I’m writing to let you know that I went to the F/MC-180 summit this morning to activate it (a parking lot).
I had barely set up my antenna when I received a visit from the Army. They asked me what I was doing there with my equipment.
I explained to them that I was a radio amateur and that I was here to activate this summit - I was performing SOTA. This is an amateur radio activity. I showed them my RA license.
They kindly asked me to leave because I was on military property.
I put away my antenna and switched to QRT on the Sotawatch.
For your information, the summit overlooks military property
Hello Juan,
I’m QRT’ing on F/MC-180 at 09:31Z (see log on sotawatch) and I went to another hill - next to a tower dating back to 1850 and restored. But it’s not listed as a sota (I’m sorry). And it’s from this spot that we made a QSO on 21.049 CW. It’s not your fault at all.
I just saw on sotawatch, I’m indeed marked as F/MC-180 on 21.049 and 14.032 CW, spotted several times by RNB.
I don’t understand. I didn’t create these spots on these frequencies, nor any alerts on sotawatch.
or if you have an answer to this mystery, I’d love to hear it.
73’S Xavier
Hi Xavier, thanks for the quick reply. It doesn’t work sometimes. It happened to me too. The spots are from RBN and are probably related to your alert. I look forward to hearing from you 73 Jan
You were spotted by RBNhole. Your alert has by default a period that extends one hour before the alert time and two hours after when any RBN reports of your CW CQ calls will be made into spots. The alert window can be modified by you when you place the alert.
Sending QRT in a spot does not terminate the alert window. So if you move somewhere else and start sending CQs during the alert window you will get spotted again. RBNhole does not know you have moved. The fix is to delete the alert once you finish if you intend to operate somewhere else.
Six activators were not caught by the military in the past. Maybe they operated from the path in the woods that enters the AZ but isn’t visible by the gatehouse?
People at military sites are going to see any one setting up an antenna and operate a radio as a threat due to their training. The military may own the land outside the wires/walls, they may not. Local military security staff probably don’t know the true extent either. They will tell you to move on anyway whether that’s a legal request or not. Argue your rights with men with guns or just do something easier? Maybe you need to check with the gatehouse staff.
Me as I have travelled regularly through Lyon- St. Exupery airport in the past, I’ve looked at this one as a simple unique to collect either on my way from or to the airport. Not knowing the law or speaking sufficient French, it’s somewhere I’ve avoided as looking like I may experience events that could “really spoil my day”.
Hi,
It is the headquarters of the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Center (ARCC), well known to some who collaborate with the Civil Security within the departmental ADRASEC.
73 Chris
As Andy MM0FMF says:
Six activists haven’t been arrested by the military in the past.
Perhaps they were operating from the forest trail that leads to
the security zone, but which isn’t visible from the sentry box?
I don’t know.
It’s okay, I wrote this post simply to inform the amateur radio community…
With 14yrs in the guard service at a few MoD sites before I retired, and with experience similar to the above. Anyone acting what is thought to be suspicious outside or in this case above the fence line would be a classed as a security risk and training kicks in. Without going into detail all sites have a direct link to the Police which is acted on immediately in the UK. The world today is not a safe place and all sites are on a heightened threat level. Drones, Demonstrations, Filming. etc etc is all classed as a security threat.
Okay Joe,
It would probably be up to the Sotawatch administrators to mention a little information about it.
I’m just a “small” radio amateur and a beginner in Sota.
No legitimacy.
73’s Xavier
