Fwd: [SOTAppalachia] Announcement: Proposed SOTA–POTA Merger (SPOTA Pilot)
Leonard Vincent
AG4VA made this and posted it in the SOTA Appalachia IO group. I thought you guys might find it funny
Lenny
-------- Forwarded Message --------
| Subject: | [SOTAppalachia] Announcement: Proposed SOTA–POTA Merger (SPOTA Pilot) |
|---|---|
| Date: | Tue, 31 Mar 2026 23:46:49 -0700 |
| From: | Allen AG4VA via groups.io <abgraves=earthl...@groups.io> |
| Reply-To: | SOTApp...@groups.io |
| To: | SOTApp...@groups.io |
Hello SOTA Appalachia participants,
Over the past several months there have been informal discussions between volunteers involved with Summits on the Air (SOTA) and Parks on the Air (POTA) regarding increased program alignment and long-term sustainability.
A working group has been exploring a cooperative pilot program tentatively titled:
SPOTA – Summits and Parks on the Air
The goal is to establish a unified activation framework integrating summit and park operations into a single program structure.
Preliminary guidelines under consideration:
-
Activation zone must qualify for both SOTA and POTA
-
Development of a unified SPOTA reference numbering system
-
Development of a unified SPOTA award tracking and recognition system
Early testing has been promising in mountainous regions, though implementation in areas such as Florida remains under review.
As part of the pilot, a modest program support subscription is being evaluated:
$19.95 annually (introductory rate)
Proposed benefits may include:
-
Early access to new features
-
Unified activator/chaser tracking
-
Optional "Buy an Activation" program with expedited Mountain Goat pathway
-
Tiered pricing based on summit point value
Early feedback on this concept has been mixed.
To support long-term sustainability, a Summit Sponsorship Initiative is also being considered.
Some early corporate sponsors under consideration:
-
W4V/BR-001 – Mountain Dew Peak
-
W4V/SH-002 – Waffle House Knob
-
W4V/WV-003 – Clif Bar Bald
Suggested sponsorship tier:
$73.73 per summit (Best Regards rate), limited to one summit per region per sponsor
Additional recognition categories are under evaluation, including a "Parking Lot Sloth" classification for parking-access summits.
In addition, the pilot would introduce the first field sponsor:
WAONAZE™ – The Official
Mayonnaise of the Mountains
(Inspired by W4V/HB-036 field
testing)
WAONAZE has demonstrated several benefits for summit operators:
-
Improved sandwich integrity in high winds
-
Emergency coax lubrication
-
Non-stick summit log performance
-
Approximately +3 S-units of morale
Limited WAONAZE Peak Edition sample jars may be available for evaluation.
We welcome community feedback as this concept develops.
And remember:
Happy April 1st.
73,
Allen, AG4VA
Groups.io Links:
You receive all messages sent to this group.
View/Reply Online (#1708) | Reply to Group | Reply to Sender | Mute This Topic
| New Topic
Your Subscription |
Contact Group Owner |
Unsubscribe [n4lx...@gmail.com]
RileyC
--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "ValleyHams" group.
To post to this group, send email to valle...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
valleyhams+...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/valleyhams?hl=en
Please do not send jokes and junk e-mail on this list - Let's use it for our various hobbies, public service, communications and any good useful information for our hobbies and Events.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Valley Hams" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to valleyhams+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/valleyhams/d515ce4d-2bed-4444-851b-6b579003af54%40gmail.com.
