so ive been chasing SOTA for about 8 months now from home, logged probably 150 or so QSOs with activators and i finally decided i want to actually go up a summit myself. picked out W4T/SU-001 which isnt too far from me and the trail looks pretty reasonable, maybe 2.5 miles each way with decent elevation gain but nothing crazy.

my plan is to bring the FT-818 with a 4ah lipo, end fed halfwave for 40 and 20m, a small tripod thing for the antenna, notepad for logging (not bothering with an app on this one), and obviously the summit reference is in the activator database already so that part is sorted.

my question is mainly about the self-spotting stuff. i know a lot of activators use SOTAwatch and the RBN to get spotted but i dont have cell service on this particular summit based on what other activators have noted in their reports. so what do i do, just start calling CQ and hope someone catches me on the RBN and reposts to sotawatch? or is there a way to pre-spot myself before i leave the house? i read something about scheduling spots but wasnt sure if thats still a thing people do. also how long do you guys usually stay on a summit, like is there a minimum time thing or is 4 QSOs and youre done?

sorry for all the questions, just want to do this right

Pre-spotting is totally a thing and honestly its probably your best bet given the no cell situation. You can post a planned activation on SOTAwatch ahead of time, put down an approximate time and the bands you plan to work, and chasers will be watching for you. Lots of activators do this the night before or morning of. Just try to stick reasonably close to your planned time because chasers will literally sit there waiting and if you show up 90 minutes late some of them have moved on.

The RBN will absolutely pick you up if youre running any kind of power and calling CQ on a clear frequency, and there are automated systems that push RBN spots over to SOTAwatch so youll likely get spotted that way too even without a phone. The pre-spot just gives people a heads up to be listening.

And yeah 4 QSOs is all you need to qualify the summit, theres no time minimum. Most activators stay longer because its fun and you want to work as many chasers as you can, but technically once youve got your 4 contacts in the log youve done it. Have a great activation, W4T summits are usually pretty solid for radio from what i recall.

oh man i was just in this exact situation like two months ago for my first activation. the pre-spot thing works really well, i did mine the evening before and woke up to like three replies from chasers saying theyd be listening. honestly it made me way less nervous knowing people were expecting me.

one thing i wish someone had told me -- bring way more water than you think you need if its warm out, i was so focused on radio gear i kind of skimped on that and regretted it. also the EFHW tripod setup, give yourself more time than you think to get it sorted once youre up there, first time i ever set mine up in the field took like 20 minutes because i kept fumbling things. now i can do it in 5 but yeah. good luck, post how it goes