In reply to 2W0UPH:
My DOH! moment is a little different: sitting in a sheltering circle of loose rocks with the coax draped over the top, I moved the coax and a rock tumbled off the rim to land on the gear and break a socket off the homebrew ATU, inches away from the 857! I now take more care with how the cables are positioned. Then there is the time I realised I was sitting on an ants nest…
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
In reply to 2W0UPH:
My DOH! moment is a little different: sitting in a sheltering circle
of loose rocks with the coax draped over the top, I moved the coax and
a rock tumbled off the rim to land on the gear and break a socket off
the homebrew ATU, inches away from the 857! I now take more care with
how the cables are positioned. Then there is the time I realised I was
sitting on an ants nest…
LOL, I’m sure if we all got together Brian, there’s a best selling book here!
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to G4ISJ:
Well, it was my first activation of Gyrn Moelfre today, GW/NW-049.
I arrived at SOTA from the amateur radio side rather than serious hill walking, and have become complacent by walking around the same familiar hills of Shropshire for many years.
Anyway, I found an alternative route up Gyrn Moelfre. When I say alternative, I mean longer, steeper, boggier, and densely populated with Gorse bushes, with hints of barbed wire and rabbit holes. Moral = RTFM, where M = map.
The activation was good even though I arrived late, 25 stations on 4m ssb (contest), and 11 on 2m FM.
Then down the hill, generally following the track that I should have ascended, just cutting some of the long curves.
When in site of the farm where I had parked, I realised that I had left my stick at the top. No ordinary stick, this, I cut it from a coppiced Mountain Ash on a hill years ago, and it has served me well. So, hide rucksack in Gorse bush (they do have some non sheep related uses) and back up the hill to fetch stick.
It was well worth it in the end, because the low cloud that I had sat amongst for the activation had cleared on my return, and the surrounding hills bathed in sunshine were magnificent.
I’m hoping to get past doing silly things before I take on a few higher summits :o)
Adrian
In reply to G4ISJ:
Some will have heard this from me last week but I’ll fes-up to the rest of you.
On Wednesday I went up GW/NW-043 Cyrn-y-Brain. Brilliant warm day and NO wind - I’d put on my extra thick walking trousers so got rather warm. Had 17 QSO’s including 2 S2S. Walked back down - no problem. Got to the car ready to do the other twin and where’s my phone? Yes still up on the top of 43 so up I go again this time a bit quicker, sans kit. Found the phone exactly where I though it would be, now it’s down again.
After a coffee and sarny at the Ponderosa it was off to do the twin. Could have done without the extra walk though.
Good news for the Julia Bradbury Apprication Society she’s back on Country File tonight.
Peter G1FOA
Adrian,
You were S3 on 2m FM at times in Cheltenham Today, but seems that you were not hearing me.
I also briefly heard 2E0XYL/P on G/LD-017 and managed to work Colin G8JSM on SP-017 (not bad with just a colinear at this end).
Stewart G0LGS
In reply to G0LGS:
Adrian,
You were S3 on 2m FM at times in Cheltenham Today, but seems that you
were not hearing me.
Hi Stewart, thank you for the information, that is interesting.
I was using a VX5 handy, with the same ground plane antenna that I have used on other activations. I got the impression that stations could hear me, and were just opening my squelch, but I couldn’t read them!
On other summits, I have used an old FT290R, with TX/RX amplifier, and feel fairly sure that I can work anyone who calls me.
There is no interference on Gyrn Moelfre, so I think it must be down to RX sensitivity.
I’ll make some measurements on the bench later…
Cheers
Adrian
In reply to G4AZS:
I’d put money on the VX5 being de-sensed by something in the vicinity. If it’s like my IC80AD then vicinity can mean 25+km radius 
I saw the FT290 MK1 in your pictures. You should get bonus points for using a classic from the summits. I really should organise an electric-handbag SOTA event to celebrate the design classics of old. FT290, TR2200, TR2300 etc. But no Belcoms though!
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
I’d put money on the VX5 being de-sensed by something in the vicinity.
If it’s like my IC80AD then vicinity can mean 25+km radius
It did feel a bit like de-sensing (a certain amount of distortion on weak signal audio), but no obvious masts visible…
I saw the FT290 MK1 in your pictures. You should get bonus points for
using a classic from the summits.
There are practical reasons for using these things, too, like 70ma on receive as against almost 1 Amp for a modern processor controlled rig (what on earth do they do with it all? Its a radio, not a toaster!!)
The main reason though, is that I bought it as junk and repaired it - a simple bias resistor gone open circuit - so it is no great loss if it gets wet / dropped / eaten by sheep etc :o)
Adrian
G4AZS
In reply to MM0FMF:
I really should organise an
electric-handbag SOTA event to celebrate the design classics of old.
FT290, TR2200, TR2300 etc. But no Belcoms though!
Shame! The Liner-2 was a terrific rig, it got me lots of DX!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
The Liner-2 was a terrific rig, it got me lots of DX!
On 10m, 2m and 70cms simultaeneously 
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
But no Belcoms though!
Ah, so that decent rig the Liner 430 is banned then… pity, I really enjoyed using mine and made lots of nice DX contacts - on 70cms only!
Gerald G4OIG
In reply to MM0FMF:
In reply to G8ADD:
The Liner-2 was a terrific rig, it got me lots of DX!
On 10m, 2m and 70cms simultaeneously
Andy
MM0FMF
I thought so, you just can’t resist opening it up and having a poke with a screwdriver!
73
Brian G8ADD
