Hi Mike,
It looks like propagation “should” be getting back to normal or at least better by the figures tonight:
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Just easily worked ZD8RY* this afternoon on NW-040, so it does seem so !
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Hi Ed,
Thanks for the call on Friday, while I was on GW/NW-070 Great Orme. Seems like I picked the worst day of the year to activate it 
Band conditions were shocking. In over an hour of calling on 20m, there were just 13 contacts logged, with no sign of any DX, but plenty of QSB to deal with.
To make matters worse, in the middle of what is supposed to pass for our summer, the wind was blowing a hooligan.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
Geomagnetic storm in progress
Unexpectedly, a CME struck Earth’s magnetic field during the late hours of July 19th.
The impact sparked a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm that could intensify in the hours ahead as Earth passes through the CME’s strongly-magnetized wake.
Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates.
Don’t expect good HF propagation today - the K Index is up to 5 - yes FIVE!
Moon Bounce anyone ??
Probably more profitable to listen for auroral signals on VHF! The moon will be very close to the sun in the sky…
Brian
Normally, I would find myself in Llandudno on a Friday, but due to a change of plans this week, it would be Thursday. Because it was radio club night, I wanted to get back home early and couldn’t make my mind up whether to take the rig with me or not. In the end, I chucked the rucksack and just the A-99 along with three 5’ poles into the car.
My meeting finished about 1200z and I decided to make my way to GW/NW-070 Great Orme.
Llandudno council have now wised up to the trashed pay and display machine and have posted a man in the car park, to collect the dosh. Sadly, I was forced to part with three quid
There was a nasty wind at the summit and getting the Antron-99 bungeed to the fence post on 15 feet of poles, proved to be quite a challenge, however, after a few minutes, mission accomplished.
With the SFI at just 73 and a K index of 3, I took the view, this activation was going to be no a walk in the park. Anyhow, I took a look along the bands above 20m and heard very little. A listen to 20m wasn’t much better, however, as I was stuck with just the one antenna, 20m it was.
Before self spotting, I noticed a spot for Tia OH3TIA/P activating OH/JS-037 and eventually got through making my first contact an s2s with Finland. One of the chasers then asked me to QSY up, were I was worked and spotted.
My third call was an unexpected contact with George N1GB in VT, who gave me a 5/9 signal report! Good to get Ed DD5LP into my log too. Thing were moving along nicely when Eric VA2MO called in. Not a big signal but workable. Things then livened up and I found myself in a bit of a pile-up!
Europe was coming in nicely, along with a mixture of North America. As usual, a lot of QSB to deal with, neveretheless, the contacts were there to be worked. My final bit of DX for the activation, was with Walt NE4TN, followed by some more EU chasers, before I pulled the plug at about 1530z
If someone had offered me 20 contacts at the start of the activation, I would have bitten their hand off, so a great result today.
104 contacts for the activation, all 20m SSB
9 contacts into North America.
Once again, the mighty Antron-99, performed its sorcery in poor band conditions!
Thanks to all the callers.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
Hello Mike
When i saw your spot on Sotawatch i immediately turned the beam towards Europe. I remebered working you before and hearing you well,and this time was no exception. Some qsb during our exchange but your signal moved up during the pileup.
So your Antron really does the job !! very surpising !! and 104 contacts on 20m phone… wow that’s amazing !! 
Cheers mate. 
73
Eric
VA2MO.
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Always a pleasure to work you Mike and I agree, that antenna has something magic about it. It seems to pull the DX in, despite the conditions. Over the last few days where conditions have been dire, I’ve heard a station from Pretoria, South Africa, who I couldn’t break through the pile-up to get unfortunately and station in Central Russia - Omsk who I worked rather easily. Both of these are long distances despite the propagation readings.
When I heard you work Tia and I think it was Manuel EA2DT who asked you to move up 3 Kcs, I followed and spotted you there and tried a call but you disappeared into the QSB. A few minutes later though you were back stronger and we made the contact and after that your signal was more constant, so I think you hit the time just right!
Well done for going out when the conditions (both weather and RF propagation) didn’t look good. 104 contacts with several into NA is a very good result.
73 Ed.
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
A tale of two summits…
Monday, work left me not too far from one of my favorite summits G/SP-017, Billinge Hill. After my visit to Great Orme about 10 days ago, I knew that Billinge Hill would struggle to compete on the HF bands. However, the SFI was up a bit and the K index down, so maybe this would help matters a little. As usual, I opted for the A-99 antenna
At 1433z, I was QRV and noticed a spot for Manuel, DL/HB9DQM on the 20m band and startred off with an s2s, Next was Michael DB7MM for another s2s. My CQ on 20m brought in a run of 16 contacts including a big signal from Ed DD5LP and another couple of s2s contacts.
A look at 15m found the band in poor shape, with just two contacts logged one of them ground wave with Steven 2W0JYN. So, a return to 20m for another couple s2s contacts and a few more chasers. By now, I was fast running out of options, therefore, I had a listen along the 17m band where I heard a very lonely Allen K6YRA from California calling CQ. Signal reports were exchanged for the best DX contact of the afternoon. A further five contacts were made on 17m including Gershon 4Z5GE.
Back to 20m for a third and final time, where Obaid A61QQ, Scott KG3W, Marc WA2FON completed the DX.
Once again tough band conditions with QSB playing a big part.
Billinge Hill, ain’t no Great Orme, however, a very creditable 61 contacts for the activation in these band conditions, 9 of them s2s, with some nice DX chucked in, gave me a very pleasent afternoons radio…
Thanks to all the chasers…
Mike
2E0YYY
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Hi Mike,
Can’t see any downside with that. I’d consider it a “bloody good activation” with what you netted on that old CB verrtical. Plenty of light at your end of the tunnel still.
73
Ron
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Thanks Ron, however, the bands were poorly today. My visit to G/SP-013 tested the the old A-99 to the limit.
I found myself with a few hours spare this afternoon and so, loaded up the car with the rig and antennas. This must be the first time for months, I’ve walked to the trig point of Gun without getting my boots drenched. There was a stiff breeze at the summit and both bungees were needed to secure the Antron-99 into the famous hawthorn tree.
A self spot on 20m found the going painfully slow. Nevertheless, my fifth contact was an s2s with Hans OK/PB2T/P activating OK/PL-014. Hans was followed straight in by Matt KA1R in MA. Just 16 contacts were logged, three of them s2s with the YO team. After 25 minutes begging, it was obvious I’d extracted all there was from 20m and so. I QSY’d to 17m.
There was DX to be worked on 17m but boy, did it have to be earned …It was akin to pulling teeth. My first contact was with ORARI special event station YB71RI/9 in Indonisia, 30 minutes later,I worked Rich M0RDW on groundwave and then a further 20 minutes passed before working Carl DU6/OE9MON activating IOTA in the Philippines.
Next was Fahed A61FK in the UAE. The two final DX calls were Rafael KP4RV on Puerto Rico and finally, James FR4PV on Reunion Island. Perhaps the biggest surprise on the 17m band was hearing “Summit to Summit” from Don M0HCU activating G/WB-018 View Edge! Thanks for the s2s Don.
By now, It was getting close to calling it a day and so, I took one last look at the 20m band. Just 11 contacts logged, including the YO team activating YO/EC-008.
Three hours hard work yielded just 43 contacts.
The 15m band is bang out of shape, I failed to make a single contact and the path to North America on 20m, is pretty much pants.
Thanks to the callers today. Tough conditions.
Mike
2E0YYY
Thanks for the s2s Mike… in fact it was a s2s extravaganza… well 4 of them out of a huge count of about 8QSOs!
The sky was as broken as the stile at the start of the footpath from the road, which is leaning over dangerously at about 45 degrees, and is just waiting for someone to break a leg on trying to get over 
HF was rubbish, 2M was even worse, thanks to the amount of electrical noise being generated by an old Massey Ferguson Tractor tidying up after the combine harvester that had harvested half of the field!
One to be forgotten!
Thanks for everyone who called, and apologies to people on 2M who I just couldn’t hear through all the hash at the end, it really was awful
Don
m0hcu
Wednesday afternoon, I found myself close to Wigan and I figured it would be rude not to activate G/SP-017 Billinge Hill, as I was almost passing it. Wonderful WX, shame the HF bands weren’t as good…
The Antron was bungeed to the fence by the trig and just before I self spotted, I noticed a spot for Ted MW0KZP activating GW/NW-008. As I had no 2m antenna ready, I quickly connected the Antron to the VHF side of the FT-857 and a s2s was completed. My 20m self spot was met with 28 contacts, the best of it Phil VE1WT, the first of only 2 DX contacts worked all day.
A visit to 17m produced 11 contacts, with no sign of the DX worked on this band last week 
A revisit to 20m produced a further 28 contacts.
After listening to the 10m band, there appeared to be an opening, so I thought there was a chance of working a few EU stations. My CQ produced a run of 31 contacts with plenty of QSB. As ever, good to get Ed DD5LP in the log. Its been some time since the 10m band has been workable, so great fun.
With the SFI at 80 and a K index of 3, things were never going to be easy for the SOTA DXer. Just Canada and Algeria logged.
104 contacts for the activation, 9 of them s2s.
58 on 20m ssb
31 on 10m ssb
11 on 17m ssb
2 on 40m ssb
2 on 2m FM
Thanks to all the callers…
Mike
2E0YYY
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GW/NW-076 Mynydd y Cwm, Friday afternoon.
About every 2 weeks, during the course of my work, I pass right by this summit.
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve activated Mynydd y Cwm. Not an easy place to get an HF antenna up, as the cairn is situated deep in the woods and you’re surrounded by thousands of very tall trees.
When I climbed ove the Style by the parking spot, I though I was on the wrong summit…Since I last visited this one, nearly all of the trees on the right hand side have been harvested!
I set the Antron-99 up in a tree next to the cairn and had a listen at 20m and above. Anything above 17m was rubbish, however, I heard some DX on 17m and that’s where I started. First 4 calls were all EU, before the North Americans picked up my spot. I stayed on 17m for an hour and then took a look at 20m.
In stark contrast to a few days ago, the going was painfuly slow on 20m. Nevertheless, I worked George N1GB a as well as a s2s with Sylvia OE5YYN and Peter OE5AUL both on OE/KT-384 Bannwald, which was being activated for the first time…
After about a dozen 20m contacts, I revisited 17m and found a bit more DX, The best of it being Vigand PY5QW in Brazil and a new SOTA DXCC for me, CY9C St Paul Island.
Once again, hard work on the higher HF frequencies. Three hours of calling produced just 50 contacts.
38 on 17m
12 on 20m
Other DX included, 13 contacts into North America, 5 of them Canada and 8 USA.
Thanks to all the callers…
Mike
2E0YYY
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Sorry Mike nothing heard from you this morning on Gun. even on 14.290 before you moved to 333 where I have a constant data carrier (I suspect military).
Looking at the figures, at first a high 90’s SFI sounds good but a K of 6 !! Yuk!
73 Ed.
P.S. if I respond slowly to postngs, I’ve just updated to Windows 10 anniversary edition and whatever Microsoft have done, everything seems slower!
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Looking at the figures, at first a high 90’s SFI sounds good but a K of 6 !! Yuk!
Hi Ed,
Thanks for trying. The 20m band was pretty much broken this morning. It took over 2 hours to find 4 contacts 
To make matters worse, I only had the A-99 with me…
The fourth contact was done by first praying, then loading up the A-99 for 40m and working a s2s with Sylvia 9A/OE5YYN/P activating 9A/PH-032 with an armchair 5/5 both ways.
The 17m band showed a bit of promise with 5 contacts logged, however, just to add insult to injury, it started to rain and so I chucked the towel in… Maybe a better chance on 17m later in the day.
Big thanks to, Ron VK3AFW, Andrew VK1AD and Ernie VK3DET for trying, I’m afraid it was a pretty hopeless task…
73 Mike
2E0YYY
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How strange! 20m is wide open here at the moment, with S9 signals from all over Europe and as far as UA9 and BD0.
It is raining here too, however.
73,
Walt
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Yeah, The Sun seems to have been a bit grumpy the last couple of days, if this chart from http://www.solarham.net/planetk.htm is any guide…
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Hi Walt,
Heard some very weak JA’s and some stronger Arabian countries in the contest on 20m, at about 0600z. Absolutley no chance of working the JA’s.
I still think the 17m band is the place to find DX, but not early in the morning.
73
Mike