So ive been chasing SOTA for about 8 months now and finally decided to stop being lazy and actually get up on a summit myself. Planning to activate W6/SC-305 this Saturday, nothing crazy difficult but its a decent hike with the gear.

My setup is gonna be a KX2 with a 40m EFHW thrown over a branch or trekking pole, and im bringing a 3Ah lipo since the full 6Ah feels like too much weight for the climb. Hoping to get on 40 and maybe 20 if conditions cooperate.

My actual question is about the reference logging on SOTA watch. Do I need to post an alert before the activation or can I just self-spot once im up there? I know alerts are kind of a curtesy thing but wasnt sure if they're required for the activation to count. Also curious if 4 QSOs is still the minimum to qualify or if that changed at any point. I feel like I read conflicting things.

Any tips from people who've done a bunch of these would be appreciated, especially around pacing yourself when you're carrying radio gear cause I tend to overpack.

Alerts are definitely not required, just really helpful for the chasers who want to work you. Lots of activators just self spot from the summit and still get a pile up within a few minutes, especially on a weekend. The 4 QSO minimum is still the rule and hasn't changed as far as I know, at least not in any of the regions I've activated in.

One thing I'd say about the weight thing — I made the mistake of bringing way too much battery on my first couple activations thinking I'd need it, and honestly the KX2 is so efficient you'll probably be fine with the 3Ah for a normal length activation. I usually only drain maybe a third of that on a good morning session. Just watch your power setting and you won't have any problems.

Good luck Saturday, hope the bands behave. 40m in the morning should be solid if you're on by like 9 or 10 local.

oh and dont forget to check if theres a local sota group or reflector for your association, sometimes people post activation reports and you can get a feel for what the trail conditions are like or whether theres a good spot at the top for the antenna. found that super useful before my first one. also sotawatch app on the phone is way easier than the website when youre up there fumbling with gloves on or whatever