However, I disagree that inter-G is not
a priority, rather it is often just plain unavailable - long skip on
40 and 60, D-layer absorption on 80, and for long periods you can’t
contact your old regulars at all!
What about 2m ssb/fm. Quite a few now seem to be HF only. That may or may not be a fair reflection of what is happening, just from my lowly observations!
Perhaps this is the true question. HF activations outweigh VHF. So the question “WHy has VHF died?” now has a much more obvious answer with the additional associations.
I notice the same thing, although there does seem to be a fair sprinkling of 2m activations on the continent. There is an indefinable attraction to working DX and that has no doubt seduced some from 2m - I feel the attraction myself but after 40 years of vhf/uhf a change is no bad thing!
Perhaps it is the golden glow of reminiscense, but there does not seem to be as many 2 m openings as there used to be, and they are not as extensive or prolonged as they used to be, and frankly, this years 6 m Es is really disappointing - and we should expect fewer Ar openings than in recent years: if predictions of a long Dalton Minimum on the sun are close to the mark, major Ar openings and F layer DX on 6 m will become a distant memory.
What we are seeing is in part adaption to changing conditions.
Is there hard evidence in the database that VHF activity is declining? A rise in the number of HF CW activations does not imply a decline in the number VHF voice activations.
Very true, as Tom and others have already stated. My personal observations are from reading the reflector and sota news. This is far from scientific analysis, but any newcomer to the sota site would also only see this general overview.
What would be interesting from a more scientific view is a like for like view of activations by band/mode combinations over the years. I would add the uk associations together plus the DL associations and track those over time.
SOTA SSB activations:
2002 40
2003 326
2004 953
2005 1643
2006 1993
2007 3188
2008 1573 projected end 08 by linear interpolation: 3290
So the answer to the question is, clearly, “No”. Every year, there are MORE SSB SOTA activations than there were the previous year. Without fail. While I’m at it:
SOTA activations on VHF:
2002 337
2003 1363
2004 3327
2005 4477
2006 5047
2007 6475
2008 3788 projected end 08 by linear interpolation: 7922
So growth there as well.
Anyone can help themselves to these figures by using the filters on the SOTA Database, and then adding them up in Excel (or on a calculator or on paper!). Conjecture is not necessary. Plus you can define you own combination. So if the trend you are looking at is, for instance, just the number of voice-mode activations undertaken on 144MHz in England and Wales, then you can easily extract that data and use it to calculate summary statistics. I’ll wager that the growth trends demonstrated above are evident yet again though! I’d also bet that most other band/mode/country (certainly where SOTA is most active)analyses show similar.
SOTA CW activations:
2002 80
2003 107
2004 136
2005 340
2006 1201
2007 2642
2008 1624 projected end 08 by linear interpolation: 3602
In reply to M1EYP:
yep I think cw has taken over sota;
just looking at the spots today,
13 spots for cw on different bands,
1 self spot for fm,
4 spots for ssb,
one acitivator only does cw but yes does have a microphone for 5mhz, yesterday only did 145fm so what’s the difference,
I can say when im out doing 145mhz I only get a dozen or so qso’s in the log, here in the northwest we use to have chasers for fun, but now where are they, just playing ssb taking all over the world and not interested in sota any more, like Tom said we can look at the data-base, yes but it won’t bring these tations back ;-(
Steve m0sgb
I have tried loads of times for stations to work other bands/modes but always falls on deaf ears, so why should we bother ourselves.
It has been said already. Levels of activity have risen with all the new associations on line.
On several occasions lately, experienced chasers have commented that they have been struggling to keep up with all the activations on offer. This was very noticable from Kirk Fell where I wasn’t spotted (but had posted in advance and was on time).
Number of QSOs from a prime 8-pointer VHF site on a Saturday? Six in fourty minutes.
In reply to G4ERP:
Number of QSOs from a prime 8-pointer VHF site on a Saturday? Six in fourty minutes.
I wonder if I can go one better Richard;
on the 08/06/08 I was in the backpackers / practical wireless contest, where I made 111 qso’s and from what I can see only 14 chasres in my log, WHY ?
also the other week I was on g/ld-013 and made 9 qso’s in a 40 minutes window, where as a few years ago we could have had a least 40 qso’s, I for one only do sota for my own fun and not anyone else’s, selfish you might say but why should I carry all my equipment up a summit to play HF and only a small hand full of qso’s, it’s the same as for some chasers I’ve noticed they will (there choice I know) chase you all day on every mode or band, but when it comes to giving points back we get nowt (as they do there own mode/band) not everyones choice I know, so where is the fun in sota these day’s.
Steve m0sgb
In no way was my post intended as anything other than a comment and to pass on remarks that have been made to me on the air. Having occasionally looked at the day’s spots when I have got home, I’m amazed at the quantity and marvel at the operating skills of the chasers who are forever swapping bands and modes to find us all.
Contests are always a difficult one. A bit of a mixed blessing, really. As an activator, you know there will be QSOs to be had, but equally, it’s frustrating for us because we know there are chasers out there trying to find us in all the QRM.
By contrast, on the Monday of that long weekend, it was “business as usual” with 20 or so QSOs in the log from each summit (including ON4CAP from all three. Nice one Andre.)
At present, it seems to be a weekend phenomenon. Now, when do I retire? Oh well …
Well, it’s all a bit confusing to me! I certainly agree with Steve that a glance at the SOTAwatch Spots can give an impression of, for instance, 90% dominance of CW in SOTA. However, the data in the Database proves this is simply not the case. My figures above prove that SSB is still more prevalent in SOTA than CW, and always has been. They also clearly demonstrate that rumours of the demise of VHF in SOTA are somewhat exaggerated.
VHF remains a major force in SOTA. SSB remains in greater use than CW. You can’t argue with the numbers. The confusing bit, therefore, is why so many spots appear for CW activations compared to SSB or FM, making it look HF CW is the dominant force in SOTA. Perhaps I will extend my analysis to separate out the VHF SSB and the HF SSB (and the VHF CW etc), but I think my figures already clearly show that SSB is NOT dead!
The other confusing aspect is the moans of “where have all the VHF FM chasers gone?”. Well, my logbook gets fuller of them every year. Most of my biggest hauls of 2m FM QSOs in single activations have been in 2007 and 2008. On all counts, I really don’t get what the prophets of doom are on about - the data, the evidence tells us otherwise.
One thing that strikes me is that many of the CW spots, particularly continental ones, are duplicates by different chasers - whereas many of the SSB ones are unique, leading to an apparent predominance of HF CW on cursory inspection. Also many HF CW ops do more than one band, generating further rafts of spots when they QSY, although only one activation is taking place.
Someone with more patience than I might care to analyse the spots and quote percentages…
Normally on VHF you see a spot for someone on 2m FM. Then later you may see a second spot for 2m SBB. Most activators don’t do more than one VHF band (Gerald and Robin excepted) so you don’t normally see follow on spots for 4m, 70cms, 23cms and 6m. On HF it’s entirely different as you will see the same operator spotted on 80m, 40m, 30m and 20m CW and possibly 40m/20m SSB aswell. It’s only one activation but it’s spotted on 5 bands and 2 modes then that could be taken 7 spots. It fills up the screen unlike the solitary spot you see for a 2m FM station.
Often overlooked is the subject of language. Not everyone speaks English or is confident to have QSOs in English. This language problem fades away for CW contacts. There again would we see complaints if these people were having SSB contacts in their own language? Probably!
“Normally on VHF you see a spot for someone on 2m FM. Then later you may see a second spot for 2m SBB. Most activators don’t do more than one VHF band (Gerald and Robin excepted) so you don’t normally see follow on spots for 4m, 70cms, 23cms and 6m. On HF it’s entirely different as you will see the same operator spotted on 80m, 40m, 30m and 20m CW and possibly 40m/20m SSB aswell. It’s only one activation but it’s spotted on 5 bands and 2 modes then that could be taken 7 spots. It fills up the screen unlike the solitary spot you see for a 2m FM station.”
And this is how it needs to be, of course, since an activation on several HF bands will probably not be copyable at one location on all of them, perhaps even only audible on one of them, and you need all the help you can get to locate a weak activation in the whelter of HF signals. OTOH nowadays on 2m SSB there may only be a few other signals on the band and you will know which way to beam. I think one of the infuriating things about HF (and 6m Es) is that a guy just across town can be giving 59 to a station I can’t even hear, and vice versa. Part of the fun but it can raise the blood pressure!
if you´re active around my qth on weekdays
you can call for hours on VHF/UHF without success.
If you call cq on 40m-CW you´ll sure make at least
20 qso´s with qrp on a wet wire.
On 40m-SSB it depends on the qrg/condx.
But as HB9AFI already mentioned, if you have long walks/climbs,
rig´s like the ATS3B are vy fb (but without SSB, sri).
To M1EYP: tnx for the very interesting statistic.
If you have a look to the top-DL-chasers-list (not mine),
you´ll see many of the German 2m SSB/FM-activators did not
use the database. They even are not interested in any
classifications or they can´t read the English language.
This would be quite a lot phone-qso´s more. hi
Not prophets of doom, just trying to understand what changes and movements are happening. But if the data (which is not as visible as the spots) is showing otherwise, then thats what it is.
If it ever did happen that CW did become the defacto mode for activating, then I can see problems in the future (quite a way into the future). But again that is only my opinion.
Not prophets of doom, just trying to understand what changes and
movements are happening. But if the data (which is not as visible as
the spots) is showing otherwise, then thats what it is.
Ian
G7ADF
I think this has been a valuable exercise. In a few years time perhaps we will have activity from the USA and Australasia and perhaps the Japanese and Russians will also cotton on to what is happening, so that there will be the potential for round the clock chasing, and at that point I bet we will be taking stock again!
Is there hard evidence in the database that VHF activity is declining?
A rise in the number of HF CW activations does not imply a decline in
the number VHF voice activations.
I just could not help poking my oar in on this one.
My question is “What VHF activity?”
I was on the second highest mountain in the UK on Saturday and after the debacle on 40m CW I decided to qsy to 2m (as published in my alert). I could hear many of the UK beacons at good strengths, even those not pointing my way, yet the band between 144.050 and the beacon sub band was silent except for the two birdies on the FT817. I called on the key on 144.060 for ten minutes with absolutely no response and then called initially on 144.310 then on the calling channel until the internal high power battery on the 817 went flat. I had absolutely no takers.
So in my humble opinion 2m SSB/CW is a total waste of time and energy carrying the antenna - discuss!
