Hello!
Just wanted to post here with some information about my first SOTA activation! I would appreciate as many contacts as possible
Summit: G/TW-001 - Urra Moor
Date: Saturday 11th July
Time - Around 1200UTC (maybe an hour later, time TBD but info will be posted via SOTA Watch, DX cluster and APRS).
Callsigns: M7OJA (myself!) and M7UOK
Frequencies: 145.500 FM, 144.300 SSB, HF tbd (will be added to DX cluster at the time)
Any queries to be directed to murtonminer@gmail.com - please let us know if you will be chasing! I haven’t tried SOTA before, and I have been licenced for around a month.
GL Oscar. On Saturday, there will be lots of /P activity on 70cm, probably mostly on FM, so it would be worth having something with you to cover that band, even if it is just a handheld. Enjoy your activation!
Hi Oscar and welcome
I for one will chase you…no that sounds wrong don’t it but you know what I mean. Anyways let’s hope WX is good for you and good luck.
I hope to be in the shack on Saturday morning. I have a pipeline from Pickering to the summit of TW-001 27 Kms away. If you can self spot your working frequency rather than just 145.500 or 144.300 it will help Chasers find you. If not I’ll keep my 2m FM radio on squelch and watch out for you around 1200-1300z.
Have a good and successful activation, it could be the first of many. I hope the rain keeps off for you.
Hi @M7OJA, I too am new to SOTA and I will be looking at either Hope mountain (in the future Post lockdown) or the Gun G/SP-013 for a trial run this Saturday. Good luck!
73 De M3doo
John
Just to bump this topic and let everyone know that the activation will go ahead!
I will call CQ on the relevant calling channels, then I will QSY. Any frequency we are on will be reported on SOTAwatch and the DX Cluster.
Down here in west Yorkshire someone has been keying the mike all night long and still doing it on 145.500mhz (2m) going right across the board, so it’s not looking too good for me picking you up Oscar.
Why do folks do this
Maybe the PTT button got stuck? Or intentional?
It happend to me recently in the OE/ST region. I heard from others that they usually activate at 145.525. Now I know why. Just after my first CQ SOTA call someone set just the carrier to block me out. It’s apparently one the self declared band police guys that defend the QRG for emergency only cases…
Oscar try to spot yourself and Allen will find you.
Good to work you S2S from G/NP-004 Whernside today,
for what I think was the first contact in your activator log?
Mark 2E0FTU mentioned you had just arrived on summit.
I hope that proves the first of many enjoyable activations!
Great to work you and 2E0FTU/P on your first activation, I Hope you do many more in the future.
You were 5/5 with me on Roan Fell GM/SS-132, 15 miles SW of Hawick (146km from you). It was unfortunate that I was unable to copy M7UOK. I knew there was a signal there but nothing was readable.
I was running 20 W from my FT857 to an end fed HB “Flower Pot” antenna at 7m. The microphone is also HB, an electret clipped onto my collar, much lighter than the Yasu fist mike.
My first Sota was a VHF activation of a Wainwright hill in the lakes, got the bug big time so went on to activated all of the 330 Wainwrights and Outliers. That took me on to Sota and HF activations. I now operate mainly CW on HF with a little FM on VHF at the end of the Activation.
