Hills on the Air - Program Rules
1.1 Purpose
The HOTA program has been designed for those areas, and countries, that have a lack of suitable summits to qualify for participation in the Summits on the Air (SOTA) © program.
We sincerely hope that HOTA will be looked upon as the “little brother” of the SOTA program.
We highly encourage on-air contacts between SOTA and HOTA activators and chasers. We also highly encourage on-air contacts between HOTA and WOTA (Wainwrights on the Air) © in the UK.
The purpose of HOTA (the Program) is to encourage Amateur Radio based activity from the summits of hills in countries around the world. Based upon the UK's well known SOTA, and Wainwrights on the Air programmes. HOTA is ideal for those low lying countries and regions that do not have sufficient height to qualify for the SOTA program.
The Program is intended to encourage activity from local hills. The Program does not accept operation from a motor vehicle.
The program provides for participation by Activators who make QSOs from the Hilltops, and Chasers who make contact with the Activators.
1.2 Program structure
1.2.1 Scope
The Program is open to all radio amateurs, worldwide. There are no restrictions on who may activate Hilltops, although it is probable that most activators will live in the general area. Chasers may be in any country, even if there is no Association covering their area.
1.2.2 Management Team
A small Management Team is responsible for the overall management of the HOTA Program. Specifically, it is responsible for creating and maintaining the General Rules and for determining the suitability of proposals made by Local Associations (see below).
1.2.3 Local Associations
Logically distinct geographical areas form organizational components of the HOTA Program, known as Local Associations, by adopting the General Rules. There are two possible variants of Association:
1. Each DXCC Entity in the world may separately participate in HOTA. The Entity forms an Association.
2. In the case of large DXCC entities, such as Canada or the USA, subdivision into states or provinces, will occur. The area created by a subdivision forms an Association.
Each Local Association must have an Association Manager. The Association Manager determines parameters that are appropriate to local needs. He or She then creates the Local Association Reference Manual (similar to that required by SOTA) and submits it as a proposal for participation to the Management Team. When the Association Reference Manual has been accepted by the Management Team, the Local Association is said to be Activated.
1.2.4 Regions
Within a Local Association’s area there may be one or more Regions. These should be distinct geographically or geologically.
1.2.5 Participants
There are two Classes of participant: Activators and Chasers. Teams may be formed to participate in the Activator Class. Points are awarded in each Class and awards are available recognizing specified levels of achievement.
1.2.6 Program operation
The Program is managed via the Internet, using web sites, reflectors and e-mail to keep costs to an absolute minimum. The Program is self-funding through charges for certificates, etc.
1.3 Program start date
The Program commences on 1 January 2012. Each Local Association has its own start date being the date that it became Activated. Hilltops can be claimed at any time after the start date for the responsible Local Association.
1.4 The reference system
Each Hill in the Local Association is assigned a unique two-character identifier. Individual Hills within the Region are assigned a number in the range 001 to 999 (it is not anticipated that any region will exceed a few hundred Summits; if necessary, subdivision will occur).
Within an Association, this creates a unique Reference Number in the form, e.g. EO-003. Leading zeros are applied as shown where the number is less than 100. The Reference Number is used throughout the program to identify the Summit. For the sole purpose of unique identification worldwide, an International HOTA Reference Number is created by prefixing the Reference number with the Association description. This is either:
The ITU allocated prefix, in the event that Subdivision has not occurred, e.g. F/LD-003
The ITU allocated prefix plus the subdivision identifier, where Subdivision has occurred, e.g. W3/SE-001
To avoid confusion with the Islands on the Air (IOTA) program, the Hill identifying letters must not be one of the continent abbreviations, namely AF, AN, AS, EU, NA, OC or SA.
If a hilltop is “moved” due to more accurate survey measurements, the summit will retain its original reference number if the new highest point is within the Activation Zone of the old highest point, otherwise a new reference will be issued and the old one deleted. When a summit is deleted for any reason, the reference number will not be re-allocated.
1.5 Guidelines for the definition of a Summit
Each Local Association is required to determine a strategy for defining a list of Summits that is consistent with the nature of the general terrain in that Association. The definition must take account of the following guiding principles:
1. The Local Association must have sufficient topology to enable local Hills to be clearly defined. The HOTA Management Team recommends that a prominence be between 100m and 200m. The minimum association prominence that can be accepted in the Program is 100m.
2. Hilltops should be distinct. This means that there must be a vertical separation of at least the association's prominence value, between the hilltop and their associated cols (also known as saddles). Peaks separated by a shallow col should be considered as a single hilltop. This principle ensures that there is a distinct climb associated with every hilltop.
3. Hilltops that are accessible by road can still be included in the program, although operation from the vehicles is not permitted.
It is recognized that operation from the exact top of the hilltop may be difficult or even impossible. It is also important that HOTA operations do not disturb the enjoyment of the mountains by others. Accordingly, each Association shall define the Vertical Distance from the precise summit, within which a hilltop operation will be considered valid.
1.6 Adding and deleting hilltops
The list of Hilltops for a Local Association is not necessarily exhaustive. It is acceptable that the list will evolve over time, as the Program develops within the Local Association.
Hilltops can be added to the Program provided they meet the definition agreed for in the Rules. A Hilltop that is added in this way will be valid for general activation from the date that the Reference Number is issued.
The Management Team reserves the right to demand sufficient information to confirm that any proposed hilltop meets the required criteria. Such information may include references in publicly-available independent lists, official government publications, or the results of detailed analysis of mapping data. In the event that such additional information is not supplied, the hill will not be added to the Program.
1.6.1 Activation of potential hilltops
Activators of potential new hilltops should provide materials to the appropriate Local Association Manager, prior to the Expedition, which demonstrate that the criteria are met. A reference number will then be issued by the Local Association Manager, and a start date agreed with the Management Team.
1.6.2 Deletion of hilltops
A hilltop will be deleted if it fails to meet the criteria (e.g. due to more accurate mapping). Existing credits for the hilltop, for activation prior to its deletion, will be retained.
1.7 Rules for Activators
All Expeditions must use legitimate access routes and comply with any local rules regarding use of the land. In particular, Activators must ensure that they have any necessary permission to operate from their chosen Hilltop.
1.7.1 Criteria for a valid Expedition
For an Expedition to be considered valid, the following criteria must be met:
1. The Activator must hold an appropriate amateur radio license.
2. All operation must comply with the amateur radio licensing regulations, and must use the permitted amateur radio bands of the country in which the Local Association is based.
3. The Operating Position must be within the permitted Vertical Distance of the Summit, as defined in Rule 1.5. The terrain between the operating position and the actual Summit must not fall below the permitted Vertical Distance.
4. All equipment must be carried to the site by the Activator team.
5. All equipment must be operated from a portable power source (batteries, solar cells, etc). Operation is expressly forbidden using permanently installed power sources or fossil-fuel generators of any kind.
6. All operation must comply with any limitations on the use of transmitting equipment that may exist for the hilltop.
7. At least four QSO's must be made from the hilltop to qualify as an activation.
8. QSOs with others within the same Activation Zone do not count towards the QSO total.
9. QSO's via repeaters do not count towards the QSO total.
10. Activator points accrue to the operator regardless of the call sign used. The operator must be entitled to use the call sign. Multiple operators of the same station may claim activator points. Each individual operator must make the minimum number of QSOs stated above in order to claim Activator points.
11. Activators must submit a log of the Expedition in order to claim points. In the event that a claim is not to be made, Activators are still asked to submit logs so that Chaser claims can be substantiated. Logs may be submitted by email to HOTA.Canada@gmail.com.
12. All HOTA operations are expected to be conducted in the spirit of the program
1.7.2 Scoring
The Activator claims the hilltop points on an expedition basis, regardless of the total number of QSO's made above the qualifying minimum. A hilltop may be activated as often as desired but an individual Activator can only claim points for operation from a particular hilltop once in any calendar year. QSL cards are not required.
1.7.3 Code of Conduct
Participation in the HOTA program is open to everybody. However, in the event that any participant behaves in a manner contrary to the aims of HOTA. In such, hopefully rare, cases the decision of the Management Team will be final. Examples of such unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to –
1. Making claims for contacts that are not valid for HOTA
2. Threatening or abusing members of the MT, or other HOTA participants
3. Persistent breaches of HOTA rules
4. Behavior likely to bring HOTA into disrepute
Examples of behavior likely to bring HOTA into disrepute include a failure to apply the following common-sense provisions.
Activators must not cause any damage to the environment. This includes damage, whether deliberate or resulting from a lack of care, to the hill itself, walls, fences, livestock, buildings, etc. Care must also be taken to avoid leaving litter. It is both unsightly and potentially hazardous to local wildlife.
Activators must operate with due consideration for other people on the hills. Excessive noise, inconsiderate siting of equipment and antennas, etc. is not acceptable and potentially brings the Program into disrepute. There can be no justification for trespassing on private property, and the wishes of the landowner must remain paramount. When parking a vehicle in preparation for an activation, care must be taken to avoid obstructing roads, paths and gateways.
Both activators and chasers must at all times operate within the terms of their license. Participation in the HOTA program makes on-air behavior extremely visible to other users of the amateur bands, and such malpractices as using bad language or causing deliberate interference will not be tolerated.
Above all, participants are required to operate in a manner that is in keeping with the spirit of the Program.
1.7.4 Competence to undertake expedition
Activators must be competent to undertake their proposed Expedition and must carry suitable equipment, taking account of the terrain, weather conditions, etc. Activators take part in the Program entirely at their own risk and the Program in its entirety shall accept no responsibility for injury, loss of life or any other loss.
Activators are reminded that hill climbing is an inherently hazardous activity. Accidents can and do happen and the risk is neither increased nor mitigated by the HOTA program.
1.8 Rules for Chasers
1. The Chaser must hold an appropriate amateur radio license.
2. The Chaser must make a QSO with the hilltop Expedition, in which at least call signs and two-way reports are exchanged. Wherever possible, the HOTA Reference Number should also be obtained as part of the QSO.
3. Only one QSO with a given Summit on any one day.
4. QSO's via terrestrial repeaters do not count for points.
5. Chasers who wish to participate in the award scheme must submit a log showing details of all QSOs with Expeditions for which they wish to claim points.
6. QSL cards are not required.
7. An Activator may claim Chaser points for QSO's made with Activators on other hilltops during his/her Expedition.
1.8.1 Scoring
The hilltop score is claimed for a single QSO with the Expedition. Multiple QSO's with the same Expedition do not attract additional points.
1.10 Modes and bands
All modes and amateur radio bands are valid for the Program.
1.11 Scoring system
A scoring system relating to the height of the Summit ASL must be implemented unless this is clearly and demonstrably impractical (see below). Each hilltop is worth a certain number of points, dependent upon its height ASL. Three height bands are defined, expressed in metres ASL, and optionally in feet ASL, the values of which are determined on an Association basis. Height bands for an Association are determined by the Local Association Manager and must be shown in the Local Association Reference Manual.
Points are awarded to both Activators and Chasers as follows:
Band 1 = 1 point 100m to 110m
Band 2 = 4 points 110m to 175m
Band 3 = 6 points 175m to 200m
For summits in excess of 200m, check with your local SOTA Association as you may well be able to activate it under the SOTA Rules.
For Local Associations containing relatively few hilltops, it may not be appropriate, or indeed possible, to allocate summits to each height band. In such a case, one of the higher-value height bands may be omitted.
1.11.1 Seasonal bonus option
A seasonal bonus may be made available to all Activators undertaking Expeditions within a Local Association, at the discretion of the Local Association Manager. The seasonal bonus is intended to reflect the fact that for safe travel in the hills during the bonus period, extra safety equipment is necessary plus the skills to use it. The bonus may, for example, be applied to winter conditions where there is significant seasonal variation in temperatures or to other local parameters.
There shall be only one seasonal bonus period in a year, up to a maximum duration of four months. The bonus shall only apply to Expeditions to the higher hilltops and shall be, in all cases, three points. The Local Association Manager shall determine eligibility of his or her Local Association for the seasonal bonus, bearing in mind local safety considerations. He or she shall also define the inclusive dates that constitute the bonus period and the minimum height of qualifying hilltops.
In large Associations there is provision for different seasonal bonus criteria to be defined for different Regions where significant climatic variations make this appropriate.
Local Association Managers should submit such a request, together with supporting evidence, to the Management Team.
1.11.2 Activator scoring precedence
In the event that an Activator activates a Hilltop more than once during the year, he may claim points for any one Expedition. If one expedition was during the period that the seasonal bonus was in operation, then he can claim that expedition together with the higher score.
1.12 Documentation
The HOTA document library will be maintained as microsoft word documents and will be published in Adobe PDF format. All HOTA documents must be formatted to accurately conform to the HOTA style. HOTA documents will follow the SOTA style for simplicity.
All documents have a unique document number which is issued by the Management Team to indicate that the document has been officially released. A register is maintained listing all officially released documents.
1.12.1 General Rules
The General Rules (this document) provides a framework in which The Program operates. It is maintained by the Management Team.
1.12.2 Association Reference Manual
Each Local Association Manager shall create a Local Association Reference Manual (ARM), which comprises Local Association-specific data that customizes The Program to the needs of the Local Association’s area. ARMs shall be published in English and optionally in any other language that is appropriate to the Association.
The ARM shall comprise the following sections:
Chapter 1 – Change control
Chapter 2 – Local Association Reference Data. At a minimum, this must contain the Local Association parameters but it may also contain general information of use to prospective participants
Chapter 3 – Hilltop Reference Data. This chapter contains the eligible hilltops in tabular form. The tables may be split into Regions and may also contain Region specific information of use to prospective participants. The minimum information required in the tables is:
1. The HOTA Reference Number.
2. The name of the Hill. Preferably this should be the name shown on local maps. If no such name is shown then a locally used name may be used.
3. The location, accurate to no worse than 250 metres, using latitude and longitude in signed decimal format. The location may additionally be specified in another format such as the Maidenhead locator system.
4. The height of the Summit in metres ASL.
5. The height of the Summit in feet ASL.
6. The score associated with the hilltop.
It is the Local Association Manager’s responsibility to maintain the ARM as new hilltops are added or other changes become necessary. The Local Association Manager must send the updated manual, and associated database files, to the Management Team whenever changes are made. The effective date will be agreed between the Local Association Manager and the Management Team. The ARM is authorized by the Management Team. A Local Association only becomes operational when its ARM has been duly authorized.
1.12.3 Other documents
Other documents may be produced from time to time.
1.12.4 Precedence
The General Rules have precedence over the Association Reference Manual in case of any conflict. The General Rules also have precedence over all other program documentation, official or otherwise; e.g. Activator’s Guidelines, etc. Where the General Rules have been translated into other languages, the English version has precedence over other language versions in case of any conflict.
1.13 Awards
1.13.1 Program-wide awards
Certificates will be awarded for 100, 250, 500, 1000, and 2500 points, and so on in sequence, in each award categories. Separate certificates are awarded in the Activators and Chasers sections.
All these certificates are issued upon request, by the Management Team’s Awards Administrator, based on logs sent in by the Activators and Chasers. A small charge is made to cover postage and envelopes.
1.13.2 Other HOTA awards
In addition to Program-wide certificates, Associations, individuals, or groups may specify their own award system, using defined HOTA summit data (or a sub-set of it). Such awards may be defined within the boundaries of a single Association, or across several Associations. These awards may be defined on the official HOTA website, subject to approval by the Management Team.
1.14 Administration
The Management Team administers the Program on a volunteer basis and has overall responsibility for the operation of the Program in all Associations. Its decisions are final.
The Management Team shall appoint a Local Association Manager for each Association, normally an area resident, who is responsible for advising on the Program’s operation in that Local Association. In particular, the Local Association Manager creates and maintains the Association Reference Manual for his or her Association and agrees its contents with the Management Team. If an Association finds itself without an Local Association Manager for any reason, the responsibility will revert to the Management Team until a new Association Manager can be appointed.
The Local Association Manager will at his or her discretion, appoint Region Managers as required in each region of a Local Association, to provide local knowledge for the Local Association Manager and the Management Team. The Region Manager can also be contacted to provide advice for would-be Activators planning to visit the area.
1.15 Information dissemination
Hilltop Activators are encouraged to publicize their intended Expeditions to maximize the opportunity for Chasers to make contact. An email reflector will be set up for the purpose to which any interested party may subscribe.
Lists of summits that have been allocated numbers will be maintained on the Web. The program rules for each Association will be published on that associations blog site.
1.16 HOTA frequencies
HOTA encourages the use of the recognized QRP frequencies for its activations.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
About Hills on the Air
About HOTA
Hills On The Air (HOTA for short) is an adventure radio program for amateur radio enthusiasts who enjoy being out on the hills and in the great outdoors, as well as those who just like collecting contacts with unusual locations.
Similar to Summits on the Air (SOTA), the goal is to make contacts from, or with, as many different hilltops as possible. But if you just want to add some radio interest to your walks in the hills, that's fine too. Taking part in HOTA will add to your fun by increasing the number of people wanting to contact you.
HOTA was started in Eastern Ontario, Canada, due to the lack of summits that qualified for activation under the SOTA program.
Objectives
The goal of the program is to make contacts from, or with, as many different hilltops as possible. There are many easy hills for the less fit or those with less time to spare to climb, as well as more challenging adventures and opportunities for multi-summit activations during the course of a full day's walk, for the more active.
But if you aren't interested in competing to operate from the greatest number of hilltops, but would just like to add some fun radio activity to your walks in the hills, Hills On The Air still has something to offer you. Because taking part, and announcing your destinations on this site, will increase the number of people keen to contact you whilst you are up there!
Joining in
If you hold an amateur radio license then you can participate in one of two ways. You can be an activator, which involves taking a portable radio transceiver up into the hills and making contacts from the summit. Or you can be a chaser, which means trying to make contact with as many different hilltops as you can. You can even do both: chasing when you are at home, and activating whenever you get the chance for a day out on the hills.
Hills On The Air (HOTA for short) is an adventure radio program for amateur radio enthusiasts who enjoy being out on the hills and in the great outdoors, as well as those who just like collecting contacts with unusual locations.
Similar to Summits on the Air (SOTA), the goal is to make contacts from, or with, as many different hilltops as possible. But if you just want to add some radio interest to your walks in the hills, that's fine too. Taking part in HOTA will add to your fun by increasing the number of people wanting to contact you.
HOTA was started in Eastern Ontario, Canada, due to the lack of summits that qualified for activation under the SOTA program.
Objectives
The goal of the program is to make contacts from, or with, as many different hilltops as possible. There are many easy hills for the less fit or those with less time to spare to climb, as well as more challenging adventures and opportunities for multi-summit activations during the course of a full day's walk, for the more active.
But if you aren't interested in competing to operate from the greatest number of hilltops, but would just like to add some fun radio activity to your walks in the hills, Hills On The Air still has something to offer you. Because taking part, and announcing your destinations on this site, will increase the number of people keen to contact you whilst you are up there!
Joining in
If you hold an amateur radio license then you can participate in one of two ways. You can be an activator, which involves taking a portable radio transceiver up into the hills and making contacts from the summit. Or you can be a chaser, which means trying to make contact with as many different hilltops as you can. You can even do both: chasing when you are at home, and activating whenever you get the chance for a day out on the hills.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)