Overview of Amateur Radio Activities SOTA, COTA, MOTA, IOTA, JOTA/JOTI, and APRS Caching

Amateur Radio has been an awesome hobby as well as a service for millions across the globe. Several organizations are working in different countries to ensure that its craze never falls down; therefore, many activities and contests are developed for hams. In this article, we will take you through some of the most popular amateur radio activities, as listed below:

• SOTA (Summits On The Air)
• COTA (Castles On The Air)
• MOTA (Mills On The Air)
• IOTA (Islands On The Air)
• JOTA / JOTI (Jamboree On The Air / Jamboree On The Internet)
• APRS Caching – the new one in town

SOTA – Summits on the Air

SOTA is an amateur radio activity, which is specifically designed for shortwave listeners. Any amateur radio operator can participate in SOTA without being a mountaineer. Hams are awarded based on their contribution and score earned. There are two types of awards for SOTA for activators and chasers. Activators operate amateur radio from the top of a hill (also called mountaineers). And, chasers can operate from home or from a local hilltop.
Today, SOTA is one of the most popular activities among amateur radio operators. In more than 100 countries SOTA is operated and managed by dedicated associations.

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COTA - Castles On The Air

This is a program for those hams who have an interest in historical buildings. This program is known to call hams who want to show their interest and attention to the historical sites and contacting people. This program has been initiated by the World Castle Award Program in 2012. The historical buildings of medieval castles and fortresses are the major attraction in this program.

Read more about COTA

MOTA - Mills On The Air

It is also one of the most popular amateur radio events, which is run by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, also called as S.P.A.B. and co-ordinated by Denby Dale Radio Society. This event is held every year in the second month of May. This event is a great way to promote your hobby and interest in ancient buildings. Being a ham, you can participate in this event by approaching old steam driven mills and taking an amateur radio over their operating from a station. You can even share photos of such ancient mills, but you must have permission of the same from the mill or you should have the copyright to share image.
The S.P.A.B. also awards a certificate to hams who have participated in this event, and are taking it to the next level. Not every ham who participates in the event is eligible for the certificate. You will have to cover at least 10 ancient mills during the event. Apart from this, you will have to send £5.00 or more to the S.P.A.B. You must also be insured to be a part of this event.

Read more about MOTA

IOTA - Islands On The Air

Started in 1964, today IOTA (Islands On The Air) has been a famous amateur radio award program. During this program, amateur radio operators have to establish contacts with other stations that are located on islands. Participants are allowed to make contacts worldwide. The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) is responsible to manage this award program, awards, and scores achieved by the participants using several annual listings, such as UHF/VHF listings, Club listings, SWL listings, and annual listings.

JOTA - Jamboree On The Air / JOTI - Jamboree On The Internet

Jota (Jamboree On The Air) and JOTI (Jamboree On The Internet) is a scouting event for youth, which is arranged in the third week of October every year. It is an international event, which is managed by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). The World JOTA-JOTI Team (WJJT) co-ordinates this event at international level whereas the World JOTA-JOTI Co-ordinator (WJJC) led this event. The main aim of this event it to increase the craze of amateur radio and internet communication among young scouts. Another purpose of this event is to develop the importance of teamwork among young scouts while providing them new technology to explore and learn. This even follows and reflects the laws developed by the WOSM constitution.

APRS Caching

APRS Caching is a new and amazing activity for ham radio operators. It is a technique that uses GPS and the amateur radio transmitter. APRS Caches are uploaded to the Internet making it public so that everyone can see their location. APRS Caching is done using a specific system named APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System). APRS Caching gives hams an opportunity to rediscover the fields of their interest.
APRS Caching is very similar to GeoCaching, however, there are differences between the both. In APRS Caching, logbook entry is carried out by APRS, making is possible to verify the position of the logger. APRS Caching also adds various new ways to build your Cache.

Over the next few weeks we are going to publish some detailed articles about this topics, stay tuned!