Tiny Locator – finds a grid square based on the input of latitude and longitude information and can determine the distance between grid squares in kilometres and miles between two stations. Very useful for field day contests on VHF and above where points are allocated according to the distance worked between stations.
Buddipole – extremely well engineered portable antennae and accessories. I use a buddipole mast on field operations as it is robust and has multi sections which are all lockable. Also now experimenting with a Buddistick vertical antenna for 40-10m operations.
PAR omni antennae – I have 3 X PAR omni angle antenna’s – one for 6m, 2m and 70cm. These have proved to be very effective and a value for money antenna. The 6m and 2m antenna’s are extremely light and easy to carry to location given that they break down into 4 pieces. The 70cm omni is small and can fit neatly into a back-pack. Not high gain but work well when tuned. Particularly useful on 6m as conventional antenna’s are far too big for portable work.
Practical SOTA antenna information and projects – a site by Andrew formerly VK1NAM now VK1AD. A collection of excellent information on the construction of SOTA antennas for 2m, 70cm, 6m and 23cm.
Coaxial folded dipole antenna – Very simple but effective design for an economical portable antenna for portable or base station use.
ZS6BKW antenna for SOTA use – the ZS6BKW is becoming very popular with SOTA operators, as it is a multiband antenna that is resonant on many bands without the need for an Antenna Matching Unit (AMU). Andrew, VK1AD, provides an account of his experiences with this antenna.
Linked dipole antenna – DL2MAN provides comprehensive information on the building of a linked dipole antenna with a video, photographs and excellent text. This versatile, multi-band, lightweight wire antenna is perfect for portable operations on the bands of your choice, typically from 80m to 10m.
SOTA Activation Zone estimator – N6ARA provides an excellent resource to determine the boundaries of SOTA activation zones. A very useful tool when planning activations to ensure that your chosen operating point is within the site activation boundaries.
SOTA SPOTS