New Associations 1st August 2015

The SOTA MT would like to welcome 2 new associations to the SOTA community. They’re only small but are most welcome being that they expand the number of African and Asian associations.

First is Singapore 9V with just a single summit. The second is La Réunion / Reunion Island with 19 summits. Sadly FR/RE-003 is out of commission as it has started erupting again but it is good for VOTA!

Also EA8 has new summits (just Tenerife I think), W7M has a new AM and some summits named, VK9/NO has had its points corrected.

Not really too much this month, but the summits teams are still recovering from getting JA in place. As usual I don’t have much to do here, the real work is done by other people (Simon @G4TJC, Peter @ON4UP, Csaba @YO6PIB and the AMs). Jimmy @M0HGY has also been busy trying to bring all the ARMs update on line. Please join me in welcoming our new associations and in thanking the people who have helped bring this about.

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EA8 has new summits in all regions except for one region.

Jimmy M0HGY

Welcome to 9V & FR, both of which will be a real challenge to chase with my modest station as we begin the slow decline from the peak of cycle 24.

Knowing the work that goes on behind the scenes, a very big thank you to all involved :smile:

Thanks & best 73,

Mark G0VOF

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9V and Fr are most welcome from a VK perspective. They should be good dx prospects even as the sunspot activity declines. 9V is also another possibility for traveling VK’s.

73
Ron
VK3AFW

It’s something that we are constantly thinking about Ron, how to build interest in parts of the world where there is little. You’re quite lucky that there is a good core group in VK that makes activations and chasing viable just within VK and the chance of overseas DX chasing is a bonus. Adding small associations like these is always going to be good for VK. The more activity will hopefully drive more people in the Asia/Pacific regions to get active in building new associations. We probably wont see a Maldives association sadly.

Expected before the end of the year are some new associations in America & European along with some sizable updates. There’s lot of room for associations in the Caribbean and I’m hoping the massive thaw in relations between Cuba and the USA may encourage someone in CO-land to put something together. I’m not sure if authorities in Cuba are ready yet for people to rush up into the mountains with radio transmitters, especially Western visitors! But it’s the kind of place I’d like to go for a holiday, and before it changes too much from the influx of holidaymakers. Until recently, my (US) employers frowned upon their employees visiting places like Cuba but that now has gone.

I hope we’ll see some activity from 9V and FR soon, I did see a JA station spotted early today which is good as the WX is not exactly the best for mountain hiking in JA at this time of year.

Hi Andy,

Well we certainly have several keen summit analysts in VK who would help so it really depends on the locals being accepting. Most would be pleased to see visitors and some are definitely AR friendly.

I’m sweating on ZL as I’m going to be there later this year. A couple of ZL chasers have appeared in the last year so I expect it to go well.

73
Ron
VK3AFW

I forgot to post that SOTAwatch was updated a few days back which means the new associations can be spotted and alerted. It also allows people who have been to EA8 or are planning to visit to see just how many more summits are now available.

This has made picking which of the islands I want to visit later this year very, very difficult.

We really enjoyed Tenerife Andy, and that was with just the two 10-pointers on. Good atmosphere, nice people, places, restaurants etc, and the roads are really good and easy to drive on. The national park is spectacular and the main roads climb to above the top of the clouds. Villaflor is in the mountains (the highest village in all Spanish territory) and worth a visit. Authentic traditional Canarian food there too.

If you go to Tenerife, go and see my mate George King doing his stand-up comedy, he is class. We will definitely go back to Tenerife again, and not just for all the new summits added since we were there - although they will form part of the agenda :wink:

It was a new name to me so just looked him up and the reviews - oh dear.
Not my idea of ‘class’ at all.
Yes the island(s) are lovely. Good news about the new associations :sunglasses:

Night night
Mike

Having had no problems taking my 817 and LiPOs on planes I’ve got a whole ruck of SOTApeditions planned: EA8 holiday for November, Dublin (work+SOTA) in October, Avignon (work+SOTA) in December.

A possible W6+W7 trip (work+SOTA) in September looks unlikely now my American colleagues want to visit GM so they can knock a wee white ball around with a stick at St. Andrews. Damn golfers!

Thanks to all those who did the behind the scenes work and looking forward to 9V coming on air.

Japanese ops should be pleased as well as quite doable for them.

Hopefully ZL will turn up one day.

Cheers, Nick

You guys up there shouldn’t have invented the game!

Don’t moan if the sport devised in Scotland catches on around the world - its better to be known for golf than for shortbread!

Brian

That is VERY MUCH a matter of opinion. :smile:

73,
Rod

My good friend Joe in Ireland says: Old golfers never die but only lose their balls.
You’r warned :smile:

73 de geert pa7zee

Do they taste like chicken?

More like chick peas.