People who wish to receive the PNW SOTA Newsletter
Although I've had my license for forty years, I had not been active for thirty-five - until I learned about SOTA. As an active hiker/climber/skier, more opportunities to take me to places I would never think of going has made combining two favorite things into a fantastically fun activity. Any 'home' station I have is just about as temporary as the ones I set up on a peak. And a final word - Chasers Rock!
New radio operator but experience climber & skier who is excited to get involved with SOTA.
Primarily interested in activating but will chase here and there. Planning to work on only 2m with my handheld at 5w or less.
Father of 2 teenaged sons and very active in Boy Scouts. Avid backpacker, QRP CW OP, restorer of ancient Volkswagens, dirt bike rider, computer nerd, and all around nice guy =) PNWSOTA admin and host.
I went on my first SOTA activation with Rich (AC7MA) and Bill (WA7NCL) in July 2017. I was hooked! I now have a KX2 and have been going on as many activations as my schedule will allow. I mainly do CW and sometimes 2m FM.
I am a newly licensed ham and a late bloomer to the sport. I'm 64 years old and have a great love for hiking and the outdoors. The SOTA activities are icing on the cake as they combine both mt interests into one activity.
I like to activate summits and for now, only have a Yaesu FT2D handheld at 5 watts. I have a long 42" tape measure antenna and have received good signals up to 68 miles so far. I only use 2 meter FM for now but am looking at getting other equipment soon. I'm in rural Montana so ther are few that know of the sport. Makes it more challenging to activate.
Project Manager in Healthcare; Wine grape grower, newly licensed in Feb 2019.
Activator; bicycle to top if possible! Day tripper for now, not hike in and camp; newbie, starting with smaller peaks. Travel between Portland and Tri-Cities WA often.
New ham but experienced outdoorsman. Grew up in the woods with the Scouts, and now enjoy back-country camping and travel. Any day I can get out in the woods is a good day!
I've only attempted 3 activations so far, having a preschooler puts a cramp into getting out of town. My rig is a Xiegu G90 w/ a speaker-wire dipole for HF, FT2DR for VHF/UHF.
I just registered with sota and i will update my bio as i progress.
None yet !
Licensed 2017. Enjoy portable activations. Just learning cw.
Interested in activating.
Licensed in 2017 (Tech) and 2018 (General), I began hearing SOTA stations calling for contacts on 2M. After learning more, I activated two summits in 2018, and have been enjoying activating and chasing since. Appreciate all the friendly folks who activate and chase!
Enjoy activating and currently use both Yaesu FT-70DR and Elecraft KX2. Usually the Elk antenna is used for 2M/70cm, but have also used rollup j-pole, Arrow yagi, or Diamond HT whip. HF antenna is the PackTenna mini end-fed cut for 20m, and recently tried a random wire with 9:1 unun.
Just started in the HAM world here earlier this year. Interested in SOTA, AMSAT and just learning about everything this hobby has to offer.
As the weather is getting nicer and the snow is melting away, my goal is to hit as many local area summits this year and expand my knowledge of my gear and HAM radio
I am 72 and retired. I have been a ham sense High School in 1965. I enjoy working SSB, CW, and FT8. Three months ago I got interest in SOTA. I am a VE and have been running the Dallas Oregon VE testing.
I have been chasing for the past three months. I currently have 138 unique summits logged. I have not activated any summits yet. I already have a FT-818 and Z818 tuner. With Troy (KF7SEY) has been helping me put together a go back. I have a EFHW antenna thanks to K7BHB and just finished a Slim Jim J-pole for 2m/70cm.
I recently got my amateur radio tech license and I love hiking. What a great way to combine both!
I have an FT3DR, and I’d like to do a little of both if possible.
Boy Scout, long-time hiker and recent ham radio enthusiast, security researcher @ Intel.
CW and FM operator, mostly 20 and 2 meters. Interested in 2m distance and long distance 20m. Big on volcanoes and pretty views. Based in Portland, but I'm in Seattle enough to activate up there from time to time. I'm a fan of building kits and convincing people to join SOTA.
Hello,
I just moved to WA from MI,looking for a new QTH to set myself up in. I Grew up in Maine and i enjoy traveling the country! I enjoy hiking and radio, so combining the two should be fun right?
I am active in POTA and usually use a Yeasu FT 817 with a EFHW or a Xeigu G90 with a 9-1 UNUN 30 foot wire. My home QTH is not set up because I do not have a place yet. If it was set up, it would consist of a Yeasu FT 991A, Ameritron AL-811H amp, ether a 20m dipole or a WRC Vertical base antenna, and a 2m J-pole up about 30 feet on a push up pole. I also enjoy riding my motor cycle, sailing, and RC Airplanes.
First licensed 2009, my interests are homebrew radios, with an interest in getting into SOTA eventually. I got a KX3 in 2013 specifically with the intent of getting into SOTA (before the KX2 had come out).
I currently work at Microchip in Bend, Oregon as an electrical engineer.
I've been wanting to get into SOTA for almost 10 years now. Many initials have already been taken that I wanted to do, but I never dared without knowing CW. I know SSB SOTA is a thing, but SSB just hasn't been as exciting to me. Now that I've been taking CW classes and actually calling CQ during CWT/7QP, I'm a bit more confident and ready to make the foray into SOTA activations.
Retired embedded SW engineer; back in school studying Psychology.
I use to chase when I had a quiet QTH in Eugene. I am now mostly activate peaks that are within a couple of hours drive of Portland.
Rig: KX3 w/4300 mAh LiFePo battery
Antennas: 44' doublet with 28' kite pole for HF, ELK log periodic for VHF.
** Seems like my prior pnwsota account is no longer accessible and have to create a new one. I still have access to the main SOTA websites.
First licensed in 2013, initially just to pick up my dad's old call (W6PZA), but soon developed my own interests in the hobby. Love outdoor recreation, hiking and backpacking, so SOTA quickly became my focus. Also enjoy casual contesting and going out on county expeditions for the 7QP and CalQSO.
Semi-retired, still do some occasional consulting work. Work life was in local government, City and County land use planner in California. Now living in central Oregon and loving it!
I've been active in SOTA beginning in May 2014 with my first activation of Buckhorn Bally (W6/NW-222) near Redding, CA. Main focus is activating summits, but also chase whenever I can. While I now live in Oregon, I still serve as W6-SOTA RM for three northern regions.
I operate mainly HF-ssb mixed with some 2m-FM and digital. Hoping to learn CW - that's the plan anyway.
Radios include FT-857D, KX3 & KX2. What I take depends on the type of trip, hike, radio conditions, etc. Have an assortment of LiFePO4 batteries for power. I mostly use a Buddistick for HF antenna, but will play around with other types. Do APRS route tracking using a Yeasu FT1DX, but not every trip as it's just another thing to manage.
mountain man, dealing in mountain safety!
so far......non to date.
I like to hike.
I like to activate and I want to use CW (still working on bringing up my speed).