Over the past two weeks of activating state parks for Parks on the Air, my path has crossed, with increasing frequency, folks involved with Summits on the Air.
Yeah, it’s catching. And as I was lurking on the Yahoo site for SOTA buffs in North America, I came across a conversation that dwelt, in part, about software development in support of the program. In that post was a reference and link to an Android app, NextSota, written by German SOTA enthusiast Mario Fletz, DC7CCC.
Boy, it is slick! It takes from your smart phone the GPS coordinates of your current position, applies a radius you designate, and through a browser on your phone gives you the SOTA summits – from hills to mountaintops — within that radius. The chart includes information such as height above sea level, the number of activation/chase points the summit is worth, and how many activations have taken place. Oh yes, and it connects you with Google Maps for a location and for driving directions to get there.
Care to try a summit never before activated? This will point you there in a heartbeat.
What a great little tool for planning SOTA outings! You can download it here.
Heads up: Much of the text within the app ist auf Deutsch. But between the icons and the English-German cognates, you’ll have little or no trouble taking advantage of the program.
This may be taking coals to Newcastle for many SOTA enthusiasts. But I gotta say, for a newbie, the app looks like it will be very helpful!
