so i finally did my first activation last weekend, W6/NC-446 which is a pretty easy drive and short hike so figured it was a good starting point. brought my KX2 and a end-fed halfwave up in a backpack and honestly the whole thing went smoother than i thought it would. made 11 QSOs in about 40 minutes which i guess qualifies me no problem.

couple things i was fuzzy on though -- when i spotted myself on SOTAwatch before starting, a few chasers were already calling before i even finished setting up my antenna which was kind of chaotic. is that normal? also one guy kept giving me his summit reference like he was doing a S2S but i wasnt sure if i needed to log that differently or if it just automatically counts when i upload to the database. i did write it down but wasnt sure what to do with it.

also curious if the summit reference always stays the same or if they ever get reassigned. looking at some of the older logs on the site and seeing references i dont recognize from the current list

congrats on the first activation, 11 QSOs is solid especially for a first time out. yeah the pileup thing when you self-spot is completely normal, some of the regulars have SOTAwatch alerts set up on their phone and they literally jump on within seconds. best thing to do is just take a breath and work through them one at a time, no rush. you dont have to answer in order or anything.

the S2S situation -- yes you do log that separately, there should be a field in the SOTA CSV format or if youre using an app like SOTA Goat or Activator Log it usually has a dedicated S2S checkbox or field. both you and the other activator get bonus points for it so its worth making sure its recorded right. when you upload your log to the database just make sure that contact has the other persons summit reference in the right column and it should process correctly.

as for references changing, they generally dont get reassigned but summits do occasionally get removed from the program if a resuevey shows they dont meet the prominence requirements. thats probably what youre seeing in older logs, summits that were valid at the time but have since been delisted. the references themselves dont get recycled though as far as i know.

nice work getting out there. i was super nervous about my first one too and ended up sitting on the summit for like 20 minutes before i got the courage to call CQ lol. the chasers are all really friendly though once you get going.

one thing i'd add is download the SOTA spotter app if you havent already, makes self-spotting way easier when youre fumbling around with cold fingers on a mountaintop. i tried doing it through the website browser on my phone the first time and it was kind of a pain