In the last few weeks, a local HF net I sometimes check into has been chatting up SOTA, or Summits on the Air. Before we get into the awards offered, here is an introduction to the SOTA program and the overall rules set by their committee for activating summits and “chasing” them. A listing of the group’s awards and how to earn them follows. Everything is directly from the <https://www.sota.org.uk/> website. – KI4KWR
The purpose of SOTA (the Programme) is to encourage Amateur Radio based activity from the summits of hills and mountains in countries around the world and to provide an award system for Radio Amateurs in all DXCC Entities. The Programme is intended to encourage activity from clearly defined peaks, including major mountains. To enable participation in the Programme to be as wide ranging as possible, lesser peaks may also be included. An incremental scoring system recognizes the higher peaks accordingly. The Programme is intended for portable operation (/P) and does not accept operation from a motor vehicle. The Programme provides for participation by Activators who do QSOs from the Summits, Chasers who make contact with the Activators, and Short-Wave Listeners. In addition to Amateur Radio Awards, the SOTA Programme encourages activity in amateur radio operation, increasing knowledge and skills in the
