Well, the s2s were there OK, both 70cm and 2m; many thanks.
Giving away points on 80m proved rather difficult and Don, G0RQL was the only beneficiary from SW-002.
Vicki’s 70 cm proved very successful, so we await log entry and a final database check for the true score.
73,
Rod
I am in Co. Waterford Ireland for next three days and will activate on 70cm Yagi FM/SSB with a 7 el. Yagi and (max.) 20W. Weak tropo conditions are forecasted (H pressure moving over Ireland) to Wales and England so it might work the distance.
73 Phil ON4TA
Opportunity for some 70cm FM SOTA chaser points this evening!
It is the 70cm FMAC and UKAC this evening, 1900-1959 and 2000-2229 UTC respectively. I will NOT be a serious competitive entrant in either. I will be on The Cloud G/SP-015, just with my Yaesu VX7R handheld & stock helical antenna.
Even when the FMAC concludes, and it is UKAC time, I’ll still only have the VHF FM hand-portable, so it will probably only be a handful (and likely not even that!) of contacts on 433MHz FM, followed by an early bath.
Dad’s Taxis has a booking in the diary, so it might not be until around 1930z that I’m QRV. I’ll enter my mediocre log in for the contest, so I won’t be self-spotting. If any chasers find me, I’ll be delighted!
Can we assume you’ve not had a chance to hacksaw 352mm off the end of a spare 2m element?
True. But only one of four reasons I’m not doing much more than a little stroll on the hill tonight.
And a nice little stroll it was. Well, nice if you enjoy 50cm visibility and freezing cold hands.
The visibility was so poor that I had no idea where I was during most of the ascent, and most of the descent. And I kinda know my way around that hill!
I was just using the VX7 handheld and rubber duck. The QRP section of the FMAC for 2018 has a couple of new antenna restrictions. The antenna must be omnidirectional - ie not a beam (for instance), and must be vertically polarised. Crucially though, it appears the Contest Committee has not stated any limits by which to define vertical. No “vertical” will be at exactly 90.000000000000 degrees to the tangent to the surface of the Earth at that point, and a handheld rubber duck certainly won’t.
I believe that idea behind this rule was to make contest newcomers (who the CC believe to be teenagers with handhelds connected to white stick aerials mounted outside their bedroom windows) more competitive. The actual effects of this rule in practice appear to be to (a) substantially reduce the number of entrants in the QRP section (those with beams and/or horizontal antennas now have to go in the 50w section, even if QRP), and (b) it is now difficult or even impossible for stations in the 10w vertical (10V) to work many stations in the 50R section due to the non-compatible polarisation (around two thirds of stations in the main section use horizontal antennas).
I certainly found that for some stations, I needed to tilt/rotate the handheld through a sufficient angle for them to be able to hear me. Quite what the limiting angle would be, that would define my polarisation as horizontal rather than vertical, I wasn’t sure - perhaps as well that it’s not been specified!
Anyway, a total of seven stations worked on 70cm FM, 5 in IO83, and one each in IO84 and IO93.
Ha ha - very amusing.
Stood there with a handheld and rubber duck - no external antenna - for the FM Activity Contest. Only gone and won it!!!
Congrats to your successfull contest activation!
73 Heinz
I imagine that the rules will be changed next year to avoid similar embarrassing results.
They just were - but they didn’t think it through, and it made the situation more embarrassing, rather than less.
I’m also expecting the rules to be revised yet again for 2019, if not earlier. For the FMACs, I am actually one of those pointing out the embarrassing loopholes / inconsistencies of the latest rules and requesting they be changed.
All winning stations must be in IO91/JO01/JO00 ?
You’ve got that wrong - JO03…
Actually in reality does this result not prove the IO83 effect? 
Yes and yes.
Incredible to see all the activity you fellows have in Europe on 70cm and also on 2m ! 
While out here it’s ZZZZZZZZZ… on those bands.
It proves I got the most points - nothing else. Look at a much larger sample of results if you want to analyse the effect of what large square you are in.
Saturday 20th January 2018 - The Cloud G/SP-015
Cold - 0 degrees. QRV on 2m FM 1720 to 1730z
Absolutely silent on all 2m channels. G3CWI came back to my CQ call, then no takers at all.
If my 70cm contest win proves the IO83 effect (which it doesn’t) then this activation disproves it (which it doesn’t).
Just go to show, it’s LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.
I will plan at some point to get up a high summit with my SOTA YAGI and smash it!
Loads of 70cm activity available later. On 432 & 433MHz FM 1900-1959z then 432MHz SSB from 2000z. Will be hundreds of stations QRV. I’m intending ensuring that at least one of them is a SOTA.
Hope to work you from our local high point in the FMAC shortly.
91 QSOs on G/SP-015:
15 on 2m FM
18 on 70cm FM
58 on 70cm SSB
Very cold - especially after EA5 the previous day.