110 spot in last 12 hours!

Old Reflector
1

Hey! Have I missed something where today (Tuesday) has been declared a SOTA activity day? I’m sat in the office making better phones for your future and you lot are out there playing on the hills! There have been 110 spots on SOTAwatch, that’s like a Saturday or Sunday!

It’s a glorious day here, bit hazy, but fantastic hill weather apart from that and I’m stuck in the office for another hour still. Not fair! You watch, now I’ve booked a few days away for a wee SOTA DXpedition up in GM/NS land this Easter the WX will be horrible.

Andy
MM0FMF

2

In reply to MM0FMF:
There are many days like today with little SSB only on 20 m and the rest VHF FM and CW trying to break speed records of 25 to 30 wpm .

3

In reply to MM0FMF:

I’ve booked a few days away for a wee SOTA
DXpedition up in GM/NS land this Easter the WX will be horrible.

It better not be, I’m planning an Easter trip to the G/TW area.

Colin G8TMV

4

In reply to G0TRB:

CW trying to break speed records of 25 to 30 wpm.

But why? Are they trying to exclude the many chasers who havn’t a hope of ever reading anything like that speed? I haven’t noticed many QRQ activators slowing down for us slower chasers (or QRQ chasers for relatively QRS activators, for that matter).

Regards, Dave, G6DTN (15wpm on a good day)

5

In reply to MM0FMF:

Yeah, good activity today. A S2S Fest reminiscent of the SOTA YHA weekends, Gaulfest and International SOTA Weekends (before every weekend was effectivey such).

I noted:

Tue 12:56 M1EYP/P on G/SP-015 - [edit] 21.230 ssb
is it Tom as hes not known to do SSB these days ??? (Posted by G0TRB)

Yes Roger it was me, as you may have worked out from the self-spot! Anyway, “not known to do SSB”?

Of my submitted 21609 activator QSOs to the Database (there is a backlog from the last 15 or so activations), 7026 have been on SSB. This is 33% of the total. Of my submitted 3331 activator QSOs to the Database over the last 12 months, 1153 have been on SSB, which is 35% of the total.

So if you didn’t know that I regularly use SSB on my activations, then you haven’t been paying enough attention hi :slight_smile:

Tom M1EYP

6

In reply to MM0FMF:

Hello Andy,

“Hey! Have I missed something where today (Tuesday) has been declared a SOTA activity day? I’m sat in the office making better phones for your future and you lot are out there playing on the hills! There have been 110 spots on SOTAwatch, that’s like a Saturday or Sunday!”

A lovely Spring day down here in East Sussex as well. I should have been out in the greenhouse planting my chilli seeds and other things! A very active day indeed - Mike 2E0YYY/P with 16 S2S (well done Mike, this must be a record!??). Also a record for me as a chaser. I think the NA chaser usual suspects had a good time as well!

I better go and do the things that I was supposed to be doing :wink:

Mike G6TUH

7

In reply to M1EYP:
Its a pity that only the CW activations seem to be spotted , plus as everyone knows percentages give a false reading for those who want to hide something just look at the powers that be. When using the filters on the database the results show something different.

8

In reply to M0DFA:
Another question to ask is why do a number of activators who USED to operate bands for the UK chaser VHF SSB now ignore them in favour of DX when years ago they were glad for the contacts.

No point trying to do CW at break neck speed if you cant write it down that fast. BUT then again a lot use computor morse decoders and send the same way.

9

In reply to G0TRB:

Nothing to hide Roger. I have definitely done 7026 SSB QSOs from SOTA activations, including 1153 in the last 12 months. I think you’ll find this compares favourably to the amount of SSB QSOs offered to chasers by most other activators.

I use three modes when activating, and SSB accounts for approximately one third of all my QSOs, both all-time, and over the last 12 months. You can’t say fairer than that, surely?

Tom M1EYP

10

In reply to G6TUH:
A glorious day in my part of GI also hence the activation by myself. I just couldn’t resist the temptation, also the dog needed a good run which she most certainly got, I wish I could summon the same amount of energy BUT she was able to sleep while I played radio and was well refreshed for the descent!

I had a great day EXCEPT when some chasers didn’t appear to be able to recognise their own callsigns and repeatedly called when I asked for a specific call, but, was well pleased with 5 S2S 3 on CW & 2 SSB.

73

Victor GI4ONL

11

In reply to G0TRB:

When using the filters on the database the results show something different.

Can you explain?

I have just checked this, and the filters on the Database indicate that I have done more activations on SSB than 6 people in the G top 20 have done IN TOTAL (all modes). If you look at the top 50 in England, then I have done more SSB activations than 34 of those have IN TOTAL, ALL-TIME!

Tom M1EYP

12

FB on Knocklayd GI/AH-002 Victor. I remember that one well, and it’s a steep old pull up!

Tom M1EYP

13

In reply to MM0FMF:

Hey! Have I missed something where today (Tuesday) has been declared a
SOTA activity day? I’m sat in the office making better phones for your
future

Don’t worry Andy. The Chinese and Indians have all that clever stuff under control. Relax and get out on the hills!

73

Richard
G3CWI

14

In reply to M1EYP:
Looking at 2012 2m filters only you used SSB 6 times and FM 40 times so percentages show a different result. number for 2012 by the database show 181 people used FM compared to 64 for SSB .

This shows the times used and not the amount of contacts made as you know some are on the summit for a sort time and others all day regardless of weather conditions

15

In reply to GI4ONL:

Hello Victor,

Just turning my paper/pencil log into my system and saw you pop up. Still avoiding the jobs :wink:

I was really pleased to speak to you today on a summit on SSB.

If you heard my CW send you would fall asleep and have to be rescued.

I heard the EXCEPT episode. Well done on the S2S’s.

Hmm - 1630 - got 1 hour to get the jobs done before inspection!

73
Mike G6TUH

16

In reply to M1EYP:

FB on Knocklayd GI/AH-002 Victor. I remember that one well, and it’s
a steep old pull up!

Tom M1EYP

It sure is Tom, I lost more than just a little liquid due to perspiration on the way up :slight_smile: Pity I missed you for S2S hopefully another time.

73

Victor GI4ONL

17

In reply to G0TRB:

This shows the times used and not the amount of contacts made as you know some are on the summit for a sort time and others all day regardless of weather conditions

I am not sure what point you are making with this comment Roger, but the facts remain that:

One in three of all my SOTA activator QSOs are on SSB
Over half of all my SOTA activator QSOs are on a phone mode
Nearly half of all my SOTA activator QSOs (over 9900 out of 21800) are on VHF

I suspect what you are noticing Roger, is the behaviour of the spotters rather than the behaviour of the activators. It has long been recognised that CW activations get spotted more quickly and more often than phone activations.

Tom M1EYP

18

In reply to MM0FMF:

Hey! Have I missed something where today (Tuesday) has been declared a
SOTA activity day? I’m sat in the office making better phones for your
future and you lot are out there playing on the hills! There have been
110 spots on SOTAwatch, that’s like a Saturday or Sunday!>

If you had anything to do with designing my new Samsung Galaxy SIII, which went on its first SOTA activation today, my compliments.

The phone was finally activated a 0400 this morning and toasts the piece of junk that is my old HTC Desire, which crashed every five minutes. The Samsung is greased lightening and it worked flawlessly today.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

19

In reply to M1EYP:
The point I was to make was in 2012 with the use of filters there were more people who used FM on 2 m than the amount of people who used 2 m SSB. I pointed out you used 2 m SSB far less than 2 m FM . It was not the number of contacts made each time and as SOTA history shows from the days of 4 and run, it now shows far more contacts per activation as there are more overseas chasers and if people are honest they would rather get outside the UK than the same old locals who have supported them in the early days before it took off the way it has. Its a pity that a bit of selfishness has crept in the hobby and by that its not just SOTA its other UK award schemes even the 100 years RSGB has not done much to support VHF .

All the results show that there are more CW than SSB activations and there is a trend to send at the fastest speed which as someone has said its a shame that the speed is to fast for them to write it down.

20

I simply do not recognise the negative picture you are painting Roger. Have you been listening to the bands today? They were alive with lots of SOTA activations, of all shapes and sizes. Lots of 2m FM, not much 2m SSB admittedly (but tonight may set that straight) and activators delighted to work whoever called in. On HF there was an excellent choice of SSB and CW activations from all over Europe on at least 6 different HF bands.

All the chasers I heard and/or spoke to on 2m were buzzing with enthusiasm about the activity on offer. I have just spent the last half hour reorganising and marking up my antennas for 80m, 60m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m, 6m, 70cm and 2m. For 2m, I actually have five different antennas for portable use, each with a specific operating scenario in mind.

I, like many other activators, am putting genuine effort into getting my signals heard as widely as possible. It would, of course, be ridiculous to do otherwise.

There is a good reason why there are more CW activations than SSB - it is a more efficient mode, an important consideration for anyone operating portable. However, CW is far from dominant.

45% of all SOTA activator QSOs are CW - which means that 55% are not. These are made up by 30% SSB and 25% FM. (Other modes have figures so tiny as to be neglible when stated as percentages of the 1.7 million SOTA QSOs recorded in the Database).

It is in the activator’s interest to send at a speed that allows the greatest number of chasers to work them. All activators I know slow down when necessary, and always respond positively to a QRS request. I’m sure many CW chasers will confirm this Roger, again, I do not recognise the scenario you describe.

I remember the old allegations of “4 and run” activators from the early days of 2002/2003! I recall that in those days, activators often felt great relief to have finally managed a 4th contact, as it could be rather difficult! That was the real reason that many activations in those days had 4 QSOs, and not that chasers were left unworked. I’m sure it happened from time-to-time, often with good reason (weather, equipment failure etc), but I was active back in those days and it certainly wasn’t the norm.

Tom M1EYP