From a non-ham's perspective, cresting a remote peak to find some person huddled under a fishing pole with wires dangling to and fro, dits-and-dahs or calls of "CQ CQ" breaking the otherwise silent summit, it must be quite the sight to see. I believe SOTAteers(1) have an obligation to be ambassadors to SOTA and ham radio in general, so we better be prepared. In this post I have gathered thoughts from some Goats and aspiring Goats on how they promote this amazing hobby while operating portable or on a summit.
I often find myself alone on the summits I seek, but anyone who has ever run a pile-up from a summit knows there will be inconvenient times when non-hams (aka: civilians) muster up the courage to ask, "what exactly are you doing?" Therein lies the dilemma. To whom does your allegiance reside with? Your faithful chasers or this curious civilian? The right answer is both of course. A simple "standby" on the mic or the key will afford you a few minutes to answer questions and to be a stand-up (literally) ambassador for ham radio. Don't take my word for it. Let's get some Goat's perspectives on how they promote the hobby.
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| Photo courtesy of WG0AT, as he operates SOTA. |
SOTA legend Steve (WG0AT) shared, "It’s helpful if I’m with another ham who can put on HR [ham radio] ambassador hat and explain what’s up …depending on situation it’s sometimes fun to play with folks a bit like the time I was on Mt Evans (drive up) and had my Satellite antenna waving it around someone asked “What’s up with antenna?" I said we were from the Denver Zoo and we're looking for an escaped polar bear! They look at you like …Huh?? Of course then you say what you’re really doing. “I’m chasing satellites!” And they go “OK? …well good luck” LOL."
Steve shared another entertaining encounter, "Other times I’ve used the explanation we’ve been commissioned by the FCC to investigate this summit for a future military Space Force communications site LOL ...then explained what we’re doing is SOTA …kind of a radio/electronic version of Geocaching etc." "Radio-caching," I like it Steve. Hopefully my readers are taking notes.
Steve's playful approach with onlookers reveals to me that he is having fun while adventuring, which is what SOTA is all about in my humble opinion.
Lastly, Steve also said he carries "eye-ball QSO” cards in his pack that have a QR code that if scanned with a smart device will direct people to his YouTube page. Great idea Steve!
Another SOTA guru who recently passed 5,000 Summit-to-Summit points, Bob (AC1Z), is rarely seen in SOTA photos without his homemade signs he proudly displays while activating. He shared, "I bring my signs with me on all activations. A lot of people are interested in what I am doing. The telescoping fish poles I use for holding the antenna draws the most questions. “Are you fishing?” they often ask. "
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| Bob and his signs (photo from his QRZ.com page). |
"I remember setting up on Mt Katahdin in Maine for example when a fellow hollered several times, “I heard the smelts were running!” then laughing loudly over the strong wind. He didn’t even bother to ask what I was doing. But often times people are very interested and I have a good conversation about the hobby, SOTA, who I contact, etc. The official looking SOTA sign helps put more meaning to the program along with my callsign." I'd say that looks pretty professional there Bob and offers credibility to this radio sport.
Stuart (KB1HQS), an up-and-coming Goat, and author of ARRL's Portable Operating for Amateur Radio devised a 'trail card' to have on the ready when operating portable. He shared, "When there are people around, I often just say hi, which gives me an opening to ask what I am doing, which they often do. For those that seem interested, I give them my trail card. For everyone else I just say that I am participating in a fun contest where I hike to different mountain summits and make contacts with other licensed FCC amateur radio operators. I tell them I am using a low power radio and using Morse code." Stuart's openness to simply say hello to other hikers is the basic door opener to sharing. It also conveys the basic sense of community that I feel is so prevalent in SOTA activators and chasers. His trail card acts as the 'cherry on top' to continue the conversation of what he is up to and can give people a different ways to learn about the hobby and his social media presence.
Following the spirit of these SOTAteers I recently designed and purchased 50 business cards online to be able to hand out or to leave in a summit cache box. Hopefully, one of them will inspire someone to get into ham radio. So what are you doing to promote the hobby? Please share your ideas.
73 and safe hiking,KH7AL
(1) I respectfully give credit of the "SOTAteers" moniker to WG0AT after I saw him use it on a recent Facebook post.
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