Summits on the Air U.S.A. W3
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Summits on the Air – ARM for USA PA/MD/DE (W3) Summits on the Air U.S.A. W3 Association Reference Manual (ARM) Document Reference S41.1 Issue number 1.1 Date of issue 01-Apr-2021 Participation start-date 01-NOV-2010 Authorized Date 01-Apr-2021 on behalf of SOTA Management Team Association Manager Richard Jones, N2GBR ([email protected]) Assistant Association Manager Mark Schreiner, NK8Q ([email protected]) Summits-on-the-Air an original concept by G3WGV and developed with G3CWI Notice: “Summits on the Air” SOTA and the SOTA logo are trademarks of the Program. This document is copyright of the Program. Some of the sourced in this document herein is from John D. Kirk (http://listsofjohn.com) and is used with his permission. All other trademarks and copyrights referenced herein are acknowledged. Page 1 Summits on the Air – ARM for USA PA/MD/DE (W3) Table of Contents Change Control ................................................................................................................................... 3 1.0 Association Reference Data ..................................................................................................... 4 1.1 SOTA Program Derivation....................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Disclaimer 5 1.3 General Information ................................................................................................................. 5 1.4 Final Access, Activation Zone Explained ................................................................................ 6 1.5 Rights of Way and Access Issues ............................................................................................. 6 1.6 Maps and Navigation ............................................................................................................... 7 1.7 Safety Considerations ............................................................................................................... 7 1.8 Navigation and Weather ........................................................................................................... 7 1.9 Environmental Considerations ................................................................................................. 8 1.10 Foreign Amateurs (from the ARRL.org Website) ................................................................... 8 1.11 Association Awards.................................................................................................................. 8 1.12 Process to Maintain Summit Lists ............................................................................................ 9 1.13 Reference Information............................................................................................................ 10 Appendix A Summit Reference Data ........................................................................................... A1 Page 2 Summits on the Air – ARM for USA PA/MD/DE (W3) Change Control Date Version Details 01-Jan-13 1.0 First formal issue of this document. Bill Gerth, W4RK, AM 01-Apr-21 1.1 Change of AM Change AZ height to 82ft, change of prominence from 500’ to 492’ Mark Schreiner, NK8Q appointed new Assistant AM Eliminated Association sponsored Awards Log/Lats corrected per Mo/Yr “ListsofJohn” Page 3 Summits on the Air – ARM for USA PA/MD/DE (W3) 1.0 Association Reference Data Association USA (W3) Commencement date 01 Jan 2010 Regions (3) W3 – Regions, Pennsylvania: Qty. of Summits Erie (ER-xxx) Dutch (PD-xxx) Philadelphia (PH-xxx) Pocono (PO-xxx) Pittsburgh (PT-xxx) Pennsylvania Wilds (PW-xxx) Susquehanna Valley (SV-xxx) W3 – Region Maryland: Capital (CR-xxx) Central (CT-xxx) Eastern Shore (ES-xxx) Southern (SO-xxx) Western (WE-xxx) W3- Region: Delaware: No Peaks Qualifying Total Summits: xxx Association parameters See General Rules for parameter definitions Summit operation criteria Operation must be within 25m (82ft) vertically of the summit within the “Activation Zone”. Band 1, score 1 point <1500ft Band 2, score 2 points ≥ 1500ft, < 1,700ft ASL Band 3, score 4 points ≥ 1,700ft, < 2000ft ASL Band 4, score 6 points ≥ 2000ft, < 2500ft ASL Band 5, score 8 points ≥ 2500ft, < 3000ft ASL Band 6, score 10 points ≥ 3000ft ASL Seasonal bonus 3 Points for activations Bonus rationale Winter period with highest probability of localized unpredictable weather and low temperatures. Min. height for bonus >=1,500ft. ASL Bonus period dates 1 December to 15 March inclusive. Association sponsored awards None yet offered. Association Manager Richard Jones, N2GBR Assistant Association Manager Mark Schreiner, NK8Q Page 4 Summits on the Air – ARM for USA PA/MD/DE (W3) 1.1 SOTA Program Derivation W3 SOTA Program is an extension of similar programs already active in other countries. Summit qualification for inclusion in the SOTA Program is based on the relative height of summits compared to their surroundings, and the W3 Association defines a minimum of 492 feet of vertical rise from the surrounding saddle in order to qualify. This vertical separation from surrounding terrain is the basis of the definition of geographic [topographic] prominence, which Wikipedia has an excellent description of here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prominence. Participants in the W3 SOTA program must meet the qualifications stated in the SOTA General Rules and must participate in accordance with these rules. In cases where information in this reference is in conflict with the General Rules, the General Rules shall take precedence. Full text of the SOTA General Rules can be found at https://www.sota.org.uk/Joining-In/General-Rules 1.2 Disclaimer Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities in W3 with its extreme weather and in some cases elevation. The SOTA Management Team, the W3-PA/MD/DE Association and their officers do not accept responsibility for any death or injury resulting from participation in SOTA. The inclusion of a summit in this Reference Manual does not indicate that it is safe, legal or even possible to climb to the summit. The Summit Reference data is not guaranteed to be accurate and sole reliance should not be placed upon it. Any activator must be sure to check applicable local, state, and federal laws to be sure that a hike or climb up to any of the summits listed in this manual is legal and safe. Some summits may reside in private lands and all activators must respect private property rights. Other summits are located on restricted government owned land (e.g. military bases, gunnery ranges and bombing ranges) where trespass is not only illegal but could result in death. Under no circumstances should a summit be activated without the requisite permissions. Proper training, experience and personal capability assessment is required. Do not become a statistic. 1.3 General Information W3 SOTA Program includes those summits within the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC issues amateur radio licenses with the prefix W3 by default for all PA/MD/DE applicants. All participants (Activators and Chasers) in the SOTA Program must be currently licensed by the FCC. The US amateur call region of W3 encompasses three US states: Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. If the reader finds a summit which he believes to meet the qualifications of the SOTA program, or if a mistake is found in the summit data, please contact the Association/Region Manager. If an activator wishes to see a particular summit included in the W3 Association, please provide the Association Manager the following information: 1. Name of summit as named on the USGS Geonames database. 2. The Latitude and Longitude of summit. 3. The elevation of the summit above sea level. Page 5 Summits on the Air – ARM for USA PA/MD/DE (W3) 4. The summit’s prominence value along with a citation of the source of this data. The Association Manager will check whether the summit meets the qualification criteria and, if it does, will forward this information to the SOTA Management Team for inclusion in the database. The decisions of the Association Manager and the Management Team are final regarding the interpretation of the criteria and the inclusion or exclusion of a summit. Summits cannot be counted for points in the SOTA program until a reference number has been issued in the SOTA Summits database 1.4 Final Access, Activation Zone Explained The SOTA general rules state that radio operations must take place within a summit’s Activation Zone, which, in the case of the W3 association, is an area within 82 vertical feet of the actual summit point. The Activation Zone is a single, “unbroken” area which can be visualized by drawing a closed shape on a map, following a contour line 82 feet below the summit point. Another way to describe the activation zone is any place that has a route to the summit point that does not dip below 82 feet of the summit point. The operating position must be within this zone, but antennas may extend well beyond. The SOTA General Rules also state that the method of final access to the Summit must be non- motorized. The General Rules do not specify the distance, either vertical or route, that this final access must cover. Operation from, or with equipment attached to, a vehicle is never permitted during a SOTA activation. Activators should feel free to contact the Association Manager should further clarification be deemed necessary, or if any doubt exists in an activator’s mind as to whether the Activation will be valid for SOTA. 1.5 Rights of Way and Access Issues Many W3 SOTA summits