Sota maps - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't

My activations are not always shown in the Sota maps. They are correctly listed in the database.



73 Chris

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Did you wait long enough? The data takes “some time” to propagate to the maps site.

But if it’s in the database then that’s all that really matters.

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Usually it always works overnight that the activation is listed. But sometimes the individual qsos don’t appear.

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I would imagine that it can’t locate some stations. I don’t know what algorithm is used but if it queries QRZ.COM for example it won’t find folk who aren’t in there and therefore won’t be able to plot a line.

Regards, Mark

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I have found the cause. If the number of qsos of an activation equals the number of S2S qsos, the Sota Map fails. And that, although (or because?) all qsos are entered in the activation database and also in the S2S database.
73 Chris

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Shameless plug but feel free to try the ADIF Processor and see how you get on with the Google Earth output. I try very hard in the software to find a location for everyone, and the results will show who it couldn’t work out a location for.

Mark

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Here is a workaround. I use the pulldown menue and everything is fine.
73 Chris

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It doesn’t query qrz.com, but instead uses data from a SMP-specific db table holding callsigns and QTH latitude/longitude pairs. If these can’t be found for a particular chaser then, as you correctly point out, no line appears in the map for that QSO.

All is not lost, however, since the user has the possibility to enter a chaser’s QTH position into a dialog made just for that purpose - it’s craftily hidden behind the “Set QSO QTH…” button. Click on the QSO row in the list, click the button, do some background research (on qrz.com for instance), enter the details in the dialog fields, and hit the “Save” button - the details will thereby be saved to the aforementioned db table. The good thing about this is that you’re doing a service not just to yourself, but to all others using the activations page.

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