Last night I worked EI4FOTA on 12m - when I looked at their QRZ page it says “Around St. Patrick’s Day - March 17, a team of FOTA members will activate SOTA IW-039 Binn Ghuaire - Diamond Hill POTA EI-0004 in Connemara National Park.” Then on their website it says that they will be doing this activation 15-18 March 2024.
Does anyone know if this activation did occur and whether it would be compliant with the rules? Have looked through the SOTA sites and cannot find any mention or discussions about it, so hoping someone can confirm or deny if this is loggable or not.
Hi Matt,
I have checked the database webpage (under the Honor Rolls tab) and can’t find any logged entries for SOTA from EI4FOTA, however, do you know who the actual operator was on the Mic? He (or she) may be logging the SOTA contacts under their own callsign. Whether he/she will have got around to that as yet? It may be worth checking in a couple of days.
I also checked Sotawatch for the last three days and did not find any spot for EI4FOTA - I had hoped it might be a self-spot and hence we would perhaps have found the operator - but no.
By the way, looking at the EI4FOTA qrz.com page both that group and the guy who manages the page for them (ON4WTF) have some really beautiful images on their QSL cards.
If I understand correctly… it doesn’t really need SOTA activation as a chaser or for an S2S QSO. It is enough if the rules for SOTA are adhered to.
This is the case, for example: at a station on the summit during the Bavarian Mountain Day (/p - Contest)… or it could simply be a tourist who is active with his handheld radio at 2m from the Zugspitze.
Hi Martin, Hi Matt,
None of those stations appear to have entered an activation log under their call signs. There are only a few activators in Belgium:
It seems their activation of Connemara NP was two days ago on the 16th, not the 17th (but that could be the clock difference EI-VK). Unfortunately, I can’t find anyway in POTA to read the log to see if you are listed, Matt. Of course, they could have been in the park but not on the summit.
Some additional information - contact was on 12m FT8 around 1000Z on 17 March - many FT8 users do not include SOTA info in their FT8 transmissions or only do so infrequently. I saw no spots (either on SOTAWATCH or dxclusters) saying they were doing SOTA - the only reference to this being on their QRZ and group pages which led me to check here if I anyone knew any more information as to it being a valid SOTA contact or not. I have not claimed it in my log as a SOTA chase - but have marked it with a question mark as to a possible SOTA chase.
I don’t do POTA, so had not previously checked their pages - but looking at the single log for 16 March, they only have phone mode for contacts made, so that would not include the FT8 contact (even if the dates matched).
I have emailed the contact address for the callsign as sourced from QRZ asking if they were actually on the summit and if they were SOTA compliant - will advise response received.
I don’t do POTA either, Matt, but they say I have more than 2,300 QSOs with POTA activators without knowing it. Has to be SOTA folks doing combo activations?
I didn’t read from the rules that you have to have the intention to do SOTA.
If you as a chaser have a QSO with a licensed station on a valid QRG… and it complies with the conditions for SOTA (e.g. the tourist with an HT on the Zugspitze) … then in my opinion that is a valid QSO for him chaser or as S2S… even if the OP on the Zugspitze has never heard of SOTA.
I’ve also had QSOs with OPs who called CQ SOTA… never entered their activity into the database.
Well, I had a response to my enquiry - Stefan Sinaeve (in QRZ.com as EI4FOTA, home call of ON3IWH). Stefan advised that I had made contact with “us from the summit of Diamond Hill” and that they were operating with only 10W. He also said that the logs will be uploaded as a SOTA and POTA activation and to confirm through LOTW and / or QRZ.com. Given I cannot see a SOTA account for either his home call or the EI4FOTA call, I suspect that it may not be uploaded here - time will tell. In any case, it appears that it was a SOTA compliant activation, so I will claim that one as a chase unless anyone can disprove their claims. Oh and well done to Martin @OE5REO for his suggestion of ON3IWH.
