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Summits on the air (SOTA) is a favourite of mine. Walking to the top of a local fell with a radio and ‘activating’ it is one of my favourite parts of amateur radio. The basic idea is climb to a summit, call CQ and get 4 contacts to qualify as an activation. Simple right?

Well, I live in the Lake District and not all summits are easy to get to without a bit of a sweat on. Having said that they are easy to get to compared to some in GM.

On occasion I stay overnight but the vast majority of activation’s are during the day and usually are multiple summits in one trip. My favourite area (at the moment) is Wasdale. Seatallan, Pillar, Kirk Fell (well not really Kirk Fell…it’s just a slog), Great Gable, Scafell Pike and Illgill Head.Not much else needed.

Kit wise I have used a Yaesu VX8-G 2m/70cm for years. very trusty. If I’m aiming for 2m SSB or HF SSB then its a Yaesu FT817ND and if it’s lightweight CW then its a LNR Precision MTR5B. I do take with me a 13cm transverter but more on that on another page.

Here’s my current status… (courtesy of https://neon1.net/)