VOTA - Volcanoes on the Air
VOTA is a new programme created in 2024 and is the brain-child of Philip Sharp ZL1PSH, and encompasses the 53 volcanoes in the Auckland Volcanic Field.​
The goal of VOTA is to get more amateur radio operators on the air and enjoying portable operations in picturesque settings.
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You can participate as an activator (the person on the volcano transmitting from a portable radio), or as a chaser (the person at home/out and about responding to the activator).
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It is a great way to get out and about around our wonderful city, go to a place you've never seen before, and play with radios.
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For the full information on this programme, including rules and awards, check out this document.
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For a full list of eligible volcanoes, check out this document. Also below is a handy Google map (put together by Rob ZL1ACK) of all the VOTA volcanoes.
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In a fun twist, I am slowly working on bringing Geocaching and VOTA together as a way to encourage amateur radio operators to start geocaching, and also as a way to introduce geocachers to the world of amateur radio and the various fun programmes that are available to participate in.
For more information on this approach visit the Geocaching x Radio page on this website.
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Any geocachers interested in getting involved with amateur radio can most certainly get in touch with me via zl3aqt [at] gmail [dot] com
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Check out the VOTA posts in my xOTA Blog for interesting volcanoes I've been to recently.