Doesn’t an Activator spotting themselves undermine the hunt for the Chaser? I know it’s not meant to be hide & seek but I feel it’s more appropriate that a Chaser reports they’ve spotted an Activator, sharing the find with other Chasers who can then pile in to qualify the activation, points all round.
Isn’t Activation about making a viable signal that a Chaser can find? The big clue is given in the Alerts, approx time & frequency/mode.
OK Tom, but its different in my part of England, 25 miles north east of York where channel occupancy is low, but I understand the point you are making. At present the 2m FM band is occupied by two stations, one in Barnsley about 60 miles away the other somewhere else in West Yorkshire if his accent is to be believed. Two repeaters are audible, that’s it.
73 Phil G4OBK
Phil, you and I date back to the geographical band plan and crystal control, when you called CQ and then searched up to two MHz of band, or just a few hundred kHz of the closest regional subbands, for replies. Seems impossible now, doesn’t it, but we had the skill. Today it is so much easier, instead of the whole band there is just a few dozen FM channels to switch through, or leave it to the scanner, and on SSB there is so little activity that an activator is unlikely to be far from the calling frequency even if he does bother to QSY.
When SOTA was new and cell coverage was a lot more unreliable than it is now the activators depended on the chasers to find them and spot them for the benefit of other chasers. There is something to be said for that tradition to continue on V/UHF, but in the end it is up to the chasers to search instead of depending on Sotawatch, surely it is more fun to find your quarry by your own efforts rather than being spoonfed by the web?
Even easier for you to find a 2m FM activator then Phil - you’re lucky 
No.
Andy,
Yes, of course the MT should be asking people to play nice.
I would like to once again mention that South of the Equator the activity occurs in the “quiet time” for Eu and the issues are different.
Maybe the MT should consider adding a SOTAWatch back channel or SMS length messaging area. Clearly it is needed. It is done with some other spotting spaces. eg the VK VHF Reflector.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
Do you think that would be practical, Ron, if it is used on a world-wide scale? I can see it working for an Association or a close group of Associations but world-wide?
Hi Brian,
Yes I do think it would work on a bigger user base.
The messages would be able to be viewed just like spots with a set number of them ordered in time sequence.
Adding this to the SOTAWatch system would not increase its complexity by much.
Concerned about the increase data beig stored and accessed? Some limited life could be assigned so anything more than say a hour old would be killed.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
I won’t be taking part in any chat room scenario Ron and Brian, I’m spoon fed enough as it is, thanks!
Phil G4OBK
Its always worth exploring an idea, Phil.
I agree totally. Many 2m FM simplex channels (let’s be frank, that’s what they are) were busy on my activation this morning. In fact, Nick G4OOE/P and I had to move several times to do a S2S QSO as seemingly free frequencies turned out to be in use. There’s no way, I could specify a particular 2m frequency hours or days before when alerting. That would very likely lead to chaser confusion trying to find me on an occupied frequency.
Yep!
No!
How would you know the activator even made it to the summit? And when QRV? And on which band out of several alerted?
Hi Andy
You got the wrong end of the stick OM!
I didn’t mean listing a likely VHF frequency in advance on your alert. I meant that if you spot your working frequency at the time you are working chasers (because many chasers are parsimonious in spotting once they have you in log which only helps them and no one else) once you have secured a frequency on the busier band, than what I can hear miles away in rural North Yorkshire. I wouldn’t expect advance notice.
It’s possible for me to work the Lake District summits on VHF FM across the Pennines from here, 100 miles away, but often it will only result in a QSO if I listen to a specific frequency and wait until the stronger stations work you and then for the QSB to lift the signal or for an aircraft reflection to assist, which is hardly spoon feeding!
Harking back to the bygone days when Brian was tuning the 2m band listening for callers - this must have been pre 1982, the year I got my licence which was after FM chanellisation had taken place. I was an SWL from 1968 but that was only on short wave using a CR-100. Although I did use a Liner 2 that belonged to someone else in the Lancashire club I was in at the time, on 2m SSB in the RSGB VHF Field Day !
73 Phil G4OBK
At the summit - if I have phone reception - I always spot the first 2m frequency I intend to use, which is the calling frequency 145.500. That improves the chances of my getting a reply to my CQs. I’m not going to self spot again once the first chaser and I have agreed a clear channel and I’m into that QSO often followed by a pile-up.
You the chaser will have to look / scan channels (hard life!). I’m sympathetic if you live in a VHF dead zone or have a deaf antenna (camouflage a taller mast out of that antenna tree of yours).
But chasers have to understand activators are too busy managing the radio and often a queue of chasers often in adverse physical conditions to be texting frequency updates.
I’m banging my head against a wall Andy, I should have ignored the topic altogether so I will now drop my point, but make sure as I do that when I activate I specify my working frequency unlike you! My useless antenna (since 2018) is a 7 element cross yagi by the way and I can run up to 200 watts on 2m from home thank you very much. Remember I am an activator too - since 2005 in fact!
73 Phil
No, the correct metaphor … is digging a hole. I read your replies carefully but think you don’t have a valid argument.
I’ve given you reasons for doing it my way (as an activator). You haven’t attempted to argue against those arguments. Frankly, you have a specific problem (lack of 2m Dx at least towards G/LD) and you want to add to the activator’s burden as a workaround.
If one can’t hear a weak station properly, enough to make out its callsign on-air (and without resorting to reading it in a spot), one shouldn’t be trying to work it.
I know. And that’s what surprised me with your post.
I agree Phil, this is my preferred method for 2m FM, find a free frequency (channel), spot that frequency and then work the chasers who want the summit.
Paul
Then you miss any stations monitoring the calling frequency and anyone not using SOTAwatch. As an activator (often cold at summit) I want to get random stations and SOTA chasers. Yes, my way suits the activator but most chasers don’t have a problem finding me after a QSY.
How do you cope when there’s no phone reception at summit?
As nearly as I can remember the old geographical band plan was replaced in late 1969, it seems to have faded from memory as I was unable to find anything about it on the web. Remembering that the G8s were initially confined to 70cm and above, the band plan IIRC called for all hams in the Midlands Region to transmit in the segment 432.00 to 432.20, I had a crystal - just one! - which got me on 432.20. The procedure was to call CQ (on AM of course) and tune from 432.00 to 434.00 (or 144.00 to 144.20) listening for replies, which had to be long-winded! The best plan at that time was to tune with the BFO on listening for heterodynes and then check to see if it was a reply!
I suppose the same as I would do for HF use my Garmin Inreach 
Although in GW land the mobile reception is pretty good on most summits.
I am not saying never call on 145.500, on Christmas Day I did a quick 2m only activation on G/WB-005 and ended up calling on 145.500 to qualify, as it seemed everyone was busy cooking Christmas dinner 
However I prefer to spot my working frequency and start there.
But that’s what works for me
I’d like to echo my support for mitigating the use of spots as a continuous messaging board while activating. I have seen a number of operators have about 10 or more spots in a row, letting everyone know what they are doing minute by minute; whether they are making DX contacts on a band, etc. It crowds the board and is unnecessary. Granted, it only takes a few seconds to scroll past these messages, but it shouldn’t be done in the first place, IMO.