The answer of the MT is not only in contradiction with the current rules but also has a devastating impact on the activators/chasers using the German training call (Ausbildungsrufzeichen) with prefix DN.
Every German radio amateur can apply for a special training call (DN) which is solely for allowing unlicensed persons or hams with insufficient license class for that specific band to qso legally. Of course this has to take place under the direct supervision of the ham holding the DN license.
Up to now I thought using the DN-call for SOTA is ok but Tom’s M1EYP following statement made me rethink this:
Sorry Mike, you are wrong. In order to claim credit to your own activator
record, you must be operating under your own supervision, ie using a
callsign that your licence allows you to use under your own authority.
Unfortunately this idea is shared by the MT.
I agree with Stewart G0LGS that this is NOT covered by the current wording of the SOTA rules and I strongly hope this will not be changed in any way. In my opinion there are good arguments for not changing the rules:
Currently rule 3.7.1.11 reads:
“Activator points accrue to the operator regardless of the callsign used. The operator must be entitled to use the callsign.”
Changing rules to Tom’s M1EYP opinion would be a 180° turn! I do not think changing rules arbitrarily is a good idea.
Regarding SOTA I can see no difference between using a club call or a special event call or a training call. In every case the qso is legal which is important of course and the activator/chaser is entitled to use the call sign. So what’s the problem?
I absolutely agree with OH6FQI and G0LGS who state the positive aspects of the current interpretation of the rules.
In contrast I have not read any sensible arguments for changing the rules or the interpretation given by the MT.
In reply to G8ADD:
The point is that you cannot enter an activation into the database if you
don’t have a callsign, Stewart, and if you don’t have access to the database
then you are not actually taking part in SOTA …
Wrong! There are two possibilities to enter it into the database:
- One uses the DN call to log the activation. Of course the supervising ham coordinates who logs which QSOs to the database.
- A ham with a license class not permitting this special QSO is registered with his personal call. In this case he uses his own account but logs with the callsign used. This is allowed due to “Activator points accrue to the operator regardless of the callsign used.”
Actually the database contains already far more than 200 QSOs of DN-calls and there is not the slightest problem with it. Of course not, the database does not notice the difference between a club call and a training call.
In reply to M1EYP:
In each case of which I am
aware, those concerned have contacted the MT directly with the query,
and were given a definitive answer by reply. So hopefully there won’t
be any skeletons in the closet, although I do acknowledge your point
about retrospectivity.
I do not know the supervisors/operators of the following callsigns and whether they were in contact with the MT. But in Tom’s opinion they are definitely skeletons in the closet, as they are logged using the training call:
DN2AP, 38 activations
DN3UL, 23 activations
DN1FDX, 4 activations
DN1HBN, 1 activation
DN1MDG, 1 activation
DN5JA, 2 activations
Finally:
Please remember amateur radio will only persist if we manage to fascinate people by showing them as many facets of amateur radio as possible. And “pass greetings messages” will definitely not suffice for this purpose.
73 de Michael, DB7MM