Now I was supposed to be driving up to South Shields, near Newcastle upon Tyne for a theatre gig during Saturday 27th September 2014. What with having another gig in Blackpool on the Sunday, I was going to take Jimmy M0HGY with me as “road manager” and overnight in Gateshead in between. A summit in the G/NP or G/LD or possibly even G/TW could have been possible in the early part of Sunday, however…
All that changed when the gig got cancelled late on Friday afternoon. Instead, we were at something of a loose end. A hastily arranged trip to the ten-pin bowling alley meant that we found ourselves on the south eastern tip of Macclesfield by noon, with yet more time to kill. From this position, we were barely 25 minutes drive from Gun G/SP-013, and Jimmy’s mate Craig was up for joining us on an activation.
I did a strenuous five minute walk to the marker stone halfway between the parking spot and the summit, but well within the activation zone. Jimmy, Liam and Craig all continued on to the actual summit. Jimmy did his 2m thing there, just with a handheld, and made four contacts including S2S with David MW0YDH/P on Cadair Berwyn GW/NW-012.
I was using my new lighter weight but better designed version of the 20m GP. Or in other words, the one I made from the first of these kits, originally prepared for the YOTA event earlier in the year:
http://www.sotabeams.co.uk/20m-ground-plane-kit/
Getting on air was a problem though, as my Mini Palm Paddle was not getting any dashes or dots through to my FT-817. I knew it wasn’t the paddle levers themselves, as I had just programmed the summit reference into one of the memories of the Palm Cube. Bother, must have been the connecting lead. I randomly pushed and squeezed various parts of the cable, to try and revive it, but to no avail.
It was then I thought to try the cable that was in my bag as part of the PSK set-up. Now that has 3-pin rather than 2-pin plugs, but I figured that should work. It did indeed work, and I shuddered at the thought that I had been unnecessarily carrying two leads around when one would have done!
In any case, 20m CW did not yield much after all - just 13 QSOs. 20m SSB was much livelier with 27 contacts rattling in, pile-up style at one point (16 QSOs in 5 minutes). S2S came courtesy of Ken KB1HXO on Peaked Mountain W1/CR-006, S57MS/P on S5/KA-028 and DL/HB9BRJ/P on Botzberg DM/BW-012.
While on CW, Martin DF3MC, who I had worked earlier, returned to the frequency when it became quiet to ask if he could work Jimmy. I explained that Jimmy was not nearby at that moment, but that a QSO should be possible later. When Jimmy, with Liam and Craig did return to my position on their way back to the car, I mentioned this to Jimmy. I called a couple of times for Martin in CW, and announced a QSY to 14.345MHz SSB when he replied.
That QRG was in fact busy, but 14.340MHz was free. Jimmy M0HGY/P began calling CQ SOTA there and I placed a spot on SOTAwatch. There was no sign of Martin, but jimmy was answered by OK3KW. However, when Jimmy then called QRZ, in came Martin DF3MC with a big signal. Now Jimmy never hands the mike back until he has called QRZ and doesn’t get a response! Hence three more stations were worked, including CU3EJ which Jimmy reckoned was an all-time new DXCC for him.
So he ended with 9 QSOs, 4 on 2m FM and 5 on 20m SSB. I finished with 42, with 13 on 20m CW, 27 on 20m SSB and 2 on 2m FM. The drive back to Macclesfield was made interesting by a mobile QSO with a newly licensed chap that had done some operating from Cloud summit, but needed to know the “iota” for it other stations were asking. I dug deeper and worked out that it was the Maidenhead locator he actually needed. Anyway, I made sure he was equipped with the Maidenhead, WAB and SOTA information, and understood the difference between them. He seemed appreciative. FWIW, I did answer his original question by advising the IOTA ref. of EU-005 as well!
After dropping Craig home in Bollington, we too returned home and got on with preparing the evening meal while listening online to BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s commentary of the Lincoln City v Macclesfield Town game. My seafood pasta bake was absolutely delicious, but the 0-2 reversal was more difficult to stomach.
Anyway, there will be no plans for SOTA tomorrow (Sunday), because at least the Blackpool gig remains well and truly on:
…despite the fact that the poster shows it as having ended three weeks ago! No, we run for at least three more shows and possibly more. It will be a cold day before I have Sundays available for SOTA again!
(Please excuse the very tenuous links to SOTA of some photos as I play with the fantastic facilities on this new reflector!).
Tom M1EYP
