park boundary | In the activation zone (within 25 m / 82 ft vertical of the top) | Whole station inside the boundary |
| VEHICLE | Allowed (park rules permitting) | No. Walk the last part, no vehicle power | Allowed |
| POWER | Any legal source | Portable only (batteries, solar). No generators | Any (green power preferred) |
| SIGN UP | pota.app | sotadata.org.uk (also logs you into SOTAwatch) | wwff.co |
| LOGS | Upload your ADIF yourself at pota.app (My Log Uploads) | Upload your log to the SOTA database | Email your ADIF to your KFF call-area log manager |
| KPC GUIDE | New to POTA | New to SOTA | New to WWFF |
Summaries only. The official rules always win: POTA rules · SOTA rules · WWFF global rules · KFF FAQ
Official sources: SOTA (sota.org.uk) · W4K association · SOTAwatch · SOTLAS
Get Outside. Get On The Air.
SEE YOU ON THE SUMMIT
FIND A SUMMIT →