Update: KU6J, author of RBNGate passed away. I do not know the current status of RBNGate. It may not be functional any longer.

RBNGate is wonderful, if you are a CW activator. All you have to do to get spotted is to post an alert at http://sotawatch.org/alerts.php, and then go on the air within a couple of hours of your alerted time. RBN will do its magic and spot you as a CW QSO. RBNGate will notice that RBN spotted you and it will check SOTAwatch and see that you’re alerted for a summit. It will assume that you’re on the summit you said you’d activate, and it will post a spot to http://sotawatch.org/spots.php.

Once you’re spotted on SOTAwatch, you’ll get a pile-up.

RBNGate FAQ: http://www.grizzlyguy.tv/RBNGate.htm


Here are instructions(modified slightly) from the NASota mailing list regarding how to get spotted via RBNGate:

You will be tracked beginning one hour before your alert's ETA and ending 3 hours after it (4 hours total). If you ever want to change that period, you can enter a comment that includes something like S-2 S+5. That would cause you to be tracked beginning 2 hours before your ETA until 5 hours after it. 

The key to getting spotted by RBN is to:

1) Send "CQ" at least twice. If there is a "SOTA" in there after the second one, that's OK too.
2) Follow those by "DE"
3) Follow "DE" by your callsign at least once, twice is better.
4) Send with a good fist, *at a constant speed*. That last part is important.

To make sure you get #4 right, program the following into my your auto-keyer:

CQ CQ SOTA DE K4KPK K4KPK K

Send that as the first CQ, get auto-spotted, keep sending it until the first chaser arrives (usually within 60 seconds), then later shorten it up to CQ SOTA DE K4KPK K if need to send CQ again after working down the pile. Can also program the shorter one into auto-keyer as well. 

You can check your RBN spots by clicking this link:

http://www.reversebeacon.net/dxsd1/dxsd1.php?f=0&c=k4kpk&t=dx

That is the URL you'd get if you browse to http://www.reversebeacon.net, choose Spot Search from the DX Spots menu, and enter your callsign in the box. 

For more info on RBN and RBNGate, see the link
http://www.ku6j.com