VK (Australia) activators and chaser frequently use Discord for doing exactly that. It works really well.
I used Skype once with Marion Island, but didn’t get a contact. And twitter with a guy on Easter Island to get a slot on 24 Mhz, I got that contact but didn’t use it. I didn’t feel for me it was a fair way to get a contact. So I have never done it since.
Mike
If you are including the activator in your group, the problem (especially with single Op activations) is that the activator has enough to do without conversing on some kind of VOIP or social media platform - that’s assuming he or she has Internet access from the summit at all.
If you are saying for chasers to talk between themselves, then that’s a lot easier of course. You could use Skype, Mumble, Google Hangout or whatever other flavour of conferencing server there is out there for audio or simply WhatsApp or similar if you just need text.
73 Ed.
Thinking of the chasers. If I am activating I have enough to do 
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There was a SOTA on Slack thread s while ago. Not sure if anything followed.
KD0YOB
I didnt realize there was this thread…
The idea is to not jam up SOTAWATCH with comments and live chatter. I thought it would be good to have live comments that, people who chose to be a part of, are able to converse live. If you don’t want to, you don’t need to be a part of it. Personally, I find live chats to be helpful, and a part of the fun of the activity: I like to chat with others.
There are a number of times where someone requests a different band. Personally I feel guilty if I were to post something like that.
N0MAP sums it up in the thread linked above:
“That said, I think a Slack channel’s main benefit would be similar to that offered by the new DMR SOTA Link project: a real time ad-hoc communication tool. Slack offers some additional advantages too: the fact that it’s text based makes it asynchronous, for instance. The fact that people use the spotting system to post things other than spots indicates there’s desire/need for that kind of communication. “Go back to 40m” “Running 2hrs late” “Mountain lion on summit QRT” etc.”
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There is an NA SOTA Slack “team” now, at sota-na.slack.com. It’s evolved (devolved?) into mostly non-SOTA chatter, but we have a spots channel that would be very useful for coordinating summit-day updates.
73
Rex KE6MT
Do you know who the Admin is of that space?
Thank you
I’m not the admin, but I apparently have the ability to invite people. Use your QRZ email?
I wish I could have texted Brazil today. They were on 15 when the place to be was 17 metres.
Elliott, K6EL
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My JA friend and I use FB messenger it is quite fast and real time. He alerts me when he is changing bands so we can test our experimental antennas when I am chasing him via radio. Sometimes I report back to him with an instant photo or report as to how the antennas compared. Usually after the qso and activation is finished on the air we compare notes as to how it went via FB m and I save some video in the cloud for him to add to you tube sometimes. I think Activating I would be too busy getting the chasers in my log and trying to save as much phone battery as possible to watch for other Spots or S2S to be having other things running on my phone. But I am an old fart not a techno weeni, cw mode is my level .
regards all good fun
Ian vk5cz …
I use WhatsApp to text and send photos from a summit to friends in Austria.
Andrew VK1AD
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Did you try Zello in the past Ed or was it some other real time chat app/program?
Yes please! Thank you!
Kent K9EZ
With FB Messenger, its hard to have people drop in when they want to, and leave when they dont want the notices.
Yes I have an account on a couple of Zello servers including the “Network radio” one. I’ve used it but I think in what here is being discussed - a discussion back-channel just for Chasers - audio is not needed a simple text “chat room” of some kind would suffice. Anyone remember ICQ-Chat? IT’S BACK!
https://icq-chat.com/chat-rooms/
73 Ed.
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Many in the W4C Assn have each other’s cell numbers and text. But…as an activator, I too have plenty to do rather than answer text when my ears are getting hammered with CW. On SSB, some will jump in at the end of a Q and say ‘W4xxx, up 5’ and go up there and chat.
Dean ~ K2JB
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The VK’s tried Zello. We ended up with Discord. Can’t remember why Zello fell out of favour. Someone else might.
I would love to be on that W4C list please.
Kent K9EZ
Salisbury, NC
Early versions of Zello used to hang on many phones. They got that fixed later though. When using Zello there are also “Network Radio HTs” now that look like Walkie-talkies but actually connect to the Mobile phone network and the Internet to make the VOIP call to a meeting room.
73 Ed.