In reply to LX1NO:
Something like an IRC channel would be fine
I’m sure it would. But my view is that it would be nice if we could have spots and announcements via Sotawatch. Then users can filter to receive only spots, only announcements or both.
Let’s try and keep all the SOTA real time info together in one place.
To paraphrase J.R.R. Tolkien, “One website to rule them all!” 
Andy
MM0FMF
I’m not sure SW needs modifying or developing at all myself. It obviously works perfectly well - that’s why it is so well used.
Perhaps we should be looking at the way the audible alert software is working rather than SW. If this software could be customised to only fire up when bands/modes matching user preferences are alerted (perhaps it already can, I don’t know) then that would help. Perhaps it could be developed so that it only sounds an alert on the occasion of a first spot of a particular activation, if the user preferences specified this?
Personally, I have no problem whatsoever with an activator appearing in 7 or 8 consecutive spots for changes of band/mode, appeals for more QSOs, self-spot updates or requests from chasers. It forms a picture of the activation, and other information is only a click/scroll away.
The chatbox thing might be difficult to squeeze into the Spotlite mobile phone display, whereas using a new spot line for a message to an activator works very well at the receiving end.
I wouldn’t really want to end up at a situation where the only radio communication in SOTA is the token point-scoring contact, with all the rest via PCs and phones. We are getting towards that already; we don’t need to accelerate it, do we?
(Disclaimer: Personal opinion, not necessarily Management view!).
In reply to M1EYP:
Personally, I have no problem whatsoever with an activator appearing
in 7 or 8 consecutive spots for changes of band/mode, appeals for more
QSOs, self-spot updates or requests from chasers.
Me neither. Those are very useful. My concern is the “spots” which are just plain wrong. I could cite examples but that would inevitably point the finger at individuals, which I really don’t want to do as it wouldn’t be fair to single out one or two.
In reply to M1MAJ:
Martyn, I suspect that you mean when a spot appears similar to the example below…
GW0DSP/P on GW/NW-062…5.3985 ssb
Mike qrv here now (G0XXX)
followed by something like…
GW0DSP/P on GW/NW-062…7.068 ssb
Is Mike doing 40 ssb ? (GW0XXX)
Very misleading when Mike is still on 5.3985 ssb, and could lead chasers away from the correct frequency.
Mike GW0DSP
In reply to GW0DSP:
Martyn, I suspect that you mean when a spot appears similar to the
example below…
Yes, exactly so.
In reply to MM0FMF:
addition to the spots to allow chasers to get messages to activators
when they can’t do it by RF.
Yes but still RF is needed for the QSO. In the pre-internet and pre-mobile-phone era it was also the only way to get the message through. CW is probably most efficient for this kind of net operation, but otherwise I am not sure if we should start to make SOTA nets on the amateur bands. Anyway this is only hobby and everybody can do it the way they like as long as some basic rules are respected (and those are up to the management team).
73, Jaakko OH7BF/F5VGL
In reply to F5VGL:
Yes but still RF is needed for the QSO.
So if I am activating a summit on 60m (a band not on general release in the UK) and I have advertised I will also have 2m and 80m with me, how does someone who can hear me on 60m but does not have a licence for the band gain my attention and ask me to QSY to a band they do have a licence for? They can’t call me on 60m and I might have already finished activating on other bands. Should they just miss out on the chance of a QSO?
The use of a spot containg a request to QSY is a direct way to gain my attention. The spot will appear on Sotawatch and one of the many chasers on seeing that spot will pass that info on to whoever is activating telling them that there are chasers waiting should they QSY.
Andy
MM0FMF
Instead of writing this (downstairs) I would prefer to be (upstairs) in the “radio room” - but …! Considering the fact that the offender(s) use Sotawatch, isn’t there a possibility that they have read all this. Enough said.
THESE are taken from the SPOTS,
Wed 11:37 DL7VKD/P on DM/ND-017 10.117 cw
(Posted by OK1JOC)
Wed 11:13 DL7VKD/P on DM/ND-017 7.0324
(Posted by OK1JOC)
Wed 11:12 DL7BEM/P on DM/ND-017 7.0322 cw
(Posted by F6GEO)
Wed 11:09 DL7BW/P on DM/ND-017 7.032 cw
slow cw (Posted by OK1JOC)
Wed 10:48 DL7VDC/P on DM/ND-017 7.032.4 cw
Pse QRS (Posted by G4SSH)
Wed 10:11 OK1HDU/P on OK/PA-006 7.033 cw
(Posted by DH8DX)
Wed 09:36 OK1HDU/P on OK/PA-006 7.033 cw
Jarda, weak in Reims (Posted by F5AKL)
Wed 09:34 OK1HDU/P on OK/PA-006 7.033 cw
(Posted by GM4FAM)
Wed 08:55 DL7BW/P on DM/ND-018 7.032 cw
CQ SOTA, or DL7BEM ? Cold fingers ? (Posted by DJ5AV)
Wed 08:33 DL7VKD/P on DM/ND-018 7.032 cw
Dieter (Posted by G4SSH)
So what happened to this frequency + mode ??? 14.060-cw,14-ssb,
No one spotted them on 20 meters,
I find it funny that 3 english stations can go over to Germany, and work back into the uk, we find it hard work to work any other stations 100% in Germany thats why we cant get new uniques from other countries,
Why post doing frequency’s and not do it !!!
Just a gripe
Steve m0sgb
I find it funny that 3 english stations can go over to Germany, and work back into the uk, we find it hard work to work any other stations 100% in Germany
But it looks like these activations have worked (at least) G4SSH and GM4FAM - both UK chasers!
In reply to MM0FMF:
how does someone who can hear me on 60m but does not have a licence
for the band gain my attention and ask me to QSY to a band they do
have a licence for?
Indeed this is the problem. I suggested in the very first posting of this thread that there was a case for having a suitable mechanism.
However I don’t think posting an assertion that you ARE on the band in question (which is what a “spot” is supposed to be) is the way to do it.
In reply to M0SGB:
So what happened to this frequency + mode ??? 14.060-cw,14-ssb,
No one spotted them on 20 meters,
Perhaps their 20M portable radio broke… who knows what might be happening on the hill?
FWIW I just worked them fine on 40M (CW) so they are working UK stations… and still going on 40M now…
73 Marc GØAZS
In reply to G0AZS:
Me too, just got em on 40 cw.
This is digressing slightly from Martyn’s original thread topic, apologies Martyn.
Let’s keep the thread about bogus spots.
In reply to GW0DSP:
Mind you, we digress from the original thread topic.
Well yes… but not if you consider that we worked them because of the spots… rather than announcements 
In reply to M1MAJ:
I think we are all getting to fussy, Yes aim one the chasers which puts bogus spots on not if that the right name for them. All i can say is if it was not for so called bogus spots a lot of chasers would miss out on the points.
There just no pleasing. where has all the fun gone.
Nigel.
In reply to LX1NO:
In reply to MM0FMF:
Something like an IRC channel would be fine and convenient to pass on
information.
There is an SOTA IRC channel and it was well supported for a while, but it seems there are only two of us using it theses days. It shows the spots as well.
Log on to irc.blitzed.org:7000 Channel #sota
I use McGalith’s Visual IRC 2.0
Regards Steve GW7AAV
PS - If webmon is annoying people maybe they shouldn’t use it.
In reply to G0AZS:
yes but they say these frequency’s but never do them.
stay on 40 meters cw but still no (ssb)phone, ;-(
Steve m0sgb
In reply to GW7AAV:
There is an SOTA IRC channel and it was well supported for a while,
but it seems there are only two of us using it theses days. It shows
the spots as well.
Hi Steve, do you still use IRC?
I used to use it a lot but stopped because it often seemed empty.
I have IRC software on my mobile (WLIrc if anyone’s interested) and find this easier to use than spotlite.
If we can drum up some more interest I would happily go back to using it.
Seeya, Dick. M0EIQ
In reply to M0EIQ:
I still use IRC because it gives a smaller footprint on the computer screen than the browser and spots seem to appear much quicker than they do on the web page. I usually have the alerts and spots up in tabs with Firefox minimised to the task bar so I can check where to be listening, watch for edits (edits don’t come through on IRC) and do spots. I also have the dx cluster and the electronic log book running amongst other things but there is still room on the screen for whatever is my prime task. I do however have a 21" monitor which helps.
I will have to have a look at WLIrc because the ones I tried for my PPC did not seem to work too well.
73 Steve GW7AAV
In reply to GW7AAV:
Hi Steve… pardon my ignorance… where is the IRC you are using?
Thanks… Marc GØAZS