so i finally did my first summit yesterday, W4C/EM-064 up in the smokies. was pretty nervous about the whole thing since ive only ever operated from home before. threw the KX2 in my pack with a 20m end fed and just kind of winged it honestly. got up there and the wind was insane, had to basically lay the pole on a rock to keep it from blowing over, but i still managed 7 contacts in like 20 minutes which i guess is enough to count as an activation? the battery lasted way longer than i thought it would running 5 watts. probably gonna do another one next weekend if the weather cooperates

7 contacts is plenty, activation is 4 minimum so you had a good buffer. the wind thing is real, i've had activations where i'm basically holding the mast with one hand and keying with the other lol. what antenna were you using exactly, like a commercial EFHW or did you roll your own? i've been meaning to try the smokies summits but keep putting it off

yeah POTA and SOTA both count those contacts too if the park overlaps, worth checking on the maps before you go. congrats on the first one though, first activation is always a litle chaotic