SOTA-Link Project

I don’t think that the digital voice modes have much to offer for direct contacts. They come into their own when they can be used to access additional connectivity via internet linked infrastructure.

Not yet. If there is sufficient interest, there might be at some stage. We did experiment with a SOTA net on Echolink some years ago but no-one showed up.

Did you ever manage to patch your gateway to FCS04-73 Steve @G6UYG?

I hope to have my 2m gateway MB6SO operational soon.

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Hi Richard,

No, sorry not tried yet (playing with new radio Icom 9100 !!) would be easy to do so with DV4Mini and FT2D, but once you’ve got MB6SO up and running will be even easier, and will mean that access into the SOTA room should be possible via MB6SY (My Gateway) from The Wrekin, Long Mynd and Stiperstones.

Regards
Steve

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I am testing the DMR-FCS bridge today. If any DMR users can access BM TG973 I hope to be able to catch you!

Still waiting for the post from Honkers for my hot spot thingie…

Interesting to have a DMR group, I tried calling. Hope to meet some of you on there.

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I heard your call. Unfortunately as the C4FM-DMR bridge is here I cannot actually reply myself!

Good to know I got through :slight_smile:
I have a Fusion radio too, but no repeater nearby. I only use a hotspot for DMR

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Further progress. As a result of discussions with Yaesu UK I am pleased to announce that they have agreed to loan the following equipment to support the SOTA-Link project;

1 x FTM100
1 x HRI-200
2 x FT70DR

I am awaiting the registration details for the gateway links from Yaesu Japan and as soon as I have them, the gateway will go live. I would like to thank Yaesu UK for this generous gesture.

SOTABEAMS has provided the site, and the linking equipment (so far consists of 3 x openSpots, 1 x DVMega/Bluestack, 1 x PC, 1 x internet connection).

Tom M1EYP has the FT70DRs and will be programming them up. They will then shortly be made available to the SOTA community to borrow for use during activations in the Macclesfield area. This will allow activators to experiment with the back-channel system.

HELP NEEDED The DMR-FCS cross-mode bridge could do with some testing. For technical reasons, while I can host it I cannot actually test it so if anyone can set up a test to see if they can communicate between FCS04-73 and DMR BM TG973, that would be very useful.

More details to follow.

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SOTA Gateway MB6SO is now QRV 144.8375 C4FM, Macclesfield. The SOTA Wires-X room is 44050. MB6SO will default to CQ-UK today (while I’m at work).

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I’m in - and listening in the SOTA room if anyone would like to try. Hoping to put this useful facility to good use on an activation later.

Later in the year maybe; later today - unlikely. The SOTA room is not linked to any other networks yet so the chances of anyone else being there are small.

Well, one never knows…

Any chasers out there, anywhere in the world, that have the possibility to get into a Fusion repeater or node, use WIRES-X and access the SOTA Room 44050 - and chat to me when I am on summit later this afternoon? Ultimately this would/could be a way of setting up HF contacts, but just establishing communication in the SOTA Room would be a pleasing start today even if it wouldn’t itself be a SOTA contact. If we then have a QSO on 20m, even better!

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Question…Is FCS004-073 linked to the above? …if so I will set up later in the afternoon.

Allan GW4VPX

Hi Tom,

Might be around, although I’m in the office till 16:45 I can get into the Shrewsbury Node MB6SY (144.825) from the office with the collinear on the side of the building on the FT2 HT and link it to room 44050

I’ll keep an eye on SotaWatch for your call.

Regards

Steve
G6UYG

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I’ll try now Steve, and maybe again from the summit later.

Steve G6UYG operating via the MB6SY (Shrewsbury) node, and myself M1EYP operating via the MB6SO (Macclesfield) node just successfully accessed the SOTA Room 44050 and had a chat in there.

I’ll be active in the SOTA Room on The Cloud G/SP-015 later - probably around 1630 UTC. For SOTA-valid operation, I’ll be QRV on 20m CW, 20m SSB and 2m C4FM (simplex).

There are five memories for WIRES-X rooms on the FT70D, and I have now just set mine to:

  1. SOTA 44050
  2. GB7FF (North West Fusion Group) 41134
  3. CQ-UK 27793
  4. SOTA FRIEND CAFE (Japan) 22603
  5. VK2RFG 24327

The first four were obvious choices. Looking around for something “interesting” to enter into the 5th memory, I thought something in VK might be nice, and noticed that this one had linking to the DMR network. Whether that will prove to be of any actual use remains to be seen of course. If something else SOTA-related comes to my attention, it will probably go into memory #5.

I’ve also been reviewing the Canary Islands Fusion nodes / WIRES-X facilities. Not really a lot there that looks viable, but I did spot EA8/G0JUL, Las Brenas, Lanzarote as an active Fusion node with WIRES-X - so I’ve added that to my FT70D channel memories ahead of flying out there tomorrow.

Pleasing developments and progress I feel.

I’m on summit now and setting up for HF. Fusion handheld is monitoring the WIRES-X SOTA room as I do so. Feel free to call.

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As far as I can tell, it looks like the gateway works OK from DMR to Fusion, but not from Fusion to DMR.

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