# SOTAMĀT SOTA / POTA Spotting — Self-Spot off-grid via HF > Amateur radio app for offline SOTA/POTA spotting and emergency messaging via HF. (iPhone/iPad app by Brian Mathews.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sotamat-sota-pota-spotting/id1625530954 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Brian Mathews](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625531016) - Category: Lifestyle, Travel - Price: Free - Rating: 4.73/5 from 15 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 17+ - Requires: iOS 15.0 · 25 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2022-12-19 - Data updated: 2026-08-20 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sotamat-sota-pota-spotting/id1625530954/reviews.md ## What is SOTAMĀT SOTA / POTA Spotting? SOTAMĀT (pronounced "sota-mate") is for licensed amateur radio operators (ham radio) who want to self-spot SOTA (Summits On The Air) or POTA (Parks On The Air) with or without internet! It supports spotting 7 different ways, including over HF. It also allows you to send predefined messages (eMail or SMS) when you don't have cell service, much like a satellite 'spot' device to tell family members "I'm OK", or "Send help", etc. 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 reference materials such as band plans, the syntax of various services such as APRS, and more. • Includes a "Hiking Time Calculator", sunrise and sunset times for any SOTA summit or POTA park. 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). Over 130 monitoring stations worldwide (skimmers) pick up your HF transmission and relay it to PSK Reporter, which forwards the message to the SOTAMAT server for processing. SOTAMAT then connects to the official SOTA, POTA, or SMS services to carry out your instructions. The amazing thing is that you don't need a computer (use your iPhone/iPad!) and you don't need special cables (use your phone's speaker directly into your HF radio's microphone input). The app not only computes the FT8 message, but also generates the FT8 audio. For those times when you DO have cellular service, the app also allows for spotting via SMS, eMail, or satellite communicator. It even allows Alerting for CW users wanting to "tickle" RBNhole. The app also has a database of every SOTA Summit and POTA Park worldwide and can help you navigate to the activation zone with maps and orientation feedback. The app also has a reference table of additional commands you can use when you are "online" (via SMS, eMail, or satellite): • Get current spots (SOTA/POTA) • Get information (callinfo, peak info, park info) • Get localized weather reports for specific SOTA Peaks and POTA Parks • ...and more! Owners of Elecraft KX2 or KX3 radios can use an optional "SOTACAT" device to allow SOTAMAT to control your radio over WiFi, and even spot using direct FT8 synthesis. See the https://SOTAmat.com web site for details. ## Key features - Offline SOTA/POTA self-spotting via HF - Predefined emergency SMS/email sending - HF transmission encoding (FT8, PSK31, RTTY) - SOTA Summit and POTA Park database - Navigation to activation zones - Reference materials (band plans, APRS syntax) ## Recent user reviews (5 of 5) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sotamat-sota-pota-spotting/id1625530954/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Magic? *2026-01-03* Cannot believe how well this app works! No cell coverage. 8-10 skimmers pick up my FT8 signal. By the time I’ve tuned back to my POTA frequency and called CQ, I’m already spotted! Recommend without reservation! ### 3/5 — No USB access *2025-10-04* I’m rather disappointed this app does not access usb audio for sending messages. iFTx does it well. I was looking forward to plugging the usb cable into my pone and QMX as I do with said app above. I hope you will remedy this shortcoming in the near future. ### 5/5 — This blow my mind *2025-06-04* I cannot believe that someone sat down and completely solved one of the most frustrating problems for sota and pota such a comprehensive way. It's absolutely brilliant. Like someone else mentioned, the set up is a little convoluted. But if you're capable of doing pota and sota, you should be capable of doing this. I'm continually amazed at how some people in amateur radio are doing such cool things. This is the coolest hobby. Because stuff like this exists and people just did it on their own and they make it available for others to benefit. Awesome ### 5/5 — All-in-one field spotting solution for SOTA and POTA *2025-04-19* Awesome app for offline (and online) spotting and sending canned messages. Once configured it’s easy to use and works amazingly well. It seems like magic - playing FT8 sounds on the phone’s speaker near the radio’s mic manages to get the message out with just a couple of watts. The internet and SMS spotting features make this an all-in-one solution for times when you have cellular or satellite coverage. ### 5/5 — Astounding Perfection *2024-03-22* This app is everything that ham radio software should be. If you’re not using SOTAMĀT for SOTA & POTA, you’re wrong. AB6D has leveraged FT8 skimmers, Garmin satcom, an elegant web server, and a concise and clean client. Between this and APRS, why activate any other way? Bravo. Please keep this going. ## Frequently asked questions about SOTAMĀT SOTA / POTA Spotting ### Does SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting have ads? No, SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting is ad-free. The app does not contain any advertisements, allowing for an uninterrupted user experience. ### What is the rating of SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting? SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting has a rating of 4.7 stars based on 15 user ratings. This indicates a high level of user satisfaction with the application. ### How often is SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting updated? The latest version of SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting is 2.2.2, which was last updated on March 23, 2026. This suggests a commitment to ongoing development and improvements. ### What devices support SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting? SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It is designed to function across various Apple mobile devices. ### What is the age rating for SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting? SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting has an age rating of 17+. This is likely due to the technical nature of amateur radio and its associated regulations. ### Can SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting be used without an internet connection? Yes, a key feature of SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting is its ability to perform self-spotting for SOTA and POTA activations via HF radio, even without internet or cellular service. ### What kind of messages can SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting send offline? Offline, SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting can send self-spots for SOTA or POTA, self-alerts for SOTA, and predefined SMS messages to designated recipients via HF radio. ### Does SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting offer navigation features? Yes, SOTAMĀT SOTA/POTA Spotting includes a database of SOTA Summits and POTA Parks worldwide, and can assist with navigation to activation zones using maps and orientation feedback. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.2.3 — 2026-06-03 1. Added a 'Hiking Time Calculator' in the "More" menu. 2. Added 'Sunrise' and 'Sunset' time to the SOTA Summit and POTA Park mapping pages. ### 2.2.2 — 2026-03-23 Support for the new SOTACAT firmware. ### 2.1.2 — 2025-08-25 V2.1.2 build-110 1. Bug fixes 2. Auto-discovers SOTACAT hardware on network: in addition to launching from the browser, also allows auto-discovery via mDNS (Bonjour service). 3. More robust initialization and cleaning of the main database. Certain users were struggling with special cases that this build attempts to address. The app asks for permission to use your local network: this is used to auto-discover SOTACAT hardware devices (using mDNS Bonjour protocol). If you don't have a SOTACAT module, you can safely reject this request. Either way, the app does not send your location information or network information to the cloud- it stays on-device only. ### 2.1.1 — 2025-03-17 Version 2.1.1 includes bug fixes: 1. Support for passwords that include colons 2. Better sync with a SOTACAT device: frequency and modes track in both directions between Elecraft radios and SOTAMAT 3. Slightly improved SOTACAT FT8 spotting workflows. Less likely to abort FT8 early, but can still happen. The easy workaround is to simply try again. 4. Fixed bug with Summits and Parks listings and searches. No longer shows blank screens. 5. When selecting TEST or QRT modes when using a SOTACAT, it no longer forces you back into SSB/CW mode. 6. Better error handling with internet communications. 7. For users who can send satellite SMS messages directly from your phone, the app no longer greys-out (blocks) spotting via SMS/eMail when there is no cellular service. Only the "via internet" button greys-out. 8. Other small bug fixes. ### 2.1.0 — 2024-12-09 V2.1.0 is a major rewrite. Upgrading from earlier versions should be fine, but if you have an issue just delete the app and re-install the new version. New: 1. There are now 7 ways to spot! Added spotting (when cell service is available) via Internet, SMS, eMail, and Satellite (Garmin inReach, etc.). Still allows spotting without cell service using HF FT8 using audio, HF FT8 using a SOTACAT device, and allows sending Alerts for CW spotting via RBNhole. To use the SMS feature your Profile on the SOTAMAT web site needs to have your phone number so that inbound SMS messages are matched to your account. To use the eMail feature your Profile on the SOTAMAT web site needs to have a security PIN number assigned. 2. Adds ability to copy Latitude and Longitude for the selected Summit / Park (if you've downloaded the Peaks-and-Parks database). 3. Improved support for SOTACAT - new spotting and bi-directional VFO linking code. Maps VFO to app's quantized configuration. 4. Reformatted UI and more concise instructions. 5. Lots of internal changes to support the above. Enjoy! ## Apps similar to SOTAMĀT SOTA / POTA Spotting | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [MorseKeyer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/morsekeyer/id1536591573) | — | $7.99 | Lifestyle | | [EchoLink](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/echolink/id350688562) | 3.5 (17) | Free | Lifestyle | | [Offline Spotter for POTA/SOTA](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/offline-spotter-for-potasota/id6740120163) | 4.2 (12) | $0.99 | Lifestyle | | [DxQSO](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dxqso/id6680187988) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Lifestyle | | [Morse Maven](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/morse-maven/id6746571072) | 4.5 (6) | Free | Lifestyle | | [SolarPunk Ham Radio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solarpunk-ham-radio/id6764753724) | 5.0 (6) | Free | Lifestyle | ## Related topics [sotamat](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sotamat) · [sota](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sota) · [hamrs pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hamrs-pro) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-20.*