Good question, Chris. Considering a grid square is roughly 112 km x 160 km in the USA, and the six character version measuring about 4.8 km x 6.4 km one could leave quite a few points unclaimed over a year without more precise localization. However this shakes out, I think I’ll be spending more time on 2 m and 70 cm CW/SSB in 2026. 72, David N6AN
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Wow!
Just read the posts about the challenge! Great idea by the MT! Nice to see a challenge, where VHF is used. We walk up hills/mountains and activate them, so may as well had use the height gained, to our advantage.
I could not give a toss about the scoring system, the main victory here is the fact that we will hear 2m SSB back in good use!! I recall starting SOTA activating in 2010, and 2m SSB was my go to band/mode. So many fond memories of working G0RQL, G0TRB, G0LGS, G8ADD, M0JDK to name a few, all helping me to get my MG exclusively on VHF and UHF only.
I have a 5 ele DUAL 2m Antenna up at home and 100w from the 9700, so should be able to chase a fair few people.
I suspect it is time to also buy a Wimo Big Wheel for 70cm, so I can at least give some points away on 70cm SSB
73
Matt G8XYJ (more of a chaser these days, but this may get me back up the hills)
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6 digits.
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Hi Ian,
Read through the examples in the first thread. You need to obtain the location over the air, and add it to the log yourself. You don’t need chasers to log the QSO.
Any QSOs on 2 or 70, either SSB or CW will count, providing they have location data provided.
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Just looking back over a few logs, and came across an activation on 08/09/2023 from Shining Tor (G/SP-004)
It was a multimode Friday event, so not a weekend and no contests or other activities were around. In about an hour I logged 10 qso on 2m SSB with only 2 other being activators in the multimode friday.
Shows that there are people out there listening that are not activators or chasers even outside of contest times.
70cm might be a bit more of a challenge since despite calling, not one SSB qso on 70cm outside of a contest. I have more on 2m AM (exactly 1 - made on the activation noted above).
So I’m thinking of horizontal ssb for 2m (in the main) but vertical ssb for 70cm. I’m hoping to get out this coming weekend, but its totally weather dependent, but at least I would get a point for Billinge this time. Hoping to take the arrow antenna with 2 feeders to save on the faff.
On my activation of Cracoe Fell G/NP-032 today I had a go at 2m vertical SSB and it was a success. I started on FM and worked 10 stations which is pretty good going for me. I mentioned I was going to try SSB and 3 of them worked me on the mode a bit later. I had 2 more other stations too. No great DX but proves the mode works. A few commented that they have club nets on 2m SSB using vertical polarisation - I think there are many with a vertical antenna at home who don’t have beams.
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OK thanks.
Hi Ian, my locator is QF33ip (six Digits)
HNY to you.
Geoff vk3sq
Will there be an official description for the 2026 challenge posted somewhere other than what I’ve seen on the reflector? I’m working on an article for W6SOTA.org/
Keeping it simple, I made a half wave dipole for the challenge. It is designed to fit a walking pole, or other pole. Cost me £5 to make, that was for the telescopic elements. A bit of 3D printing, and I had some Hyperflex 5 and felcro strap in stock. It folds down to about 300mm.
Gave it a quick test on G/WB-005 today seemed to work ok.
Note to self, keep the coax vertical 
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..hi Paul, looks great, very creative!
How did it go on bands?
Geoff vk3sq
I just heard about this as a discussion on one of the microwave groups I am subscribed to. This might be incentive for some of us to include a 2m and 70cm antenna when we go out to play on the microwave bands.
And 2026 is a European Visit Year. Perhaps this visit I will need to concentrate more time on the VHF-UHF bands. I keep a set of 6m-2m-70cm Yagis with my nephew DJ5KC. They pack up small enough to fit in my backpack.
The 6m 3-eleYagi only weighs 1.2kg, and the longest piece when packed is 56cm.
Vy73 – Mike – DM61RT.
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It probably goes without saying that there’s no doubt a bunch of corner cases we’ll have to sort out in software as the first QSOs are added, so please bear with us. I will add distance to the log details pages for Chasers and Activators in the next few days to help people sanity check their logs.
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Ok for a first test, but it needs more testing. I only had 3 SOTA QSO’s, I think two of them were at the same location and were very weak. I could hear a non SOTA station 59 when tuning through the band. I was amazed to start getting some QRM from another station causing me to move a few kHz
Happy New Year
Paul.
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What frequency were you operating on initially?
I was on 144.288
Just had a qso On 144.050 CW with G0HIK/P @G0HIK, i was on summit of Seatallan using a uvk5.
Pleased the uvk5 really does work!
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Hi Andrew, great to work you today, tell me, do we have calling frequencies on 2m or 70cm in VK, like what is used on 6m ?
Geoff vk3sq
Geoff, as per the VK band plans for 2m SSB and 70cm SSB. The call frequencies are listed.
The practice in VK1 is call on 144.200 SSB and QSY to 144.150, 144.180 or 144.220. On 70cm SSB we (in VK1) generally call on 432.150. It’s not often we have a pileup on 432.150.
I guess the important note is to watch for the activator spots.
Happy New Year! Hope to work you on 2m SSB from a VK3 summit.
Andrew VK1AD, Canberra
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Getting ready for the 2026 SOTA challenge!
A couple of questions:
-
From what I understood in the discussion, one needs to confirm the location on air, but the details can be filled in later. So, asking on air and confirming “are you at your home QTH? Good on QRZ?” would be sufficient for the confirmation and the 6 digit grid could be looked up later. Does that sound correct? Or does the on air confirmation need to be explicit coordinates?
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Any suggestions for the best way to ask for chaser location on cw? I think many here are used to 4 digit grids and coming back to the chaser with “DM04??” Is probably only going to get a “R R QSL”. I can just ask “6 DIGIT GRID?” But I’m thinking non-SOTA people (during a VHF event, for example) may not copy that well.
73, Mike K6STR
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