Hi Guru
I have the same problem in this kind of event, i e, S&P or CQ?
So, that’s a good idea! 
73 de Pedro, CT1DBS/CU3HF
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Hi Guru,
Thanks for the suggestion and in stable radio conditions in a longer event this could work well however in my opinion - as long as one has an active 3G link and can see and post spots, the flexibility given is more applicable when conditions are challenging and variable as they are likely to be.
You also need to bear in mind, of all the stations who have alerted for 0630 UTC 20 % may actually start at 0630, others will be early, some late. Climbing time to all but the easiest summits is a variable depending upon ground and weather conditions. There are those (like mysel) who plan to start later because we have a longer drive to the car park before the climb. So getting to the summit and then thinking “how do I fit into the schedule? can I transmit now or must I wait?” is an extra complication to the activation.
In my experience new activators on summits first tune around to grab the S2S contacts and then find a calling frequency.
With radio conditions being variable, implementing 20 minute windows might stop contacts rather than help them. I think it’s better to activate when the band is open and use the SotaWatch and SmartPhone Apps to see what is out there and let others know that you are on.
A request to all home station chasers (as you normally do), please give priority to S2S contacts taking place and inform the station when there is an S2S call if he/she hasn’t heard it.
A different Idea could be that when an activator calls another summit, at completion of the S2S contact he/she says something like “for other chasers and S2S stations I will be calling CQ in 5 minutes and will spot myself for the frequency”. That’s helps others who wish to contact the calling summit station.
73 Ed.
PS Your alert is under 10th. April instead of 10th. March, Guru.
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Put my alert up for the Schöckl. I hope it’s a bit warmer than it’s been this week, I can’t promise I’ll be up there if its -20C.
de OE6FEG / M0FEU
Matt
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As Bernard VK2IB has just pointed out on the SOTA Australia Yahoogroup list - if anyone wants to make a longer day out of it on the 10th. the RSGB Commonwealth (ex BERU) contest starts at 10:00 UTC for 24 hours, so those who are able to stay on their summits longer may grab a few distant contacts in the contest.
73 Ed.
No S2S with Mickey for you then Tom.
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OK, I fully respect your position, Mike.
I’m not one of the co-organisers of this event and I don’t want to interfere at all. What you are suggesting me to do, Tom, is something for them to do in case they fancy to.
I absolutely want to participate and I’ll fully respect the way the organisers have decided to do it. It was like in the last March 11th 2017 event and I managed to log 5 VK S2S QSOs. I lacked ZL and JA though…
Mine was just an idea and it’s got pretty clear to me by now that the organisers don’t see it interesting, at least for this coming event.
Regarding the summit I’ll activate for this event, I’m in doubt on whether repeating the same 1-point summit with the same antenna setup I used last March 11th or going to a drive-on 4-pointer summit and trying to setup the same inverted L antenna configuration. The doubt will be probably cleared by the WX.
Cheers,
Guru
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Many thanks for the heads up. It’s now corrected.
73,
Guru
Hi
I registered for the event now, I’ll be activating LA/RL-062 Boknafjellet (IOTA EU-055).
I haven’t done any event like this before, is 20m the best band to be on?
I’ll be activating either as myself or LM10SOTA. Hopefully some other LA stations will also take part.
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Hi Kjetil,
Last year all my S2S contacts with VK were on 20m and I’d bet this band will be the best choice this year too.
Cheers,
Guru
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14 MHz should ve the best but I might give 18 and 21 MHz a crack if the conditions indicate.
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Hello,
Been meaning to give SOTA a go for ages and going to try and get out for this event for my first time. In at the deep end and all that. Will be on Cleeve Hill G/CE-001. Only 10W with the KX2 on SSB, so doubt I will make the long haul, but you never know. First step - work out how to post an alert!
BTW - I am now 2E0HZI, apparently need a bit more status to be able to update my callsign!
Tony
Hi Tony,
Welcome aboard - as many will tell you, SOTA is adictive but the most major point to understand is never press on when you aren’t sure it’s safe to do so. Safety First. The hills and mountains will be there another day.
OK enough with negativity - I’m sure you’ll get plenty of chaser contacts from around Europe and some Summit to Summit ones as well. It will be hard to make the long haul to VK/ZL in the present conditions but that does not say you wont manage it. I’ve managed S2S contact from here in Germany to VK with 5 watts of SSB, but that was when the bands were better a couple of years ago. One great thing about our hobby is you’ll never know until you try and sometimes it does all drop into place.
You didn’t mention what antenna you’ll be using and I see from your alert that you will be able to run 40m and 20m and aim to be on the summit for 0630 UTC in time for the start of the Long Path opening (if it happens) to VK/ZL.
As regards changing your callsign in the SOTA reflector and SOTAWatch, perhaps one of the admins will jump in and do that for you (hint, hint).
Hope to work you on the 10th.
73 Ed DD5LP / G8GLM / VK2JI.
Hi Tony,
What antenna are you planning to use for 20m?
73 Mike
Thanks for the encouraging comments. Got a linked dipole for 20 and 40 and a ~7M pole to pop it up as an inverted V.
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Same as I used for my S2S into VK/ZL!
73 Ed.
Fixed. You may need to log out and back in again. Password remains the same. All existing posts are attributed to 2E0HZI but any references to M6HZI that are text remain that way.
Jim
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Hi Andrew, how do chasers fit into the scheme of this.
73 de Geoff vk3sq
Hi Geoff,
Chasers are ALWAYS welcome - any European or South African or Japanese activator would be thrilled to be called by a VK chaser as it’s a DX contact. Although S2S between summits is the aim (and the hard part of the action as both ends tend to run low power and limited antennas), chasers are of course also part of the event. We only ask that if you hear a summit calling another summit, you let them in first and if you can hear a summit calling but the other summit doesn’t hear him (or her) you call for your contact and then let the activator know that there is a summit calling, so that it can be given priority.
Some chasers who aren’t able to get to a summit but have high noise level at home are going out portable to a park or to the coast to get them a better chance of hearing the activators.
With over 40 summits currently planned to be activated (some have not yet alerted) and the number growing each day, you’ll have a lot of stations to chase whether they are in VK, ZL, G, ZS, JA, EU or even VE - good luck and above all enjoy.
Best 73 Ed DD5LP (VK2JI / G8GLM).
Is there a special call to use (CQ S2S-party) or do we stick with CQ SOTA?
Whatever you are happy with.
I’ll be calling CQ SOTA as normal but then from time to time if I think (or hope) there’s a summit station in the pile-up put out specific calls for “S2S only please”. If I get any response to that, I’ll try to work the other summit(s) then go back to normal chasers.
73 Ed.
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