Yesterday (Sunday) I travelled to France for some radio fun. However, despite my best efforts to make my activities clear, it seems that RBNgate has conspired to muddy the waters and induce some chasers to believe they worked a SOTA station when they had not. Let me explain.
As the weekend was the annual Coupe du REF contest, I decided to take the opportunity to combine some SOTA activity with a bit of contesting in order to increase my DXCC totals if possible. Despite the weather forecasts predicting torrential rain and storm-force winds, I was on-the-road at 0415 towards the Tunnel. Dawn broke, with amazing red skies, just as I approached my target summit of F/NO-026 Mont Le Communale. As it was a Sunday, with no lorries permitted, I drove away from the road at the Ferti Opale sign (see Resources for more details) and parked about 500m along the track alongside a small wooded area. The combination of wet weather and heavy traffic has made this track rather uncomfortable, and I do not recommend its use unless you are driving a 4x4.
The temperature was +2C and the wind was already noticeable, so I set up fairly close to the car using the edge of the wood as an antenna support. By 0800 UTC I was ready to go, so I self-spotted by SMS using the callsign F/G3VQO/P on 10MHz. So far, so good. Luckily the chasers arrived quickly, and I soon had twenty callsigns in the log. I was pleasantly surprised to be called by an Australian station who was a genuine 599, and louder than other simultaneous callers. He was a new DXCC for me from France. I was, however, extremely glad when the frequency went quiet as, despite numerous layers of clothing, I was feeling extremely cold. I quickly dismantled the station and retreated to the car.
Now, using the FT-847 with higher power, and a mag-mount mobile whip, it was time for some contesting. I thought I was being clever by amending my callsign to F/G3VQO to avoid triggering the RBNgate -> SOTAwatch interface. Unfortunately, it became apparent that this ruse did not achieve the planned result. As I called CQ TEST DE F/G3VQO there was a steady trickle of familiar SOTA chasers interspersed with normal contest callers on both 40m and 20m. Some sent a full contest exchange, others just a report, but only two actually asked SOTA? to which I replied NO. Finally, after eighty-five contest QSOs, the choice was to change the antenna to try 15m or dismantle and head for home. I was so thoroughly cold by then that it was a no-brainer! So, back to the Tunnel it was, and some hot food to revive the inner man.
It was only when I reached home, and turned on the computer, that I saw what RBNgate had done. It had correctly spotted me as F/G3VQO, but had associated it with the earlier self-spot for F/G3VQO/P. That is either very clever or very stupid, depending on your point of view, but it caused obvious confusion to chasers using SOTAwatch, for which I apologise. To reiterate the situation, the only valid SOTA QSOs were those on 30m with F/G3VQO/P. Any QSOs on 40m or 20m were from the comfort(?) of the car and are non-SOTA. Please correct your chaser logs where appropriate.
73 de Les, F/G3VQO
