Is it really such a fundamental problem? I know it is lighter at heart when you can show your oracle to everyone. The slave will ask, “Is it legal?” A free man will ask, “Is it justified?” If he was 50 cm beyond the French border on the side of Spain, how many lives did he risk by his shameful behavior? How far from the top are the closest buildings on the Spanish side? and on the French side ?? Who did he threaten more? To his countrymen or to his neighbors from beyond the southern border? If he returned the 50 cm, wouldn’t he threaten the neighbors beyond the southern border?
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After reading these last posts, I have the feel that the purpose of my message has been misunderstood.
I didn’t pretend to open discussions and I’m not going to argue in favour or against current restrictions being implemented in different ways, in different countries, regions, landers, autonomous comunities or whatever. That is law and all we can do about it is obeying.
I didn’t pretend to open discussions and I’m not going to argue in favour or against whether being on one side or the other of the border will put at risk the life of anybody. I have my opinion about that but it doesn’t matter at all at the moment because there are laws and regulations dictated by the people in power so our opinions have to remain for ourselves, our pub/bar conversations or maybe other forums.
I’m pretty sure that Alain operated from the French side of the border and I fear he got confused and added the EA2/ preffix to his callsign because he thought he should do so because the SOTA reference was EA2/NV-094. All I wanted is warning Alain and his today’s chasers, as well as other possible future activators of border summits, that the fact of having a certain reference in the activated summit doesn’t necessarily force us to include in our callsign the preffix of the country having the reference of that SOTA summit if we are operating from the other side of the border.
In the case that Alain operated from the Spanish side of the border, his callsign EA2/F5ODQ/P and the SOTA reference EA2/NV-094 would be correct, but his activation today would be invalid.
In the case that Alain operated from the French side of the border, his callsign should have been F5ODQ/P and the SOTA reference EA2/NV-094.
That’s it.
73,
Guru
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I agree with Guru.
The summit is listed as an EA2 summit. But the activity zone is also in France. So you can also activate an EA2 summit from France and then of course you don’t have EA2/-Call… and you don’t break any rules. Everything is fine!
When you activate a border summit, you don’t necessarily have to cross the border.
73 Armin
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I don’t really think it’s necessary to explicitly show you’re not breaking any rules by explicitly using your home country prefix instead of the other one just to show the world that you’re standing on your side of the border during activation, especially if the summit area is spread across 2 countries.
It’s more practical and less confusing for the chasers if the summit prefix and callsign prefix match, as simple as that. I always do it that way.
OM/OK and OM/SP have lots of border summits and I always use a callsign prefix to match that particular summit.
Obeying the regulations, I think, that’s a matter of one’s conscience and common sense. Apart from some very special/rare ocassions when you have a licence class that doesn’t allow you to operate abroad. (Is it still the case that Italy doesn’t recognize Cept N, so if you only have an N-class you wouldn’t be able to use transmit there?).
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This 
. Initially when on border summits, I made sure my callsign matched my actual location on the summit, but I found this created too much confusion. Now I make sure summit reference and callsign match, even if I am in the “other” country.
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This is true - I used to use the “correct” callsign when operating on the English side of the border to activate a Welsh Summit. Correct according to Ofcom rules but confusing and of no great significance.
However, on a fairly recent trip to a border summit between EI and GI there was the added problem of an M6 (UK Foundation Level) callsign; this is invalid for operating in EI. So, we were both careful to set up on the GI side of the summit and use the MI callsigns . UK chasers would be aware of this difficulty. Use of the EI prefix would have implied an illegal operation - not unlike the example highlighted by Guru.
73,
Rod
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I am also aware that an activity as FXXXX of an EA2/XX summit can lead to confusion. (That’s why it should be an exception in my opinion.But better that way - than no activity.).
But I’m sure that more experienced chasers can certainly handle it and in ssb it can be explained quickly.
Nevertheless, there will be chasers who will log the call as EA2/FXXXX/P. 
73 Armin
The very fact that there are people incapable of logging what they hear is worrying.
It may be confusing to hear SP/M0FMF/P ( A UK station operating in Poland) giving a ref as OK/KR-010 (a summit in Czech Republic) but that is what you log. You don’t log what you think I should be sending (OK/M0FMF/P) because I was sat right by a border marker in SP whilst in the AZ of an OK summit. That’s how it works, your callsign identifies a radio station and it’s national location and the summit ref identifies the summit.
I read this current issue as probably confusion giving a French call and a Spanish ref doesn’t sound right. With border restrictions because of Covid it stands out like a sore thumb.
I love finding corner cases so, like a child, will always operate such summits with the “wrong” call 
We have some super delicious summits we could roll out that are like this. Andorra C31 does not issue visitor licences and is not in CEPT. We have a list of all the Andorran summits that are valid for SOTA and there are several summits that would have a C31/XX-nnn type reference that have AZ’s into France and Spain. They could be activated with French and Spanish calls. The rest of C31 would need an Andorran licence which is anything but easy to obtain. We’ve held back because we don’t like having associations that don’t allow visiting hams to activate.
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Please see the “Border summits” section lower down on this page:
https://www.sota.org.uk/Blog/2020/09/01/In-The-Zone-2
Obviously you must use the correct call sign for the territory from which you are transmitting, regardless of the SOTA reference. If you don’t agree with this take up your argument with the relevant licensing authority, not us!
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Nice sigs from Markus today 
12:56
HB15SOTA on F/JU-018 | post_add
Op. Markus HB9DIZ, KX2 10W QRV now [sotl.as] (by HB9DIZ)
5.363 ssb
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And he caught out Nick G4OOE with that F summit and HB call 
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can we have this pinned with big bold font, please?
According to several posts in this thread, it’s clear many activators don’t know this very basic elemental thing.
73,
Guru
Pour info, j’ai rectifié mon erreur le jour même sur mon log d’activateur.
Cependant il est regrettable de constater autant d’énergie déployée pour si peu. C’est peut-être votre mode de fonctionnement ou votre façon d’exister, ce n’est pas l’état d’esprit que je cautionne.
En conclusion je dirai beaucoup de Bla Bla Bla Bla… pour RIEN
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Bonjour Alain,
J’ai vu dans la database ton log d’activateur corrigé. Il y a aussi des chasseurs qu’ont corrigé ton indicatif, mais pas plusieurs d’autres.
Le Reflector est un espace très interesant pour échanger des idées et commentaires, aussi que d’apprentissage.
Je ne dirait pas qu’on a fait du bla, bla, bla pour rien dans ce cas, parce que plusieurs activateurs pourront se beneficier des infos ici.
Depuis votre première contact par email mon seule intention à toujours été de vous aider et le fait d’avoir écrit sur le cas ici dans le Reflector reste toujours avec le seule intention d’aider à une plus grande part de la communauté SOTA.
Cordialement,
Guru
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Hi Eric
This activation was funny for me for several reasons:
- A really funny summit name. Investigated for it, answers still missing.
- A strong and cold wind from the South on the top.
- Using a Swiss callsign from a French summit
- Not being able to provide a Swiss canton for the HB15SOTA award.
- The special callsign restricted to the use on the Swiss territory only, contrary to a club station call.
- … and being mentioned for nice sigs on a band that my antenna is not made for, hi. Tnx!
Indeed, one of my last QSO partners of that day insisted that my procedure (Swiss callsign from a French summit) was not correct according to the SOTA rules. I could clarify this but he judged then the rule to be bad, hi.
Just started another investigation with our admission authority what is considered the place of transmission and triggers the callsign, as there are several possibilities: position of the operator, position of the transmitting device, position of the foot of the antenna mast, used air space by the antenna wire. If they don’t reply they may have thought that my question was a joke, what is also an answer, hi.
Main thing and most important: I enjoyed Le Meix Musy and all the fun it could create! This to close the loop since I was a bit off topic … ehm: bordering.
Vy 73 de Markus, HB9DIZ
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The outcome was that they follow the “principle of territoriality”. So the operator must be on the right side for them, and that was what I had done. So real life is mostly much simpler than we (can) imagine! 
Thus, enjoy these Meix-Musys, wherever they are.
Vy 73 de Markus, HB9DIZ
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Hello all,
Tomorrow 24/03/2021, i will be F6HBI/P activating I/LG-309.
As Covid-19 restrictions do no allow me to go in Italia, i will stay on the French side of the border, in the activation zone of Monte Grammondo I/LG-309.
73 Gerald
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Hello Roger,
I dissagree, the trig point is right on the border line @1379m.
And even if the logo on the sota map is not at the good place, it is an Italian Reference.
We decided that 4 years ago when a lot of change has been for Border summits in all associations.
73 see you later, Gerald F6HBI
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Hello all,
Just a brief note to make everyone aware that this situation has changed. From today, this movement restriction is not anymore in place and people can freely move in and out of Navarra EA2/NV. So anyone willing to come over and activate EA2/NV summits will be very welcome.
WX is the only one applying restrictions, as it’s raining here today…
I think this free movement situation applies to all other regions in EA, but I’m not 100% sure about that and I’d recommnend to contact the AM of each EA association to have an update on the specific situation for each association and region.
73,
Guru
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