Since I’m not activating much lately, but I’ve spent 3 good hours at the shack chasing SOTA this morning, I’ve decided to share with you my experience in the form of a chaser report:
Date: 07/05/2021
Following the spots on SOTAwatch and in bold those I managed to chase.
08:22 YO6PIB/P from YO/EC-513 on 14.320 SSB ==> no copy 08:50 2E0VRX/P from G/NP-010 on 14.225 SSB ==> chased at 08:55
08:56 LB7PC from LA/VF-012 on 14.275 SSB ==> no copy
09:10 GW4TQE/P from GW/MW-027 on 5.3985 SSB ==> no copy (off WRC15)
09:17 GW4TQE/P from GW/MW-027 on 7.125 SSB ==> no copy. QRL w/ EA QSO.
09:29 GW4TQE/P from GW/MW-027 on 145.525 FM ==> I have not 2m antenna.
09:49 GW4VPX/P from GW/SW-024 on 5.3715 SSB ==> no copy (off WRC15) 09:59 M1BUU/P from G/NP-017 on 14.0570 CW ==> chased at 10:11
10:05 I1WKN/P from I/ER-061 on 14.288 SSB ==> no copy
10:07 GW4VPX/P from GW/SW-024 on 3.765 SSB ==> no copy
10:21 F6HBI/P from F/AM-624 on 10.1179 CW ==> phone call but no copy at 10:40
10:24 I1WKN/P from I/ER-061 on 7.181 SSB ==> no copy 10:41 EA4DON/P from EA4/MD-030 on 7.030 CW ==> chased at 10:48 10:43 EA2CCG/P from EA2/NV-121 on 14.315 SSB ==> chased at 10:52
10:49 M0GQC from G/SC-003 on 7.175 SSB ==> no copy
10:51 F6HBI/P from F/AM-624 on 18.0861 CW ==> no copy 10:57 EA2CCG/P from EA2/NV-121 on 21.290 SSB ==> chased at 11:02
11:00 GW4VPX/P from GW/SW-024 on 5.3715 SSB ==> no copy (off WRC15)
11:01 G8CPZ/P from G/LD-017 on 10.1173 CW ==> no copy
11:07 GW4VPX/P from GW/SW-024 on 7.118 SSB ==> no copy 11:08 F6HBI/P from F/AM-624 on 7.0320 CW ==> chased at 11:12 11:09 F8FEO/P from F/AM-590 on 10.1219 CW ==> chased at 11:11
I must leave the shack now. Thanks to all the activators. Sorry for not having been able to hear and chase you all, but the bands and propagation conditions are what they are.
Let’s see if we can chase some more in the afternoon-evening.
Hi Guru, you should mainly use CW, you have much more contact in that mode, by the way I will be tomorrow at Sota EA7/MA-111 CERRO GORDO II, I’m looking forward to hear you on CW. .
72. Manu.
Hi Manu,
I chase CW or phone, either way, as long as I can copy the activator. The problem is many of the spotted activations, regardless of phone or CW, are just not copied here.
However, it’s absolutely true that CW is always a winner under extremely poor conditions and very weak signals.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to copy you tomorrow from EA7/MA-111, but I’ll surely try to chase you in case I can copy you.
Good luck in your activation.
73,
I worked Manuel @EA2DT so propagation should have been okay today. We have worked recently on 30m. I was using my Chameleon MPAS Lite vertical today (with 10W CW as usual) and used this vertical when we worked on 19/4. I used the EFHW on the previous occasion (13/4) with you.
A word to Phil @G4OBK the summit of Red Screes had lots of people milling around so was very glad to occupy a small footprint with my new vertical than when using the EFHW. I was also grateful for its quick tear-down time when an ominous black cloud coming down the valley brought hail.
I and other chasers in Pamplona often hear Manuel EA2DT chasing several activators we don’t copy at all. It’s true that my QTH and his are about 20 Km appart with a mountain range in between, but there are other chasers with good antennas in the same city within a short distance of less than 3-4 Km from Manuel’s QTH and they can’t hear several activators that Manuel apparently can. I sometimes have the feel that he must be using different WebSDRs at different locations, but I can’t say it for certain because he’s never said so to any of us.
I was hoping to hear you well on 30m, but I see now that you were using a lower performing, fast deploying antenna. One can’t have it all, I’m afraid.
Don’t worry, there will be other chances.
I hope you had a nice time out in the mountains.
Hi Phil,
To be honest, I’ve never tried any digital mode other than RTTY for a very brief moment in the 80’s, which I found extremely passive and boring.
That RTTY experience taught me that I don’t enjoy having a computer making the QSOs for me.
I really enjoyed making 5 straight key CW QSOs yesterday between 1900 and 2000z on 40m QRP with my homemade magloop antenna in the balcony.
Yes, but as I said, I worked you on the same vertical a few weeks ago. It’s true that the vertical is usually a few S points down [on 30m] compared to my 40/30/20 EFHW but I can’t explain your not hearing me at all because of the antenna.
I just checked my logs. Since I bought the vertical in March I’ve got contacts in Spain (e.g. EA2DT, EA7GV, EA7FY, EA2EOW and yourself once) every time I used that vertical mostly on 30m, a few times on 20m [where the vertical is often as good or slightly better than the EFHW).
Bear in mind that my antennas are not in the best shape right now. My broadband folded dipole, which is the only antenna I have for 30m, is quite deaf in most of the bands, particularly the lower bands.
My 5 elements triband yagi is stuck unable to rotate because the rotator died in a thunderstrom some years ago and I haven’t yet got it repaired with all my family duties, then my health issues, then my divorce and so many other priorities. Also because if it gets repaired, I’ll have to setup a way to use it remotely, which is how I currently use my station 99.9% of the time and that’s something I haven’t yet thought about.
Dont’ worry, if I hear an activator, I try to chase him/her, but if I can’t hear him/her, which is something quite common in these poor propagation days, I just do other thing. It’s not a problem. don’t feel yourself guilty because I couldn’t hear you. You activated, you qualified and you enjoyed the mountains. That’s the most important.
73,
Hi Éric,
I see the tough conditions also applied to your side. However, with hard work and perseverance we still manage to collect a not too bad number of chases.
This is something I almost never do. I log my chases on SAISIE SOTA logging program and then upload it to the SOTA database at the end of the day, right before going to sleep. As soon as the upload is done, I close down and go to bed. The following day is a new day and I start from scratch not even thinking on what I chased or not the day before.
Bye for now.
73,
I share with you and all others my Phantastik chasing Saturday morning 8 May.
at 0755 UTC on 40m + 0813 UTC 30m I completed my HB15SOTA Edelweiss award on the very last day after the failure on Tuesday.
Many many thanksTom HB9DPR for your efforts to making it possible to realise the top HB15SOTA award with my qrp signal.
Many many thanks to all activators in the past year
73 Patrick ON4BCA
Craig was only 56 km away from me yesterday [in fact, we worked S2S on 2m FM] and it’s interesting that he worked you Guru @EA2IF on SSB but on 20m [rather than 30m] a little earlier.
I recall your saying that your location in Spain is quite southerly and as such working northern European can be a problem. Notwithstanding your restricted antenna problem at the present, do you find contacts with G, GM, etc easier on 20m?
There be no guilt in using FT8 Jose to work DXCC when you have already gained No.1 DXCC Honour Roll by serving your time using the non-computerised modes already!
I am often worked by local chasers on 20m CW via groundwave, e.g. Matthew @M5EVT and Ray G0TUE (in G/NP and G/LD) worked me whilst I was on Holme Fell (G/LD-051) last Wednesday.
