I activated Cefn Eglwysilan GW/SW-025 earlier today. After getting back to the holiday accommodation, I noticed that the Ham2K Polo app had spotted me as M1EYP/P on SOTAwatch even though my callsign in the app was set correctly as MW1EYP/P. Regardless of that, it was consistently MW1EYP/P that I used on air. I see that some chasers have logged me as M1EYP/P.
Also, I had some difficulty establishing a clear run frequency, so self-spotted on 7.032 and 7.033 - but didn’t make any QSOs. All my 40m CW QSOs were on 7.031 from 1227z onwards. After self-spotting on 7.031 my mast collapsed - twice! Nonetheless for a few minutes while I was re-erecting it I could hear several chasers having phantom QSOs with me! They couldn’t have heard me because I hadn’t transmitted!
It’s a facet of SOTA that I find utterly perplexing.
I put a test spot out checking a function in the SMS spotter. I said I was up Ben Nevis on 40m CW at 2230 and put TEST TEST TEST in the comment. Someone has logged the QSO they had with me even though I was playing with the software and not on the summit or the air.
If they use the Log Spot feature in Sotawatch it will log it against the callsign in the spot. So more a case of don’t forget to read…
Another error that’s common is not logging the /P. So I activate as G4TGJ/P and I have an S2S with G9ABC/P but they log it in the database as G4TGJ and G9ABC. Doesn’t matter so much for SOTA as you still get credit (although it only appears in half of Show Who Chased Me) but for POTA it wouldn’t be recognised as a P2P if the callsigns don’t exactly match. Also won’t match in LoTW.
This happens so much. The chaser can’t hear the activator properly so imagines that they are in QSO with them. So often I am in the middle of calling CQ and someone else just sends their callsign on top so they can’t possibly have heard me.
This could be due (if giving the benefit of the doubt) of logging using the log spots and some unfortunate timing on a page refresh and click. Or even just an unfortunate misclick in the wrong place.
IIRC , there is no verify on the log spot options, so you dont get the option to see that youve done it. I maybe wrong on this as I use it fairly infrequently.
If you click a template it will override the callsign in the setup. I don’t bother changing callsign in the settings anymore, I just click the relevant template. I learned the hard way, doing what you may have done
Perhaps true but it does pop up an entire modal with everything you are about to log before you get to click. I don’t see how a second step would help if someone isn’t reading the first modal
In software and web development, a modal (short for “modal window”) is a graphical element that sits on top of a webpage or app’s main content. [1, 2, 3]
What it does: It creates a special “mode” that temporarily blocks or disables your interaction with the rest of the application.
When it is used: Commonly used for pop-ups, warning messages, login prompts, or image enlargements (like a Lightbox). You are forced to interact with or close the modal before you can return to the main page.
I rarely use it since there is no option to claim the chase as an SWL chase.
I normally set them up manually and then either tick or untick the SWL box as appropriate.
I happened the other day that Adrian G1OXH was on Stoney Cove Pike on 2m SSB. Its a marginal direction for me, so was pleased I could hear him (actually quite well). As it turned out the rain curtailed his activation, so it was a simple task just to tick the SWL box.
Would it be nice as a feature on the log spots function, Yes (but probably only for about 4 or 5 people). Is it of great importance, No.
But the above is why I don’t use it much. Since most people don’t take part in the SWL side its of no matter to them.
Even as a cw novice and coward (so far I’ve been too scared to do a cw activation), I’ve noticed peculiar activity by cw chasers.
I’ve often heard activators ask for a repeat, only to be answered by tu 73 dit dit. I can only surmise that non morse operators have at least learnt to recognise their own call sign and get all other necessary information from SOTAwatch. I’ve also heard two chasers answering simultaneously.
I’m not meaning this as a criticism, because even on phone, requests for repeats are similarly misunderstood due to linguistic barriers.
Thanks Andy. I am familiar with modes in subjects as different as music and earth sciences but was baffled by a word normally an adjective functioning as a noun, thinking it might be a mistake, all is clear now.
