Vanity Name the Numbered Peak Promotion
Last Modified:  10 Oct 2012

The W7O-Oregon and W7I-Idaho SOTA Associations will begin a “vanity” promotion of “Name the Numbered Peak”.  Beginning November 1, 2012 the first Activator of a Numbered Peak will have the privilege of assigning a name for that SOTA peak.  This name will be recorded in the SOTA database as well as the Association Reference Manual (ARM).  This follows a similar effort by W7W-Washington where Numbered Peaks were given hamradio related names like “Transceiver Peak”.   

Most western SOTA Associations have a great number of numbered peaks like “6031”.  This is the official GeoNames name as part of the USGS system.  For example, W7O-Oregon has 1991 SOTA-qualified peaks of which 660 are numbered peaks.

The goal of this promotion is relatively simple:  create some Activator excitement and fun while providing another somewhat competitive venue within the SOTA program.  Hopefully this will attract new participants.  

Of course there are some rules and guidelines for this program:

1.	The new Peak name must adopt a local name if it exists.
2.	If there is no local name, the new Peak name can be hamradio or SOTA related.  It can also be some distinctive geographical feature.
3.	The new Peak name can be “In Memoriam” to a silent key like “K7UGA Memorial Peak”
4.	The new Peak name must be in good taste and respectful.
5.	Limited to five words or less like “Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain” or subject to less than 30 characters (a SOTAwatch database field constraint).
6.	The new Peak name can be used only once per SOTA Region.
7.	Commercial product endorsements will not be allowed like “Buy Buddipole Peak”.  Any Trademarked names (like “Mickey Mouse” or “Porsche”) likewise will not be permitted. 
8.	The “vanity name” will also include the original GeoName number to facilitate search.  For example, “Rooster’s Ridge – 9733”. 
9.	Each Activator will provide a short description of why or how a vanity Peak name was chosen.  This paragraph will be part of the Resources section of the Summit Information in the SOTA database.

The Association Manager will be the final arbiter for acceptance of a “vanity” Peak name.  The Association Manager will be responsible for the updates to the SOTA Database and the ARM document.

We will launch this program in the Oregon and Idaho SOTA Associations with the intent of adopting it in additional W7 Associations with updates to the program based on suggestions and lessons learned.  

Vanity Name the Numbered Peak Promotion

Frequently Asked Questions:
(Last Modified:  9 October, 2012)  

1.	If a Numbered Peak has been activated before Nov 1, 2012 and I was the Activator, can I rename it under this Program?

Answer:  Sorry, but no.  This Program is not retroactive.  So any/all Peaks in these two Associations are fairplay for any Activator.

2.	Do I have to be residing in the W7O-Oregon or W7I-Idaho Associations to participate in this Program?

Answer:  No.  This Program is open to any SOTA Activator but only in the W7O and W7I Associations at this time.  All existing SOTA Activation rules must be adhered to.  

3.	When will this Program be available in other Associations?

Answer:  This is a “pilot” program for the time being.  Before extending it to other Associations, the SOTA MT wants to take a “wait and see” approach while gauging feedback from all the participants.  Suggestions and lessons-learned will be part of the go-forward Program.  Everyone is assuming this will be a positive and fun experience for any SOTA Activator.  

4.	What does it mean that a new Peak name can be used only once per SOTA Region?

Answer:  The SOTA structure is hierarchical and built around DXCC Entities which are at a minimum a “discrete geographical or political entity” and form what is known as an Association complete with an Association Reference Manual (ARM) and distinct database tables.  However, in North America where there are thousands of Peaks, Associations can be FCC Call areas or in some instances individual States.   An Association may have many hundreds of SOTA-qualified Peaks.  Each Association is further broken down into Regions which have a unique SOTA “reference number” like W7O/CM-001 where W70 is the Association name and CM-001 is the Reference Number for a specific Region (“CM”).  Peaks are numbered uniquely within a Region.

So there can be only one unique vanity name per SOTA Region under this program.

5.	How will I know that the Peak name in the SOTAwatch.org database is a vanity Peak name?

Answer:  The ARM doc will have the vanity Peak name in quotes similar to “Peanuts Post - 9450”.  The GeoName is the number, same as before.  In the database, on the Summit Report page, the Summit Name will be in double quotes, e.g. “”Peanuts Post – 9450””.  Hopefully this should be sufficient to alert folks that this is a vanity Peak name and to research external sources via the real GeoName number. 

6.	Why can’t I find any summit or trail information on some numbered peaks? 

Answer:  Most numbered peaks can be in rural locations which may be one of the reasons the peak was never named by the USGS in the first place.  Typical peak information sources like SummitPost.org, PeakBagger.com, Northwest Trails, ListsofJohn.com, or local hiking books may have information about a numbered peak.  However, most numbered peaks have no access or trail information.  Please document your developed information for a vanity named numbered peak in the Resources section of Summit Information on SotaWatch.org.

This link has an interesting historical perspective on naming peaks in the western USA.