so ive been chasing summits for about 6 months now and finally decided to just do it and activate one myself. picked out W4T/SU-097 which isnt super high but its a legit summit and the hike isnt crazy long which felt like a good starting point for my first time doing this solo.

my plan is to bring the KX2 with a random wire antenna and just kind of set up on a rock or whatever i can find up there. i know i need at least 4 QSOs to get the activation credit and ive seen people say to self-spot on SOTAwatch before you head up so chasers know youre coming, which i did already for 10am local time.

what i'm not sure about is whether i should try calling on the usual 2m simplex frequency first or just go straight to HF. ive got a handheld too so i could do both i guess but i dont want to be fumbling around up there trying to manage two radios. also do i really need to submit the log the same day or is there like a grace period? i read conflicting things about this.

any tips from people whove done a bunch of these would be really appreciated, especially if you've worked that area before

oh man that sounds exciting, your first activation is kind of a big deal. i remember mine, i was so nervous i forgot to bring a pen and had to log everything in my phone notes app which worked fine actually.

on the two radio question -- honestly for your first time just stick to HF. the 2m simplex stuff is hit or miss depending on the summit and if you dont have a good antenna for it up there it just adds stress. get your 4 contacts on HF, enjoy the view, then if you have energy and want to try the handheld go for it. no need to complicate it.

for log submission you have a few days i believe, its not same-day required. just dont let it sit too long because you'll forget details. i usually do mine that evening when i get home because its kinda fun to relive it. good luck up there, post back and let us know how it went

the self spotting thing -- make sure you also bring a way to re-spot if you end up starting late or if the band isnt cooperating and you switch frequencies. a lot of chasers are watching SOTAwatch pretty actively and if you say 14.285 and then move to 40m they might miss you. i use the SOTA Spotter app on my phone and it works great as long as i have any kind of cell signal, which on that particular summit you might, its not too remote.

also dont stress too much about the 4 QSO minimum. once you get your spot up the pile can come pretty fast, ive seen activators get their 4 in like 3 minutes on a busy morning. the chasers are genuinely excited to work you, especially if its a summit that doesnt get activated that often. W4T/SU-097 doesnt show a ton of recent activity in the database so you might be a popular contact this weekend.