so i finally did my first activation last weekend, went up to a local summit that only had like 4 points but i figured it was a good place to start without committing to a huge hike. brought my FT-818 and a linked dipole i threw together a few weeks ago and honestly the whole thing just... worked? got my 4 contacts pretty quick on 40m SSB and then just kept going for another hour or so because it was actually really fun.

couple things i'm not sure about though. when i'm logging the activation do i need to record the exact summit reference (mine was W6/SC-247 or something like that, i need to double check) or is the database pretty forgiving if you get it slightly wrong when you submit. also one of the chasers asked me to QSY to 20m and i didnt have the right dipole links set up so i said maybe later and then forgot - is that bad form? felt a little rude in hindsight. and lastly is sotawatch the main place people spot themselves or is there another tool people use now

congrats on the first one, they're addictive for sure. on the reference question - yeah you really do need the exact reference number when you submit to the database, it matters because that's how the points get allocated and how chasers log it their end too. but it's easy to look up on the SOTA mapping project or just search the summit name on sotadata before you head out and write it on your log sheet. i always just tape a little card to my radio with the reference on it so i dont forget mid-activation when my brain is already dealing with the pile-up.

the 20m thing is fine, nobody's gonna hold that against you especially on a first activation. most chasers get it, they know you might only have one band set up. just maybe mention it at the start of your CQ that youre 40m only and that usually heads off those requests.

SOTAwatch is still the main one yeah but a lot of people use the SOTA Goat app if you're on iPhone, makes it really easy to self-spot while you're up there without fumbling around on a website. also keeps track of activator and chaser scores which is kind of fun to watch tick up. ive been chasing for about a year and a half and seeing a spot come through on goat and then rushing to tune in before the pile settles is genuinely exciting lol