We appreciate your feedback, everyone. This is a developing program, and your thoughts will help us evolve. We are now allowing anchoring. Underway/Anchoring will be an activation parameter instead. We realize this will be more inclusive and most importantly, safer, especially for single handed boaters. Also, you can activate at any time. The website will soon have a form to submit an activation, but for know you can email us. Activation instructions can be found here: https://www.boatsontheair.com/howitworks/
If Rver's On The Air would simply trade their acronym for the much more accurate RVOTA I would then like to reserve ROTA for my very own brand new idea that occurred to me suddenly as I was reading page two of this thread: Rickshaws On The Air. I don't think this has been done before. Rickshaws can carry other hams as well as plenty of equipment and antennas and be operated in parks, on summits, in Walmart parking lots and possibly on large boats by pedestrian hams (PedOTA?) giving them a very multi-faceted appeal throughout the exciting world of ego-driven/special event ham radio activities! Bonus points for operation anywhere on the Asian continent, too.
That's a fair question. I definitely respect the amount of work it takes to get a solid rig installed on a boat, and then the effort to maintain it. The thinking now is that this program is based on the concept of "activating." Similar to activating a peak for SOTA, an island for IOTA, etc., the idea is to activate a station somewhere where one doesn't already exist. Figuring out the way to successfully make contacts with a mobile rig in the field is part of the challenge and fun. Setting up a mobile station on a boat comes with its own set of challenges. That said, we are not opposed to it, and we don't feel married to other "On The Air" programs. This is just what we are thinking right now.
e main rule of BOTA is that the boat must be underway during the activation. No anchoring, mooring, or tying to a dock is allowed. The plan is for us to be moving 100% under sail power during that time. Great idea in principal but I suggest the vessel needs to be adequately crewed to be able to participate. Adequate watch keeping must be maintained. We should be allowed to be at least anchored. Example MHOTA could never ask Mobile Homes to participate only whilst moving. 73
I live on an island, so my home QTH can't be an "island on the air" either Carry on, I can still call you guys from my permanent boat or permanent island station.
Easy way to make a temporary antenna on a sailboat: Make a dipole with one side 1/4 wavelength long and the other side about 10-15 feet long. Connect this side to the coax shield. Put a weight on the end. To use, hoist the long side and have the weighted wire hanging in the water. This is essentially a 1/4 wave vertical with a salt water ground. You can double the wire at the high end back on itself with a few cable clamps for fine tuning or reducing the length to a higher band. I used to to do this before I got my permanent antenna set up and it worked pretty well.
Thanks for this! Mind if we post this to boatsontheair.com? We are planning on having a marine radio resources section.
Go for it! Do note that if you do this while underway, you need to make sure to not get the trailing wire into the rudder or prop.
I agree with bad timing by other comments, this event could confuse operators that they may be contacting a much needed museum ship. I have been on a museum ship activation several years now and alot of ham's try very hard to get the museum ships. This will just add confusion.
