Wow, maybe I ought to build something better than a dipole for 10m!
This should be fun!
73,
Rex KE6MT
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Ah, right-on! Iāve started planning a 10/6m portable hexbeam and probably will make a second for 10/12/15m. Weāll see if I can get it together for the ARRL contest, but getting more use out of it for SOTA will be great fun! (and 10m EFHW, a dipole, rebuild the 1/4l vertical with elevated radialsā¦ so many options!)
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I think the challenge sounds great and should be fun.
While I am sure many of us will bring our own approach/goal toward this challenge it would be wonderful to recognize/encourage activators to do more (much more?) than a smash and grab activation.
Having done 350+ activations, I do definitely know circumstances vary on and around a peak dictating a short 4 Q activation but in general for chasers, having activators on the peak longer presumably helps the challenge be more successful.
Iām not sure what my personal goal will be. Maybe minimum 10 Qs and a stretch of chasers in 10 different States and/or DXCC entities.
Kudos for organizing the event!!
Paul
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Simple wire vertical with 4 radials works well for me on 10 m with 50 w output power. I am also thinking about making setup for digital modes for SOTA.
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Count me in.
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Hi Paul,
In fact the Challenge already does recognise the effort to make more QSOs to a wider group of chasers by its scoring system. Your Challenge score = the number of unique callsigns in your log x the number of unique references activated. So the more activations you do, the wider variety of summits you visit, and the more QSOs you make (reaching more unique people), the more your score builds. This is totalled across the year rather than each individual activation - and therefore if the weather turns and you need to get off the hill - thereās always tomorrow - and no urgent incentive to prolong the activation.
Because it is unique chasers, the wider variety and number of modes you operate, the better too, as this is a good way of reaching out to more and new people.
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Hi Tom
In my excitement, I missed that key fact!!
Thanks for setting me straight.
Paul
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Just for clarity, as far as I can see there are no bonus points for 10m-10m S2S - the contact will count the same as any chaser contact as far as the challenge is concerned. Of course as the S2S contact will count in the normal way in the database s2s ratings.
73 Ed.
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Correct. Thereās nothing specific for S2S QSOs on the challenge in the current plan. As explained, the current plan is a mild edit of existing challenge code which makes it a low overhead implementation.
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āChallengeā may not be the right term, if there is no global listā¦
We will lose in attractiveness, but competition is not to everyoneās liking.
73
Chris F4WBN
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Very excited for this. I donāt think Iām quite as ready as Adam, but Iām going to get a 10m dipole together for this!
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Iāve used a quarter wave with three sloping radials to good effect on 10m. The radials are also the guys, so it is quite quick to shove up my 7m mast, with the bottom couple of sections collapsed.
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My chance to try HF for the first time.
I think a 1/4 or 5/8 Ī» vertical should be OK for a dabble.
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Try it ASAP, Stuart, we have over a week of very high SFI ahead of us and the results should delight you!
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For chasers, its very easy to fix a cheap CB half wave silver rod, 5/8 wave sigma, Sirio, Venom or such like on a bracket on the gable end, chimney or wall side of your house, if there is room for one or a ground mounted 1/4 wave GP if you have a garden, (away from the house or they donāt work very well). These CB designed aerials work very well on 28 Mhz if shortened by a few cms. Andy said we had 5 weeks to get ready, Iām ready now.
The worlds your Oyster on 10m when the SFI is up at 194 as it is today, 310 DXCC worked (308 confirmed) so still 30 DXCC to work and confirm since 1982 and hoping to pick up more this cycle, which could very well be my last as a living licenced amateur, but best not to get too morbid!
73 Phil
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There will be a Database page showing scores, and that (I expect) can be filtered to single/local or all associations like the normal honour rolls. BTW, I would prefer it to be ranked by scoring like the usual tables are, rather than by callsign - but I believe I am in the minority - both in the MT and the SOTA community as a whole. It shouldnāt be too difficult however to copy-and-paste into a spreadsheet and sort by score for oneās own amusement!
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Iād also like it to be presented like the honour rolls are. After each activation I like to see how I am doing compared to others. Iām never going to be top activator but I like seeing how I am doing at CW S2S in āAll Gā for the current year. The 20th Anniversary Challenge never got my great interest because of the way it was presented.
Has there ever been a vote?
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I used to be concerned that any appearance of competition would encourage activators to take risks in order to gain points. I worried about the ranking tables encouraging risk taking. Nowadays my stance on this has moderated. Yes, I am against holding formal short-term competitions, but ranking by scoring both in regular activating and in special events, such as challenges, is IMO harmless. The evidence on which I base my opinion is that while the activator tables rank by score, SOTA has seen remarkably few accidents despite the fact that there has so far been over half a million activations. Participants in SOTA have proved to be prudent, indeed one could make a case for them being more prudent than the wider hiking community!
No, after all, the GR (3.12.1.7) make it clear that SOTA is not a democracy! The MT are always open to suggestions and keep their fingers on the pulse of SOTA but will always err on the side of caution - after all, if an inquest decides that a fatality was caused by an injudicious rule or event, the MT is where the buck stops!
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Iām inclined to agree. As Richard mentions above, I like to see my progress (or lack of) in the āhonour rollsā.
Iām well aware that it isnāt and can never be a competition, because we all started in SOTA at different times, with different motivations, and there are a host of other variables too.
There is no question in my mind about āwinningā or ālosingā, but seeing other people making progress is very encouraging.
Its a bit like meeting someone whilst climbing a hill - its nice, and I never feel the need to race them to the top!
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I confirm that the buck stopped at the MT in 2016, whence I promptly shot it after determining that it wasnāt Bambi. I hasten to say the Statute of Limitations has already run.
Elliott, K6EL
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