What is a reference?
A reference uniquely identifies an activatable location, for example a mountain or an outdoor reference from another programme.
A typical GMA mountain reference looks like this:
DA/NI-001
- DA = country or DXCC entity
- NI = region
- 001 = serial number
Finding a reference
The easiest way to find valid references is the GMA map:
You can click markers and view reference details.
GMA and SOTA
A SOTA reference is generally also a valid GMA reference.
To avoid reference confusion, no additional GMA reference is issued for a mountain that is valid for SOTA.
also valid for GMA
not valid for SOTA
GMA-only references
Some mountains are not valid for SOTA, for example because of the prominence rule.
Such mountains can receive their own GMA reference.
Important: These references are valid for GMA only, not for SOTA.
Outdoor activations without a mountain
Not every outdoor activation has to take place on a mountain. Activations from other outdoor programmes can also be logged in GMA.
This is especially important if you want to participate in the GMA Triathlon. In that case, the relevant outdoor activations must be logged in GMA so they can be counted for the award.
Examples include POTA, WWFF, WCA, MOTA, IOTA or Lighthouse activations.
Cross references
Cross references are additional references from other outdoor programmes at the same location.
Possible cross references include:
- WWFF
- POTA
- WCA / Castles
- MOTA / Mills
- IOTA
- Lighthouse
- other outdoor programmes
SOTA is not a cross reference. A mountain is a mountain: the mountain reference is either a SOTA reference that is also valid for GMA, or it is a GMA-only reference.
Reference validity
Each reference has a valid date range:
- valid_from = valid from
- valid_to = valid until
The activation date must be within this period:
valid_from ≤ date ≤ valid_to
Main reference and cross references
The activated reference is always the main reference.
If a mountain reference is activated, it is ALWAYS the main reference.
Additional programmes at the same location can be added as cross references. Known cross references from the reference database are added automatically.