HOTA Rules

Contest Rules

• Any licensed Radio Amateur may take part as an Activator or as a Chaser.
• An Activator is the individual who goes to the HOTA Point to activate it in one or more Modes.
• A Chaser is an individual who operates from any Home Base, Mobile or Field Station, for the purpose of contacting an activated HOTA point.
• The Management board of the Bo-Karoo Amateur Radio Club will act as custodians for HOTA, and in case of disputes, validation of new HOTA Codes or Points, have the final say. They will also be the custodians of the trophy used for annual recognition.
• Only Registered and Approved HOTA points can be activated and chased for score in the contest.

How to Register a New HOTA Point

The proposed new point is identified by an activator. The common denominator for a point must have something to do with either history, war, or telecommunication. The point must be at least 75 years old.

The Activator does historical research and compiles a 5-minute Voice Note summarising the proposed HOTA Point. The voice note should include:

1. Name of the proposed HOTA Point
2. Which HOTA Code it falls under (e.g. BF = Battlefield)
3. The 10-digit Grid Square Location of the point
4. The years in which the point was active
5. For what purpose the point was used
6. What type of Communication was used at the point
7. The proposed date and time, frequency and modes of the activation

The Voice Note is submitted to the HOTA Group for evaluation. If valid, it is registered and broadcast on the Bulletin of the Bo-Karoo Amateur Radio Club on Sunday 15:00 B (7.090 MHz).

The same procedure can be done by submitting information on the HOTA WhatsApp group.

QSL Cards

The Activator of a first-time HOTA Point must send a QSL Card with a photo of the activated point, plus detailed data in standard QSL Card format (A4 page size), to each Chaser that made contact on the initial day. For existing points, QSL Cards are optional.

Not more than 10 Activators are allowed on one HOTA point at one activation.

How to Take Part in a Contest

Activators use the “Activators Scorecard” sheet on the official spreadsheet and fill in the relevant information. Only the latest revision will be accepted — no custom-made logsheets.

A minimum of 5 contacts constitutes an activation (cumulative if not achieved on the first visit), with a maximum of 100 contacts per visit.

Chasers use the “Chasers Scorecard” sheet to log each contact. Submit the spreadsheet per email when the contest opens for submission.

Distance Requirements by Age

What to Exchange

• Call Sign
• RST
• Name
• QTH and Grid Location

Scores

Scores for Activators and Chasers are automatically calculated. Factors:

1. Type of HOTA point (based on HOTA Code)
2. Age of the HOTA point (based on “Year of site”)
3. The mode used to activate the point

An Activator can log a call sign once per mode per chaser. SSB, AM or FM = one Radio Phone contact on HF; CW = another; Heliograph = another.

Once a year, 2 weeks before the AGM of the Bo-Karoo Amateur Radio Club, entries are frozen. Within 5 days, chasers and activators submit their spreadsheets per email.

Activator(s) receive a Certificate for the First Activation of a new HOTA Point after submitting photos and logsheets.

Entering for Competitions

• Each activator and chaser keeps log on the provided spreadsheet.
• The Chaser spreadsheet accumulates over time.
• A separate spreadsheet is kept per Activator for each activated point, where scores accumulate per HOTA point over time.