In reply to G3CWI:
Sarky beggar!
FWIW I had a ready to go FAQ filed on the MT Group last August. I had a revised and expanded version addressing newly emerging problems ready this May. Getting the steady flow of new Associations on line has a higher priority than getting the FAQ available to the punters, as I’m sure you will agree.
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
But surely any hill is x Wrekins HI? (SOTA dimensionless measure of points versus effort to activate based on G/WB-010] e.g. 0.1 Wrekins for G/WB-005 from the nearby road or c. 4 Wrekins for some of the Lakeland 2 pointers.
73
David M0YDH
In reply to K9EZ:
Well, I thought I’d throw my mitt into the ring here - the Mapping Project main page already has a KML export facility for any and all SOTA Asscociations, Regions and Summits.
To find it, click on the “tools” bar at the left-hand side of the Main page in the Mapping Project and click on the “Export button”, choose what you like from the form and click “Create file”.
If you’ve chosen “KML File” from the dropdown in the form, you’ll get a file which can be saved to your computer, and which contains all the information it needs to present summits data in google Earth. This option gives you “dead” data which will not be updated, unless you recreate the file at some other time.
If you’ve chosen “KML Network Link” from the dropdown, however, you’ll get data which will be updated automatically from within Google Earth - so, “live” data, or at the most 1 day old.
So, what do you get in the KML file? You get fancy boxes full of data, you get color-coded labels on the summits: red if not yet activated, white otherwise, icons with points-values - you can even choose to have small or standard icons. Your fancy boxes contain links to qrz.com for the activator, links back to the SOTAWatch page for each summit, and…
Well, just try it out - you might like it!
Oh yes - you can also export to GPX if that’s your thing.
Rob
DM1CM
In reply to G8ADD:
FWIW I had a ready to go FAQ filed on the MT Group last August. I had
a revised and expanded version addressing newly emerging problems
ready this May. Getting the steady flow of new Associations on line
has a higher priority than getting the FAQ available to the punters,
as I’m sure you will agree.
The main beneficiaries of an FAQ will be the MT so if your colleagues are happy fielding endless similar question, that’s just fine by me!
73 Richard G3CWI
In reply to M0YDH:
Hi David,
“But surely any hill is x Wrekins HI? (SOTA dimensionless measure of points versus effort to activate based on G/WB-010] e.g. 0.1 Wrekins for G/WB-005 from the nearby road or c. 4 Wrekins for some of the Lakeland 2 pointers.”
I also use a similar method based on G/SP-005 Pendle Hill 
Thanks & 73,
Mark G0VOF
In reply to DM1CM:
Rob, you have done a great job on the SOTA mapping project. Does everything I need, including as you say kml exports and loads more beside.
I don’t feel the need to use something else.
Thanks!
73
Gerald
MW0WML
In reply to G1INK:
Getting back on topic, there is or was a google earth kmz file on the
original summits yahoo site provided by Martyn M1MAJ. He seems to
update it as more summits are added to the program as I regularly get
the “update in your groups” message from Yahoo. I looked this morning
to get the message “oops invalid path”. Maybe Martyn can shed some
light on the current situation.
I still maintain the file; I have just done the update for this month’s new summits. As well as the “summits” Yahoo group I also upload it to the Summitsbase site - see
http://www.summits.org.uk/tiki-list_file_gallery.php
under “Google Earth Files” (unfortunately my file has ended up as the only entry on “page 2” of the listing, so it is easy to miss).
Things do look a bit different on Yahoo today. When I updated it today I was not asked whether I wanted to advertise it so I assume the update message has not gone out this time 
To a large extent my file is susperseded by the much more flexible options in the SOTA mapping project, though that being said, I have yet to discover an easy way to do an “all summits” export from the latter. Google Earth does seem to struggle a bit with so many points in one file, so perhaps this isn’t a problem worth solving.
I sometimes fix up coordinate errors found in the database, though there are fewer of those than there used to be. The only fix at the moment is to provide a location for GW/NW-077.
The generation of the file is scripted but I do have to crank the handle manually. At the moment it is a small amount of work on top of what I do for myself anyway, so I intend to carry on with it while that remains so.
Martyn M1MAJ
In reply to M1MAJ:
Yahoo seem to have pushed the “self-destruct” button with their groups pages and they’re quite broken in many ways. Imagine rolling out a major change to something with a massive user base and then realising that it doesn’t actually work because you didn’t test it first.
Perhaps their new boss should stop blogging and doing photo shoots and roll up her Oscar de la Renta sleeves and help out with the coding! Perhaps not. Since Marissa came on the seen Flickr and Tumblr have been “updated” and now they’re both shadows of their former selves.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to M1MAJ:
I still maintain the file; I have just done the update for this
month’s new summits.
Hi Martyn
Just been to the usual summits group, and the latest file does not appear to be there. I can find the August update, and that for June, but not the latest.
I find your kmz files extremely useful, and would hate to lose them (I’m not a member of that other place).
73 de Les, G3VQO
In reply to G3VQO:
Just been to the usual summits group, and the latest file does not
appear to be there. I can find the August update, and that for June,
but not the latest.
Try:
As Andy says, Yahoo seem to be in some disarray.
I normally delete the previous version when the new has sucessfully uploaded, so I’m not quite sure where you’ve found the June version. It’s not supposed to be anywhere.
In reply to M1MAJ:
“…I have yet to discover an easy way to do an “all summits” export from the [Mapping Project]”.
It’s quite simple: In the Mapping Project Main page, click the “Export Summits data…” button to open the Export dialog, select all Associations from the list (there’s no “Select all” option here, you have to select them all manually), choose the output format, and click “Create file >>”. Easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy.
The “Select all” option is missing from the Associations list in the Export dialog for the very reason you mention in your previous post:
“Google Earth does seem to struggle a bit with so many points in one file…”
IMHO the most sensible way to import SOTA summits data into Google Earth is not in one huge file containing all 50000+ summits, but rather in smaller, more easily manageable (for the user as well as for Google Earth) files for those areas of most interest to the user. So, the “Select all” option for the Associations list is not present in order to (ever so slightly) discourage people from selecting all - it’s still possible, though!
Rob
DM1CM
In reply to M1MAJ:
I normally delete the previous version when the new has sucessfully
uploaded, so I’m not quite sure where you’ve found the June version.
It’s not supposed to be anywhere.
Thanks Martyn. I’ve got it now. I am not sure where I ended up before to find the old versions. I certainly cannot get there now!
73 de Les, G3VQO
In reply to G3VQO:
I am not sure where I ended up before
Neither are the code-monkeys at Yahoo! They have royally broken everything! The scale of the fail is legendary and me and my many programming chums have our popcorn ready to munch whilst we watch the development and laugh.
There is one good thing… the NASOTA Yahoo group is awash with posts from lovely ladies who want our company. They don’t want long term commitment but probably do want to empty our wallets whilst selling us some pharmaceuticals! It’s brightened up the group no end. Unless your the moderator trying to regain control of the group.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to DM1CM:
It’s quite simple: In the Mapping Project Main page, click the “Export
Summits data…” button to open the Export dialog, select all
Associations from the list (there’s no “Select all” option here, you
have to select them all manually), choose the output format, and click
“Create file >>”. Easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy.
Thanks. Yes that works. The mistake I made was to tick the “All Regions” box as well. If you do that you appear to get nothing.
In reply to M1MAJ:
“…tick the “All Regions” box as well. If you do that you appear to get nothing.”
Hmmm, that should also work. I’ll get it fixed…
Rob
DM1CM