Dear all:
In Germany, amateur operators can obtain a second callsign (typically DN*, mine is DN3IT) for the purpose of training non-licenced individuals on the air. Afaik, the portable use is perfectly fine.
Now, I am considering to use my „Ausbildungsrufzeichen“ (‚callsign for training and education‘) for a SOTA activation with an interested non-licensed individual.
Do you see any legal problems? (The call is valid within DE only, but that is no problem.)
Can the activation count for my SOTA points (since I am the license holder and must be present and supervise the actual operations)? Or can be individual register and submit the activation data?
Will this activation be valid for the chasers?
If I activate lateron myself with my regular callsign, will that count if the former QSOs don’t?
To add some clarity for amateurs from other countries where licencees who hold a full licence are allowed to have an un-licensed “second operator” operate their station under supervision, this is not allowed in Germany. Hence the DN training callsigns. These are held by the full licensee and “loaned out” to the non-licenced Op to get some experience on-air.
Martin as you are the licence holder for DN3IT you should be able to enter the contacts under the option “operating as” when entering the activation log. I’m not sure if the SOTA MT would like someone setting up an account for a call they only operated temporarily under supervision as what happens when your next trainee also wants to enter the contacts under his name and the DN call sign - he can’t as the account would already exist.
Clubs are not allowed a SOTA account. So when a club call is used, the QSOs should be logged under the club call used in the account of the person operating. I now hold the club call M0TA which in Scotland is MS0TA. When I activate a summit using that call, the QSOs go in my MM0FMF account but the callsign used is logged as MS0TA.
Same for these training operations. In Martin’s case if he is helping some newcomers get some experience then they can have the QSO as DN3IT and Martin would log the QSOs in his own account. And yes, he would get the points, but the points don’t matter. What matters is encouraging people into our hobby and getting them interested in SOTA operations in the great outdoors.
Hi all,
mni tnx fer info! Today, I activated DL/AL-109 - first as a regular CW activation using my main call DK3IT/P, and then as a FM activation on 2m using the training call DN3IT/P. I submitted the activation report for the regular part; then wanted to submit the one QSO on FM, but Sotadata does not allow a second activation using a second callsign for the very same day (“You’ve already claimed for this activation.”).
Ah, I forgot that bit Martin. You could run the whole activation as DN3IT/P if the German rules allow that for your QSOs as well as the trainees. Or log the QSOs under DK3IT with DN3IT and the ops name in the comment field.
What if Martin deleted the existing log and submitted all of the contacts (DK3IT and DN3IT) in one CSV file (using SOTA CSV editor or similar to produce it) and then made that one submission as a CSV file - then the error shouldn’t occur should it?
Not sure what would happen. But the very next time he added an activation, all the previous activations get rescored and I think something bad would happen then. Probably, and I’m speaking without thinking, the best fix would be to allow two or more non-scoring activations on the same day. But they are specifically blocked by the code that Gary wrote and that must have been for a good reason.
As long as you stay within the rules for DN operations, why shouldn’t you be able do do some SOTA with your trainee(s) as well? If things haven’t changed in the last few months, the SOTA QSOs will count for the chasers whether you submit an activator log or not.
However, I believe the activator points - if any can be given - should ultimately be credited to the person who actually conducted the QSO, i.e. the trainee operator, and not to the DN license holder. If the trainee obtains a license later on, no problem, you could always delete QSOs from one log and out them into another. If not, I’d keep the contacts registered separately under the training callsign, at least for the time being.
MM0FMF: I wrote what I believe should happen, you wrote what’s in all likelihood somewhere in the rules (I did not check, it’s not important enough for me). Let’s agree to disagree, as there are probably arguments of favour and against both …