I regularly get mails from people who have forgotten their log in details for the database. There are a number of built in methods to help you recover your password without having to ask for help.
The username you use to log in is simply something to identify your account to the DB. It has to be unique but it doesn’t have to be your callsign. If there is any chance your callsign may change, such as a licence upgrade, then don’t use your callsign for your username because the username YOU pick is for life. The username identifies which account to the DB, you get to specify your callsign for the honour rolls during registration and you can change this as often as you like. The callsign you used for chasing and activating is entered with the log. So trust me, there is no real reason to use your callsign for username.
The email address you give is not checked during registration. We don’t email a link you need to click to verify your email address is valid and you control it. Perhaps we should. The address is used simply to help you recover a lost password, then you will need to enter the email address you used so the DB can email you a new password.
So far all very simple.
What can go wrong?
- typo in email address
- changed email address
- loss of access to email address
- forgot email address used
If you cannot provide the email address the DB has on record then you cannot automatically recover your password. So don’t forget it and make sure you enter it correctly.
If you change your email address you should update it in the DB. Otherwise when you need the DB to email you a new password it will send it to your old address and you wont receive it.
We do not pass the email addresses on and we don’t generally allow anyone but the MT access to the address. I can understand people being concened we may use the addresses we have on record and want to use an alternative address. That is fine, just make sure you know what you used and that it’s active!
You can change your email address whenever you are logged in. There is a menu option on the Logon/Logoff menu, Change User Details. This lets you change your callsign, email address, home association etc. Once you make a change and click Save Changes you will be logged off. This is to ensure the new details are picked up and used.
If you forget your password and or username these can be recovered. You might ask how people forget these. One big problem is browsers that remember the login details for you. This is great till you get a new broswer, or clear your cached data or get a new computer etc. Suddenly you can’t remember and the PC can’t either!
To recover your username: SOTA Database
To recover your password: SOTA Database
These are available from the Logon/Logoff menu as “Username Help” and “Password Help”
So what happens when you have forgotten the email address or no longer have access to it? You can contact me through the contact form on the website or by email. For a start I will not simply reset the password because you have asked. It isn’t going to happen. You will need to prove to me that you are who you claim to be by providing something I can verify. This is not difficult but will take you some effort. So ensure you know all your details and ensure you keep your email address on the DB up to date.
There are some email providers who always think password resets from the DB are spam and these can be difficult to find in spam folders. Sometimes the emails simply never arrive. We can always work around these problems. If you find your email provider is blocking the DB, then you can create accounts on MS Hotmail (now called live.com or office365.com) or gmail.com. Both of these providers allow DB passwords through or put them in locatable spam folders where you can mark the DB as not spam and find your new password. They’re also pretty good at filtering real spam.
So take a moment next you are on the DB to verify everything is up to date.