so i finally did my first SOTA activation last weekend, summit was only a 3 mile hike but man i did not think about how much that radio gear adds up weight wise. had my kx2 and a random wire antenna and figured id just set up quick and make a bunch of contacts but the wind up there was brutal and my antenna kept falling down. ended up making like 6 contacts on 20m SSB and called it good enough for the activation points but i really feel like i should have done more prep. anyone else kind of underwhelmed by their first one? felt like i was just fighting the setup the whole time instead of actually operating

yeah the first one is always kind of chaotic honestly. i remember mine, spent more time trying to figure out where to hang the wire than actually on the air. 6 contacts is fine though, you only need 4 for a valid activation so you're good. the wind thing gets easier once you figure out what works for your typical terrain, i switched to a linked dipole with a lightweight mast and that helped a ton. also spotting yourself on SOTAwatch before you go up so chasers are ready makes a huge difference in contact rate

dont sweat it, 6 contacts and you got the activation thats what matters. i did a POTA last month and honestly same thing, took me like 45 minutes to get set up when i thought itd be 10. its just how it goes til you do it enough times that you have a routine dialed in