I’m planning my first SOTA activation for the next Sunday (40m/20m CW/SSB modes). I’m noob ham operator and very noob in CW mode (my skill copying and sending are limitated).
I’m asking myself the convenience of going to the air with the /P suffix or not in my callsign. Thinking in CW mode, my callsign is long (6 characters) if I add /P is more difficult for me. I can make more mistakes or forget sometimes the suffix.
I’ve seen some of you put the suffix /P and others of you don’t. I understand everybody knows that SOTA activations are always Portable so I think in these cases aren’t essential to indicate it. So I’m planning go to air with my plain callsign without any suffix. Neither the suffix of the district/region where the summit is, that is different that my assigned callsign (my district number is 4 while the summit is in the 1 district).
What do you think about this? Why many of you decide to put the /P suffix? Is it in order to better manage your logs, LoTW, eQSL,…?
You are right about why I use /P when doing SOTA. For me it is easy to look in my logs and see that I was doing portable during that specific QSO.
We have discussed that in our whatsapp group and it is clear that the use of /P is not mandatory, at all. Same goes with the EA1 summit reference. I use the extra suffix only if operating from a different DXCC region.
Welcome to the hobby! Will you join the next Sept 28th for the VHF FM SOTA day?
At the moment I have very limited equipment. For V/U I have a Quansheng whithout any directional antennna. Even for working HF my unique transceiver is a chinesse clone of the uSDX.
I want to contact with other SOTAers from Madrid zone but I don’t find any group. I’ll meet with EA1AER at IberRadio convention next Sept 21th, I want to listen his advices.
Hola Salva, yo no uso el /P, como bien dices no es obligatorio y además añades caracteres. Lo que si hago es incluir el locator de la cumbre en los logs que subo a LOTW y EQSL.
En cw el /P se usa para llamar cumbre a cumbre, pero puedes llevarte la sorpresa de que no sea una cumbre por eso yo prefiero S2S como hacen en Norteamérica.
Bienvenido al club, espero escucharte.
73 José
I don’t use QRZ’s log book formy own callsign. I have used it for the occasional special event callsign, but they almost never need embellishments of any sort…
eQSL’s handling of locations is far more problematic; you’re pretty much expected to create a new login for each callsign+location combination you work from. I expect most folk simply ignore the location-related stuff, in which case having a single /P linked login is fairly trivial.
For LotW it’s a case of requesting a certificate for whichever callsign you need, and so long as it’s obviously yours that’s mostly handled within tQSL. It does require you to make a separate upload for each distinct location, but you’d be doing that whether you use /P or not.
One of these days all ADIF files will contain sufficiently complete information that all such log-handling sites will be able to just take an ADIF file and Get It Right. (Oh, was that a pig flying by?)
I live in hope. (Imagine a flying pig emoj ihere.) Until then there’s software hackery and only so many spoons.
I send all my logs to LoTW (because that’s the one I find easiest to Get Right), and as much as simple hackery allows to eQSL (because, apparently, folk seem to like it), but QRZ is one too many…
In general European operators add /P, those from elsewhere don’t, but there are plenty of exceptions. As a CW operator I find having /P on the end of a callsign is an advantage as it often stands out in a pileup - this applies whether I’m trying to get an S2S or straining to hear stations calling me.
I don’t use eQSL or QRZ log books but it is easy with Lotw. I have a certificate for G4TGJ/P but don’t need to create a separate location for different summits as I make sure the ADIF file has the correct locator (I enter it using FLE).
This. Yesterday on CW a few calling me sent S2S alone in reply when I called CQ others sent their call with a /P. The /P stands out. When I hear someone either send /P or say “portable” my immediate thought is that it could be an S2S contact. Not every /P is a SOTA S2S but I reckon a good 99% of people calling my activator CQ calls who have /P are an S2S contact.
I would not alter how I call/work stations to make QSLing easier… that seems like the tail wagging the dog in my opinion.
Indeed it does Andy. I am of the opinion that it is a pity that all activators do not use /P. It would be good to be able to differentiate activators from chasers in events such as the Trans-Atlantic S2S, but it won’t ever happen.
During one of the EU/VK S2S events I worked a VK who did not sign /P. I assumed he was at home as he didn’t send a reference. I later found out that it was indeed an S2S. If he had signed /P I would have asked for a reference.
Using /P can sometimes cause some FT8 software to get stuck when you’re trying to work a “non standard” call sign (e.g. a special call sign or with a CEPT prefix).
The fix is to manually move to the next message in the sequence, but sometimes the other OP doesn’t know that.
Desde mi punto de vista me parece un lamentable retroceso el haber cambiado la normativa en España. Es una opinión personal. El incluir el /P en el distintivo de llamada ofrece por si mismo una información a la estación receptora que le indica que quien llama es una estación portátil.(SOTA por ejemplo)
El transmitir /P es una ayuda a los otros operadores para identificar con rapidez que quien llama puede ser posiblemente una estación SOTA. Yo lo utilizo siempre. Es una fuente de información para el corresponsal instantánea que informa que tipo de estación llama.
Quiero aprovechar para indicar a los colegas de EA que viajais a Portugal y que transmiten habitualmente sin el /P, que aquí ES OBLIGATORIO utilizarlo. Como un indicativo sim /P es ILEGAL en CT, debería considerarse INVÁLIDA, cualquier actividad SOTA que no cumpla con las normas del país donde fue realizada.
Recomiendo usar el /P, ayuda a tus colegas y te ahorra tener que explicar si estás en casa o en el monte.
73 de CT2IQK Jorge.
As ever, local regulations take precedence, and if you’re using CEPT authority to operate in another country then it’s up to you to find out and comply with the local regs.
In Kenya (which is not covered by CEPT) the use of /P (or “portable” on voice modes) is mandated in the licence. I’d have to operate as 5Z4/M0LEP/P any time I’m not at the location given as the home address on my Kenya licence. As it happens, the home address on my Kenya licence is the address at which I usually stay…
I suspect “5Z4/M0LEP/P” might be too much for FT8…
When in Barbados, it was enough for my brain to remember 8P9BW, so that’s what I went with.
As we all self-spot these days, it adds little value.
However.
I always use it in GM
If I’m activating I always prioritise a /p chaser because they are either SOTA or in a car with a whip, or a field with a wire and generally QRP, so therefore I’m intrigued.
