Hi,
Is there any proposed or Set dates for an International SOTA weekend for 2015.
I presume this is an annual event?
Regards,
David EI7GEB
We don’t have such an event anymore David as international involvement is now 24/7. It seems amazing we’ve gone from needing to specifically organise a weekend so we could have many countries active to the state we have today. The spots log shows the following countries for last Saturday and Sunday:
Korea, Australia, Germany, Wales, Czech Rep, England, Poland, Spain, Switzerland,
France, Slovenia, Austria, Finland, Austria, Ireland, Hungary, USA, Slovakia,
Hawaii, Belgium, Portugal N. Ireland
However, that’s all well and good, but if you would like to suggest a weekend event with some kind of twist or theme, then you’ll get replies ranging from favourable to cat-calls from the people watching. You never know how something will go down so it’s worth a go to suggest something.
I’m getting the view that there’s probably a pent up demand for some kind of VHF event, certainly something that could involve 4m and 23cms up along with other VHF/UHF activities. They do tend to be local (for various definitions of local) and you may be wanting something more HF flavoured.
Ideas anyone?
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Another V.E.Handbag/Vintage event soon !!! Pretty please.
Jonathan
I’ll drink to that!
Brian
How about a 2 meter S2S event. Lets see who can get the longest 2 meter S2S contact.
Jeff, K6QCB
That’ll be ssb then 
What about s2s 2m weak signals weekend?
Hi Andy, Please don’t frget we don’t have 4m (yet) in Germany and we are not allowed to operate portable on 6m (crazy I know but that’s the regs here). So 2m and up, yes - I could dig out the 2m moxon and see if the squidpole can support that and I have an arrow antenna for 2m & 70cm - but that would then be handheld as the squiddy would certainly not support it’s weight.
By the way as regards 23cm and up, there are a series if “Bavarian mountain days” (where the intention is microwave operation from a summit) coming up over the next 6 weeks, but the chance of a SHF contact to the UK from DL is probably rather unlikely.
73 Ed.
Another suggestion, if we consider including HF, how about an “S2S work as many associations as possible weekend”? To “win” this one, I suspect some camping would need to be included to be able to be on the correct band and the right time to get the propagation to get to some of the more distant associations. So perhaps leave this one until Spring?
Activators would still be expected to work other Summits calling them even if the already had the association as the other summit may not have their association. I would also suggest contacts with chasers be also allowed as normal, but priority given to S2S contacts (which we do anyway).
73 Ed.
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Yes Ed, I am fully aware that 4m is not universal in the same way that 6m isn’t. The suggestion wasn’t for an exclusive 4m event but for an event on many bands one of which was 4m. In the US they have 900MHz and 222MHz bands that are rarely used. A VHF fun event should swap 4m which is not avialble in the US for 222MHz which is.
Really it’s to encourage people to take some different gear with them that maybe gathering dust.
I’ll take my hoover :o)
Adrian
G4AZS
3 Likes
Great idea Ed, this would be very interesting and certainly a good way to increase the old S2S score. The camping is a good idea, as you can make the station a bit less transient than usual i.e. have multiple antennas up for different bands… all subject to conditions and restrictions on the summit of course 
The only bit I struggle with is making this appealing to chasers as well, apart from the extended time from which to work the summits.
Cheers,
James M0JCQ
2 Likes
Agreed this format would be more of interest to activators rather than chasers.
Ed.
As part of the EA2 SOTA Eguna (day) we are planning a massive activations weekend around mid June (could be June 6th-7th, yet not sure), so, be ready to have a lot of work from EA2 summits 
73 de Mikel
How about a weekend event structured something like a typical ARRL contest. Points for each contact which will vary by band and multipliers for the number of associations and/or regions contacted, whether chasers or activators. Maybe bonus points for S2S and separate categories for chasers and activators. Something to shoot for on the short term while you are working on the long term goal of Mountain Goat or Shack Sloth could increase interest and activity. A nice certificate for the winners would be great, too.
Jeff, K6QCB
Does this change the face of SOTA though - and thereby make it competitive (i.e. elements of contests)?
Rob
Wasn’t the 12 meter challenge competitive, with only the top scorers eligible for a certificate.
Jeff, K6QCB
How about an event for Chasers for a change? We dream up all these ideas to make activations more piquant for Activators but neglect the Chasers who are expected to just turn up and provide the necessary contacts! Its a symbiotic relationship so both partners should benefit.
Not easy, but how about something simple like the highest chaser score over a 24 or 48 hour activating event, separated into CW and phone as the odds favour the CW?
Brian
2 Likes
The reason you don’t see chaser events suggested is chasers never suggest events. Normally activators suggest things (things they’d like to do) and other activators either say “yes please” or “meh”. Chasers think “ah, X,Y,Z et al. will be out on bands A, B, C that weekend… better sharpen my pencil as I’ll be busy logging lots of choice summits/bands”.
It was to an extent Jeff. The next challenge removes the “make as many QSOs as you can” to “make as many unique QSOs as you can”, so it requires more operator skill to eek out more QSOs after the easy stuff is worked. So it’s less of a contest style event.
These weekends in the past have been entitled “the XYZ fun event” and that’s the key… fun. Something to get more people out than usual doing something that isn’t done so often. That’s why in the UK (and some other European states) a suggestion to use 4m may be popular. (Substitute 220MHz for USA/VE) There has been mention of another handbag event… this was from a silly idea to take out older radio gear on an activation, “The Vintage Electric Handbag Event” for FT290/IC202 type radios. It would be “The Vintage Electric Pocketbook Event” in the US. Jonathon 2W0KGQ took the prize for running a WWII vintage 19 Set that time. The WX in GM was diabolical so I didn’t get to play in my own suggestion. But there will be another and this time I’ll pick a time when the WX may be better for me!
That practically guarantees rain!
Brian
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Good idea, just linking an activation activity with some fun for chasers as well!