Sorry, guys, a bit thick-headed at the moment, trying to function through a late summer or early winter cold - but as they say, even Homer nods!
Brian
Donât worry Brian, easily done. Mind you, the possibility of activating Arnside Knott from the pub on the promenade does have a certain appealâŚ
Great Andy,
So getting back on the subject, it looks from your listings that Richard CWI was the first G(M) SOTA Activator. A fitting tribute as along John WGV he was one the instigators of the scheme.
Also. Allan MM1BJP was the first to activate a GM/SS summit. Again a fitting tribute as he was a prolific Activator in the early days of SOTA in GM, though young family commitments these days keep him otherwise busy. No doubt he will be back to pick-up where he left off if he can escape from Vicky âcluchesâ (;>J. I remember our first joint Activation of Lawers GM/CS-001 29th Spt 2002. Along with Dillon the Collie âdugâ we hunkered down just below the trig in thick Scotch mist and howling gale. Allan had anchored Dillon to a ground screw, but dogs will do what dogs do and decided to try and escape by pawing away at the ground and proceeding to spray a half ton of dirt on us both. I honestly say it was my muckiest activation - hi!
And. It looks like I did the last GM/SS yesterday - 173, for the moment? (Gerald OIG/Paul MD crucial to get the right access firebreak - especially at this time of year with large ferns making navigation ****ish!!!. I will upload my TrakBack to SOTAMapping)
Cheers
Jack (;>J
Yes, thatâs them all done in SS now. Itâs taken 12 years for 285(+/-) summits to be activated. The last 4 done were the 2 additions that came in towards the end of last year and 2 long standing but remote summits.
Are there more to come? Maybe. as The Tamperers have better equipment and procedures so there will be some marginal sub-Marilyns that will get promoted. I think, however, the changes are more likely to be deletions. Anything where the prominence is close to 150m is a possible target for remeasurement. One the most likely for change, ISTR from RHB group discussions in Auchnafree Hill SS-039. Better get a move on if you want to be on the completer lists.
I think I will be taking residence in Aryll for a wee while - me thinks?
(;>J
Many congratulations on completing the current list Jack. As you know, the Scottish weather kept us off that one last Friday, but at least we managed one of the remaining two and avoided getting a thorough soaking - probably previously unheard of on our GM ventures. We always seem to be drying out kit in the Travelodge!
I am sure Paul will be pleased to see your track and check it against the one that he has worked out. At least we should have confidence with the route when we activate that one, which thanks to you will be another Complete for me.
73, Gerald G4OIG
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My pleasure Gerald. A small repayment for Paul & your COMPLETES for me.
Also. Think I mentioned to Paul (when you were up in GM last week) that I will be re-installing my 10XY + uTec (home-brew head amp) ABW before the end of the month (though I am off curling in D & HB land end of Spt/Oct). So hopefully it will make our future VHF a little bit easier working me from the more northern summits, couldnât be much worse than working X polarisation with my wee 3dB collinear - hi!
(;>J
It looks as though the next trip wonât be for a while yet, so you have plenty of time to put that antenna up. I look forward to having many 2m SSB / CW QSOs with you. 
Unfortunately the number of active 2m stations up in GM seems to have reduced, indeed as it has in England. Thankfully the group on FM around Inverness made a few entries into my logs on this last outing. It wasnât that long ago that I was logging upwards of 10 to 15 contacts on 2m SSB, but now I am happy to qualify the summit on the band. Getting 5 contacts with the Moxon on SS-188 had me dancing around the summit as I changed to the HF antenna. I await your log for SS-173 with interest to see whether you were successful on 2m from there.
73, Gerald G4OIG
Well Gerald,
Following on from the new SOTA Microwave Award, thereâs a bit of a head of steam (radio?) building for 10GHz in GM. For talk-back I then started to look at taking 2M CW/SSB from tops/home QTH more seriously. Was going to build something a bit more suitable for hill-top operating. I did buy one of Richard CWIâs 3 eleâs years ago but was never happy with the feed arrangement. I had built a rucksack dipole with BNC centres and 1/4 flexible whips (this is always in my SOTA rucksac). After experimentation and modification a couple of weeks agoI have now combined the the two and yesterday was itâs first outing.
Called on your favourite frequency .333MHz on CW to at least alert some more distant stations that there was something on the freq. However was ânabbedâ by John GM7OIN for a long natter (difficult to get away 
). There was a weak station under John when I first called - and I should have gone for it - but - there you are. GB3NGI was 59+ as expected with GB3ANG 53 - not bad considering there is a lot of granite between and ANG beams south - and pretty good directivity.
Iâve included a shot of the aerial on SS-173 yesterday. As you can see itâs vertically polarised (with the flexi whips blown back in the wind - but SWR still good) as latterly I had a go on FM. Bit quiet but the usual repeaters were good sigs.
Cheers
Jack(;>J
PS: Is VHF & SSS still running?
Thanks for the report on 2m. Yes, both beacons are running, but I wouldnât expect to hear SSS unless I was somewhere like EI so I never look for it. I copied VHF okay from SS-188 - a bit weak, but callsign fully copyable. NGI and ANG were good signals of course. My kit does benefit from having a preamp and linear, so I expect a bit more from it. The log was G0TRB, G0RQL and G0NES on SSB and G3RMD and G4OBK on CW. A photo of the set up, including the umbrella on its first SOTA outing (saved me from a soaking - will be using it again) is attached. 
A photo of the set up, including the umbrella on its first SOTA outing (saved me from a soaking - will be using it again) is attached
Good one Gerald! And an umbrella is great as long as there is no wind - not that uncommon on GM summits? Tried it a few times but ended up a bit like Mary Popins 
I have heard SSS from Birmingham a few times but it is normally inaudible. Possibly it was aircraft reflection.
Brian
Actually it was windy Jack, but holding it with both hands - one on the handle and one beneath the struts - it behaved very well. During one sharp downpour en route to the summit, it afforded some shelter for both of us and again for myself and the kit (as you see on the photo) during another downpour while setting up. I must exchange notes with John G4YSS as I think he uses one occasionally. Maybe there is a titanium or carbon fibre version available⌠
I used a golfing umbrella on Mount Eagle. No wind but constant rain. It worked wonders both on the amble in and during the start of operations. I wouldnât like to try to control one in proper wind.
Carbon fibre:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carbon-Fibre-Large-Heavy-Umbrella/dp/B009WUTR1W
Maybe we should take heed from the Map Man - Nick Crane Mapman - Wikipedia and his symbolic umbrella âtuckedâ into the side of his rucksac and follow suit. Did see him use it once though. Good programme.
(;>J
Mine is just a standard black gents umbrella, about 1.2m diameter I would say. I tucked the handle in the side pocket of the backpack and used the strap higher up to support it and tie wrapped it for security. It was very stable in the sheltered position I set up in, though it was still gusting during the activation. I seem to recall the wind having changed direction by the time we had completed the activation.
Had we activated SS-173 as we had intended before the weather turned, I would have taken it up that summit as well. For some reason Iâd left the hood to my jacket at home. Obviously too much to remember in one go!
73, Gerald G4OIG
Weâll be in GM/SS land in a few days so might be able to give you a few more. Conditions permitting Martyn will be on 60m, and one of us will usually try 40m,
Caroline M3ZCB.
How I envy you, Caroline! I hope the Indian summer will work for you. I usually have the FT817 monitoring 5.3985 so if the band is behaving itself I should catch Martyn early in his activations.
Brian G8ADD
Iâve noticed that once again that Jack @GM4COX has activated all GM/SS SOTA summits south of Glasgow and Edinburgh (excluding Kintyre) as he activated Kirriereoch Hill GM/SS-287 earlier today so congratulations to Jack GM4COX on this achievement once again. I have noticed also that Jack GM4COX only has Stob Odhar GM/SS-137, Cruach Lusach GM/SS-183, Cnoc aâBhaile-shios GM/SS-213, Cruach nam Fearna GM/SS-247, Windy Hill GM/SS-265 and Cnoc Reamhar GM/SS-266 to activate every single GM/SS SOTA summit. It will be interesting to see if Jack GM4COX activates these 6 remaining GM/SS SOTA summits so that be can potentially be the first ever SOTA activator to activate all GM/SS SOTA summits.
I have noticed also that Andy @MM0FMF only has Mullwharchar GM/SS-073, Craiglee GM/SS-150 and Kirriereoch Hill GM/SS-287 left to activate all GM/SS SOTA summits south of Glasgow and Edinburgh, Gerald @G4OIG only has Mullwharchar GM/SS-073, Kirriereoch Hill GM/SS-287, Arthurâs Seat GM/SS-272 and White Hill GM/SS-289 left to activate all GM/SS SOTA summits south of Glasgow and Edinburgh and Andrew @G4VFL only has Allermuir Hill GM/SS-171 and Wether Law GM/SS-177 left to activate all GM/SS SOTA summits south of Glasgow and Edinburgh. I believe Andy MM0FMF and Gerald G4OIG are planning to activate Kirriereoch Hill GM/SS-287 later this year as a joint SOTA activation and also Mullwharchar GM/SS-073 as a joint SOTA activation sometime next year.
Me and my dad Tom @M1EYP still have loads of GM/SS SOTA summits to activate south of Glasgow and Edinburgh and we will be certainly be activating more of these SOTA summits on further GM SOTA holidays and I personally quite fancy the challenge myself of activating all GM/SS SOTA summits south of Glasgow and Edinburgh, but I cannot see this happening and quite of few of these SOTA summits look very difficult, especially the Galloway ones and it would not surprise me if my dad Tom M1EYP decides to rule out some of these SOTA summits altogether due to how difficult they are. We have no plans at all on activating every single SOTA summit in GM/SS.
Jimmy M0HGY
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