very interesting…
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Same story here in Arizona as N1EU stated. Virtually no activity from South America on SOTA will be the biggest problem.
Other factors like where we are in the solar cycle (the bottom), and the path losses to overcome using QRP and Zero gain antennas from a summit will be a big problem.
Pete
WA7JTM
I noted that a UK blogger was very surprised to work VK2 from GW on 12m this week albeit FT8. But there are windows of opportunity still. Your lack of possible QSO partners is a possible problem.
Bear in mind that several new Associations in SA are being worked on at present, so there is the possibility that the problem will diminish. The chances of new African Associations are much slimmer.
At the moment, most of the activations take place like a DX-pedition from the activator operating manners point of view. We rise an alert and then we either selfspot, let RBNHole to spot for us or ask a chaser to do it. From that point onwards, all we do is calling CQ and work out the pile of chasers.
In this TEP event, activators in zone #1 (VK/ZL - HL/JA) may still be able to work this way and have a certain number of chasers from across the Equator, but for all of us in zones #2 (EU - AF) and #3 (NA - SA), we will surely have to work differently and scan the bands up and down searching for stations from across the Equator and calling them for a QSO.
This may be a very good way to promote SOTA in the African and SouthAmerican Countries.
The main target of a SOTA activator is usually getting the activator points of the activated summit.
From my point of view, during the TEP WW SOTA WEEK, an activator should first activate the way best preferred to get the 4 qualifying QSOs and then get free to explore the higher frequency bands looking for contacts with station from across the Equator.
All North American activators should target not only CX and VP8 which are current SOTA associations, but also most of PY (not the very North), most of HC, all of OA, CP, ZP, CE, LU.
If you are lucky and conditions favourable, you may even get QSOs with VK/ZL.
For us in Europe, we shouldn’t only target ZS and FH, FR, which are current SOTA associations, but also any other African Country in the Southern Hemisphere.
If we are lucky and conditions favourable, we may even get QSOs with South America.
One thing is sure: if we don’t try it, we won’t make it and we’ll never find out what TEP can provide.
If there are no conditions at all and we find it boring, we can always work the current style on any other bands.
Of course, the most valuable thing to me will be when all the activators and chasers had post here their own experiences and finding, because this will let all of us grow in experience and knowledge about TEP.
Best 73,
Guru
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This is the communication I’m going to send by e-mail to the Spanish speaking ham radio associations in the South American Countries of the Southern side of the Equator as a way to try to gather maximum participation in this event.
SEMANA MUNDIAL DE PROPAGACIÓN TRANS ECUATORIAL DESDE Y HACIA SOTA:
Estimados colegas:
Les escribo este mensaje para informarles de un evento que estoy tratando de organizar y para el que, como en toda actividad entre radioaficionados, necesitamos el máximo número de colegas involucrados y participando.
Me gustaría y les agradecería mucho que publicasen con suficiente anticipación en sus boletines y revistas mensuales para darle la máxima difusión y que el colectivo de radioaficionados al que vayan dirigidos pueda estar al corriente y tomar parte en este divertido e interesante experimento.
Esta iniciativa ha surgido como una más de las actividades que realizamos de forma espontánea los radioaficionados que participamos en el programa SOTA (Summits On The Air), en español
Cumbres En El Aire, pero la diferencia está en que en esta ocasión se pretende que toda la comunidad de radioaficionados esté involucrada y no solo aquellos que participan en el programa SOTA, que también.
Paso a continuación a explicarles en qué consistirá:
Después del éxito de anteriores ediciones de eventos para propiciar los contactos SOTA a SOTA en diferentes orillas de nuestros océanos, quiero organizar un evento SOTA para explorar y experimentar sobre la Propagación Trans-Ecuatorial. (TEP Trans-Equatorial Propagation).
Para aquellos que no estén familiarizados con este tipo de propagación, echen un vistazo a esto, por favor:
http://www.amateur-radio-wiki.net/index.php?title=Trans-Equatorial_Propagation32
Hay sitios muy interesantes como: Error 404 - Page Cannot Be Found
Mi idea es organizar un evento para favorecer los contactos entre activadores SOTA y bien cazadores habituales de SOTA o radioaficionados que no participen actualmente en SOTA, ya estén en base, móvil, marítimo móvil o donde sea que quieran estar, así como entre diferentes activadores SOTA (S2S, del inglés Sota to Sota).
El evento tendrá lugar 2 veces al año en la semana completa de los equinoccios, es decir la del 21 de Marzo y la del 21 de Septiembre. Realizar este evento por espacio de una semana completa, dará a todos la oportunidad de tomar parte en los días que mejor encaje con las preferencias de cada uno, sean los días de entre semana o el fin de semana.
Podría no parecer un momento óptimo para empezar semejante experimento debido al período de baja actividad solar en que nos encontramos ahora, pero dado que me gustaría que este evento tuviese lugar año tras año para explorar la evolución de este tipo de propagación durante todos los años de un ciclo solar completo, digamos que cualquier momento es bueno para empezar.
El primer evento tendrá lugar en la semana 12 de 2018, empezando el 19 de marzo (lunes) y finalizando el 25 (domingo).
Las horas ideales para la TEP de primera hora de la tarde (aTEP) serán de 15h00 a 19h00 (hora local) y las bandas para experimentar 15, 12, 10 y 6m. Será válido cualquier modo permitido según el gusto del operador.
Para aquellos a quienes guste la V-UHF y las activaciones SOTA nocturnas, habrá también una oportunidad para explorar la TEP de la noche (eTEP) para la que las horas ideales son de 20h00 a 23h00 (hora local). Igualmente, será válido cualquier modo permitido según el gusto del operador.
No habrá ningún inconveniente con contactos hechos fuera de las mencionadas bandas y ventana horaria. Esto no es un concurso con estrictas reglas, así que habrá total libertad para que cualquiera pueda probar lo que desee en tanto que respete a los demás y las reglas de su país.
Dado que me gustaría que esto fuese una semana de evento mundial, habrá 3 zonas diferentes del evento en cada día de esa semana completa en que tenga lugar el evento.
Sub-evento en Zona #1 para aquellos que empiezan el día en primer lugar, tendremos JA/HL contactando via TEP con VK/ZL y viceversa. Países en otras zonas trans-ecuatoriales pueden llegar a alcanzarse también. A los activadores SOTA se les permitirá y se les anima a trabajar S&P para hacer contactos con cualquier otro país al otro lado del Ecuador, incluso si en ese país no se ha dado de alta todavía asociación SOTA ninguna.
Sub-evento en Zona #2 para los siguientes en ver el Sol nacer, tendremos 4X y toda EU contactando via TEP con ZS/ZD/FH/FR. Países en otras zonas trans-ecuatoriales pueden llegar a alcanzarse también. A los activadores SOTA se les permitirá y se les anima a trabajar S&P para hacer contactos con cualquier otro país al otro lado del Ecuador, incluso si en ese país no se ha dado de alta todavía asociación SOTA ninguna.
Sub-evento en Zone #3 para los radioaficionados más al Oeste en nuestro mundo tendremos VE/W/XE contactando via TEP con CX/VP8. Países en otras zonas trans-ecuatoriales pueden llegar a alcanzarse también. A los activadores SOTA se les permitirá y se les anima a trabajar S&P para hacer contactos con cualquier otro país al otro lado del Ecuador, incluso si en ese país no se ha dado de alta todavía asociación SOTA ninguna.
Aquí puede verse un ejemplo de pasos trans-Ecuatorial y trans-Oceánico:
Un evento semanal idéntico tendrá lugar en la semana 38 de 2018, comenzando el 17 de septiembre (lunes) y terminando el 23 (domingo).
Esto va a ser un comienzo excitante y me gustaría tener el apoyo de los diferentes gestores de País y Área para publicitarlo con suficiente anticipación de cara a dar no solo a los activadores, sino, en general, a todos los operadores la oportunidad para preparar sus equipos y antenas, de forma que hagan de este un nuevo éxito de participación.
Los específicos gestores de país y de area en quienes estoy pensando y pidiendo su colaboración son:
Para Zona #1:
JH0CJH para Japón
HL4ZFA para Corea
Todos los diferentes gestores de área de VK para Australia
ZL2AJ para Nueva Zelanda.
Para Zona #2:
4Z4DR para Israel
Todos los diferentes gestores de área y país de los diferentes países Europeos.
ZS6AA para Sudáfrica.
ZD8V para las Islas Británicas del Atlántico Sur,
F5HTR para la Isla de Guadalupe,
FR4PV para la Isla de Reunión.
Para Zona #3:
Todos los gestores de área de VE para Canadá.
Todos los gestores de área de W para EE. UU.
XE2N para México
CX1FU para Uruguay
VP8DMM para las Islas Malvinas.
Tenemos mucho tiempo para discutir, hacer planes y preparar equipos, antenas, etc, así que vayamos por ello y pasémoslo muy bien.
Cuantos más radioaficionados estemos en esto, seamos participantes del programa SOTA o no (todavía), mayor será la probabilidad de conseguir QSOs via TEP, más aprenderemos sobre este modo de propagación y mejor lo pasaremos.
Gracias por darle la máxima difusión y anímense a participar.
Mis mejores saludos,
Guru
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This is a reminder for this SOTA event aimed to exploring and experimenting on the TEP Trans-Equatorial Propagation.
We are in week 9, so there’s just a few weeks left to begin this exciting event.
I encourage you all to share here your plans for this event, i.e. what summit would you activate, when (dates/times), which bands/modes, antennas/rigs/power you are planning to use, etc… Also to raise Alerts accordingly.
Thank you.
73,
Guru
P.D. this same information but in Spanish language was sent some weeks ago and has been sent again by e-mail to SOTA managers when they exist and principal radioclubs in all South and Central-American Spanish speaking Countries.
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Warming up everybody for this new event coming very soon!
The first 3 alerts have just been raised.
Since it’s difficult for me to hike to the mountains in the afternoons, I have chosen 3 drive-on summits for the 3 days of the weekend (FR, SA, SU). I won’t be able to activate MO to TH, but go out and do it if you are lucky and have those days available.
I really hope many of you will participate in this experiment and I hope we’ll have fun playing with our radios and sharing our experiences afterwards here.
73,
Guru
P.D. I might decide some summit change at some point. Should that happen, I’ll update my alert accordingly.
Targetted summits changed and alerts updated accordingly.
I hope many of you will join the TEP experience.
73,
Guru
This is reminding to all TEP attendees.
It was quite good condition between ZL-JA. Then expecting a lot on next weekend.
BTW, 21 Mar, the day of Vernal Equinox, it is national holiday in Japan. Although I cannot join on the day but some JA station will QRV from summits. I’m planning to join on 24 Mar or 25 Mar.
See you on air mate!
Toru JH0CJH
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Dear all,
The TEP WW SOTA WK is almost here. Just 8 days to start.
I don’t see many alerts for that week yet, but I hope they will soon start arising.
In order to let others know that a specific activator will be looking for TEP QSOs during an activation, I’d recommend to all participants in this week long event that the words “TEP WW SOTA WK” be written in the alert comments box.
Good luck and lots of fun with Trans-Equatorial QSOs via TEP.
73,
Guru
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Hi Guru, Which is the lowest band that TEP can take place on - will it be possible on 15m?
I think so, Ed, but I don’t know much about it.
To be honest it’s going to be a completely new field of experimentation to me.
10, 12m strike to me as the most likely ones to have success, but 15m may also give some surprise. I’m not too optimistic about 6m but it needs to be given a try, I think.
73,
Guru
What I see in your alert, Ed, is your activation will start a bit too early for the afternoon TEP (aTEP), for which the optimal times are between 15h-19h local time, which is for us in EU, between 14h-18h utc.
Should you be able to extend a while your time in the summit, you may be able to give aTEP a try.
Cheers,
Guru
P.D. March 25th. (Continental Europe and UK) clocks go FORWARD an hour, which means right in the middle of the TEP WW SOTA WEEKend, so, TEP activations planned for Sunday March 25th, will have to bear in mind that local time will be utc+2, not anymore utc+1. I’m going to correct my alert 
Whoops misread the times UTC vs local. I thought you were saying 15-19UTC - That would have been a problem for me on the 23rd. as the last lift down the mountain is at 16:30 local (15:30 UTC) and I would need to pack up at 1500 UTC - but if it’s 3pm local, I will change my schedule. I still wont be able to stay very long though.
Is TEP affected by MUF - If so you may have issues on anything above 21Mhz (even that could easily be above the maximum usable frequency).
Of course, as always we’ll never know unless we try.
73 Ed.
My understanding is that traditionally published MUF predictions are referring to classic propagation, but the TEP seems to be based on a different phenomena and I believe those predictions don’t apply much.
When Toru @JH0CJH wrote this:
I’m wondering what frequencies did they experience such good conditions, as that may very well have been TEP contacts.
Although the chosen week for the event is theoritically the optimal, this doesn’t mean that we may find ocurrences of good TEP openings in any of these days before and after the equinox.
As you very well stated, Ed, it’s a question of giving it a try and I will.
Cheers,
Guru
Spring season has officially just started and we have a temperature of +1°C right now with all the mountains around, even the smallest bumps, covered with snow.
I fear not being able to make it to even a drive-up summit this weekend.
Forecast is for a slight max temperatures raise, reaching 2 digits maximums on Thursday and Friday, but also for rain on Friday and Saturday.
Not very promising for my TEP WW SOTA WEEK event planned activations…
Has anyone got something to report about contacts made via TEP this week?
Thank you.
73,
Guru
Sorry Guru, I wont be staying around for possible TEP contacts in my activation on Friday (if it goes ahead at all), we’re getting more and more snow at the moment and I’ll just be doing a quick activation as temperatures are expected to be under -10°C (minus wind-chill effect). Here’s what the Laber summit looks like at the moment from the webcam:
It’s in the cloud cover.
Let’s hope it’s better by Friday…
73 Ed.
It’s a shame, Ed, but fully understandable. Such low temps and lots of snow are not any minimally safe conditions to enjoy some time Searching and Pouncing on different bands.
We had a mainly clear sky here today with temps varying from 2 to 7°C, but quite windy, thus making the real feel much colder. The snow in the mountains must have got very frozen today.
We’ll see what we have for the weekend, which is when I should be able to activate, but current WX and the forecast doesn’t make me feel too optimistic.
73,
Guru
P.D. Mike 2E0YYY told me he will also try to be QRV this Friday on 10m from GW/NW-070 Great Orme.
I carried out my alerted activation of Mt. Saint Martin EA2/NV-151 this afternoon, looking for TEP contacts.
I selfspotted and started CQing on 10m CW, where I only got the call from 3 hams in Pamplona.
Then I QSYed and called CQ on 20m CW in order to assure the 4th qualifying contact, which came immediately after my first CQ call, followed by a DX from the USA and 4 more stations from Europe.
More CQing on 10m CW followed by scanning the band on the CW and the SSB segments didn’t let me copy any single signal at all.
Similar situation on 12m, where I didn’t selfspot nor called CQ, but the scanning of the band revealed it was totally quiet, dead.
Ignacio EA2BD informed me that a ZS6 station was coming with pretty good signals on 18.140, so I QSYed there.
Unfortunately, Dior ZS6DJD had quite a pile-up with many strong stations calling and making QSOs with him, so it was totally impossible for me to draw his attention and have what it would have been my only TEP QSO of the day.
After about 40 inutes trying my QSO with ZS6 without success, I returned to 20m CW, where I selfspotted again and started CQing.
One more DX USA with pretty weak signals and strong QSB made it to my log, followed by 2 more Europeans.
Since I was looking for TEP QSOs today, I installed my sloper endfed wire and the counterpoise wire towards the South on the Southbound slope from the summit, so it wasn’t a favourable orientation for EU and NA.
In summary, I can say that no TEP today but TAP (Trans Atlantic Propagation) contacts 
This is today’s full log.
Thanks dear chasers for your calls and QSOs.
73,
Guru