Yah, just checked here: ACMA Register of Radiocommunications Licences (RRL)
If you phone the nice man tomorrow and flex your plastic, you are good to go.
yes, I was going to do that tomorrow. I wan’t waiting for the “tree”, that’s for sure LOL
Doesn’t sound right about the parks, Mark. Our state administrator is under the impression that he has registered just about everything that hasn’t floated away. With a bit of luck, here is a “close parks” query for Hinchinbrook: Summits and Parks by Distance (parksnpeaks.org)
I’m assuming without going to deep that parksnpeaks is the ozzie version of POTA. Yes?
Well, parksnpeaks is a sort of “non-denominational” web site that supports parks, silos, islands, shires, summits - you name it. WWFF (web site wwff.co) is the “real” parks thing, and is by far the most supported program in VK. POTA is a Yank “johnny come lately” thing in case we needed a reinvented wheel. It has gained a toehold in VK, but the vast majority of activators & chasers in VK will want your “VKFF” number, not your POTA whatever. We should probably take any further discussion to another forum, as this is, after all a “summits” site. Sorry, guys!
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Welcome back Mark; great photos.
Geoff vk3sq
Firstly, a warm welcome to SOTA, with your interests, I’m sure you’ll fit in well!
The Reverse Beacon Network seems to be quite good at deciphering hand sent Morse, so as long as your fist is reasonably decent, RBNhole should be able to send a spot.
As long as you post an (accurate) Alert , the computer wizardry will take care of itself without any other input.
I use a paddle key and electronic keyer so my hand sent morse with a straight key is not very good! Occasionally I operate a rig without a keyer so I’m forced to use a straight key. My last outing with a straight key involved a NorCal Forty9er which doesn’t have a sidetone (or keyer), I was amazed that the RBN picked me up fine! I was sending Morse ‘blind’! To me is just shows how good the RBN skimmer software is at decoding CW.
73, Colin
M1BUU
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Hi Mark,
Great to hear of an operator interested in SOTA from north Qld. You’ve been given some good info above. I’ll just add a couple of bits to that.
Parksnpeaks.org is a website, rather than an activity program like SOTA or WWFF. It basically provides real time data like sotawatch does for SOTA, but also allows alerting and spotting under a number of activity programs. The most used is probably WWFF followed by SOTA, but there is also the Silos On The Air (SIOTA), HEMA (another summits-based program but with no overlap with SOTA, slightly different criteria) and recently POTA has been added. Supporting data like the summits, parks and silos are all listed there for reference too. All built and maintained by Allen VK3ARH.
Linking in to Parksnpeaks.org and sotawatch, there is a very popular logging and spotting program VK Port-a-log, designed and built by Peter VK3ZPF (see above) which runs on Android phones and tablets. It is used mainly in VK and ZL but has spread world wide due to its purpose-built design and reliability. I’m a fan - it just “does it” for a portable operator.
The interaction of RBN and RBNHOLE with SOTAWATCH is automatic, but it’s worth remembering that RBN is not a SOTA-specific system. It was there before the link to SOTA was created by the author of the original RBNGATE. RBN is a network of monitoring receivers that scan the bands and log all CQ calls (and some other calls, but not the calls of stations in QSOs). The data is published on an online database and is available for anyone to view, whatever their interests. See reversebeacon.net for details. The SOTA connection is provided by RBNHOLE which scans Reversebeacon.net’s published data and compares the callsigns with Alerts placed on Sotawatch by SOTA operators. Where a CQ logged by RBN matches the callsign in an alert on sotawatch, RBNHOLE posts a spot on Sotawatch to show that an alerted SOTA operator is actually on the air and their frequency. RBNHole was developed by Andrew VK3ARR.
See you on the bands. CW or SSB.
73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2DA
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Thanks Geoff
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Thanks Collin and Andrew for your explanations.
Initially all this was as clear as mud, but after spending a couple of days researching, the water’s are becoming clear. As for parksnpeaks and all the rest, I think I’ll just stick with the Straight Key Century Club and SOTA for the moment. Down the track a bit I’ll look into the rest or should I say…get involved with the rest as well. Small steps.
First thing though… I’ve got to get my morse back up to speed whilst I’m waiting for my gear to arrive and also designing and building a few antenna’s. 10 WPM isn’t a problem. But “brain fade” steps in out of the blue and in the end, you’ve missed half the characters LOL. So I’m working on getting myself back up to around 18-20 wpm (Straight Key)
Anyway, enough waffling.
Thanks again fellas
Mark.
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Set aside your fears about code speed, Mark. On a summit, you are the “rare DX”, therefore you set the rules. If you declare that transactions will be processed at 10 WPM, then they shall. The SOTA exchange is about as simple as it gets. VK ain’t that big a place - within 2 or 3 activations, you will recognise each chaser’s individual fist, and, of course, anticipate their call sign from the first couple of characters. The SKCC exchange is a bit more verbose, but fixed format, with 90% verifiable from other sources. I assume you have found us: SKCC Sked Page (skccgroup.com). Whilst you are waiting on your QCX, let’s work on that CW ease-of-mind. CU on the sked page!
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Hello Mark nice to see you have become aware of SOTA. VK4 is seriously lacking SOTA activators for what ever reason so I hope you can get out and do some summits in 2023.
From my experience with SOTA chasers on CW mode is keep it simple with the exchange at about 15 wpm with electronic keyer or hand key. No need for speed records on SOTA or telling of life stories and you will be fine as will your chaser trying to give you a score. Make sure you have read the rules of SOTA re activation zone property access permission as well. You may find property access and tyranny of distance to and from summits harder than the radio side. If you can over come that and get fit enough to hike and carry enough kit to a summit you will enjoy it for sure. Make the most of the very few summits where you can drive to the activation zone, and use the drive on summits if you decide to do more than 1 summit per day. I sometimes try to do a hike up summit then a drive up summit as the last one for the day. This is not always possible but maybe when doing multiple summits per day do the longest hike summit first and a quick shorter hike summit last. If you stick at it you will learn from experience also the logistics of doing SOTA and your expectations of who you are going to find chasing you. Most important thing before you even leave home is put your Alert on SOTAwatch3 so we know you are intending to activate. My bad habit is every morning first thing check SW3 to see who is on or intending to be on SOTA.
Regards
Ian vk5cz …
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