Thanks to all the chasers that called me today on G/CE-005 Wendover Woods. Also to the various people that spotted me, Mike GW0DSP for the S2S info, Don G0RQL for waiting on 5Mhz and Frank G3RMD for listening out for when I changed band.
The activation started well, with two summits to summit contacts after a tip off by Mike GW0DSP, GX0OOO/P and GW0PEB/P were both worked at good signal strength on 80m.
60m provided good coverage with contacts from GM, GW, G, EI all with strong S9 signals. On 40m DL, S51, F, I were all strong with MM0USU also making the trip at approx S4. I did hear/recognize/imagine a GW station very briefly, but he disappeared under qrm. A move to 80m resulted in 3 contacts / 3 DXCC. The cafe in the woods beckoned at that point, and so the activation ended with a sausage baguette. Not exactly the toughest of summits to activate but it was fun anyway.
73,
Nigel. G6SFP/P
Antenna: Inverted V @ 9m agl.
Power output: 100w pep 60m. 300 watts pep on 40m and 80m.
DXCC - 10
Contacts - 34
60m - 20
40m - 9
80m - 5
Summit to summit contacts:
GX0000/p G/NP-13
GW0PEB/P GW/NW-022
IC7000
Homebrew Mosfet linear and a couple of LPF’s for 40m and 80m.
100ah sealed lead acid battery.
Last week I used it from G/CE-005 with a series/parallel combination of borrowed LiPo cells at 32v. Unfortunately they had to go back and the price of the cells seems to have quadrupled recently.
You were an amazingly huge signal in Northampton Nigel. Were we close enough to call it ground wave? - I doubt it, but you were certainly the largest signal I have ever heard on the band. More power to your elbow with that 100AH battery - have the Sherpas been suitably rewarded?
Thanks for the calls today. The weather was warm and sunny. 5 Mhz worked well close in with 15 G, 2 GW and 1 EI contacts. All the signals were strong with an average of S9+15. A summit to summit contact was made with Robert GW0PEB/P on NW-039, who called in with a strong S9 signal.
7 Mhz was overcrowded as usual and although I found an (apparently) empty frequency and worked 27 callers, it didn’t take long before someone was talking away in the background . I prefer to operate below 7.1 Mhz so that French stations can call in, but sometimes its hopeless. Roll on next year !.
1 station was worked on 14Mhz and 1 on 3.666 Mhz.
The activation ended with another sausage baguette from the cafe in the woods, highly recomended !.