Yes, I worked G4TCU/P as well, so that was an omission. Gutted to miss G4XZL/P as that would have been IO90 as well as another S2S - then agan was G4XZL in the 10H or the 3B section, what with G/SE-008 being a drive-on summit? If 10H, then it wouldn’t be a SOTA contact.
Dear All,
I have been doing SOTA since 2011, as well as other EA2 friends we have been generating activity mainly in the 2m FM. SOTA was an excellent part of the hobby to improve my portable station but in my case doing radio surrounded by nature is my greatest bonus. Mountain climbing is something I have been doing my whole life long, so make claims for points is an issue that does not affect me. My personal VHF Dx distance records have already passed 1000km on 2m FM during one sota activation. I am quite sure that it will be repeated again but we must be prepared.
Returning to topic, I am agree the primary purpose of Tom being on the summit was the contest, so it cannot be considered as a key indicator for measuring activity on 2m & SOTA .
It is clear that we must sow the seeds doing more publicity but during one contest day might not be the most appropriate, unless one ends this action sending a personal email with the corresponding eQSL card and short information about how to sign up into the SOTA program.
Once again I could say that the future of the UVHF is in our hands and together we can do many things. A challenge would be a good idea in order to move much more people than usual to these bands and creating a bigger impact into the surrounding areas.
Best regards, EB2GKK - Inaki.
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I agree that 2m is a very suitable band for a challenge. People can use whatever mode their equipment permits. I know that SSB will get me further (and allow more operating time) than FM, however I know that some areas contain dozens or hundreds of FM operators and hardly any of them have SSB gear or don’t use it anyway.
For the people without any chance of 2m contacts (or enough) I think a complementary HF band could be added to 2m for the next challenge.
For ambitious VHF/UHF operators they could add 70cm to 2m operation, thereby increasing activity on that band too.
73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2UH
G4XZL was in the 3B section for the 1st Backpackers and 2nd (as GW4XZL/P) but has not yet uploaded a log for the 3rd session.
I am agree the primary purpose of Tom being on the summit was the contest
Maybe the best person to judge that is Tom himself?
Only one person knows the inner workings of my own mind better than me, and that is my wife.
“CQ SOTA” was called regularly throughout the activation last night, and three S2S QSOs were made with other SOTA activators taking part in the Fun Evening / activity night.
Well last night was my first ever time on 2m SSB - and I enjoyed it! Very clear signals even at S1. There seemed to be good propagation (made a change from HF) and there was space on the band. Made 1 S2S, so what more could you ask for. I’m almost tempted to make a small beam or moxon. Only disappointment was that no one responded to my CQs, so I gave up in disgust and went to FM before returning for another couple on SSB. Lovely evening for a walk too.
I’m not really into just chasing points, so I don’t think the contesting bug has grabbed me, but it certainly seems to get people on the air so that’s good
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I tried 2m SSB from EI/IN-092, my local SOTA for three days. VHF contacts are difficult from Arranmore Island as it is on the western side of the Co. Donegal mountains. I would have been happy with a contact from across the mountains (GI) or perhaps GM over a stretch of the Atlantic. Nothing such, only a few minutes after I put the spot up I worked MK0BKV in locator IO70RR … 547km / 340miles away!
I am really pleased with that amazing contact. I called for another hour depleting the battery on 2m SSB and 70cm SSB, he was the only contact.
73, Phil as EJ/ON4TA/P
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There was a good tropo opening from G-land to EA to coincide with 4th Backpackers. I was amazed to make QSOs with EA1 and EA2 with just 2.5W and a 5-ele Yagi from GW/NW-075. Shame the WX wasn’t a bit kinder!
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Well done on the Spanish QSOs, Simon! I wonder if it was, indeed, tropo and not Sporadic E, because there was a massive Es opening on 6m the previous morning (Friday). You say the weather was bad, and it’s very unusual to have good tropo conditions on VHF during bad wx.
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
There was Es on six at the time.
Brian
I believe tropo was predicted. It’s seems not to have extended far east at our end. But then a reflection would be touching down in the ocean. It probably didn’t make it north of me( and the bad WX). Who knows. Perhaps it was Es-enhanced tropo.
Anyway, whilst it was great fun getting the best DX I’ve ever experienced on 2m, as expected I’ve dropped down the ranking so far that my normalized score won’t count for anything. Yr Eifl has a sea take-off that’s hard to beat but it is very effectively screened from the points-scoring honey pot of the English Midlands by the Rhinogydd. If all the amateurs in the Birmingham area were to move to Pembrokeshire I think I’d have it sewn up!
No need for the chasers to move, just use more beefy kit, or perhaps deploy the Tardis to get you back to the good old days 
…following results from 25W and a 5 element:
It would be interesting to do a comparison now in 2016 on the same day of the week (Sunday) using the same kit.
73, Gerald G4OIG
Nice afternoon, so I’m going to nip up G/SP-015 for the last hour of the AFS event. Which means 2m SSB SOTA points from me if you can find me.
Nice afternoon indeed, but very cold on Sunday 4th December 2016. The 2m AFS contest was running for the 6 hours from 10am to 4pm. I wasn’t available (nor willing) to sit up there for that timespan in winter temperatures as I have done in previous years, but I did decided to go out for the closing 45 minutes or so.
The wind was pretty wild at the summit, and my mast collapsed no less than 5 times as it got buffeted about. Anyway, I made 31 contacts, all 2m SSB and all from G, GW or GI. Plenty of EU DX was heard pretty well, but none of it landed on my QRG, nor did I really have the time to commit to hunting them down. At least 5 active SOTA chasers in the log.
As soon as 4pm arrived, so the already disruptive wind magnified significantly. I got the antenna and mast down as quickly as I could and got packed up. Unusually, Cloud summit was somewhere I really did not want to be!
That’s a nice haul… looks like I will have to time my 2m SSB activations to coincide with contests. 
It was well down on the actual potential Gerald. The contest started at 10am, and activity levels were high. Stations that had been operating efficiently throughout the event were on serial numbers well into the 200s after 3pm.
Furthermore, conditions were up and many stations from DL, ON, PA and F were clearly heard. Made me wish I’d got things organised better at home and gone out and braved the chill for the full 6 hours!
…works for me 
Unfortunately, it doesn’t for me. Although I jokingly suggested that I would need to co-ordinate my 2m SSB activations with contests, my interest is actually working SOTA chasers from summits. When I have been activating during 2m contest periods, I don’t go S&P and I try to keep away from the main contest frequencies. Up in GM that means vacating my usual 144.333MHz as Dick GM4PPT works that frequency during contests - anyway, at least I know where to get a contact if I need one. 
The interest in contesting has waned for me and I would now rather spend the time available on other things. A decent pint in the pub and a good chat would certainly be far more attractive than getting chilled on a summit for zero points. Of course I don’t do zero points either. 
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Hey Gerald, Here’s an idea… try doing SOTA without any radios. That would make it easier for you to make life harder for yourself!
I rather sympathise, Gerald. I remember the excitement of my first contest, but it was over fifty years ago, on 70 cm in the days of all valve rigs and before the television front end transistors became available. I think my five watts of AM got me five contacts, and it was a spur to building a higher power transmitter. Since then the excitement gradually transmuted to “ho-hum”, working the same stations on the same locations every year, and is now a total aversion. To those excited by contests I give my applause, contests are the most immediate spur to improving station and operator, but for my part the excitement has long burned out.
Can I point out that when coinciding a SOTA activation with a contest:
- There is no obligation to S+P.
- There is no obligation to make lots of contacts.
- There is no obligation to submit an entry.
- There is no obligation to try to win the contest.
When I coincide my SOTA activations with a RSGB AC, I do all of the above.
When I coincide my SOTA activations with an international HF contest I either do none of the above, or just No.1.
You don’t have to be involved in the contest in any way, simply enjoy the increased activity in the same way as when conditions are enhanced.
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