Today Aaron,
Unfortunately, the anticipation was in vain, because a huge pileup began. My /P calls were lost in the big signals. I can understand that as a chaser you don’t want to miss this treasure.
Coincidentally, Armin, DL6GCA was on FL/VO-168 but was no better. I’m sure he would have heard us if we had been allowed…
73 Chris
I listened to too much of that pile-up. Some chasers were clearly too intent on calling, and not listening to the activator at all… 
I could here Aaron pretty clear in GW/MW, 559 to be exact. I tried to call in three times as a chaser, but no joy 
maybe next time 
He was mostly only about 429 here by the Severn, and I never got as far as trying a call. The pile-up had great examples of just about everything that makes for a hideous pile-up experience…
Plenty of excuses guys as to why you didn’t work Aaron! I can understand them from an activators viewpoint for sure. As a chaser the matter is in your own hands, make the best of your situation by improving your skill and your station - by self learning mostly.
Practice your skill in breaking through pile up situations as often as you can, not just SOTA but in DX pile ups and in contests. Improve your station, mainly in the antenna department. On HF use an antenna with some gain as high as your neighbours and pocket will allow you to. Reduce your noise level by making certain the mains power into your radio equipment is well filtered. Make sure you have no QRN inducing devices in your own home, like LED lighting, switch mode PSUs etc causing it. Use the MM0FMF SOTA Cluster and enable CAT control of your transceiver so when you see the SOTA spot come in you move your transceiver on to it in the blink of an eye. Your can of course buy yourself a big linear, but its not needed for SOTA as it won’t help you hear the weaker stations.
Chasers - please don’t take humbrage at my message - it is not directed at activators, I am both. Good luck!
Phil G4OBK
My only reason for giving up was unfortunately a work meeting 
which I was 1 minute late for 
if I hadn’t got that meeting, I’d of managed to get in some way or other 
Also ALL Chasers should read, understand and stick to the “DX CODE OF CONDUCT”. As used to happen with most Chasers 15 to 20 years ago when I was a DX Chaser. I hope things will improve. Best Wishes. 73 de Paul M0CQE.
The old chaser virus has broken through again…
(yes - and there were many crocodiles [big mouth and small ears] on the band)
Of course Phil is right about what successful chasing is all about.
I heard 4X6FB today on FL/VO-004 and then on FL/VO-168. In all, I must have listened for close to an hour and when the signal was strong, I called. There was QSB. But generally his signal was always between S3 and S7. This is a signal which normally guarantees a safe QSO.
Well others were better to hear in 4X… even from USA. This is quite normal. Nevertheless it was very interesting to listen and to find out, who all hears nothing but calls!
Calling during Aaron’s QSO, calling while Aaron himself calls CQ,… I think it must have been bad for Aaron too!
If you don’t hear anything, you don’t need to call - it won’t turn into a QSO anyway.
And otherwise for everyone success…as Guru said:
73 Armin
I’ve learned that there are times it’s not worth trying. This was one such. There were chasers who called not once or twice, but many times in succession, chasers who didn’t stop calling even when the activator was already working someone else, chasers who started calling before the previous QSO was over… I’ve heard worse, but not often, and seldom this bad with SOTA. When a pile-up gets that hideous the chase ceases to be fun.
Some folk get a kick out of those. I’ve tried both. I apply the same criteria; if the chase ceases to be enjoyable I’ll do something else. I entered a contest once, because doing so was “homework” for a CW course, and I did better than I’d expected (given most of the stations were running at least 10wpm faster than I was even half-way comfortable) but it was more stress than fun, and I doubt I’ll ever find one enjoyable. TBH, the main reason I do SOTA is because it isn’t (generally) competetive. If I make a contact, great. If I don’t, who cares, anyway.
Same with me Armin. As the first German soccer coach Sepp Herberger said: “After the game is before the game”
73 Chris
I emailed Aaron and here is his reply:
Thank you for trying to contact me on CW unfortunately we had bad QRN and QSB so signals were not too strong.
There are now a few of us doing POTA and SOTA here in Israel so keep listening…
73 Aaron
Aaron is addressing something that is easy to overlook as an activator.
You hear another summit quite well and think: “Why isn’t she/he responding to your S2S call? Are the loud chasers to blame?”
May be. But maybe the other activator has strong local qrn/qrrn and only hears these loud chasers on its summit. And is glad that they get through to him.
Ashes on my head!
73 Chris
No way Chris… you can only do what you can do. Nothing in life is guaranteed, though some would like to think it is. 
Whilst castigating the poor operating of those stations calling 4X6FB, bear in mind that they were not necessarily all bona fide SOTA chasers, they may have been after the call as DX or a wanted prefix.
Yesterday, at 12 UTC, when I was on FL/VO-006, I had a QSO with 4X5KE/P on 10m SSB.
He was not on a SOTA summit, but doing Flora & Fauna somewhere in the desert in the south of Israel.
I heard him by chance by turning around the band (not much heard otherwise on 10m) and after my second call, he replied and the signal was 5/6 both ways. We could chat a bit without getting interrupted at all.
He used 100W into an EFHW, I used 10W into a compromised vertical (OK, not so compromised on 10m, 2.6m tall) with which I did some measurements:
The whole setup, incl. radials, feeder, winder, etc. weights 740g and it works from 40m (very compromised) up to 6m. It’s an alternative when there is no space, not like on the image
73 Stephan
Today I compare my 20m long EFHW as a strong inverted V against my 5m-trap/extension-2m vertical EFHW for 10/20m on both bands. There was no significantly difference, please see and hear:
73 Chris
I know that setup…Mine on 40m is less compromised, since I use a 5m telescopic whip, and how many S2S I’ve done on 60m with this antenna, many with you, Stephan!
73 Fabio
Chris. Many thanks for the demonstration. Very interesting. I saw no difference in signal strength, (other than a little QSB), between the antennas. And heard no difference in the audio. I was surprised and pleased at the lack of QRN. but then I am only a chaser in an urban environment, (very noisy here). THANK YOU. Paul M0CQE.
Hi Fabio,
Always nice to have a S2S with you!
I tried this compromised antenna (more compromised than yours) about 6 times. Two times I compared it with my EFHW that is similar to the one of Chris @DL1CR, but in inverted-L configuration with the max. height of 6m.
My conclusion (with a small sample size):
@DL1CR Thanks for showing us this experiment! Of course, the distances and therefore the elevation angle to the other stations are unknown (probably sporadic-E on 10m, so pretty flat compared to F2 for the same distance) and the sample size is very small (two stations on 10m, one on 20m). But again, doing more experiments, even if they differ, leads to more samples 
73 Stephan
Yes, I tune the loading coil for 40, 30 and 60 m. Of course, in 20 is a quarter wave, for 17 and up I shorten the antenna. I use untuned radials, usually 4 of about 3 and a half meters, but I often add another 4, especially when the activity is focused from 20 meters and below.
73 Fabio
