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G4EBT > SOTA 24.12.06 21:38l 182 Lines 5240 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 8E3930G4EBT
Read: GUEST
Subj: Re: Summits on Air, GM7HUD
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<DB0MRW<DK0WUE<DB0RES<ON0BEL<GB7FCR
Sent: 061224/1831Z @:GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU #:10979 [Blackpool] FBB-7.03a $:8E3930G4
From: G4EBT@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : SOTA@WW
Andy, GM7HUD wrote:-
> M1BYT:-
> > typically you can get a 110ah for around œ40.
Andy:
> But I wouldn't like to carry it up a hill. I have enough difficulty
> carrying a 2.8AHr SLA around!
I know that in the frozen north you're well placed to get involved in SOTA
(Summits on the Air), but come on - are you having us on, or are you
really operating portable from Scottish summits?
What's your best DX?
SOTA does seem to be gaining momentum, looking at the SOTA website. There
are 13,145 postings on the SOTA forum, all of course, about amateur radio
summit operation.
It seems a pity that so much of what could otherwise come onto packet in
many spheres of the hobby ens up on mono-topic websites such as SOTA,
QRP, Boatanchors (vintage and military), Home-Brew, Packet etc, when radio
amateurs have their very own internet system - packet ("radio" as was).
But really, packet can't hope to compete wit internet and shouldn't be
seen as an alternative - a sort of "poor man's internet". If that's all it
has to offer, it's sunk.
One of the nice things about SOTA is that rather than maligning Foundation
Licence-holders as many established amateurs do, it encourages and
nurtures their participation in active amateur radio via the "SOTA
Challenge".
What's the SOTA Challenge?
One of the objectives of SOTA is to encourage new people to enter and
enjoy the hobby of amateur radio. The SOTA Challenge aims to encourage
young people to participate in the hobby.
The Challenge is open to anyone 18 years old or younger on 31st December
of the calendar year. The objective is simple; activate as many SOTA hills
as you can in the calendar year (1 January to 31st December).
Each activation must be a scoring SOTA activation and must conform with
the SOTA rules. The person with the most SOTA hills activated will win:
One 6.7m SOTA Pole
One guying kit
One 2m SOTA Beam.
To qualify entrants must send:
log entries showing dates, times, summits, modes, bands and stations
contacted, and a signed statement that they were 18 or younger for the
entire period.
Here are the results for 2005 taken from the Sota Beams website:
Note:
The calllsign series 2E1 was the former code-free VHF only
Novice licence, now converted to Intermediate all bands, the 2E0
series was the former Novice licence, including passing the CW exam).
The M3 series is the Foundation licence - the mandatory entry point for
all UK radio amateurs since 2003. (It's the licence we would have to take
out if we came into amateur radio today).
The 2005 Winner was Samantha, 2W0UPT:
Sam put in a great entry with 34 summits activated in 2005. Sam is 15
years old and lives near Chester giving him easy access to many summits.
Well done Sam!
2005 runner-up was Nicola, 2E0DNB:
Nicola comes from a SOTA family with dad M0SGB and sister M0DNC (winner
last year) both keen participants in the SOTA award programme. Nicola
activated 15 summits in 2005, narrowly beating Jimmy, M3EYP. Good effort
both of you.
2004 Winner - Bobbie, M3DNC
Bobbie managed 24 activations between August and December - brilliant!
2004 runner-up - James M3OZE. 20 Activations. Well done!
2003 Winner - Josh, MW3EPA
Josh, aged 13, managed to get in 14 activations done in 2003 making him a
worthy winner. Well done!
http://www.sota.org.uk/
SOTA Beams is run by Richard Newstead, G3CWI. Richard Newstead, G3CWI, is
one of the UK's leading lightweight portable operators. He runs a little
outfit called SOTA beams through which he markets lightweight portable
antennas which he developed for his own SOTA activities.
http://www.sotabeams.co.uk/
The SOTA DATABASE provides the following info, which demonstrates the
extent of participations, the level of activity, and the bands and modes
used. It's an increasingly popular facet of the hobby, about which I dare
say few amateurs are even aware of, let alone participate in:
Registered Users : 1007
SOTA Associations : 12
SOTA Regions : 110
Summits : 8456
Web Page Hits Since 10th Jan 2004 : 1,738,195
ACTIVATORS:
Number of Activators: 521
Activated Summits: 2669
Number of Activations: 14544
Number of Activator QSOs: 152292
Total Activator Points : 61306
ACTIVATOR QSOs BY MODE:
FM: 93289
SSB: 39329
CW: 19596
Data: 57
AM: 18
Other: 3
Not sure what the "other" QSOs are! (SSTV? Spark Gap?!!)
ACTIVATOR QSOs BY BAND:
144MHZ: 101953
7MHZ: 24356
5MHz: 11484
433MHZ: 8430
10MHz: 1769
14MHZ: 1521
3.5MHz: 1157
28MHz: 503
21MHZ: 250
50MHZ: 243
70MHz: 204
18MHz: 186
1240MHz: 139
1.8MHZ: 70
144MH: 11
24MHz: 7
24GHZ: 2
1297MHZ: 2
10GHZ: 1
2800MHZ: 1
4MHZ: 1
CHASERS:
Number Of Chasers: 436
Chasers Who Are Also Activators: 271
Number of Chaser Contacts: 69000
Total Chaser Points: 286450
See: http://database.sota.org.uk/(4ciiuqn25k0tgh451brqfrmx)/default.aspx
An altogether healthy pursuit in every sense of the word!
73 - David, G4EBT @ GB7FCR
Message timed: 09:14 on 2006-Dec-24
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