ZL-SOTA | Summits on the Air

⛰️ How SOTA Works

Summits on the Air (SOTA) is an exciting international award scheme for amateur radio operators that combines portable operation with hillwalking, tramping, and mountaineering.

Activators

Hike or climb to the summit of a registered hill or mountain. Once on top, they deploy a portable station (HF, VHF, or UHF) and must make at least 4 unique two-way contacts (QSOs) to validate the summit.

Chasers

Stationed at home, mobile, or even on another peak, these operators listen for signals, log the contacts, and help rack up the numbers for the active operators on the summits.

🗺️ SOTA Maps & Tracking

Plan your next activation or track live contacts using these essential tools:

SOTLAS (SOTA Atlas): Modern, interactive maps displaying global SOTA summits, real-time spots, alerts, and detailed peak information.
Sotamaps.org: Detailed mapping tools, summit lists, and reference resources.
SOTAWatch 3: The live network for checking active spot notifications and upcoming summit alerts.

🔗 Community & Links

Connect with fellow ZL operators, share activation stories, and join the conversation:

Groups.io Mailing List

Join the ZL-Sota email community to stay up to date with local announcements and discussions. Send an empty email to:

zl-sota+subscribe@groups.io

Facebook Group

Share photos, plan group tramps, and chat with local operators on the ZL-Sota Facebook Page.

SOTA Reflector

Engage in the global community forum for technical support, rules, and expedition logs at the Official SOTA Reflector.

On The Air (NZ)

Explore broader amateur radio news, resources, and community updates via On The Air NZ.