2m Conditions

On the Bands
21

In reply to 2E0YYY:

Cheap and effective beam Mike!

https://shop.nuxcom.de/product_info.php?products_id=597

Delivery is quoted here, but as the boom is less than 90 cm i would imagine it will be no more than 12.50 euros!

https://shop.nuxcom.de/shop_content.php?coID=1

Total cost for a 3 ele beam = 25.20 euros! All sorted by pay pal!!

A no brainer and more importantly for you, after feeling the weight of your ruck sack, it is very light!!!

If you go for a bigger antenna such as the 5 ele its 17 euros for the antenna and 18 euros for delivery!

Probably cheaper to source all the kit yourself, but far less hassle to order here!

73

Matt G8XYJ - who is busy contemplating this

http://fedler.com/radio/mobile_loops.htm

22

In reply to 2E0YYY:

My quest to find some dx on the 2m band proved pretty fruitless from G/SP-015 >and my confidence in Hepburn is beginning to wain somewhat.

Strange that Mike. Quite a few NW SOTA chasers worked well into GM today on 2m. Brian G4ZRP worked a 235km path up to SS-164 from the North end of The Wirral using a vertical and just 2.5w from an old FT-290 MK1. You must have been above the inversion layer.

You should keep an eye on the spaceweather sites then you’d have known about the CME which tattered up the HF bands. SFI was about 120 and A index was 13 when I looked this morning. Not good.

Andy
MM0FMF

23

In reply to MM0FMF:

Yup, Ken G3XQE tipped me off about the CME and did say 40m was pretty much rubbish.

All noted on being above the inversion layer. Perhaps I shoud have joined Colin G8JSM/P om Billinge Hill :wink:

Not sure if he found any DX, though.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

24

In reply to G0LGS:

Hi Stuart,

Sounds like everyone had a ball in the 2m contest, Stewart.

As you say, right place at the right time.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

25

In reply to 2E0YYY:
Hmm, My best DX was Ellesmere Port and then power connector problems curtailled 2 metre operation.

73 Colin
G8JSM

26

Jimmy and I uncharacteristically missed this week’s 2m contest. We couldn’t resist the big Cheshire derby - Stockport County v Macclesfield Town up at Edgeley Park. So no 2m contest for us.

Seems we missed a really good one - thank goodness the session scores all get normalised to 1000! However, we don’t regret the decision, having been treated to a stunning football match which Macc won 4-3. A few more Tuesday contest/SOTA nights might ‘go missing’ if Macc keep playing like this…

I’ll be out next week for the 70cm test, either from one of the local SOTAs or Merryton Low. Two weeks after that, we have Mansfield at home to consider against the 6m test. I’ll leave that to Jimmy’s call, as it is his 20th birthday that day.

Tom MO1EYP

27

2m update…

Well, this will certainly go down as one of my more eventful activations.

Arrived at the trig point of G/WB-005 at about 0830 local time. Set up the station and reached for the mobile and log book. No mobile or log book, I’d left both of them on the front seat of the car.

So, back down to the car to retrive both items. After about 20 minutes Txing I noticed the SWR was higher than normal on the triple 5/8 collinear and it certainly was not performing as I would have expected.

Soooooooooo, once again, back down to the car to retrive the X-300 collinear.

Having made the change, I noticed an immediate improvement in the signals. G1STQ who was about 5/1 was now 5/6.

After an hour or so, Simon 2E0CHV/P arrived on the summit, he hadn’t realised I would be up there. Simon had no HF gear, so I vacated 2m and set up for HF.

The mobile signal was non existent on G/WB-005 and I was having all sorts of problems trying to get spotted. It was Frank G3RMD who came to the rescue and in a moment of madness, I asked him to spot me on 21.275 when what I actually meant was 14.275.

It was then that things started to go from bad to worse. There was huge pile-up on 21.275. After an age, I finally managed to get G1STQ on the mobile and he spotted me on 14.275, the correct frequency. However, this was far from the end of my woes, as this frequency was now occupied and unworkable!

Then, the very last straw, two Rangers appeared in their sooty van and ordered both Simon and myself to pack up the the radio gear. Normally, they’re quite reasonable, but today they were having none of it.

Apoiogies to the HF chasers who were trying to work me. While I was talking to the Rangers, I did hear one station ask me to move up 5 Kc’s, but sadly I was forced to go QRT.

I did consider going to to G/WB-003 or 004, but by now, I wasn’t really in the mood.

To sum up, I’ve had better days :frowning:

73 Mike
2E0YYY

28

In reply to 2E0YYY:

There have been 244 activations of that summit, and as far as I know you were the first to be asked to leave. Perhaps the Wardens were in an officious mood, or perhaps you were just too highly visible, I don’t know, but it is a popular and easily reached summit and it would be a pity if the wardens started to look out for us to move us on.

73

Brian G8ADD

29

In reply to 2E0YYY:
Sorry to hear your day was not as expected.

Fancy getting asked /told to pack-up.

Can they (legally) do such a thing.

Meant to be a free country and all that.

Perhaps these big aerials are too big for some and attract the wrong customers?

I would like to be able to challenge their authority?

Were you throwing stones at their van?

30

In reply to G1STQ:

I believe it is National Trust property. In theory, they can insist upon prior permission being obtained before any radio operation takes place, although this has never been enforced until now.

This is very bad news. Where does it leave other SOTA activators who are planning to operate in the future from this popular summit?

I believe a similar incident was recently reported on here, relating to another National Trust site.

73,
Walt (G3NYY)

31

Yes, I understand that a warden can indeed ask you to take down a temporary structure or ask you to move on/cease your activity if they deem it to be inappropriate or possibly cause disturbance to others. I have heard reports over the years of wardens/rangers stating things like “radio broadcasting is not allowed on this land” - inaccurate in itself, and an untrue representation of whatever actual byelaws are in place. But they still have the authority to ask you to stop if they see fit.

You could have a point about the size of the aerial John, especially right at the summit of a busy, popular and easily accessible hill. Use of the extent of the activation zone to conduct a low key, low impact, short time-span activation out of the way of other hill users may avoid similar interruptions.

Challenging their authority would not be a good idea, as they have authority, and throwing stones at their van is definitely inadvisable! Night provides excellent cover for bigger longer activations. As do more remote and less popular summits.

I have only been challenged by wardens 4 or 5 times in 1200+ activations, but always responded obediently when it happened - it’s the only way.

Tom MO1EYP

32

Where does it leave other SOTA activators who are planning to operate in the future from this popular summit?

Hi Walt,

It leaves others exactly where they are now. That they can activate the summit if they wish, but take full responsibility for themselves, their equipment and their actions in doing so. That they operate with proper consideration for the environment and other hill-users, and co-operate with those in authority.

Mike being asked to cease his activity and take his aerial down only affects that moment in time. It has no bearing on others’ intentions, although future activators may opt for a lower key operation away from the trig point based on Mike’s experiences.

Tom MO1EYP

33

In reply to G1STQ:

In reply to 2E0YYY:
Sorry to hear your day was not as expected.

Fancy getting asked /told to pack-up.

Can they (legally) do such a thing.

Yes, they can, do a bit of research on their rules.

Meant to be a free country and all that.

The fact that it is a free country does not mean that you can do as you like.

Perhaps these big aerials are too big for some and attract the wrong
customers?

That is what I suspect. Perhaps somebody flagged down the wardens and complained that the ambience was being spoiled by noisy hams with big shiney aerials!

I would like to be able to challenge their authority?

Before you start thinking like that read the pre-amble to the Rules for Activators, section 3.7, and note rule 3.7.1.7. Note that throwing a strop might be harmful to the rest of us in SOTA, and in any case only the MT can negotiate for SOTA - and we won’t if we can avoid it because an official answer NO! would cause real problems for us all, and not just on that sum mit.

Future activators of that summit would be well advised to set up well away from the trig point and summit track, try not to be too obvious from the main tarmac drive, and don’t stay too long.

There is a wooden post about 100 metres west of the trig point that a mast can be bungeed to, with a faint track leading to it through deep heather, and a great view of the Stiperstones - operate sensitively from that and you are unlikely to attract attention.

73

Brian G8ADD

34

In reply to G8ADD:

Future activators of that summit would be well advised to set up well
away from the trig point and summit track, try not to be too obvious
from the main tarmac drive, and don’t stay too long.

Whether you’re using a collinear or a linked dipole, even 100 metres away, you’ll be spotted. The Ranger told me point blank, they moved a radio operator recently who was “hiding in the heather” as she put it.

They played both the “have you obtained permission and do you have public liability insurance” cards when they challenged me today.

Incidentally, I was challenged on G/SP-015 yesterday by a Ranger.

I was more fortunate yesterday, after the initial, “have you obtained permission and do have you public liability insurance” he cooled down and we exchanged mobile numbers.

For the time being, I will not be posting any alerts for my intended activations of NT summits.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

35

In reply to 2E0YYY:

For the time being, I will not be posting any alerts for my intended
activations of NT summits.

I very much doubt the rangers are checking the alerts on here!

Perhaps, and this is a personal observation and not made in my official capacity as a member of the MT, that you should consider doing some low impact and short activations from some of the many other summits. You’ve been asked to stop from 2 different NT summits. So give your usual haunts a break for a good few weeks. Go elsewhere and let the rangers deal with other issues so you drop out of their immediate memory. Ditching the scaffold poles/huge vertical for a while may be a wise idea.

Andy
MM0FMF

36

In reply to MM0FMF:

Good evening everyone,

It was really nice to meet Mike 2E0YYY on WB-005 Long Mynd Pole Bank this afternoon. It was a real pity that we were asked to leave by NT wardens after being challenged over our public liability insurance.

I agree with Mike, being a 100 or so metres from the trig point would have made little difference and the inference from the wardens was that they had asked another amateur to leave earlier this week, who they found ‘skulking in the heather’.

I for one will give the Mynd a miss for a short while, whilst I speak with a good friend who works for the NT to see what it is that they would really like from us…

However it was not a totally wasted day, after a brief rest at home I ventured to Titterstone Clee Hill WB-004 this evening and had a get time. 60 contacts in a little over three hours, including 17 in F land and a couple into EA land… Plus many of the usual suspects!

Now sat with a pint of local ale as I type this… Life is perhaps not so bad after all.

'73

Simon
2E0CHV…

37

In reply to 2E0CHV:

whilst I speak with a good friend who works for the NT to see what it is that > they would really like from us.

There’s no way I can stop you doing this but would STRONGLY advise that you don’t.

Andy, MM0FMF
SOTA MT Member.

38

In reply to MM0FMF:

Andy, just to set the record straight, I’ve only ever been asked to stop transmitting from one summit.

I was challenged yesterday, I was not asked to stop transmitting.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

39

In reply to MM0FMF:

Ok Andy, I will not ask…
Nice way to start my time on the SOTA forum with a rebuke. Perhaps I should knock the SOTA bit on the head!

Simon
2E0CHV

40

In reply to MM0FMF:

In reply to 2E0CHV:

whilst I speak with a good friend who works for the NT to see what
it is that > they would really like from us.

There’s no way I can stop you doing this but would STRONGLY advise
that you don’t.

Andy, MM0FMF
SOTA MT Member.

I agree. You would have no authority to speak for SOTA, any approach if deemed necessary should come through formal channels from the MT and nobody else. As I indicated above, any such approach would be as a last resort.

73

Brian G8ADD