I agree Brian. Between 1984-1986 I went to Wales and other places activating rare squares on 2m with a FT480 for Worked All Britain.
It was great fun and my wife only complained once (she was the one who carried the lead/acid battery from the car)when we got somewhere in the Black Mountains and then I found out that I left the co-ax cables behind in the car 90 minutes or so away!
She did speak to me again after a few days!
I have a huge respect and some understanding of what is involved for those who are now activating and getting it right.
In reply to G8ADD:
.
"…what the band sounds like to an activator"
.
OK, Brian, how about this…Bob, K6XX, can easily hear what that sounds like, as he lives on a broad summit. He would have to walk nearly a half-mile to get out of the activation zone. What if he, instead of doing that useless hike, goes outside and washes the truck as a trade-off. Fair enough??
.
Elliott, K6ILM
Troublemaker
“I’m thankful to the many chasers who have contacted me on summits,
and without them a successful activation would not be possible. There
may be some chasers who would like to do an activation but can’t for
one reason or another. Letting them experience the thrill of making
contacts from a summit by virtual means might be a neat way of showing
my appreciation for their efforts.”
There are hundreds of videos that show pretty much every aspect of a sota activation. All that the keen chaser needs to do to experience the full SOTA is to watch them with their hands and feet in an icebox while someone pours water over them and at the same time blasts them with a fan.
One of our summits, G/WB-021 Ruardean Hill, carries the village of Ruardean. Its not a problem for activating, there are several places that you can walk to from your car and set up a portable station. There is a sports field there, and the associated building carries the shack and antennas of the local AR Society. Naturally they cannot activate the hill from the shack but they only have to walk outside and use a pocket V/UHF rig to activate it. If a ham lived in the village he could not activate the hill from his shack but he could easily set up a portable station in his garden and activate the summit. With a pocket rig he could also mow the lawn, hoe the radishes and tend the barbi at the same time as activating - no problem. He’d only gain one point a year but it would be great for earning the S2S award when it starts!
Come to think of it, I think I’ll sell up and move there…!
I knew there was something missing from last weeks trip up Carn a’Gheoidh! It wasn’t wet. I had the cold (-4C), wind (25+mph), mist, fog and snow. Just no water. Still I’ve never beaten my 2007 trip up Ben Chonzie where my water bottle froze inside my rucksack.
As I know some of our friends who live left side of the pond are reading, I have an early Christmas quiz for you.
See if you can pronounce those 2 names without looking at solution. Remember like all Gaelic words they are pronounced as they are written
One of our summits, G/WB-021 Ruardean Hill, carries the village of
Ruardean. Its not a problem for activating, there are several places
that you can walk to from your car and set up a portable station.
Or Crowborough, where the Golf course and most of the town are in the activation zone. You can even activate from the local pub!
In reply to MM0FMF:
.
We have enough challenges with all our new languages locally, Andy. California is less than one-half caucasian, now. Further, in my city we are trying in vain to learn to speak Republican.
.
Elliott, K6ILM
Twisted Mind
Someone mentioned a wire connection vs a public network connection.
That is a bit vague too. You see, my entire house is wireless. It is
not really “open” public access, but there are a number of external
devices registered with the system to allow access for a handicapped
neighbor. He can’t afford internet, I have plenty of bandwidth. So am
I a public system?
For me it is still private network, but on the hardware layer you are using public network open to any legitimate user. Radio amateurs do it on the hardware layer. Thus the QSO has a propagation mode internet+something.
There is similar reasoning why the data packets from the internet are not automatically transmitted in the APRS network on the 2 meter band. The other way around from the APRS network to internet there is no problem to pass the packets.
One major omission Richard - insect life! You have to be there to experience that joy. I still shudder when someone mentions Hirfynydd - the midges up there were actually swimming in the insect repellent which coated my hands and face. Oh, and before you ask, backstroke if I remember correctly.
In reply to G8ADD:
.
You’re visualizing things wrong way about. Those are Australian midges, which you got in exchange for prisoners a few centuries ago. Viewed from above, it’s the backstroke. Viewed from down-under, it’s the Australian Crawl…of course.
.
Elliott, K6ILM
I know this subject is partly raised with a smile, there are a lot of responses and I could easily have the wrong end of the stick but there seem to be plenty of points for discussion. What about?:
No virual experience yet devised can give even a small impression of what activating is like. Operating the radio is a tiny part of the SOTA/p. The pyramid of supporting activity and planning can be anything from minor to huge.
When compared to the able bodied, licensees with a wide range of disabilities have to make outstanding efforts to activate. For example, a chance encounter with an almost totally blind lady (an M3) being slowly led up Pendle Hill a few years ago showed me what determination is. I can think of two people who have climbed and activated through severe pain.
I would not be alone in saying that SOTA is a great way to do excercise and visit the high places. To me that’s always been the main point of it and to be encouraged.
The ability to activate remotely would halve the number of real activators at one stroke; both able and disabled and would devalue all former achievement.
As has been pointed out by Tom, concience and ‘The Spirit of SOTA’ are paramount. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
I think setting up a station on a summit for others to experience is a great idea so long as remote activator points are not accruable. Similarly just listening to activations on remote receivers is fine so long as these are not used as the receive path for chasing. Probably the rules need amending to put the person unambiguously on the summit with the equipment, the chaser co-located with his rig and a direct radio path between. I would accept that non terrestrial repeaters continue to be allowed.
I can see a day when the activator allows a kind of transponder rig to do most of the work while they explore the summit or eat a sandwich without having to choke on it (HI). All that will be required is for the activator to take the rig/ aerial to the summit and set it up until all chasers have worked it. The system can then QSL QSO’s on the internet either later or in real time.
Just my (not too serious) two penny worth and a personal view only,
Probably the rules need amending to put the person unambiguously on the
summit with the equipment, the chaser co-located with his rig and a direct
radio path between. I would accept that non terrestrial repeaters
continue to be allowed.
I wholeheartedly agree. This, to me, expresses the whole philosophy of SOTA.
