The value of spots (& WAB)

Well, I’ve just had my first double failure to activate a hill! EI/IE-021. I braved the wind (and fog on the 2nd attempt) twice this week to activate this easy 9 pointer and failed to get any response at all despite alerting. I think the moisture on the 2nd attempt was also affecting the SWR of my antenna and thereby my signal. I can’t even claim the Mountain Mule award as you can drive almost to the top of this hill.
Ever since my teenage years I have regarded spots as a nuisance that can have an adverse effect particularly on the chasing of YLs. I now recognise their value in attracting chasers of the radio variety. It is interesting to compare these 2 failures with my successful activation of GI/SW-007 the day before - 8 QSOs in just over 15 minutes with self spots!
Thank you to all who I have worked this year.
Happy New Year to you all and may all your spots be of the welcome variety.

I’ve found the value of a spot is directly proportional to the effort (cost, time, sweat expended) in getting to the summit and the “exoticness” of the summit.

1 Like

9 pointer :confused:

6 + 3 to be precise

quite so Andy. I had earlier activated EI/IE-015 “the proper way” (i.e. On foot). I struggled to get 4 contacts without spots and spent so long on the summit that I had to amend my plans for the rest of the day. It was a great (though cold) walk, but I would have been a little disappointed to have failed to activate it given the effort I made to get there etc. I can smile about my failures on 021, knowing that I can try again fairly easily.

I’ve also just remembered that Irish minutes are included in my mobile plan - so spots will be issued in future!

1 Like

How would we fair with out them.
Found one summit yesterday by sheer chance flicking through 40m looking for GB stations for me WAB WA XP.
Whilst flicking through one key word was heard caught my attention straight away SOTA .

Times i have heard Sota,s calling out, no doubt no signal for them to spot, so we chasers collect there info and spot it so others can join in.

Long live the Sota spot

MK3FEH (fFinal day)

2 Likes

Its a good feeling for a chaser to be the first one to find an unspotted activation and get a spot up to help him. A few minutes later the pack descends on him!

The value of spots applies to the sun, as well!

Brian

2 Likes

OT: (Sorry Andy) Well I hope you have enjoyed having a special prefix. You’ll have to think for a few days to drop it as I find whenever I leave GM, dropping the extra M in the call is very difficult.

Are these like Scots Miles - longer than normal? :grinning:
I’d get my hat but it is soaking wet

1 Like

Don’t know why I had it in my head last night the WB was worth 4 pts.

Sorry !

Jonathan

Trying moving from GW to G and its even more difficult.

:frowning:

Thanks Andy yep going to be that for sure LOL

Karl

Perhaps as difficult as moving from G to GW!

Hiraeth ? :cry:

1 Like

And I thought EI/G6PJZ/P was a mouthful ( especially when combined with SOTA Ref EI/IE…
I might have got confused a couple of times. Fortunately no one heard me :weary:

I wish it was that way around Brian. Everything is better in camb, but no mountains.

I was referring to forgetting what prefix you should be using, of course. I give the wrong prefix so often in GM and GW that it becomes positively embarrassing!:flushed:

Given my druthers, I’d rather live in Wales, that is where my family comes from (Bargoed) tho’ they are spread all over the world now and I have few relatives left in GW. Trouble is, if I moved there I would feel obligated to learn Welsh, and I’m a bit old to learn a new language - I’m having enough trouble with Morse Code!

Brian

Hi Andy,

I activated that summit about 2 and a half years ago. I activated this one on 2m FM and didn’t self spot, but I soon as I called, I had a pile up on 2m FM. I can’t remember though if one of the chasers spotted me straight away though which may have been why a had a good number of QSOs on this summit. Did you try calling on 2m FM on this summit yourself Andy?

Jimmy M0HGY

I did Jimmy. I got 3 NI 2m contacts on 015, but they must all have been whisked off to the sales by the time I got to 021 on 26th. No takers at all yesterday (unless you count the stations that ‘took’ my frequency on HF)
HNY

If it wasn’t for the spots some would have very few Chaser points.

1 Like