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SOTAMĀT SOTA / POTA Spotting app for iPhone and iPad


4.8 ( 8768 ratings )
Lifestyle Travel
Developer: Brian Mathews
Free
Current version: 1.1.0, last update: 1 year ago
First release : 19 Dec 2022
App size: 95.49 Mb

SOTAMĀT (pronounced "sota-mate") is for licensed amateur radio operators (ham radio) who want to self-spot from remote areas where there is no cellular service, no internet, and who dont have access to a satellite communicator. If you enjoy Summits-On-The-Air (SOTA) or Parks-On-The-Air (POTA) this app is for you!

What you can do "offline":
• Post a Self-Spot (SOTA or POTA) via HF radio (no internet, cellular, or satellite required!)
• Post a Self-Alert (SOTA) via HF radio (useful for CW operators to tickle RBNhole)
• Select and send predefined SMS messages to predefined recipients via HF radio
• See a reference of cloud services and SOTAMĀT 2-way commands
• See a reference of frequencies by mode

The app works by encoding your commands into a special message which is modulated using your iPhone or iPad for transmission over HF (using a built-in FT8 encoder, or use PSK31 or RTTY). Worldwide monitoring stations (skimmers) pick up your HF transmission and relay it to PSK Reporter, which forwards the message to the SOTAMĀT server for processing. SOTAMĀT then connects to the official SOTA or POTA or SMS services to carry out your instructions.

The amazing thing is that you dont need a computer (use your iPhone/iPad!) and you dont need special cables (use your phones speaker directly into your HF radios microphone input). The app not only computes the FT8 message, but also generates the FT8 audio.

The app also has a reference table of additional commands you can use when you are "online" (via SMS, eMail, or satellite):
• Post a Spot (SOTA/POTA)
• Post an Alert (SOTA)
• Get current spots (SOTA/POTA)
• Get information (callinfo, peak info, park info)
• ...and more!

See the https://SOTAmat.com web site for details.