Would someone like to wander to the new associations in Latvia and Lithuania and activate from there. 3 summits in each association. I did plan a “activate all Baltic states” SOTApedition for Autumn this year when Simon started talking about adding LY and YL around last Christmas. Quite a bit of driving if you arrive and leave from the same airport, better if you arrive Vilnius, depart Tallinn but that adds to the cost of the car hire.
It looked reasonable for 9 uniques and 3 new associations… then Covid
As I wrote before to Martin, I cannot exceptionally take part in OE/OE5 SOTA day this year, same as I had the privilege to do in the last years.
The reason was the project planned for that time from the 20th anniversary of my company.
Today I know that it will not take place due to the pandemic and as a result I remain at home full of frustration.
I decided that at this time I will not participate in any ventures, but I will go up to some summit and me as well as my hearth will be with you my dear Friends.
The WX is relative in this case, we will be together although we will not see each other this time
From SM I will take part and contact those who have been active before me. A small note in our ham magazine, QTC, perhaps can find newcomers to try this activity.
HB15SOTA does not offer prizes on any normal Saturday. But on the 1. European SOTA Activity Day, we will do so! Men need rankings, women do not! But both like presents. Stay tuned!
England will be taking part in this event. However I do not understand how this event is any different to a normal SOTA weekend except for some SOTA Associations giving out prizes for taking part in this event. Although England is taking part in this event, there will be no prizes for England taking part in this event.
EA5ITW/P on EA5/AT-008
IZ1GDB/6 on I/MC-123
OE/OM1ALT/P on OE/NO-180
EA2DNO/P on EA1/BU-075
EC2AG on EA1/BU-079
F/HB9EVF/P on FL/VO-017
5B4APL on 5B/CY-014
OK/DL2DXA/P on OK/US-027
MW0WBG/P on GW/NW-044
SQ8JMZ/P on SP/BZ-074
SM4GIB/P on SM/DA-047
SV2RUJ/P on SV/TL-004
F/HB9GUX/P on FL/VO-172
9A6ZE/P on 9A/PH-008
LZ1GJ/P on LZ/CB-021
M0VCM/P on G/NP-004
GW4TJC/P on GW/NW-053
I came home just after lunchtime - just as the SOTA activity was really warming up! Looking at the spots since then, goodness knows how many S2S could have been snagged on an extended activation!
So it was a very successful European SOTA Activity Day, thanks to the organisers.
What? This wasn’t the European SOTA Activity Day??? Ah, so this was just a normal SOTA day. 19th September should be truly spectacular!
This statement is absolutely correct. What will be different? Is the idea to stimulate even greater numbers of activations on a Saturday? What’s the focus? What’s the structure? All I see so far is a title and a date - but since every Saturday enjoys extraordinarily high levels of activator activity in Europe these days, I don’t see what is different about this event.
So yes, I still don’t understand it. I’d like to understand it, if you can help with that. I’ll definitely help to promote it, and very likely participate as an activator - but I could do with knowing what it actually is, and what makes it different/special to a normal SOTA Saturday in Europe.
As I see it, a pre-arranged activity day could bring out of hiding people like me who rarely activate or people whose activity is waining. However there is another aspect, a tag which I think the organisers have missed. September 19th stands a reasonable chance of fine weather, being in the period when the so-called “indian summer” occurs in Europe, and this marks the end of the summer season. This activity day could be branded as the “SOTA Summers End Festival”, a grand celebration of SOTA and the enjoyment of the mountains, before the storms of autumn set in and limit our activities.
PS I could go further, make it global, but in the southern hemisphere it could be the “SOTA Winter’s End Festival”, and in six months time reverse them, a northern “Winter’s End” and a southern “Summer’s End”. How does that sound?
That’s a great idea Brian. That’s exactly what it needs in my opinion - some sort of additional significance, purpose - and a “hook”. May I take this opportunity to nominate you to the organising committee as the MT Member Responsible For Arranging Good Weather?
I get your logic, but this risks detracting from the “focus” of the event. It is being organised by several EU associations working in collaboration, and I definitely think the focus of “Summer’s End” is preferable to “Summer’s End & Winter’s Start in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter’s End & Summer’s Start in the Southern Hemisphere”.
Like with other events, such as the USA QRPTTF, EU-NA S2S, VK/ZL DX mornings etc, nothing to stop other places joining in. But specific focus is good, and is the sort of thing that makes an event ‘special’, and different to a normal SOTA day.
September is the beginning of a very stable period in the mountains, usually without the dangerous thunderstorms in the summer months July and August. That’s why it is perfect for such an activity. The OE5-SOTA Day has always been organised on the second or third Saturday in September and we’ve never had to cancel it.
NATO manoeuvers in the 80s were the two last weeks of September. And it was well known that there was very little chance for bad weather to play Cowboys and Indians… It is indeed a recurring weather pattern. Plus/minus. The first week of Septembre, “back to school” see a spell of cold and rainy weather. (at least here in Western Europe.
On the same line, I am always amazed that the weather pattern in June, at the anniversary of the Waterloo battle, is the same as two hundred years ago (as recorded by history and not perception): hot with heavy thunderstorm. Reenactors swear every year…
So I’ll be outside for sure that Saturday. As there aren’t that many summits in Belgium, there might be a lot of face-to-face QSOs I guess.
Yes, this fine spell is fairly reliable in the UK, too, and, I believe, in the USA too. We call it the “Indian Summer”, and another moderately reliable fine spell around October 18th is called “Saint Luke’s Little Summer”.
Fair enough. When I get an idea I like to run with it to see how far it will stretch!
I did read that Juerg. I’m trying to help, to be able to promote the event as genuinely unique, different and newsworthy. Prizes or not, this was still looking very much like a typical SOTA day - and it would to magazine editors too.
We have some progress and constructive suggestions above in the thread. I hope the organising team will consider these. With the right tags/hooks/purpose we can successfully promote this event.
Can you let me know how the prizes will work - who gets them and what is on offer? Will the organising committee get on board with the suggestion of something like the “End of European Summer SOTA Festival”?
I thought that this is the only way in my country, that if someone comes up with something cool then the rest starts laughing at it and shows that it is nothing extraordinary … and it turns out that this is a global rule … pity
What about SOTA Europe to VK or SOTA Europe to NA?
Also nothing special and can be done every weekend?
Let’s start appreciate each other because it will end up so that every new idea will be ridiculed here
To be fair, Jarek, Tom is not ridiculing the idea, he is looking for an angle, a hook that will encourage editors to give the event a prominent paragraph rather than one line at the bottom of the page. Your typical editor is like a cat, if it doesn’t glitter or move enticingly then the cat, sorry, editor will ignore it.
Nice Idea with the tag
I guess.