I have done a few joint first time activations with Colwyn MM0YCJ. We have normallyused FM or SSB for these activations and both have spoken to the chasers in turn. Looking at the summit information on these activations I have been credited with the first activation when there has been as little as 30 seconds between mine and Colwyn’s first contact. This is no doubt based on alphabetical order!!! This seems a little unfair. I would like to suggest that in situations such as this then more than one activator should appear as the first time activator. Maybe any summit with two first time activations on the same day within say 15 minutes of each other should result in both activators being credited with the first activation? to me this would seem to be a fair reward for the slog up the hill together!
It’s done on time to the nearest minute. The earliest time goes first. The actual code contains “SELECT TOP 1 FROM …” so the database is tasked with providing just one activation with the earliest time. If there are 2 or more with the same time then the database will provide one but I don’t know what the criteria is. It maybe the 1st it finds from all those that match. That means deleting your activation, if you are listed 1st and the entering it again would put you second in the list.
The easier way is for the pair of you to decide who is to be first and the other to wait a few minutes before starting. Then the times will be different.
…there would have been ten activators ‘joint 1st’ all within one hour. Even if shortened to the suggested 15 minutes, there would still be several.
In actual fact, the party agreed on the day to let Jimmy make the 1st QSO to claim 1st activator of the summit, in respect of him organising the expedition. ie, what Andy said - if it’s a new previously unactivated summit, make an agreement about who is going to be first. Because somebody will be first - one of you will make your first QSO slightly before the other one, and that person is therefore the first activator of the hill.
The easier way is for the pair of you to decide who is to be first and the other to wait a few minutes before starting. Then the times will be different.
Precisely what Paul and I did up in Orkney - you can see who got the credits… but it worked in reverse as I bagged WS-333 as previously agreed. To split the honours I would suggest Adrian deletes his entry and then re-enters an amended log adding a minute to the time of his first QSO which should ensure the desired change to Colwyn’s call… assuming they can agree who bagged which summit first.
In reply to MM0DHY:
It’s just a fact of life that someone has to be first. Even Hillary and Tenzing eventually admitted it was Hillary who first stood on the top of Everest, after many years of keeping it to themselves.
As several others have said, agree between you who is going to get it before hand and then just alternate between new summits.
I’d love to do a first activation. I’ve been looking at the list of remote GM unactivated summits (which are Corbetts). Quite fancy Ben Aden GM/WS-122. I’ve been thinking of a trip back into Knoydart, I haven’t been in there for nearly 10 years. Need to lighten the gear a bit though! http://www.sotawatch.org/summits.php?summit=GM/WS-122
(Oh and before anyone picks me up - I know that strictly speaking Knoydart doesn’t start until you get west of the River Carnach)
Don’t worry Gerald, when the Scots become independent and their economy goes through the roof, we can all move north of the border to take up those well-paid part-time jobs and spend the rest of each week in SOTA heaven.
