When chasing the activators some chasers repeat their call sign many times and makes it impossible to hear the QRP-station on the summit. In order to give the activator as many contacts in a short time the chasers should only send their call-sign one or two times after a QRZ or CQ call, and never at other times unless beeing asked by the activator. Sending call sign repeatedly at other times disturb the ongoing QSOs and ruins the operating joy for many chasers waiting in the background. The interesting question is also if sending the callsign once is better than twice after a QRZ or CQ-call. For fast handling of the pileup once should be enough and faster than twice. It is important to preserve the fun in SOTA operating, so I hope some chasers stop sending their callsigns repeatedly at all times ruining QSOs.
LA6FTA Gudleik
Hi Gudleik,
A very good point.
Now that I am operating a lot from my home QTH with very low G5RV and max 70 watts ( in contrast to our club QTH with much better / bigger antennas and higher power ) I also notice that quite a number of chasers who obviously run rather high power keep sending their call 2, 3, 4 times… after a cq or qrz from the SOTA station. Especially for a high power station there is no need to do that, the SOTA activator will pick you up if he wants, besides that most SOTA activators are good cw operators who can quickly copy a few callers and sometimes the activator station is already in QSO while some big power / ant station is still calling, in my opinion very annoying… Some good listening and patience will help a lot !
I think this is the problem. Chasers are calling when they can’t hear the activator very well if at all.
I agree that sending callsign when they cannot hear the activator at all is no use. When there is QSB and weak signals there might be short moments when you cannot hear the activator, report of “33 with QSB” can explain and justify report given a few times.
Gudleik
I don’t do CW so I don’t know how it works on that mode, but on phone I can tell you that it is rare that the chaser that calls immediately gets the contact. Its the chaser that holds back briefly before calling who manages to get his callsign, or at least his suffix heard, clear of the pack that call quickly to try to be first. This makes the calling last longer, but it works so I guess that the chasers won’t stop doing it. Another chaser trick is to sense by the gap that the activator has not picked out any calls and pop in a late call. These are valid stratagems that a good chaser learns, equally, a good chaser should quickly learn that multiple calls are a waste of time - if you are calling then you are not listening: I have heard occasions where a multiple caller has had the activator come back to him (its always a him!) but doesn’t know it because he is already calling again!
Threads like this don’t help much, because either the worst offenders don’t read them, or if they do, they think it doesn’t apply to them. The only cure is to never work the worst offenders. It might be tempting to work them just to get rid of the nuisance, but that just encourages them to carry on the same way. Don’t work them, and perhaps they will lose interest and go off to bother the POTA people instead! 
That’s almost certainly true. But what’s the point of the internet if it isn’t to have a good whinge now and again?
I have this post written by our dear Guru bookmarked in my browser: The art of calling at the WRONG time.
This probably depends on the CW skills of the activator. When I’m chasing I send my callsign once but with slightly longer inter-character gaps. As an activator I prefer it when the chaser sends his callsign twice as there’s often QSB, QRN and/or QRM and I’m usually distracted by things at the summit (wind noise, insects, cold, tiredness, etc). The duration for the callsign repeat is small compared to the total QSO time. For the same reason I’ll continue to add brief polite phases like GA, 73, TKS. It’s not a contest.
Thank you for many good replies.
It seems that there is a great agreement that sending callsigns repeatedly during other QSOs is very annoying for many. When the activator has repeated my callsign and has started his sending to me, it is extremely frustrating when some chaser calls on top of the activators RST to me, and I dont get his report.
Maybe the activators who hear a chaser sending callsigns many times should answer with his call:“XXnXX is sending QRM/QRN and will not get a report from me.” It is sad if such a negative message is necessary in such a nice activity as SOTA.
Sending callsign twice after a CQ or QRZ call is a good idea.
I looked at Gurus eminent display and wholeheartedly support it. I understand that many in the SOTA community miss him.
SOTA is an addiction that should not be treated. I hope that no one loses interest in SOTA due to bad behavior by some chasers.
I wish you all many happy SOTA QSOs.
LA6FTA Gudleik
I like chasers on CW to only send their call sign once because as I am receiving in my mind the CW it becomes confusing as I generally pick the station in my mind and ignore the rest in that moment to work out who I am going to work. No need to jam the pile up with extra transmissions I got it already and am probably taking a second to write down the Chaser I intend to work. Thanks but no thanks to sending more than once.
Regards
Ian vk5cz …
I’ll work them but they may not be prepared for the signal report I give. The qso goes something like this: (The chaser call sign has been invented)
CQ CQ, ZL3RIK
Chaser; ZL6XXX ZL6XXX ZL6XXX (coming in at a 59+)
ZL3RIK; ZL6XXX, I’ll give you your signal report next over
ZL6XXX; Roger you are 57
ZL3RIK: (I suddenly get “very deaf” at this point) Roger Roger, you are a 43. Thank you for the contact & 73. CQ CQ, ZL3RIK.
There is usually a stunned silence from the chaser but there is a silent applaud from other chasers waiting for the contact.