4m calling channel QRM

Hi,

May I please respectfully request that SOTA stations QSY from the calling channel on 4m (70.450MHz) once they have established a QSO ?

Because the band is very quiet it is easy to assume that no inconvenience is caused by working stations on the calling channel, but this is not the case.

One of the great things about 4m is that because most people have dedicated rigs, they are able to leave them monitoring 70.45 and hear stations calling CQ. Because of this, although there are fewer people on 4m than, say, 2m, a CQ call will usually result in a reply.

However, if people continue their QSOs on 70.45, it becomes more intrusive to people monitoring the channel e.g. while working, around the house, or perhaps tinkering in the shack. They will then turn their 4m rig off to get some peace and quiet.

In the long run, this means there will be nobody to answer your CQ calls when you are out activating, so it is very counter-productive.

Recently, there were two SOTA activators both working on 70.45 at the same time. They obviously couldn’t hear each other and the resulting QRM made the 4m calling channel unusable for some time over a very large area.

There are plenty of quiet channels on 4m, please don’t spoil this lovely band and give SOTA a bad reputation and alienate yourself and others. I have found 4m users an extremely friendly lot, who will take the trouble to reply to a CQ call when 2m has yielded nothing, in spite of being able to hear many stations calling their mates.

Thankyou,

Ian GW8OGI

In reply to GW8OGI:

Good point, Ian. I have also observed SOTA contacts taking place on both the FM and SSB calling channels on 2 metres, probably people getting carried away by the occasion but better if it doesn’t happen! :slight_smile:

73

Brian G8ADD

In reply to G8ADD:

The problem on 2 mtr SSB is due to the same chasers putting on 144.300 and thats why some people get frustrated and keep asking for a QSY frequency , as 144.300 is being used by others . The guilty parties have been around for many years and should know better by now .

G0TRB

In reply to G0TRB:
This is an issue that I posted some while ago,the spotting of activations on calling frequencies or centres of activity are absolutely useless to the point now that if I see one spotted there I do not even turn the radio on.
Living in the west country and probably one of the furthest chasers from most activity except when the dc’s are activated I don’t stand a chance of hearing an activator on his/hers normally lower power operation with other operators calling country wide for other contacts on the centre of activity.
I would think most of the problem is with the first contact on the centre of activity and the first chaser making his contact on the qsy frequency not bothering to spot the new operating frequency.Don G0RQL.

In reply to G0TRB:

I understand your frustration Roger. There’s nothing worse than spotting someone on one of the VHF calling frequencies and then not following that spot with the QSY frequency. It’s FB if you are on top of the activator and can easily find the QSY but for keen VHF chasers like yourself and Don who are often a good few hundred km from the activator it can be tantamount to torture knowing there is an activator which you could probably work if you only knew where they where!

I think the solution is in the hands of the spotters. Spot someone on the calling frequency but follow it up either with another spot having the QSY frequency or by editing the original spot. That would save people spotting questions etc.

Andy
MM0FMF (currently -3C, bright sunshine, no wind, 5cm snow)

In reply to G0TRB and G0RQL

The problem on 2 mtr SSB is due to the same chasers putting on 144.300
and thats why some people get frustrated and keep asking for a QSY
frequency.

and G0RQL

This is an issue that I posted some while ago,the spotting of activations on > > calling frequencies or centres of activity are absolutely useless to the point > now that if I see one spotted there I do not even turn the radio on.

Erm, well it is not always that simple. There have been many occasions where I have heard a very weak SOTA station calling on a calling channel, but have not heard where they have qsyed to, and cannot find where they have gone (sometimes to a frequency that is perhaps already occupied by a strong local station). Nobody else has spotted them, so I have done to alert other folk to their presence.

It would appear from these comments that I should desist from doing this because it causes frustration, and there I was just trying to help others. If I know the frequency a station has moved to, I always put it, but if I do not know it, it would appear that I must not ‘spot’ the activity at all.

Regards, Mike G4BLH (with apologies to Ian for the hijack of the 4m thread)

In reply to G4BLH:

It would appear from these comments that I should desist from doing this
because it causes frustration

Simply add to the comment that the QSY is not known and another spot is needed. That way you tick both boxes of spotting there is an activation ongoing and suggest that should anyone hear the station after the QSY they should spot the working frequency.

The person who used to moan about too many spots or spots that weren’t spots is long since gone, so there should be no need to fear spotting anyone. And, should the spots page get cluttered you can rest assured that the less useful spots will be hoovered up by someone from the MT who do tend to check regularly.

Sounds like a win-win-win-win situation to me and there’s no need for any teddies to leave prams. We just need to cooperate. :wink:

And, (that’s the 2nd sentence I’ve started with a conjuction now) to get back on topic, Ian’s point about hogging the 4m calling channel is very valid. There’s enough range and traffic on 4m to make staying on 70.450 quite wrong.

Andy
MM0FMF

In reply to MM0FMF:

Simply add to the comment that the QSY is not known and another spot
is needed.

I can live with that, if I remember HI.

Regards, Mike G4BLH