so i finally did my first summit last weekend, W4C/SM-039 if anyones curious, not a hard hike but the weather was sketchy going up. brought my KX2 and a 40m end fed halfwave and honestly the setup took way longer than i expected because i was fumbling with the mast sections in the wind. note to self: practice setting up the antenna at home first before you're on a summit with numb fingers.

made about 12 contacts in like 35 minutes which i think is pretty decent for a first time. got the 4 needed for activation pretty quick once i hit the summit and announced on the SOTA watch. the pile up was small but it was there and that was kind of exciting. 20m was also open so i threw out a few calls there too. overall stoked on it and already planning the next one but curious if anyone has tips for working faster or keeping the antenna from blowing over, mine fell twice

congrats on the first one, it gets way easier. for the antenna falling over thing i just use a longer piece of paracord and stake it out more aggressively, like almost at 45 degrees from the mast base. also having a second stake directly at the mast foot helps a ton. wind on summits is no joke especially if youre using a telescoping fiberglass pole.

for working faster i spot yourself before you even finish setting up if you can, like throw a self-spot on the app while the radio is still warming up. by the time you key up theres already people waiting. changed everything for me honestly.

nice W4C is a good region to start in. i did my first POTA around the same time i started SOTA and honestly POTA is a little more chill since you dont have the time pressure from weather as much. but that feeling when the pile up starts is addictive lol. whats your next summit?