so i finally did my first activation last weekend, took the ft-818 and a random wire up to a local summit that was only like a 2 mile hike, nothing crazy. managed to get 6 contacts on 20m SSB which i guess is enough to count but i was really hoping for more. the band conditions were kinda rough and i had one guy tell me my signal was pretty weak, which i expected since i was only running 5 watts but still.

anyway the thing i'm confused about now is the summit references. i looked up the peak on the SOTA database and it shows a reference number and the points value but i dont totally understand how the points work for the activator vs the chaser. like does the activator get the same points as the chaser or is it different? also i saw something about bonus points in winter but i'm not sure when that applies or if it even applies to my region.

also for anyone who does this regularly, is the 818 a reasonable radio for this or should i look at something lighter down the road. the hike wasnt bad but i could feel the weight by the end.

congrats on the first one, getting those 4 contacts is always the hardest part mentally because you're just sitting there hoping someone hears you. it gets easier once you get a feel for spotting yourself on SOTAwatch, that made a huge difference for me early on.

on the points — the activator gets the points based on the summit rating, so a 10 point summit gives you 10 activator points. chasers get 1 point per contact regardless of what summit you're on, which always seemed a little unfair to me but that's just how it works. the winter bonus is usually double points and it runs from november through the end of january but it does vary by association so worth checking your specific region's rules on the sota database, theres a page for each association that spells it out.

the 818 is totally fine and plenty of people use them for years. if weight becomes an issue later some folks go to the MTR or a QRP labs radio but honestly for starting out you dont need to overthink the gear, antenna placement matters way more than the radio at those power levels.

i did my first activation like 3 months ago and had almost the same experience haha. the spotting thing the other person mentioned is huge, i didnt know about it my first time and just called CQ into the void for like 20 minutes before anyone came back. once i started putting myself on SOTAwatch the pile was actually kind of fun to manage even with 5 watts.

the 818 is what i use too, its not the lightest but its tough and i trust it. some guys in my club swear by the KX2 if you want to spend the money but i'm not there yet.