Just a quick note to let you all know Helen and I will be over in Ireland soon and a number of summits will be put on the air.
As yet nothing is set in stone but summits I need to complete, some of the very highest and the odd first to activate will be high on my hit list.
I will alert (as soon as we can estimate timings) so hopefully some of you will be looking for us as we have no idea what mobile phone coverage will be like where we are heading.
Hear you soon from EI and GI
Carolyn
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for the very easy QSO on 7118 KHz earlier when you were on EI/IN-001 Errigal. After nipping out on my bike earlier to try to work Nick GW4OOE/P on GW/NW-001 Snowdon on 145 MHz FM without success, I still managed to chase Mark M3ZPY/P on Buckden Pike, & Ron 2W0RYB/P on Moel Famau, so not a completely wasted trip 
When I got home I had a choice, open a cold beer, or finish adding 80m sections to my 60/40/30/20/17/15 âlighter weightâ linked dipole. I chose the second option, which would mean a short walk across to a playing field near my house in order to trim the additional sections to resonance. (It is too big to set up in my garden & better trimmed in the clear away from telephone lines etc)
As the other sections work fine, I had made the 80m end pieces over-length as it is easier to snip a bit of wire off, than add a bit on 
After trimming the 80m sections I sent a CW test message (not picked up by the RBN as there were no G stations running a skimmer on 80m at the time, Doh!), I checked the VSWR on 60m (no issues) then pulled the links to try 40m, again with no issues.
I knew you were QRV on 7118 KHz SSB as I had listened from home, & although I could tell you were there, working you would have been a struggle due to my local noise. Set up in a field not 80m away from my shack, 40m was lovely & quiet, as it should be, and you were any easy 59 
:
My 40m noise problem must be very local!
Although the playing field is very convenient, I usually avoid using it for antenna experimentation as the general public will come over & ask questions. If you have a lot of adjustments to make this can be very frustrating. However today with minimal trimming necessary I thought I would take a chance.
You could spend all day on G/SP-012 Easington Fell & not see a soul, yet in 10 minutes this afternoon I had a family with a dog & then a gentleman with a dog ask me (quite nicely) what I was doing.
When you explain amateur radio to the general public, they do seem to be genuinely fascinated, so I do like to spend a bit of time explaining things. I did mention that space was an issue with an antenna of that size at home, but I also mentioned my noise problems.
The gentleman with a dog suggested I get in touch with the chap in the farm up the hill as he is a nice bloke & he was sure he wouldnât mind me experimenting up there.
Since arriving home, my mind has wandered, & wondered, if this could be quite an idea?
If its location is quiet, my first though would be Remote TX/RX with a wireless link to my shack & full size MF/HF TX/RX antennas.
Then I looked at things more realistically,& have arrived at a pole, a solar panel,a box containing a SDR, Pi/Ardiuno controller, battery / power supply, a wi-fi antenna pointing at my house, with a âmini-whipâ on top.
Hmm, those that know how far my ideas progress will know that is not going to happen, but itâs a thought isnât it?
I hope you & Helen enjoy yourselves over there, the weather in Blackburn today was lovely
Thanks & very best 73,
Mark G0VOF
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Hi Carolyn & Helen
Good luck with your activations in GI/EI. Dave G3TQQ and I are going over in October to some Mournes and hopefully some in ROI.
Hi Mark
Sorry we didnât make it on Snowdon yesterday. Conditions were a bit strange on 2m. I had a few contacts in EI, GI and GW with a âdxâ contact with Don G0RQL in Devon but nothing else from G. It was only a smash and grab activation as I had family with me. I have never seen so many people on a SOTA summit as yesterday. Even Pen y Pass car park was full at 0730!
73
Nick G4OOE
Hi Mark,
I hope you & Helen enjoy yourselves over there, the weather in Blackburn today was lovely
We have had a few activations in less than ideal conditions and some have been even worse!
Our initial view of Errigal (EI/NI-001) from the car park with its boggy lower section before a scree and gravel track to the top
Unfortunately the weather closed in half way up; this picture was taken just off the summit at the start of the activation and just before the rain started
This was not a one offâŚ
Our first activation on Tonlagee (EI/IE-003) which we chose over Lugnaquillia Mountain (EI/IE-001) because the weather was bad. Admittedly it did brighten up while we activated the summit
We had to do the highest mountain in Ireland (Carrauntoohil, EI/IS-001) and only had the one day to do it regardless of the weather. It actually started quite nice with some good views of the horseshoe but once were on the ridge (about a mile from the summit) the rain started. We only took a few pictures while H was packing up because of the wind and rain
While it is nice to see pictures in good weather of different summits and their panoramas (we have many that we will save for some activation reports), if you do enough activations you are bound to get some wet conditions. Often we would walk off but since we were so far from home we persevered.
We cannot really complain about the weather though. It is called the Emerald Isle for a reason and it could have been much wetter during our stay!
Carolyn
G6WRW (recently EI and GI, currently GM)
