New guy here, basic question

I am very interested in getting into SOTA. Seems like you guys have a really robust system setup here.

Just one basic question that i cannot figure out.

How do you log??

I cannot figure it out. I go to the sotadata site and click on login and nothing happens. (Nothing works) I’ve tried on chrome, firefox, mobile and desktop.
Ive seen some youtube videos where they use apps to log, but they are still using information from that site that i cant get.

Hi Steve,
Welcome to SOTA. This will be your only and final warning. SOTA is addictive. :slight_smile:

Some use Hamlog on their phones. HamLog | Pignology
I find it too tedious to use during a pileup. I’ve always used a small notebook and pen then transcribe it into a SOTA CSV Log Editor which easily uploads to the SOTA database and imports to your regular log. It also makes corrections much easier. G0LGS: Software Information Others use index cards and a golf pencil to reduce weight and transcribe to their log at home.

Look forward to working you on a summit soon. Dean ~ K2JB

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So I’m doing that pretty old fashioned …

On the mountain with notebook and pencil and at home I transfer it to the SOTA database.

But there are SOTA Log apps too (like Outd Log) … but I’ve found that I’m too slow for that.

It depends on whether you are alone,…how much you like to carry,… how comfortable you are sitting,…

73, Armin

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Thank you for the help. I will look into that app now. And yes i plan to just write it all down first then transcribe it into wherever i need to.

But still my issue is:
http://www.sotadata.org.uk

Can you all log into this? Because i can’t. If i click “logon/logoff” literally nothing happens.

Hi Steve,

I am not having any trouble logging in. I would suggest clearing the cache and cookies in your web browser even though it sounds like you have never even seen the site. Have you gotten registered on the SOTA data website?

http://www.sotadata.org.uk/register.aspx

73, pat - KI4SVM

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If you move your cursor over Login/Logoff you should get a drop down menu. If you click on it before the drop down menu appears nothing happens. The menu gives you the option to register or login.

73 Burke
KF7NP

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Yes. Have you registered?

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Ok, I registered. Still can’t use the drop down menu to access anything else on the site. I guess its not mobile/tablet friendly.
Ill have to boot up the ol’ desktop and try that again…

… ok, i swear i tried this before on my raspberry pi, but now it is working on my windows desktop computer. I guess the 73 app will he the way to go, because i never use a desktop anymore.
Maybe sometime in the future the website will be more mobile/tablet friendly?

Thank you all for the help with my simple problem! Looking forward to seeing you on the air.

I plan to try activating primarily with JS8CALL

No, the menus don’t work (well) on Android. The fix for Android is to book mark the pages for the various functions (use your desktop to see what they are) then you can select those book marks and it will work. Or wait till you have a proper computer at hand.

You can, as suggested, use several apps for logging and import those logs via a desktop but 35+years computer industry experience leads me to log with paper and pencil. We have a new database in beta so a fix is coming.

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:+1::+1::+1:

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Hi Steve,
Yes, as Andy noted, the SOTAData website drop down menus do not play well with Android on a mobile or tablet. I can do it most of the time by holding finger down on the drop down, getting some kind of intermediate dialog, and then going back one step to see the drop down menu. OR just do it on a computer with a browser - but it can still be difficult sometimes that way.
Etienne-K7ATN

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What I can adwise, is to use an app like soat goat.
If you have a connection, you can alert and spot while on the move.

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PROPER COMPUTER.
Thank you, I’ve longed to hear those words for about ten years!

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Several programs exist … and there is even an online tool that few are aware of :
see Extras - various tools for SOTA purposes - sotamaps.org

But my favourite is still Fast Log Entry (FLE).
Just took me under 5 minutes to enter my log of today : 19 Q’s, including 3 S2S.
Export the csv and upload it twice, once to the activator DB and once to the chaser DB.
Luc ON7DQ

The Database will accept logs just keyed into the Database. Perhaps not elegant, but it works and I do use it.

Of course a quick edit of a submitted fair size log is much easier with a software solution.

Just tried the beta for the new SOTA data on my Android tablet and no problems with login, menus, file upload, results display and chaser entry deletion. :+1::+1:

I view sotadata on my android phone all the time. The trick is you have to do a long press to get the menu to drop down.

I had varying results trying to upload my activations of 1/2, 2/2 and 3/2 to the new SOTA database page.

For the three days of activations, the first and last uploaded fine, one containing one activation and the other containing five. But the middle day with three activations got the page into a loop of some kind, where it rejected the file saying it didn’t exist, then retained the rejection message even before I had selected the file. I eventually went to the standard page and uploaded there.

PS. Will it still be called “new” when it is old? And what will its replacment be called, newnew or new2? Naming is awkward when a time relative term is part of the name, it is much better to give it an absolute name like 2019 or a text name (which becomes meaningless but at least it is unique).

73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2UH