Is there something wrong with the database today 28/01/2009, or is today the first time in sota history that we have had no spots / activators out and about, Just logged on and i see no SPOTS ???,
What a quite day,
As for Tom will be in Macclesfied Friday night (Jarmar Farm) Hope to catch up.
Steve m0sgb
In reply to M0SGB:
I was on G/CE-005 today Steve.(11:00 to 11:45)
No answer on 2m FM.
No answer on 60m SSB.
No answer on 4m FM
Couldn’t get spotslite to work.
Did manage to get 6 contacts on 80m by being run down the WAB net 
Got very wet but enjoyed short activation. And it was a unique for me.
Roger G4OWG
In reply to G4OWG:
And I was out on SC=007, Long Knoll at 2PM, an hour later than I had put in my alert.
No answer on 2M SSB, but a few minutes later I heard someone else calling CQ and got one QSO.
Several CQ calls later on 2M FM, and four locals took pity on me and answered.
Best DX, 23 miles!
Richard
G0IBE
In reply to G4OWG:
No answer on 2m FM.
No answer on 60m SSB.
No answer on 4m FM
Couldn’t get spotslite to work.
Welcome to the barren wastes that are “The Flatlands” Roger. Sorry but I was at work… hi
Seriously though, my QSO count from G/CE-005 only really went up when I made sure I used 40m CW and got spotted too. Especially when 60m condx are poor.
73 Marc G0AZS
In reply to G0AZS:
Hi Marc
Think the answer is ‘being spotted’ 
Although I had no problem from CE-004 on 2m FM and only one regular callsign I recognised.
Birmingham mafia were conspicuous by their absence.
Will be back to CE-005 as it is a great place - will bring my son (32) and watch him ‘go ape’ while I play radio.
Roger G4OWG
In reply to M0SGB:
Actually, it’s the second time this month that there’s been no spots Steve.
Mike GW0DSP
In reply to GW0DSP:
He said 'no spots / activators ’ Mike 
Good luck in GM/SS might be working so may miss a few;-(
Roger G4OWG (prefer ‘Tales of the Vienna Woods’ to ‘Blue Danube’)
But if you prefer really, really bad try
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=48415876740&h=N5bX-&u=qe-sZ
In reply to G4OWG:
Hi Roger,
Not sure what happened today. I was monitoring 70.45 from home, but nothing heard from you and I couldn’t get out to a better location due to work. I should really have monitored 145.5 as well. Sorry to hear it was a SOTA zero. Anyway, I was very pleased to work you on Monday - just using the C528 h/h with the r/d that fits the 817.
73, Gerald
In reply to G4OWG:
But if you prefer really, really bad try
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=48415876740&h=N5bX-&u=qe-sZ
Which one is you Roger? (or are they all you?).
In reply to G3CWI:
Left handed upside down guitar
You might recognise the keyboard player (Top hat and tails on a mast in OZ)
We last played together in 1966. It was the drummers 60th birthday party.
Roger G4OWG
In reply to G4OWG:
Sorry I couldn’t hear you but…
I was listening all morning…
No one heard at all on 2m SSB (144.300)
No one heard at all on 2m FM (145.500)
No one heard at all on 70cms FM (433.500) Some activity on GB3CR 433.150
No one heard at all on 60m SSB (5.3985) One QSO on 5.4035
No one heard at all on 80m SSB (3.666) Some unrecognised EU splatter at times
No one heard at all on 4m because I did not turn the rig on
That concludes what I was monitoring. I was starting to wonder if everyone had had their licences revoked or they had all gone digital. If I hadn’t been busy doing other things I might have been tempted to call CQ it was so quiet;0)
Steve GW7AAV
In reply to GW7AAV:
No beam for 2m SSB
Nothing at all on 2m FM
Didn’t try 70cms
Squat all on 60m (Shannon Volmet very weak)
QSO’s splattering all around 3.666
Does anyone use 4m FM outside NP SP?
Tried CQ everywhere.
Forgot mini-paddle so no CW …
XYL said no more than 30mins …
So no other bands/modes
As Arnie said ‘I’ll be Back’
Roger G4OWG
In reply to G4OWG:
Conditions must have been terrible, I was monitoring FE at the same time that you were active, and heard nothing!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G4OWG:
As Arnie said ‘I’ll be Back’
I always preferred “Hasta la vista, baby” from Terminator II, but just like Santana sang on 1977 album Moonflower “I’ll be waiting”.
Steve GW7AAV
In reply to All: Imho it was “dead band” syndrome in action. And based on the lack of spots so far today, the syndrome could be in action again today. 73 de Mike, EI2CL.
In reply to EI2CL:
It could well be Mike.
But there are no alerts listed till later today. That doesn’t mean there’s nobody out. And this could be the problem. No alerts so no SOTA chasers are listening. Which means you may or may not get some non-SOTA person responding to your call.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
Precisely my thoughts Andy. The absence of alerts could lead onto chasers getting on with something else - we are all busy one way or another. Working a non-SOTA station is unlikely to get an activator a spot and as such an activation can go without notice. However, Les VQO has just demonstrated the exception to the rule - 7MHz CW where you can be more or less guaranteed a spot without posting an alert before an activation.
In the case of Roger OWG yesterday, I was listening on 4m for him as he had alerted for that band, but for some reason I didn’t hear him. I should have put 1 and 2 together to make 4 and thought beyond the alert being just for 4m and 60m and kept a watch on the 2m FM calling channel for him - a failing on my part since I had worked Roger on Monday on 2m FM.
Alerts certainly help considerably. For me the best demonstration to date was John M0JDK coming back with my call after just a whistle on 144.333MHz to make sure I was getting out. Now that shows the system works!
73, Gerald
In reply to G8ADD:
Conditions must have been terrible, I was monitoring FE at the same
time that you were active, and heard nothing!
That’s the wonder band for you Brian - sometimes wonder-ful, sometimes wonder-why-I-bothered. It has caused many a panic on a G4OIG/G4MD joint activation!
73, Gerald
In reply to G4OIG:
Alerts certainly help considerably. For me the best demonstration to date was
John M0JDK coming back with my call after just a whistle on 144.333MHz to make
sure I was getting out. Now that shows the system works!
My whistles and whaaaaaalos on FE bring the same response, a whaaalo is followed by 3 or 4 callsigns and reports! I have started doing system checks on other frequencies now just to surprise the ever patient band of chasers waiting. All setup elsewhere I hit the memory button, listen for a moment or two then sally forth with a CQ. 
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
I have only been involved in sota for 2 years and was wondering how things were before the spots and alerts pages were available?
Is what we are witnessing nowadays a change in chaser strategy, eg too many chasers have come to rely purely on the spots/webmon instead of good old fashioned monitoring of the usual SOTA frequencies?
Could another possible explanation be that the reduced amount of SOTA activity seems to coincide with the start up of an alternative scheme?
Mike GW0DSP