Fun Night on GW/NW-062

Old Reflector
1

I have just got back in the shack after my activation of GW/NW-062 and entered my activation log into the database.
What a night, yet again!! These evenings keep producing the goods, every time. I thought that the weather would cause a complete cancellation, but I was wrong.

I managed a total of 45 QSOs with 9 DXCCs worked and thanks to Barry M3PXW relaying the spots to me on 70cms I managed two s2s contacts with Robin GM7PKT/P on GM/WS-339 and Terry G0VWP/P on G/TW-004.
I looked for you Tom M1EYP/P on G/SP-015 after working you /M enroute to your summit, but couldn’t find you I’m sorry. Barry would have relayed to me when you were spotted, but apparently no spots appeared for you, I hope that you had plenty of activity on your summit Tom.

2m was very difficult tonight with severe desensing from the commercial stuff on the summit, I would normally put my beam up flatside to combat this, but wx condx made it impossible to erect both vhf/hf antennae at the same time.

A swift QSY to 5Mhz brought a flood of callers led as always by Alistair GW0VMZ with his crushing 59++++++ sigs, as a matter of fact 60m was as good as I have heard it of late with most two way reports at 59+

A QSY to 40-cw brought a further eight contacts led by Klaus DF2GN, it was really great to be able to give you the single point Klaus after the hundreds you have given me in our CW QSOs, I guess I still owe you a few, hi.

Just a quick message to Lionel F5NEP. Our QSO was good lionel but you still have a serious TX problem in CW. It was difficult to find your TX QRG and your tone is very badly broken up and chirpy, hence the 595 report, I hope you can find the fault soon.

Thanks to everyone who braved the elements tonight, and to the chasers for the many contacts as follows…

M0SGB, M1EYP/M, M3PXW, G3OKA, G4ZRP, G0NAJ, M0JRB, 2E0HDU, M0AAS, G3NPJ/P, G1KVP, 2E0DDD, GM7PKT/P (s2s) G0VWP/P (s2s) 2E0HJD, GW1LDY, GW0VMZ, GD3YUM, G8ADD, G4OBK, G0RQL, M0VEY, G6LKB, G4WHA, M0COP, GM0AXY, GM4YMM, G4GKE, GW4BVE, G0AZS, G4ZCS, G4BLH, M3HTR, G4OWG, G4TRA, GW7AAU, DF2GN, G4ZIB, F5NEP, DJ5AV, ON3WAB, DL7VKD, DJ5KZ, HB9DOT

Tonight I used the FT-857 at 20 watts into a 2 band linked dipole, resonant on 60m and 40m and 2 X 12v@7ah SLABs

2

In reply to GW0DSP:

Well I’m glad that the weather held off in this part of Yorkshire, I was in two minds if to go or not but went in the end and as Mike GW0DSP said I didn’t think it would happen but the WX here was windy no rain.

I managed 24 QSO’s two s2s Robin GM7PKT/P on GM/WS-339 and Mike GW0DSP/P on GW/NW-062, I also had a look around for Tom M1EYP/P on FM but nothing at all.
I did go onto 2m ssb and only had one QSO that was Phil M0VEY over on the east coast 57 both way’s.

I also pointed the beam SW to see if I could hear Don G0RQL down in Devon but nothing ,I did hear some one on 2m ssb as there was a contest on some where.

I must say as Mike GW0DSP pointed out that 5MHz was very good Alistair GW0VMZ with his 59+++++sig and most of the signals were 59+10, I did have a QSO with a forces guy his call was MFT905 but give no name or location but did say he would send me a card direct.

I also did a spot on 80m had some good signals coming in on there to Peter ON3WAB was a good 59+10 with me along with Mick 2E0HJD, Dave G4WHA, Arther GW1LDY, Brain G8ADD, and Steve G1INK.

Also did try 40m but the QRM was bad and trying to find a spot to get into was bad so I give up.

Thanks to everyone who turned out despite the WX and to the chasers for the contacts and also thank you to the spotters.

QSO’s:

2M ssb 1 QSO
5MHZ ssb 17 QSO’s
80M ssb 6 QSO’s

Radio used was the FT817 12v Slab at 5W
Antenna’s Home made SOTA Beam + 5 Band cut Dipole

Summit TW-004

Terry G0VWP

3

Hi Mike and Terry,

Glad to work you both last night. Signals on 60m were brilliant: Mike 59+10 and Terry a good 57. I even heard Robin with a decent 55 on this band.

A bit difficult on 80 Terry but we managed in the end. Listened for you on 40 after the spot but there was lots of traffic and I heard nothing.

Better luck with you Mike on 40 in CW. Despite a TM with pile-up close by I had no trouble to read you.

All in all a fun Tuesday evening and a good cure after a hard days work hi!!

Thanks for activating, guys.
73,Peter

4

In reply to G0VWP:

have a QSO with a forces guy his call was MFT905 but give no name or
location but did say he would send me a card direct.

Hi Terry

I was listening to you QSO with him… he said he was in West Wales… but as you say… could not/would not give a name…

I wanted to call you but I was rather busy with my young daughter who was in the process of going to bed… and talking at the radio is always prone to give her an excuse to stay up. At least I managed to QSO with Mike though.

73 Marc G0AZS

5

In reply to G0AZS:

but as you say… could not/would not a give name…

The following is taken from the RSGB 5MHz Experiment operating guidlines.

Note that Air Cadet and Sea Cadet stations use M-prefix 3-letter call signs – >usually followed by two digits, whilst Army Cadet stations use two figure call >signs, sometimes followed by a letter. The military stations are not allowed >to give their unit name, location, or the operator’s name. It is hoped that >they may be allowed some flexibility with respect to QTH locators. Cadet >stations may be heard working each other on frequencies close to ours, but it >is NOT permitted for amateurs to contact cadets on such frequencies.

Andy
MM0FMF

6

In reply to G0AZS:
I think that MTF905 is on quite frequently, I have worked him several times; usually on the RSGB News net on Sundays, tho’ I have stopped checking into that since it has grown too big and unwieldy (and often coincides with activations!) none of the cadet stations give personal information or better than four figure locations, they are constrained by their own rules.

I think I heard an M3 work one of the 5 megs stations, tho’ with the static crashes and his weak signal I could have misheard: if so that definitely is not on at present, tho’ like everyone else I hope 5 megs eventually becomes a regular band, its too good to waste on the military and illegal fishfone!

73

Brian G8ADD

PS a real eye-opener was how Robin GM7PKT was a very powerful signal on 5 yet unworkable for me on 3.5, I don’t know whether that was propagation or Robin’s antenna being inefficient but I would bet on the former!

7

It seems everyone was looking for me on 2m FM. I was virtually exclusively on 2m SSB in the contest.

It was a “Shall I, shan’t I” afternoon, but ultimately I decided to do it. After dropping Jimmy off at Air Cadets, I made the 20 minute drive to Cloudside, speaking en route to Mike GW0DSP/P was was already operational from Hope Mountain GW/NW-062.

There was one sharp shower on The Cloud, but it soon passed with sufficient operating time remaining to mostly dry off. I made ten contacts in the contest on 2m SSB. It could have been more, but I wasn’t close enough to the beam to be rotating it according to stations heard or desired headings for CQ calls. This was because the weather made me selected to operate from the bottom of a large hole on the summit, in which I could get a small degree of shelter from a large vertical rock. My SOTA Beam was mounted high above me, on the lip of the side of the hole, hence out of reach.

This was quite good fun, and I look forward to doing a better job in the contest on a nice dry warm summers evening in the coming weeks. Richard G3CWI/P was extremely strong as expected from the next hill over the Dane Valley, but he was not SOTA qualifying, for he was operating from his car! And he wasn’t on a SOTA summit… I spent some of the time calling in to others’ calls, and some sat on 144.319MHz calling myself. After packing away, I made one CQ call on 2m FM on the VX-7R, but this remained unanswered, so I switched off and descended.

Back in the car, I spoke to Mike GW0DSP/P again, who was about to escape the heavy rain on his side and go QRT.

8

In reply to GW0DSP:

as a matter of fact 60m was as good as I have heard it of late

Just my luck! I had every intention of joining the party on 5MHz but with active thunder and lightning in the Cambridge area at the critical time it seemed inadvisable. I was hearing some copyable signals on my loft loop, which I normally don’t, so I guess conditions must have been good.

9

In reply to M1MAJ:

A pity you missed the fun Martyn, 60m was in real fine fettle last night, let’s hope propogation in general is on the up.

73 Mike

10

In reply to G8ADD:

I think that MTF905 is on quite frequently

I must be on another planet Brian, I’ve only ever heard one cadet station.

I think I heard an M3 work one of the 5 megs stations

There is a misunderstanding on the part of some amateurs who seem to be of the opinion that the band is on general release - I worked 2W1EKR from Mynydd Nodol GW/NW-048 who asked what the band limits are! I’ve also heard a couple of local M3’s say they will soon be on the band…

In reply to GW0DSP:

You were fortunate to have a good evening on 5MHz Mike. 2m was pretty dire contest-wise, though the path north / south was reasonable and I worked Ivan G3IZD and Nick G0HIK who were both out portable. You didn’t miss much.

73, Gerald

11

In reply to G4OIG:
You inspired me to look back in my log, Gerald!

I’ve worked MTF905 about 10 times, and have also worked MFJ04 (io91), MRF35 (IO90), MRF26 (IO90) and one that I can’t read now but looks like NIG3. It’s interesting working them because you quickly slip into the stripped-down procedures that they use!

On 2m there seemed to be very little from the southeast, where there is usually a lot, but looking at the lightning trackers I’m not surprised, it must have been quite lively down there judging by the way my eardrums ached when I QSY’d to the SSTV net!

73

Brian G8ADD

12

In reply to G8ADD:

Hi Brian,

Well I did get a surprise today I had a card from the MFT905 station that I worked on Tuesday on the Fun Night and I now know the area he was transmitting from so I thought it was good of him to send one direct.

Terry G0VWP