No RBN Spots Today on First UK Summit

Activation Reports Issues/Errors
1

Hi All,
I activated my first UK summit today: G/LD-044, near Keswick. Nice easy peak and a sunny day!

I started calling CQ on CW on 15m, 20m, 40m and was not getting any response (except F4WBN).

I had created an alert on sotawatch for this summit but no spots showed up on sotawatch page. I also checked the RBN website searching on my call sign and there were no spots for my callsign.

As a result, I self spotted on sotawatch and started getting QSOs from all over Europe. So ops could hear me and I could hear them, but RBN could not hear me.

I was calling CQ de M/K7GUD. Does the prefix ( M/K7GUD) prevent RBN from spotting me?

Is there something else I need to do so RBN can spot me working in UK with a M/ prefix?

I always use alerts in the US and the RBN / RBNHOL ALWAYS automatically spots me from my CW CQ calls.

Thanks

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2

You were picked up by the RBN but your alert did not have the M/ prefix so it never became a SOTA spot.

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3

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the response. While I was on the summit today from 09:30 til 10:30 utc, there were no spots for me on RBN: I kept checking RBN on my phone and RBN did not pick me up on 15, 20, 30 or 40 meters, and I called CQ many times on all those bands.

I did a test this afternoon from my rental house in Keswick, around 16:00 utc, and then the RBN network picked me up.

Screenshot 2023-09-02 at 5.16.00 PM
Screenshot 2023-09-02 at 5.16.00 PM2580×806 470 KB

So, thanks for the heads up on adding M/K7GUD to my alert. But still not sure why RBN did no pick me up.

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4

You are transmitting from England without the M/ prefix?

Search for spots for M/K7GUD and they are there from 0930 to 1036 (and may go back further as there is a limit of 100).

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5

Bravo Richard. Mystery solved! I have a url saved with an RBN search on K7GUD. Never thought to add an M/ prefix to that search. I’m a complete newbie on operating outside the US. :face_with_open_eyes_and_hand_over_mouth:

Thanks again for the quick response. :+1:

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6

At least you were the right prefix Pat. Lots of people haven’t got the memo that the prefix for the England is now M/ and not G/. It’s not been G/ since 1997!

Though it may change to both M and G if the proposed licence changes and recycling of old and expired callsigns goes ahead.

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7

Hi Andy. Thanks to the reflector subject on prefixes [Call sign prefix for US operator in Wales and England], I figured out about using the M/ prefix. Good to know that is correct :slight_smile:

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8

You should also log in the SOTA database using the correct callsign you have used on air. So for your recent UK activations you should log it under M/K7GUD and not just K7GUD.

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9

Hi Richard. Thanks for that reminder. I completely forgot about that. Another gotcha. I updated all my logs. With the new sotadata site, it is very easy to make that change.

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