Sending summit refs

When activating a summit, and not in a S2S situation, does anyone send their summit ref unprompted? I’m still finding my way around this craic and I only send (in CW obviously) CQ SOTA DE EI9KY/P and then exchanges are usually as brief as possible. I trust that the chaser has seen my spot and knows my ref, that I’ve spotted accurately and leave it at that.

My CW is improving, but isn’t great, especially so as the fingers get cold and the noodle gets fried. I have my work cut out getting through the hopeful pileup, so the less I have to send the better.

Colm.

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Normally I send the ref in the cq call …

Later I give it on request (ref?) or in S2S

73 Armin

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It’s fine as far as I’m concerned Colm but I’m relatively new so best to see what the old timers say lol
I’ve tried on a few occasions to get through to you and you seem to handle your cw fine.
Best 73 de 2E0AGB Allen

In my experience almost no one sends the summit reference except in an S2S. Ordinarily chasers would have seen your spot.
Scott kw4jm

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Hi Colm,

I wouldn’t rely on cluster spots. There could be all kinds of errors. And I don’t use it in the CQ because no one might hear it. Instead, I try to repeat my reference in every fourth or fifth QSO. If the pile-up is dense, it might be a bit more but I try to keep the time between two announcements in the range of about three minutes.
Usually I pick a strong station (where the chance is good that he can really hear me) and just insert the ref after his rst.
If someone asks (“REF ?”) I’ll indicate it, of course.

73, Roman

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I send it in the first QSO after a CQ call. When I change band and call CQ again I’ll send in the first QSO again. But I don’t usually send it again unless asked. Since the chasers are probably calling me because they’ve seen a spot I don’t feel the need to keep sending it.

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It always helps if you read the rules. In 3.7.1 paragraph 8 it says “…it is strongly recommended that the summit identifier be given during each contact. Where the summit identifier is not given in each contact (for example in slow CW contacts) it should be repeated frequently every few QSOs.” There you have it, them’s the rules!

It is a mistake to assume that Spots are correct, in fact errors are frequent, so don’t depend on the Spots!

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It is really very convenient in cw that the spots are generated from the predefined alerts via the RBN.

But with multiple activations on one day, I have occasionally found errors. This is especially the case if you become active earlier on the next summit. Then the ref from the previous one might be displayed.

I have started to delete the alerts from previously activated summits. This eliminates this error.

73 Armin

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I always send the summit ref in my CQ SOTA call.

73’s
David

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I always send my summit ref in my CQ sota call. And at reasonable intervals between QSOs.

Not everyone will be able to access the internet on summits as coverage not always guaranteed and not all phone batteries last all day either. Sending your summit ref reasonably frequently also means, hopefully, you won’t hold a queue of chasers up when one chaser keeps asking for your summit reference.
David.

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If I have set an Alert and I have internet access at the summit, I start my activation calling CQ while checking SW3 for RBNHole to raise a spot. If it takes long for the spot to show up, I may send it manually from my smartphone with SOTA-Spotter App. As soon as I see my first spot shown up on SW3, the chasers arrive and that tells me that they all have seen my spot on SW3, however, I always send my SOTA reference to my very first chaser for him to confirm that the spot info is correct. Sometimes to my second chaser too. Then the whole pileup and I don’t send the reference unless requested or after a good while without having sent it. I also tend to give my SOTA reference when I’m chased by a chaser with an unfamiliar callsign, because I think he may not be aware of my SOTA activity.
Finally, when I announce QRT, I also send my callsign and SOTA reference in case there is someone listening and needing to know it.
73,

Guru

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I try to send my summit locator and the name of the summit every 10 minutes or so (obviously not in CW). Just in case I have mistyped it in my self spot, if not for any other reason.

73 Ed.

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Keep trying Allen, I’m not ignoring you deliberately! I’ve added to my antenna capabilities recently and now have an EFHW on 40/30/20 now, so hopefully 40m will prove fruitful.

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who has time for rules? hi hi
I’m more likely to mis send a ref as i am to mis spot it though, so there’s that to bear in mind.

Sounds like a good SOP.

Well, for a start there is the MT… :smiley:

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I Know you’re not ignoring me Colm lol The bands are awful here mate but hopefully they will get better.
Best 73

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What do you mean by SOP?
In the automotive industry, SOP means Start Of Production, but I guess you meant something else.

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Standard Operating Procedure.

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In the Graz CW School, we teach students to send the summit ref on the first over and then at regular intervals thereafter (perhaps every 5th QSO). I may skip the summit ref if the chaser is very weak and disappearing in QSB because it can lead to confusion. I will then send the ref on the next over with, hopefully, a stronger station. If I am getting plenty of S2S, then I just leave it as it is being heard regularly enough as a result of these S2S QSOs. There are still a few chasers out there who have stumbled on you by chance, so I think it is not yet OK to just assume everyone has your info from the internet. If you decide to send the ref, then chasers should be patient and listen. Don’t be pushed aside in QSOs by impatient chasers: when you talk, they listen, or no QSO.
73 de OE6FEG
Matt

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