The Management Team is receiving increasing numbers of complaints from Activators about poor, aggressive
and disruptive operating by a small number of Chasers. Such operating slows down the QSO rate for the Activators, who in general cannot afford to spend too long on a summit, and therefore this has an effect on safety. The Management Team has therefore determined that formal sanctions are necessary to reduce disruptive operating.
Starting immediately, a three stage procedure will be instituted,
analogous to that applied to misuse of the Sotawatch Reflector. On
receipt of a number of complaints about disruptive operating, a
warning will be sent to the operator detailing the operating practices that have attracted complaints, and warning that continuing these practices will result in the application of sanctions.
If the operator persists in disruptive operating, then a temporary
exclusion from SOTA facilities will be imposed. Access to SOTA will be
restored on receipt of an assurance from the operator that these
disruptive practices will cease.
If further complaints are received then the disruptive operator will
receive a permanent exclusion from SOTA and that operators log in the
database will be deleted. No copy of the deleted log will be kept, so all
records of the operators contacts and score will be lost.
In reply to G8ADD:
Another annoying practice is Chasers who engage Activators in extended QSOs. Time and band conditions limit the number of chasers who can make contact with activators. It is frustrating to listen to a chaser giving his name, QTH and a weather report to an activator while band conditions are rapidly deteriorating. An exchange of calls and signal reports is all that is necessary.
In an increasingly banal World it seems sad to discourage having a meaningful conversation; of course this should only be instigated by the activator. Chasers should assume that the activator is hanging on by his/her fingernails unless told otherwise.
I am also one up for the occasional extended QSO from a summit, particularly at the end of a run of contacts on a band, assuming time and the weather permit. One of the aspects of SOTA that attracted me back in 2006 was the friendliness of the Chasers. When I next went up a summit, there these chaps were again and soon I got to know something about them, just like on 2m AM back in the early 70’s.
Quick QSOs might be appropriate on HF CW when a pile up is progress, but it will be a sad day if all of SOTA adopts that method of operating.
I’ve had plenty of longish conversations on activations, which I have greatly enjoyed, while lounging in the sunshine on a warm day.
Alternatively I’ve also been faced with trying to cut someone off when they try to tell me what they are having for dinner, while I am sitting shivering!
I agree Richard, it should be entirely up to the Activator, they are
the ones who have made the effort and should be in control.
Here here I totally agree but having said that most activators will, if they have a pile-up or even a small queue, tend to keep the QSOs short and work the waiting chasers.
I have on those occassions when things are a bit slow had a half-hour QSO with a chaser especially when that chasers has worked me frequently.
In reply to G1FOA:
I agree with Richard ,
It should be up to the activator to decide on the length of qso
It sometimes can be frustrating as a chaser to hear an activator indulging in long qso’s when its apparent he/she has a massive pile up .
In this case the activator should have the awareness to move things on.
I’m usually quite patient as a chaser .
But when i hear this kind of activating i just give up and QSY.
Thankfully this doesn’t happen too often.
Good luck to all in 2013
Aled
MW0UPH
I disagree Aled. It is up to the chasers to have awareness of the activator’s MO, not the other way round. If an activator climbs a mountain and wishes to spend the summit time having four 15 minute ragchews, that is up to him/her.
Of course, in the kind of example you mention, an activator may lose future support from chasers, and might like to bear that in mind, but it is always up to the activator to set out the kind of operating they wish to take place.
I am sure the vast majority would try to work as many as possible as quickly as possible if it is apparent that many are calling. But it remains the activator’s decision.
I think Tom is spot on there. As a Chaser you are probably even more aware of the extent of the pileup and if so I try to keep the overs short to give the Activator the chance to say 73 & move on but if they want to talk I will let them. There are activators that aren’t particularly after hundreds of contacts but prefer fewer interesting QSOs (I would count myself as one of them) and as for losing support of Chasers, I would take that chance myself. Like I said before it is the Activator that has made the effort to climb the Summit, it should be up to them to get what they want out of the Activation.
I am talking as a mainly VHF/UHF activator at the moment but I am starting to build an MST400 40m SSB transceiver with the intention of using it to Activate some of the ‘trickier to get VHF/UHF out of WOTA summits’ but will of course use it on some SOTAs as well. So once built I might be heard further afield (at least I hope so) from the summits, I’m sure that will change my perspective a little.
Back to the original posting.
I’m sitting here listening to the pile up that OK1NF is running on 7.032.
In the last 5 minutes, I1YDT has sent his call over 100 times in blocks of 4.
(I’ve tallied them up)
Not only that, but he has been answered twice but is so insistent on calling that he has failed to notice.
Please listen and call once when you actually hear the station you’re trying to work…
Off topic a little but I’d like to thank Roy-SSH earlier for the polite way he put me right after I had worked DL250COAL when I thought at the time I was working a SOTA station with the normal zoo calling over the top. I did realise after the QSO but in my defence my XYL was telling me that we were going out shopping and so I broke the cardinal sin and didn’t listen (to the DX not my wife). Because of that missed Gerald but kept the wife happy.
Anyway thanks Roy anybody else would have said “stupid prat - LISTEN”. HI.
In the last 5 minutes, I1YDT has sent his call over 100 times in
blocks of 4.
(I’ve tallied them up)
Not only that, but he has been answered twice but is so insistent on
calling that he has failed to notice.
One of the usual suspects to use a Casablanca phrase…
I deleted a post this morning. I understand the frustration generated by these aggressive operators, as a keen chaser I suffer, too! It is very valuable to have the reports on this thread, but try not to be too rude or ribald about the transgressors as that doesn’t fit in too well with the rules of the road for this reflector.
So far one operator has received a friendly warning, it looks like another couple will get theirs soon, though I suspect that controlling some of the more unruly pile-ups is a bit of a labour of Hercules!
Thanks for getting rid of the unpleasant post Brian.
SOTA, as an institution, is not going to be able to change the bad habits in European amateur radio. We should be quietly pleased that SOTA activations have become much sought after DX, it is a measure of the success of the programme.
Only activators can stop unruly chasers. If as an activator you send a partial like “SP1?”, then only respond to SP1 stations that then call. If a particular chaser is continuously calling and causing disruption, never work him just to get rid of him. That will only prove his strategy works and he will keep doing it.
I didn’t see the unpleasant post Tom…
Going back to the DL250COAL situation yesterday mentioned by M0BKV (thank’s to Roy for putting us all right!) I’m not criticising activators but it should be commonplace to identify with your callsign say at least every third QSO and give the SOTA reference at least every fifth QSO in my opinion.
The best way to escape the LIDS on CW is to listen slightly up or down of your transmit frequency using the RIT or split control. This is what Andy DK7MG/P did today to avoid the QRM caused by the bad operating of one particular Italian station (who I reported to the MT), and it worked.
to identify with your callsign say at least every third QSO and give the SOTA >reference at least every fifth QSO in my opinion.
It’s tips like these I find useful Phil. I’ve been trying to ensure I send call and ref every 5 QSOs but if you think callsign every 3 is better I’ll alter the ratios.
Though it’s so long since I’ve been out I had great difficulty copy callsigns on lcwo.net this morning. Must practice some more before going back on the air!