Activity Programs

Carrier Wave supports multiple amateur radio activity programs beyond POTA. This page covers the program registry, cross-program features, and program-specific details for SOTA, WWFF, and Activator of the Americas (AoA).

For POTA-specific features (activation logging, upload workflow, rove mode), see the dedicated POTA Activations page.

Program Registry

Carrier Wave maintains a registry of supported activity programs with standardized handling:

ADIF Field Mapping

Each program maps to specific ADIF fields for export and sync:

• Your reference (activator) uses the MY_ prefixed field
• Their reference (hunter) uses the unprefixed field
• Programs with no dedicated ADIF field use COMMENT or APP_ fields

Cross-Reference Matching

When you log a QSO with a station spotted on multiple programs (e.g., a POTA park that overlaps a WWFF reserve), Carrier Wave:

• Detects the overlap from reference databases
• Prompts you to log both references
• Populates both ADIF fields in the exported record

SOTA (Summits on the Air)

SOTA encourages portable operation from mountain summits. Carrier Wave provides summit lookup, session support, and spot integration.

Summit Lookup

Search for SOTA summits by:

• Reference (e.g., W7W/KG-001)
• Name (e.g., “Tiger Mountain”)
• Nearby - GPS-based proximity search

Each summit result shows:

• Reference and full name
• Altitude (in feet or meters based on your units preference)
• Points (1-10 based on altitude: 1 point below 500m, up to 10 points above 2000m)
• Region and association
• Activation count - How many times this summit has been activated
• Your history - Whether you’ve activated or worked this summit

SOTA Session Setup

When starting a SOTA activation session:

1. Set Activation Type to SOTA in the session wizard
2. Search and select your summit reference
3. The summit reference, altitude, and points are recorded with the session

SOTA-Specific Fields

QSOs logged during a SOTA session automatically include:

• MY_SOTA_REF - Your summit reference
• Altitude metadata for the session

When you work another SOTA activator (S2S — summit-to-summit), enter their summit reference in the inline Summit field that appears in the Logger expanded fields row during a SOTA session:

• SOTA_REF - Their summit reference

Dual POTA + SOTA sessions show both fields: Park appears beneath the primary row (auto-enriched from spot lookup) and Summit takes the primary placement next to Grid.

Activation Threshold

A valid SOTA activation requires 4 QSOs from the summit (compared to POTA’s 10). The Logger session-header chip and the watch’s activation progress ring both track to this 4-QSO threshold; dual POTA + SOTA sessions use the lower of the two program targets.

Self-Spotting

Tap SPOT during a SOTA session to send a self-spot to SOTAwatch (api2.sota.org.uk/api/spots). Dual POTA + SOTA sessions fan out: every POTA park reference is spotted to the POTA network and the SOTA reference is spotted to SOTAwatch in one tap. SPOT REPEAT and post-QSY auto-spotting use the same dispatcher.

Session Grid from Summit

A SOTA session’s MY_GRIDSQUARE is pinned to the summit’s surveyed coordinates rather than your phone’s GPS. This is reliable even with a cold GPS fix at the trailhead or with the phone in a backpack at the summit. Honours your grid precision preference (4 / 6 / 8 character).

Brag Sheet and ADIF Export

SOTA-only session details include both Brag Sheet (program-neutral activation share card showing the summit reference, name, callsign, QSO count, and date) and Export ADIF actions. ADIF exports include MY_SOTA_REF for SOTA sessions, both MY_SOTA_REF and MY_POTA_REF (with MY_SIG/MY_SIG_INFO) for dual sessions, and S2S/P2P tags from each QSO’s own references.

Spots Integration

SOTA spots from SOTAwatch appear in the merged spot list alongside POTA and RBN data. See Spot Monitoring for details.

WWFF (World Wide Flora & Fauna)

WWFF promotes operation from nature reserves and protected areas worldwide.

WWFF References

WWFF references follow the format XFF-NNNN where X is the country prefix:

• KFF - United States
• VFF - Canada
• GFF - England
• And so on for each DXCC entity

44-QSO Progress Tracking

WWFF requires 44 QSOs for a valid activation (compared to POTA’s 10). Carrier Wave tracks your progress:

• Progress bar in the session header showing QSOs toward 44
• Milestone notifications at 22 (halfway) and 44 (activation complete)
• Warning when ending a session with fewer than 44 QSOs

Award Tiers

WWFF has a tiered award system. Carrier Wave tracks your progress:

National Representatives

WWFF is organized by national programs, each with their own coordinator. Carrier Wave’s reference database includes all national program references.

WWFF Session Setup

1. Set Activation Type to WWFF in the session wizard
2. Search and select your WWFF reference
3. The reference is recorded with the session and exported in the MY_WWFF_REF ADIF field

Activator of the Americas (AoA)

AoA is a program where participants exchange unique codes during contacts.

Code Exchange

During an AoA QSO:

1. Both stations exchange their AoA code
2. Enter the received code in the AoA field
3. The code is saved with the QSO

AoA Codes in Quick Entry

AoA codes can be entered in quick entry mode. The parser recognizes AoA code format and assigns it to the appropriate field.

Session Support

When operating AoA, set the activation type appropriately. AoA references are stored in the QSO comment field and exported with ADIF.

Multi-Program Operations

You can activate multiple programs simultaneously when your location qualifies:

• POTA + WWFF - Many POTA parks overlap WWFF reserves
• POTA + SOTA - Some summits are within POTA park boundaries
• Triple activation - Rare locations qualify for all three programs

Carrier Wave handles multi-program sessions by:

• Tracking references for each program independently
• Populating all relevant ADIF fields on each QSO
• Generating separate upload files for each program’s requirements

See Also

• POTA Activations - Detailed POTA features
• Spot Monitoring - SOTA and WWFF spots
• Map View - Summit pins and park boundaries
• Export & Sharing - ADIF export with program references
• Logger - Session start and QSO entry