YL SOTA Special Event Weekend 'Queens of the Mountains'
What & why SOTA
SOTA Getting started made easy
From Skirts to Summits - The Cholita Climbers of Bolivia
YL Meet Ham Radio Fair Friedrichshafen 26- 28 June, 2026
Elvira Simoncini, IV3FSG, inducted into DX Hall of Fame
Radioaficionados YL Salta (Argentina)
Calendar & Contact
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logo below kindly designed by Lesley Perchman
YL SOTA Special Event Weekend 'Queens of the Mountains'
3rd Annual event starting 0000Z on June 13 and ending at 2359Z on June 14, 2026.
YLs from around the world to activate summits.
YL to YL DX QSOs will be recognised with a WWW-World Wide Women's certificate.
'Queens of the Mountains' was created with the intention of bringing YLs together to foster camaraderie, inspire women to try SOTA, and shine light on how supportive and welcoming ham radio, particularly SOTA, is to women.
Inaugurated in June 2024, the QoM Liz Burns K1LIZ Award is given to the YL whose participation captures Liz’s indomitable spirit to let no obstacle stand in her way.
2024 Recipient: Lorene Samoska, W6LOR
2025 Recipient: Adele Tyler, ZS5APT
What & why SOTA
YO6EVA Eva Kelemen Gajdo, reached a thousand points in May 2018 becoming the 1st YL Mountain Goat in Romania. In order to understand why YO6EVA Eva should have been broadcasting radio signals from the highest peak in the Alps and what activation means we need to introduce the radio-sport called SOTA. The acronym comes from 'Summits on the Air'.
Launched in 2002 by radio amateurs who combined their passion for radio with mountaineering. It is a fun and challenging activity that encourages portable operation in mountainous areas. SOTA has been designed to make participation possible for everyone – you don’t have to be a mountaineer! The peaks score between 1 and 10 according to their height.
There are awards for activators (those who hike to the summits) and chasers (those who operate from home, a local hilltop, or another summit).
After earning a thousand points (1000), the competitor is awarded the title 'Mountain Goat' and receives a trophy. There are no fees and you can participate on your own schedule.
SOTA has hundreds of participants in Associations across the World, all sharing the same award ethos and infrastructure. Note that SOTA is an award programme not a club or society; as such you can't be a "Member" of SOTA but you can certainly be a participant!
More info: https://www.sota.org.uk
ZS5APT Adele, 2x Mountain Goat from South Africa says: There is still nothing quite like setting up a portable station on a summit, calling “CQ SOTA”, and hearing someone answer your call.
SOTA Getting started made easy Register atsota.org.uk
Choose an easy summit nearby (check SOTAwatch or SOTLAS)
Start with existing gear — a handheld on 2 m is enough for a first activation
Announce your activation on SOTAwatch so chasers are ready
Climb the summit, operate, enjoy
SOTA is one of the most rewarding activities in amateur radio. You are outdoors in nature, getting exercise and operating amateur radio at the same time. The combination of mountain hiking and radio creates experiences you would never have sitting at a desk. And the view from the summit comes free of charge. 73 – youroeradio.ateditorial team
https://oeradio.at/en/sota-in-austria-operating-from-summit-to-summit/
Editorial note:The following story has nothing to do with radio but I was impressed by the attitude of these women from Bolivia and hope you will be too. Climbing Cholitas, a group of Indigenous women are on a mission to reclaim their power. One climb at a time, they endure tough routes at extreme altitudes, all while wearing traditional pollera skirts as an act of resistance. Mountains do not discriminate and neither do radio-waves. You do not have to climb the highest peaks, just head for your local hill-top in a frilly frock, sprinkle some sparkles on your radios and call CQ. Please share your stories and pictures on Social Media and with me. Have fun. 33 Heather ZS5YH
From Skirts to Summits- Julia Kursten
The Cholita Climbers of Bolivia, or Las Cholitas Escaladoras Bolivianas, are a group of Indigenous, Aymara, women mountaineers who climb peaks in Latin America. They do not wear modern mountaineering clothing, preferring instead their traditional costumes including polleras, brightly colored, full, pleated skirts with many under skirts. They do wear helmets and boots and use crampons, ice picks and ropes but carry their equipment on their backs in traditional shawls.
The group was founded in 2015 by local women including Cecilia Llusco Alaña. The women are part of a tight knit community who work and live in the mountains. Their most notable expedition was on January 23, 2019 when they became the first Aymara women to summit Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas.
History
The Cholita climbers live in the cities of La Paz and El Alto, and so are accustomed to high altitude conditions. The women range from 24 to 50 years old. Many of them have family or work connections to mountaineering. For example, Cecilia Llusco Alaña started helping her father, a trekking guide, at the age of eight. Others in the group have partners who are climbers or have themselves worked as porters or high mountain cooks on climbing expeditions.
In 2015, eleven Cholitas Escaladoras, led by mountain cook Lidia Huayllas Estrada, made it to the summit of Huayna Potosí, a 6,088 meter high peak in Bolivia, in a single attempt.
They then decided to climb mountains all over Latin America, despite the fact that it was judged by many to be inappropriate or impossible for women in their community to be mountaineers.
The word Cholita has been used pejoratively to refer to Aymara women. They have also been ridiculed for wearing their traditional costumes and have been discriminated against in public spaces and in employment opportunities. To challenge these negative connotations, this group of mountaineers climb in their traditional attire.
After Huayna Potosi, the group climbed Acotango, a mountain between Bolivia and Chile, Parinacota, Pomarapi, Illimani and Bolivia's highest mountain, Sajama de Oruro, all peaks higher than 6000 meters above sea level. Individuals in the group now accompany tourists on their climbs as regular guides.
On January 23, 2019, they made history by reaching their highest summit so far; they climbed Aconcagua (6,968 meters) in Mendoza, Argentina, the highest summit in the western hemisphere. The climb was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Bolivia and the expedition is now detailed in a documentary film called 'Cholitas' that premiered in Spain.
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YL Meet Ham Radio Fair Friedrichshafen from 26- 28 June, 2026
Invitation to All YLs: Join Us at the HAM RADIO Fair in Friedrichshafen
The amateur radio fair in Friedrichshafen is just around the corner, taking place from June 26 to 28, 2026.
The German YL booth will once again serve as a meeting point, and we are absolutely delighted to welcome international YLs and visitors from all corners of the globe.
A special highlight awaits us on Saturday at 2:30 p.m (1430), beginning with the international YL reception on the main stage near the entrance.
This will be followed by the official awards ceremony honoring the top achievers of this March’s International YL World Wide Award - YL WWA.
Afterwards, we invite you to join us at the YL booth for a social gathering.
It is a wonderful opportunity to share stories, reconnect with old friends, and build new connections.
Our YL President, Heike (DL3HD), and I would be honored to welcome you in person.
We look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting many of you for the very first time.
Beste Grüße und vy 73 Veronika Weber-Wigand, DL4VER
YL - Referentin Distrikt Hessen (F)
17 May 2026 At DaytonElvira Simoncini, IV3FSG, was inducted into the DX Hall of Fame, considered the “Nobel Prize” of the DX world.🍾🥂👏👏👏
INDEXA Foundation selected her among many world-class DXers, recognising her extraordinary contribution to the DX community through her numerous DXpeditions, most of them carried out solo.
Only two women are members of the DX Hall of Fame, and Elvira is the first one inducted exclusively for her DX operating achievements.
Elvira Simoncini IV3FSG most recently 3X3A has been inducted into the CQ DX Hall of Fame. Elvira has been an enthusiastic DX explorer who has operated from 34 different DXCC entities since 1990, often with a strong humanitarian focus, including her association with "IT WITHOUT BORDERS."
In a world constantly facing new digital challenges, this association seeks to reduce the digital divide through the intelligent, supportive, and sustainable use of technology, implementing non-profit projects in emergency and marginalised situations worldwide. It also promotes innovative IT initiatives for people with disabilities. After a professional life dedicated entirely to teaching, this volunteer work provided her with numerous opportunities to travel and engage in amateur radio, almost always independently, while continuously optimising her portable equipment. This volunteer work often included introducing young students to amateur radio through courses and demonstrations.
Radioaficionadas YL Salta (Argentina)
YL: Walkers of the Invisible Voices
The women walkers, the YL, advance along the trails of Salta with firm steps, as if the mountains themselves were inviting them to discover hidden secrets. Their backpacks carry more than provisions and warm clothing; they carry with them the magic of radio, that gateway to invisible paths where voices meet faceless, yet soulful.
The fresh mountain air mingles with the crunch of leaves under their boots. They stop in a clearing, where the sun bathes the hills in golden hues and the wind whispers ancient stories. With an almost sacred ritual, they set up their equipment. They adjust antennas, turn knobs, and the silence of the place fills with the murmur of static, as if the universe were holding its breath.
“CQ CQ CQ,” one of them says, her voice serene yet expectant, floating in the air like a silken thread. The radio crackles, there's a pause, and then it arrives: a distant response, a voice caught in the waves that has travelled miles to find them. They don't know the face behind that voice, but it doesn't matter. It's an invisible friend, a companion crossing the void to share a part of themselves.
They talk about everything and nothing. About the approaching rain, the steps they still have to take, the moon that will soon light their way back. The words are simple, but they fill the space like a bridge between worlds, a reminder that they are not alone, neither on the trails, nor in life.
Some laugh, others remain silent, each lost in their own thoughts as twilight paints the sky purple. The contacts are not just a game of frequencies; they are an act of faith, a leap into the unknown that always finds an echo. The voices in the air gift them stories, improvised poems, sometimes just a "thank you" that resonates deeper than any long conversation.
When the sun sets and shadows embrace the mountains, the YLs pack up their equipment, but they don't turn off their radios. They continue walking under the stars, accompanied by the voices of their invisible friends, weaving dreams along the trails.
Each step is a heartbeat, each touch a connection that transcends time and space. They are more than hikers; they are weavers of invisible threads, guardians of a world that lives on the airwaves, where every voice has a place and every silence, a promise of reunion. Jorge Tisera LU9OTA (Jan 4, 2025)
Calendar June 2026
June 1 15th Anniversary of 1st yl.beam newsletter 2011
June13-14 'Queens of the Mountains' YL SOTA Special Event Weekend 2026
YLs activate summits. YL to YL
June 12–14 YU SOTA IV – Ham Radio Friendship Event | Despotovac, Serbia
June 13-14 ZS SOTA Weekend
June 19 ce4ylc aniversario (radio club yl chile)
June 26–28 49th HAM RADIO Friedrichshafen 2026,
+ the 75th Lake Constance Meeting of the DARC e.V.
CONTACT if any of your details change, remember to let me know.
yl.beam news: Editor Eda (Heather)zs6ye.yl@gmail.com
newsletters can be found: https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.com/
Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I.
https://www.unionradio.it/qtc-la-rivista-della-unione-radioamatori-italiani/
West of Scotland Amateur Radio Society https://wosars.club/category/yl-news/
https://www.facebook.com/CT2ISX YLs-Amateur Radio Ladies-Portugal
Ham Yl https://www.facebook.com/ham.yls
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