Your argument is of the form “I have found a specific corner case that fits my views and preferences and I will argue that my way is the best way because of this specific corner case even though for all other DX entities, this corner case does not apply”
Yes, because you don´t agree with me and it is ok! I could say the same about you.
And I wrote ¨/P can work fine in some places, be confusing in others and useless in anothers¨
I agree entirely Richard. I don’t hold with non-SOTA portable operations being any less worthy of my attention. The majority of portable operators (even operating from inside cars) do not have the benefit of a warm shack, so I am happy to provide a contact as quickly as possible. After all, what loss is a minute or two to the majority of chasers who will be operating from home?
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I should be so lucky as to have a station in Bangladesh call me when I’m operating from anywhere, let alone a summit ;-)!
73 Paula k9ir
There is an S2 association. But it has no summits at present. In the meantime that S2 station may be operating DOTA, Deltas on the Air!
The S2 doesn’t have to be on a summit to be welcome in my log ;-). That is a difficult path from the Midwest of the US.
73 Paula k9ir
I’ve always said there’s a lot of luck involved when activating, Paula. Right place, right time.
For example, here in the UK, earlier this year, working from my local non-SOTA summit, when band conditions were really bleak, I logged China, Afghanistan, The Phillippines and Pitcairn Island, with nothing more than a mic and home brew dipole.
73 Mike
That CB power mic was bound to come in useful one day such that you didn’t need a radio.
My two cents from the West Coast of North America…
The sending of /P after your call sign is just more stuff I am having a hard time copying when signals are weak across the pond. On top of that trying to exchange Reference Numbers for an s2s contact is a further confusion factor. More weak stuff that is difficult to copy…it takes time to copy it all correctly, and increases the time required to complete a QSO. Often the band drops out before I can copy it all correctly.
To complete a valid QSO we just need to exchange the calls, the signal reports, and a “RRR” or “QSL” that we got everything. Anything else sent just takes longer, and makes is harder to complete a valid QSO before the signals go back into the noise floor. Sending s2s is very simple and rhythmic, so I use that…
I recommend we keep it short and simple…just the minimum requirements to complete a QSO (OK…unless the QRP signals are 599 that day).
tnx
Pete
WA7JTM
Arizona
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Since many (most) SOTA activators in Europe use their callsign/P, it’s clear that /P will be always sent when calling for a S2S in the pileup and this is something that undoubtedly will drag the activator’s attention.
As Jarek @SP9MA posted in the other thread where I first posted about this, sending S2S S2S on CW to break the pileup in Europe often doesn’t work much and sending /P /P does work better. I have also experienced this myself. Why is so? I don’t know, but this clearly makes /P /P more commonly used and therefore preferred among the European activators and chasers.
I have also called /P after realising that S2S wasn’t working. However, I’ll keep trying with S2S first and will shift to callsign/P or just /P /P in case of necessity and no luck with just S2S.
73,
Guru
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Hi Guru,
You inspired me to develop on this issue.
I seldom, very seldom use SOTA too.
I send SOTA instead of SP9MA/P
I noticed it works better than S2S and comparable with SP9MA/P - I think the reason is too many dots in S2S.
73, Jarek
I’ll add another cent to Pete’s comment ;-)…
I prioritize S2S contacts here in the high mountains of Colorado. I usually have big pileups and an Activator just sending “S2S” really sticks out. No callsign…just “S2S” maybe two times. That’s what I listen for and react to. I’ve never worked a S2S station here in NA that doesn’t do that. So it works well for us here!
73, Brad
WA6MM
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I’m wondering whether, perhaps, S2S doesn’t work well in Europe because for many non native English language speakers, S2S means nothing.
It was only when I lived in Michigan, USA, back in 1998-1999, when I learnt that the number 2 is coloquially used as an abbreviated form of the preposition “to” because both are pronounced very similar, pretty much the same.
So instead of saying S to S for a shorter version of SOTA to SOTA, native English speakers shorten it even further and change the preposition “to” by the number “2”, thus making S2S.
Hi Guru,
I was surprised to read the suggestion that S2S meant SOTA to SOTA. In VK we don’t refer to summits as SOTAs. I have always taken S2S to mean “summit to summit”, and that call is also used on voice contacts.
I find s2s quite long to send, when all I want to do is insert a quick ‘hey there” interjection after the pileup calls another activator. I think something shorter may be more appropriate, so I suggest using SS. It is short to send and to an activator fairly easy to recognise.
I think it would be worth considering SS as an alernative to S2S or STS.
Hope you are keeping well.
73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2UH
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Another thing is that over in North America, /P suffix use is rare so they need something else to differentiate the SOTA to SOTA calls from the rest, but on this side of the Atlantic activators are very likely to use the /P suffix, and that provides a level of differentiation. If you’re using the /P suffix anyway, and the other activator picks it out of the pile-up, then sending S2S isn’t going to make as much difference.
Hi Andrew,
Pleased to talk to you again. You are right about S2S meanning summit to summit.
But in Spain we say SOTA to SOTA when we call to a SOTA activator on phone for a S2S QSO and it’s surely because summit means nothing to those not knowing the English language and SOTA is a very well known accronism, which is also a very familiar word for us Spaniards, since our Spanish cards have these 4 SOTAs:
BTW, I’m working full time since the end of September and I’m doing and feeling great at work after so long time off (17 months). My divorce process got completed and I’m feeling great after all that as well. I’m not having much time for chasing from home lately, but on the other hand, I’m hiking and activating as much as I can now. I hope you are doing fine too. Take care my friend.
73,
Guru
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I hope not to run into the 4th man, he has a very dangerous looking bludgeon. Or is it just a cucumber?
Glad to hear you’re doing well. Will send more in a private message.
73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2UH