The MT has discussed a number of possible challenge events, including one for Top Band, and if (as seems likely) this takes place it will be during the coming sunspot minimum to take advantage of the improved LF propagation that comes with a blank sun! Plenty of time to experiment and gain experience!
Brian
Hi John,
Thanks for the superb report & photos as always. As you mention I was gutted not to be able to chase you either before or after work as our annual stocktake always means early starts & late finishes for me 
I am very pleased to read that you qualified both summits on Top Band despite both Phil & myslef not being around, with calls on SSB again proving worthwhile. I have to admit I was pretty much of the same opinion as you regarding its usefulness in the daytime, although the problem these days is more a case of higher urban noise levels than any deficiency in the mode. As I now generally only run 5 Watts from an FT817 on the rare occasions I do activate on 160m, I would stand far less chance of success using SSB than you do. That said, the first time I qualified a summit on 160m with 5 Watts was with 2 QSO’s on CW & 2 on SSB with the participnats of a local net.
Sorry to hear about your car. Before I decided to take to two wheels I used to have a Renault 5TL, which I was very attached to & used to enjoy HF mobile working, espoecially 80m SSB (I was not that confident with CW in those days). I had gutter mounts on both sides of the car with one used for VHF/UHF & the other for HF. As you can probably imagine, with a long HF antenna on one side & a 7/8th 144MHz antenna on the other side, on such a small car this did look a little silly. Not quite as silly as my bike looks when sporting a Top Band antenna, although as you may gather from one of my youtube videos, I don’t actually ride the bike with that particular antenna fitted. I eventually had to part company with that car when the engine was beyond economical repair.
I hope Phil G4OBK is soon back on 160m from his new QTH, although he doubts that he will have the same capability on the band as before. Personally my noise levels on 160m have dropped over the past few months, although other bands (especially 30m) have become more noisy. As I started typing this I was up early as I have a day off today, & it was lovely & quiet on 160m & reasonably quiet on 80m & as the higher bands were pretty flat, activity was concentrated on those bands. It was nice to hear several stations calling on 160m, although they were were all calling “DX” or “NA” so I just listened & occasionally I could hear the DX answering them. That would have been unheard of here a couple of years ago with my noise problems as they were. That said, it is a weekday & my neighbours were probably asleep rather than using theire noisy modern consumer electronics.
I’m not sure when your next outing is planned but I hope to revist G/SP-007 Fair Snape Fell at some point before the end of the year, this time with an antenna that works 
Whether or not I take my Top Band antenna or just 80m upwards I will have to decide nearer the time.
I Hope to be around to work you again very soon.
Thanks & very best 73,
Mark G0VOF
Thanks Mark,
All very interesting stuff. I used to travel to work in an R5. Probably the most successful car Renault ever made. At least it went round corners on snow instead of straight ahead like and R8 or R10. I have made many cars look ridiculous in the past but they’re only that way to the mere mortal. To followers of our hobby. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder was never more true. Applies to 60ft towers too.
I’m pleased you have got rid of some of that 160m noise. Mike EI2CL used to call me nearly every time on 160m but the racket in Dublin gradually increased to a level where he’s unlikely to be hearing anything nowadays.
Yes, you are right. Phil won’t have the garden for anything too spectacular but at least he’ll know what he’s up against. He has bought back his old house apparently. Good luck to him on the long job of sorting it out. Come back soon!
I should have thought about month end and also the news but I thought if I didn’t set a date and get on with it ASAP, it would slip and slip until overwhelmed by other things. We have a busy week this week and as I write, we are about to set off for Castle Hill, Hull hospital for the 2nd day this week.
Anyway, must go now but I hope you get out on FSF and take 160m. Colin did well with 5W,
Thanks for another good news,
73, John.
Another excellent report John. I could imagine the routes and the summits before you posted photos - must be hankering for a bit of the northern hills again. 
It is interesting that you can find low mileage cars of that age - you must have a knack as I seem to recall that you managed that last time around. It will be interesting to see how long this one lasts. My 54 plate is getting a bit long in the tooth now - 201k on the clock and still going strong - a bit of vorsprung durch technik. The last one expired at 260k, so I’ve a way to go to match that.
I didn’t manage to catch you on this outing, so hopefully next time.
73, Gerald G4OIG
I was always afraid of the used cars … it did cost me a lot when I left Greece leaving a new car there 
But I found a Polo (56 plate) from a friend with 34k! Perfect condition for the age (driven by him, 50s-60s and a bit his daughter).
Nothing as nice as the red Polo of course!
Now its been doing off-roading near the summits! Its probably because getting it used for pennies I don’t have to sweat every time I hear a knock! hehehe
Look how silly this picture looks G/SE summits.
The Tesla is 4x4!
Thanks Gerald,
You will have done those routes a few times I’m guessing but maybe only once as I remembered you don’t normally repeat. Repeats have their advantage. After a few activations it’s like visiting an old friend. Harder to get lost too.
The latest ‘old banger’ has the lowest mileage of any car I’ve owned so it’s a bit out of character. It was owned from new in 2001 by a 90 year old chap called Fred in Dronfield who’s wife died. She told him never to sell it but he’d lost interest and did so via his neighbour’s van business. It needed some stuff doing but it’s OK now. I feel I must take a little more care of this one due to its history.
Over 200,000 miles is off the planet to my mind. They must be well built but I’d hate to have a major failure on one. It would take 20 years worth of my motoring budget just to get it back on the road.
How long do they last? Well, I like to get 4 years out of them. The last 10 cars have gone to scrap after a few years as spares. I was a little miffed that the last one only lasted 2.3 years and it cost £500. I was looking and looking at the time and there it was on the side of the A170 in West Ayton with a notice in the window. An easy way out of having no car for SOTA’s so I bought it because it was there.
Listen for you next time,
73, John.
…
Tasos,
Thanks for the reply and photo.
The cure for knocks is to turn the radio up and drive on.
Your Polo does look nice and shiny and 34k is just run in. They have a much better build standard than Fords of course and they last longer. If you want an old Ford you have to find one that someone has loved from new and not used a lot. Even then the body is rusting a little.
Take care on SOTA’s off the road. I have ripped two exhaust systems off my cars in a quest to get a bit closer. One on the track to Great Coum G/NP11 and another on a track near Sighty Crag G/SB-5. They were noisy drives home.
73, John
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I was taking to my colleague about his indestructable Polo when he told me he got rid earlier this year as the power steering rack was worn and leaking and there was a steering pump issue. The cost of fitting a recon rack and pump was far more than it was worth and so it was dispatched to the breakers. Still 185k in 15 years with only consumables is testament to the build quality.
That Tesla may have 4wd but it has summer tyres (you can see the tread just). My 4wd car has summer tyres too. They’re useless when the road is cold and they’re a joke on snow or mud. Doesn’t matter whether you have 4wd, traction control etc. if the rubber is wrong you don’t move. Or stop!
They work on tarmac (oh boy when its 20C do they stick wet or dry) but when it’s cold tarmac they’re useless. A fact I discovered when it was 2C and I was bowling along the Braemar-Ballater road and discovered the complete lack of steering response through some switchback curves by a small bridge. Lots of flashing lights on the dash and funny noises as the traction control and EDLs did their magic. Worse is on snow. Summer tyres (even wide ones) and 4wd may let you start moving but when you brake they float on the top and don’t bite. Then the ABS kicks in and you slide and slide and slide.
Hehe true but to me it was a bit funny when i 'realised ’ that the tesla was indeed a 4wd! (It was the dual engine one). Definitely not an offroader.
Then the guy left the only think i heard was reaaaally squcky disk breaks!! (On a 100k car!)
