Welcome to SOTA-Netherlands, which becomes the latest European Association with effect from 1st September 2008.
Well-known as a particularly low-lying country, a judicious use of the minimum P100 parameter has allowed Association Manager Hans PA0HRM to find four summits that qualify for SOTA.
Unusually, the highest point in the country, Vaalserberg at 322m, does not qualify as a SOTA summit, as it is effectively over-shadowed by the 400m Preusswald across the border in Belgium. Nevertheless, Vaalserberg remains an attractive target for amateur radio, as the summit is shared between three countries – Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. A gentle stroll from the car park will allow operation from three DXCC countries – hard to resist if you are in the area!
All of the Dutch summits are easily accessible, so expect plenty of activations from both residents and cross-border visitors.
Here’s a thought… With the summits being discovered in “The Low Countries”, maybe East Anglia could declare UDI, get DXCC status and find a few summits with the P100 rule… I guess Martyn M1MAJ would be happy.
As an ‘ex-pat’ Suffolk lad I fully agree that East Anglia
should declare UDI, but I think the highest point in East
Anglia is the Gog Magog Hills, which at 71m ASL would require
some relaxation of the Rules to qualify for SOTA inclusion.
Would be interested if anyone knows any higher points in
that area.
In reply to G0ELJ:
Sorry about the hills but you can’t have everything
My best pint ever was in the Lord Nelson Southwold (Adnams Broadside) followed by an excellent meal in the Drifters just up the road.
I’ve had bottled Adnams since and its just not the same
OT but hey !
Roger G4OWG
Welcome PA (in uk that means Pale Ale)
That’s a positive mountain for Suffolk - mind you, most people
who haven’t been there think it’s all flat like the area round
the Wash!!
Roger G4OWG - You’ve hit the nail on the head, I was born in
Southwold in 1943. Sadly left there when I was 7 or 8, but have
spent many holidays there in the past - no SOTA summits there
though!
I don’t see any problem with this. If the national boundaries have been drawn so that they pass through the actual highest point, as in, say, the Matterhorn, then the summit can be legitimately claimed by two associations. The activator is free to choose which designation he uses for his activation and can even change sides of the summit and therefore prefixes if he fancies a change, but only claim one score, just as the chasers will only get one score. The natural unit of SOTA isn’t the entity or the Association, it is the mountain.
I do not understand why that Vaalserberg are not accepted !
Vaalserberg is also in PA-land, ON-land and DL-land, (3 country point) each are different countries.
(read also the Dutch version once)
“as it is effectively over-shadowed by the 400m Preusswald across the border in Belgium.”
If we will look now at the distance of each other also … as an example: then I must think on “Croix Scaille” and the northern summits across the border in France and a lot more of others in other countries.
Vaalserberg is the highest point in PA-land and that removes on the list
PSE … give us the “low countries” a chance to !!!
The natural unit of SOTA isn’t the entity or the Association, it is the mountain. as Brian say.
But the decision lies at the MT-team. Unfortunate … I will nevertheless lay down myself at the decision.
Not really, Luc, the decision rests only with how the mountain conforms to the P100 rule. It is simple, if the col between Vaalserberg and Preusswald is less than 100 metres below the summit of Vaalserberg, no matter what country the col is in, then Vaalserberg does not qualify for SOTA. Emotionally, we would like it to qualify, but if we start making exceptions for emotional reasons there is no logical stopping point, and every beloved little hill no matter how indistinct could be included. It is better to have a rigorous rule than no rule at all, at least we know where we stand, and if at some future time the hill is re-surveyed and a more accurate measurement shows that it does in fact have a prominence of at least 100 metres, then the hill can be added to the program.
I have a favourite hill in G/WB. It fails to qualify by just one metre. I sometimes dream of hiring a JCB…!
In reply to G0AZS:
Hi Marc,
there is a narrow ridge between Vaalserberg and Preusswald, but it doesn’t drop the required 100 meters, as far as I can judge from the contourlines on my map (official government issue 1 : 50.000 topografical map). However I am going to investigate the area with a GPS in the next few months in order to solve this matter. As you understand, we feel a little sorry that the Dutch highest summit is not recognized but we start with the summits we have, the joy is not less.
Cheers,
Hans PA0HRM
Tnx to Hans- PA0HRM we have a Netherlands SOTA association, good work done by Hans!
At the start on the 1st september i will try to activate 2 hills, but problem is that i can’t bring my upcoming activation on the SOTAwatch alert page.
Is the Dutch ass. not valid yet? Maybe you can tell when it is valid?
Looking forward to be on the activator side from the Dutch hills!
