By all means set yourself goals, such as only doing HF CW, or only 2m
SSB, or 70cms. Ot targets of 30 points activating a month, or goatdom
in a year, or whatever. Set targets you want to achieve and aim for
them.
Andy
MM0FMF
Fair enough, I set myself the target of scoring 125 activator points in a day, that’s not an unreasonable target is it, it can be achieved within Sota, it’s already been proved, unfortunately we will never achieve that target in the UK will we?
What do they call that? is it victimisation is it or predjudice?
unfortunately we will never achieve that target in the UK will we?
You can always go where it is possible. There is no rule which says that you have to activate in your home association. The same summits are available to all of us.
unfortunately we will never achieve that target in the UK will
we?
You can always go where it is possible. There is no rule which says
that you have to activate in your home association. The same summits
are available to all of us.
So that’s the only way around it, is it?
The whole Sota community and all associations within Sota has to head overseas to obtain equality.
In reply to MM0FMF:
"You can get 40 points if you do the Lawers Ridge then Meall Corranaich and Meall a’Choire Leith (1x10 + 3x8 + 1x6). "
This chat about how many activations are possible in a day leaves me in awe of some activators.
When planning an outing (OK, Scottish summits - long walk in; though not on Ben Lawers before the pedants have a go at me - hi!) I allow for the planned time using modified Naismith, about 15 minutes leeway for “admiring views” on the way up, ten or more minutes to set-up the HF antenna, 40 minutes or so operating and 10 minutes to pack up. Which in my estimation means about an hour on the summit; this does not allow for lunch or the inevitable ragchew with GM4COX which can make a mockery of my timing!!! So these mass-multiple activations either have to be smash and grab and the activator with wings on their feet or else the activator is in for an extremely long day.
For me, the siren-song of the nearest hostelry calls come late afternoon and I like to leave the ridge while I am still able to enjoy a couple of glasses of foaming nut-brown meths.
So these mass-multiple activations either have to be smash and grab
and the activator with wings on their feet or else the activator
is in for an extremely long day.
There’s a difference between what can be achieved and what should be achieved.
The question was about how many points can you get. And it’s possible to get 42 not 40 on that route, I need to learn to count! But you’re right about how long it takes on a summit. I always allow for an hour. So a five summit ridge would require 5 hours for the radio alone. Plus about 7 hours for the walking and climbing. I don’t think I’d be capable of drinking never mind driving at the end of that!
How about a list of SOTA-convenient real ale watering holes from one of our resident list-makers?
One point worth bringing out (yes, folks, it’s back to topic!) is that multiple activations such as the Lawers range mentioned above and the Ennerdale Skyline that I pointed out in another thread are natural mountain days out, logical routes walked in one go without motoring stages, practical propositions for reasonably fit mountain walkers rather than super athletes. The multiple and high scoring activations that sparked off this discussion often involve driving between summits taking advantage of convenient roads. If the summits involved are valid summits and if the activators are heeding the rules about not operating from cars (shades of a notorious summit in TW!) then the inequality is a matter of geography and there is nothing to be done other than press for more roads up our summits! I am willing to bet all of you would rather live with the inequalities!
then the inequality is a matter of geography and there is nothing to be done
other than press for more roads up our summits! I am willing to bet
all of you would rather live with the inequalities!
73
Brian G8ADD
I think it’s more to do with the assoc. managers views on the 150 metre seperation rule.
Well, Mike, if the rules are being bent then that needs to be corrected, but I do think that geography has a lot to do with it. Years ago a group of us drove through Bavaria on our way home from Austria. We drove through gently rolling countryside with mixed farming. I glanced at the map as the main road crested one such hill, farmed to the summit, and found that we were at 4500 feet! I can well believe that the kind of countryside that I saw would produce a crop of high but eminently accessable hills, but that was just one sample and the geography of other areas is probably different. I also believe that the continental fondness for winter sports (where they have REAL winters!) would mean easier access to many hills.
I think we are coming up against the fact that SOTA as set up was tailor made for British hills, if it had been devised in a peri-alpine country abroad it might look very different and we would have no high scoring hills at all!
So that’s the only way around it, is it?
The whole Sota community and all associations within Sota has to head
overseas to obtain equality.
Not at all. All I’m saying is that if you have a personal goal of scoring 125 points in a day you will have to travel to where it it possible.
There may be some injustices in the current scoring scheme but I can’t see that we will ever achieve anything like “equality”. SOTA may well be “easier” in Germany than in Wales. Is that fundamentally any different from the observation that SOTA is a lot easier if you live in Connah’s Quay than if you live in Cambridge?
It may not be a level playing field but we are all on the same one.
Not at all. All I’m saying is that if you have a personal goal of
scoring 125 points in a day you will have to travel to where it it
possible.
That is wrong though Martyn and it’s unfair.
SOTA may well be “easier” in Germany than in Wales. Is that
fundamentally any different from the observation that SOTA is a lot
easier if you live in Connah’s Quay than if you live in Cambridge?
It most certainly is dramatically different, in Connah’s Quay and Cambridge or anywhere else in the UK for that matter we all play to the exact same set of rules, in DL they don’t, end of story. I hasten to add that it is NO fault of our friends in DL.
It may not be a level playing field but we are all on the same one.
No Martyn we are not, not when the height seperation differs from assoc. to assoc.
I fully understand the geography Brian, that’s not the problem though.
One station had a break of 34 minutes between the last spot on one summit and the first spot on the next summit, both summits were 8 pointers.
Stop and analyse those timings, including dismantling the station, travelling, then reassembling the station, not to mention descent and ascent times. Also bear in mind that those are spots times, not neccessarily last and first transmission times.
You are a long experienced Mountaineer, could you meet those times even if the summits were 50 metres apart, but with a minimum of 150 metres of ascent and descent involved?
There is clearly some respect in which I have misunderstood you, but I’m afraid I don’t know what it is. My statement appears to me to be a truism, but there’s plainly something I’ve missed. No offence intended.
No Martyn we are not, not when the height seperation differs from
assoc. to assoc.
Well I understand what you mean, and of course it’s true. But I thought we had done this to death and were awaiting due process to review the situation. I don’t see a “quick fix”.
Even if the exact same criteria are adopted everwhere we still won’t have “equality”.
Well I understand what you mean, and of course it’s true. But I
thought we had done this to death and were awaiting due process to
review the situation. I don’t see a “quick fix”.
Even if the exact same criteria are adopted everwhere we still won’t
have “equality”.
No offence taken whatsoever Martyn, it’s just good healthy debate.
You are right of course, we have hammered this point and it is being looked into, the outcome will be awaited with interest by many.
I fully understand the geography Brian, that’s not the problem though.
One station had a break of 34 minutes between the last spot on one
summit and the first spot on the next summit, both summits were 8
pointers.
Stop and analyse those timings, including dismantling the station,
travelling, then reassembling the station, not to mention descent and
ascent times. Also bear in mind that those are spots times, not
neccessarily last and first transmission times.
You are a long experienced Mountaineer, could you meet those times
even if the summits were 50 metres apart, but with a minimum of 150
metres of ascent and descent involved?
73 Mike
No, Mike, even a fell-runner would be pushed! However there is an alternate scenario. !0 minutes to pack the station, a couple of minutes walk to the summit carpark, 5 minutes drive to the next summit carpark, a couple of minutes walk to the operating position, 10 minutes to set up - and you are away! If these hills have access for winter sports this is quite a likely scenario. Not the way SOTA was intended but not outwith the rules, I think. I’m not saying that this is what happened in this particular case, just pointing out a possibility. After all, you can drive to the top of Greenlowther - or you could when G3NAQ and I operated 2m and 160m from the top in the 60’s after getting appropriate permissions!
You never sign your comments with your name or I’d use it in this
reply. Anyway <insert_name> you need to take a much more Zen
view of the awards.
Do I need to, my callsign is after all at the top of a post!
Feel free to disagree as I really wont mind or care.
Andy
MM0FMF
I do disagree and find the manor you say it in rude and offensive, and if it was anyone else I would expect the MT to say something about your post but then again…