Double chaser points tonight

…see the alerts.

Tom M1EYP

In reply to M1EYP:

Yes I see John G4YSS is on 160m up to midnight tonight then on VHF for field day tomorrow.

Andy
MM0FMF

In reply to M1EYP:

Great! I’ll be on 160 with my boots blacked!

73

Brian G8ADD

NFD is 1400z Saturday to 1400z Sunday. I interpreted John’s alert as he was doing NFD but also 160m on and off as time allowed, up to midnight. So you could find him on 160m or VHF, but no mention of going into Sunday, although of course the NFD certainly does.

Tom M1EYP

In reply to M1EYP:

I have a direct link to John on 2m FM. I have just spoken to him and he is all set up on NP-008.He will be on 1.832 KHz from 2100z tonight, then on and off up to midnight, returning in the morning at 0630z.

He has one slight problem which is that his 160m antenna is refusing to give a low SWR. He has checked but cannot find any obvious fault so his sigs might be a bit down on that band.

He also hopes to be active on the SOTA HF bands when the VHF contest ends at 1400z.

73 Roy G4SSH

In reply to G4SSH:

I’m pleased to say that blacking my boots did the trick! I worked John with signals peaking at 5/8, not bad considering my antenna is a G5RV doublet at 20-feet!

There were quite a few nets on the band but John wasn’t getting much attention.

73

Brian G8ADD

So, I had decided to keep my run of consecutive days activating going by crossing off Saturday and Sunday 2nd and 3rd of July 2011 in a single expedition, hence the opportunity for double points if anyone cared to chase them. In the event, only one station - Reg G3WPF - took advantage of this.

I left the house around 11pm BST on the Saturday night and drove beyond the Cloudside parking spot and up to Newtown near Biddulph. This was the site of the Macclesfield club’s NFD stations, and I called back in for a second stint of operating the 70cm station that day. The going was mind-numbingly slow, and I only added 4 or 5 contacts to the log while I was there. Interestingly though, three of these were in IO91 - a new multiplier for 70cm on the day.

Club chairman Roger M0GMG wandered across from the 2m station and explained that he thought he had better turn the generator off now, and that some of the ops were going to go to sleep for a while in their tents and caravan. It was probably the most polite way I have ever been told to sling my hook!

But that was OK, for it was just after midnight local, so less than an hour left to claim a SOTA activation for the calendar date of Saturday 2nd July 2011. Good job it was only a five minute drive back to Cloudside, and a seven minute climb to the summit!

After setting up the MM20, I was QRV at 2348z, and after three minutes of calling CQ, I got my first contact - WB8YYY (not your cousin is it Mickey??) - in Maryland, USA. This was soon followed by avid chasers Jean VE2JCW in Quebec, Canada, and Reg G3WPF in Wilmslow, East Cheshire! W1MO in Florida and M0TJU wrapped things up for the Saturday activation as we hit midnight UTC.

So to Sunday 3rd July 2011, and just two minutes into it, there was Reg G3WPF again earning himself the chaser point just 7 minutes after his last one! More North Americans entered the log, courtesy of K4MF (Florida), VO2NS (Newfoundland), K5FY (Virginia) and N3ER (Massachusetts).

A call on the handie on 2m FM brought Dave 2E0PHJ in Moston, Manchester. He told me that him and his wife couldn’t believe their ears when they heard a CQ call at two o’ clock in the morning, on a radio that they had left switched on, and that disbelief was compounded when it was a “CQ SOTA” that they were hearing!

It was a lovely night on the summit, very mild and calm and with a glorious clear star-filled sky above. The lights of towns and cities far and wide could be seen from my vantage point, and the only drawback was the active insect population in my vicinity!

I lingered for longer, because I was hearing calls from Central and South America on my 817. Calls heard included OA, YV, HK, PR, HI and H7, but none of them heard my replies. I think my SLAB was on its last legs, having already done a few activations and contests that week, and having been powering the 817 on 2m FM receive throughout the four hours of the Stockport Rally the previous day.

I packed up, went home, and hit the sack for about 3.45am BST!

Tom M1EYP

In reply to M1EYP:
Tom are you planning to get to 50 days of activations? Or more?

Adrian
MM0TAI

In reply to M1EYP:
Hi Tom,

You certainly picked a perfect night for double points. Terrific working across the pond. Well done to Reg staying up 'till 1. I noticed how still it was on Great Whernside too. I could hear music coming up from below at one stage and the morning chorus was extra audible.

Roy G4SSH was the only one who worked me both sides of midnight UTC but it was on 2m for a sked on 160 which failed as it was too long skip for Scarborough to NP8. He made it at 7am though.

I really wish I’d investigated before going. We could have tried a midnight S2S.

VHF-NFD seemed quite well supported again this year after lulls in previous years.

This is best done in winter; you only have to stay up 'till 12.

You are doing a great job in keeping The Cloud at the top of the list Tom. I wish I could summon as much keenness as you these days!

All the best to you and Jimmy,
John.

Cheers John, it was good fun, and I will repeat the stunt shortly, having witnessed the South American DX that is possible at that time.

Adrian - I expect the run will stop at 44.

Tom M1EYP

Number 43 in the consecutive daily activations - of various summits, not just The Cloud - took place on Monday 4th July 2011 - on The Cloud G/SP-015. I had made a mistake setting my alarm and wasn’t up until 5.50am, but that should have still been early enough. However, I was feeling rather fatigued, and didn’t haul myself out of the house until just after 7am BST.

This meant I could go light, as only a 2m FM handie activation was feasible timewise. Richard G3CWI/M was astonished and appalled in equal measure to learn that he was my first contact at the decadent hour of 7.46am. Two followed in the logbook, before unanswered calls on S20 and SU20 heralded the end of the activation. It was time to go to work anyway.

Tom M1EYP

In reply to M1EYP:
44 is very impressive Tom congratulations, I envy your stamina in keeping it up!!
Adrian
Mm0tai

Great to work you again John, especially on Top band and both in CW and SSB.
You were stronger later in SSB peaking at S9 at some stage !.

Peter