ARRLWeb: ARRL NEWS: Surfin': Makin' Radio at a Higher Level

ARRL -- The national association for Amateur Radio

Find on this site...

Site Index

ARRL Member Login...

Quick Links...

Operating ActivitiesLicensingNews/BulletinsServicesEducationPublic ServiceSupportDonate to ARRLARRL Info

Text-only

Current Feature Articles

Nov 20 The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler

Nov 20 Adventure in the Arctic: VO2A Expedition to Labrador

Nov 20 Surfin': More Radio Piracy on the High Seas

Nov 16 Youth@HamRadio.Fun: Fall Magic

Nov 13 Surfin': The Real Pirate Radio

Nov 06 Surfin': Homebrewing Today

Nov 05 DX the Hard Way

Nov 02 ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?

Nov 01 It Seems to Us: It Doesn't Just Happen

Oct 30 Surfin': Mapping Up

ARRL Products:
Technical, Electronics, and Communications Reference
(More)

Basic Radio -- FINALLY--an introduction to radio FOR EVERYONE!--what it does and how it does it.

Experimental Methods in RF Design -- Immerse yourself in the communications experience by building equipment that contributes to understanding basic concepts and circuits.

Basic Antennas -- An introduction to antennas--basic concepts, practical designs, and easy-to-build antennas!

MFJ 20-meter CW Cub Transceiver Kit -- Now Shipping! -- Enjoy countless hours operating this tiny high performance QRP Transceiver.

The ARRL Antenna Book -- The ultimate reference for Amateur Radio antennas, transmission lines and propagation. Fully-searchable CD-ROM included. 21st edition.

Previous: ARRL Teachers Institute: "It Is Elementary, It Is Advanced, It Is Something for Everyone" Next: The K7RA Solar Update

Surfin': Makin' Radio at a Higher Level

By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor

July 10, 2009

This week, Surfin' takes you out the door and up the hill to make contacts for awards.

Summits on the Air (SOTA) encourages you to take your radio experience to a higher level.

Summits on the Air (SOTA) is an award for radio hams and shortwave listeners that encourages portable radio operation from higher elevations. There are SOTA awards for folks who ascend and operate from the summits and SOTA awards for folks operating from home, a local hilltop or are on other summits.

Diana Eng, KC2UHB, recently wrote about her experience ascending Mt Carmel in Connecticut with SOTA activists Tom Tumino, N2YTF, and Dave Clausen, W2VV. Her story appeared on the Make Magazine blog, Makezine and it is an excellent read. And for an excellent view, Diana mentions that there is a nice collection of SOTA photos on flickr -- 2944 photos to be exact -- that show the ham radio operators, their equipment and summits that they have ascended.

Another excellent read is Make Magazine, which bills itself as "the first magazine devoted entirely to do-it-yourself (DIY) technology projects." I subscribed to Make after receiving a sample of issue #1 at the TAPR Dayton Hamvention dinner four years ago and I have not missed an issue. Even though Make seldom covers radio projects, as a long time do-it-yourselfer, its excellent articles motivate me to DIY more often and I highly recommend it for all DIY hams.

Thank you Mike Staines, WM1KE, for alerting me to KC2UHB's story.

Until next time, keep on surfin'!

Editor's note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, plans to activate the summit of Compounce Mountain real soon now. To contact Stan, send him e-mail or add comments to his blog. By the way, every installment of Surfin' is indexed here, so go look it up.

Previous: ARRL Teachers Institute: "It Is Elementary, It Is Advanced, It Is Something for Everyone"

Next: The K7RA Solar Update