The idea
Summits on the Air (SOTA) invites you to operate from a summit on its list. Three roles: the activator on the summit, the hunter who contacts him, and the SWL, the listener, who needs no licence. The programme began on 2 March 2002; the France (F) association has existed since 1 April 2007.
The summits and the zone
- A summit counts if it stands at least 150 m above the col linking it to a higher one (P150). An exception at 100 m (P100) exists where P150 summits are rare. Mountainous France (F) is P150; low France (FL: the Vosges, the Loire valley, the North-West, the South-West) is P100.
- The activation zone: the operator must be within the contour line 25 m below the top. It isn't a circle: the limit follows the relief.
- References: association / region - number. F/AB-001 is Mont Blanc (4,808 m). In November 2026, the F association had 7 regions and 2,468 summits, the FL association 4 regions and 377 summits.
The activation
No transmitting in a motor vehicle nor next to one, and nothing linked to it. All the equipment is carried by the team, with a portable source: batteries, cells, solar panels; no mains nor generator. One QSO is enough to activate; the points need 4 QSOs with 4 different stations. A QSO with someone in the same zone, or through a terrestrial repeater, doesn't count; satellites and free balloons are allowed. There's no official SOTA frequency: you announce yourself on SOTAwatch.
Points in France (F)
Under 1,000 m: 1 point; 1,000 to 1,499 m: 2; 1,500 to 1,749 m: 4; 1,750 to 1,999 m: 6; 2,000 to 2,499 m: 8; from 2,500 m: 10. Winter bonus: +3 from 1 December to 31 March inclusive, for summits of 1,500 m or more. The activator scores a summit once per calendar year; the hunter once per UTC day. At 1,000 points: the Mountain Goat for the activator, the Shack Sloth for the hunter.
Safety and respect
You take part entirely at your own risk: mountain walking is hazardous by nature. The France association's manual recommends the 1:25,000 map and calls the compass essential; the mobile signal is patchy, the mistral can knock you over on ridges, and summer brings fire risk. Check the mountain weather, tell someone your route, and get down before the storm. No damage, no litter, no fire; respect herds and quiet; never on private land without leave (an activation without permission is invalid).
Licence Activating a summit means transmitting: you need an amateur licence. Without one you can listen, and SOTA even has awards for listeners.
In the game The maps' reliefs, the pack's weights and the callsigns are made up. The summits quoted are real references, only a few examples: SOTA's data isn't to be copied for a website. No logo: SOTA is a trademark of the programme, we draw our own pictograms.