I have been focusing the publicity drive on rallies, RSGB Convention and radio club talks this past 12 months. It is about time that a few news items were sent through to the magazines again.
If you have anything newsworthy for SOTA, please send it through with plenty of details and a hi-res photo. In particular, I would be very keen to receive details and photos re the following:
There will, of course, be other events I haven’t yet thought of, so please nominate those you consider worthy of press release. Don’t be shy - self-nominations are positively encouraged.
Material can be emailed to tommyread at hotmail dot com
In reply to M1EYP:
For Geoff’s (2E0BTR) Mountain goat activation there is some mentioned in the below link Tom!
However if you require more, Both Dave MYA and myself have shed loads of photos of the Quadruple activation to bring up his MG - Bands covered were 80m, 60m, 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm!
The photos are available on my Flickr page or by browsing through the Summitsbase pool
I am really looking for contributors to send me some words directly, and to choose a suitable photo and send it as attachment. This then avoids any possible issues of copyright or courtesy that might arise by just “helping myself”. If stuff gets directly emailed through by a contributor, it eliminates any such question.
Sure. Same applies Brian. If I can receive a few words and an attached photo via email, I can issue a press release.
Good point though - I wonder if Roy G4SSH can sort out a photo of himself in his shack with his 50,000 trophy to send me with a few comments? That would make an excellent news story as would several other chaser achievements.
The updated list for intended press release is as follows:
G4MD / G4OIG completion of all G uniques
G3TJE MG
G0EWN MG
2E0BTR MG
G1JTD MG
M1MAJ MG
MM1BJP MG
GM7PKT 5000 activator points
G4SSH 50,000 chaser points
Activity in W4, W7 and HL associations
G3CWI & LA1KHA exploits in PP3 challenge
G6WRW MG
MM0FMF MG
Please send reports and photos to my home email address as noted in the first post above. MG photos could be the op with the trophy, or the op on a summit (preferably the MG activation). Also any other material (with hi-res photo) that you wish to be considered for SOTA press release is most welcome.
I wrote the report up and posted it on the reflector - http://live.sotawatch.org/reflector.php?topic=6273#foot which should suffice. If you Google G4OIG Flickr you have access to the best photos and can use what you wish to, though the final activation from High Stile was rather a damp and misty affair. Unfortunately neither of us thought of cracking a bottle at the top.
I will take up your offer and help myself to one of your photos.
Regarding the words, I will need to very concisely summarise your whole experience in G SOTA, rather than go into detail about your G-completion activation, so it would be really helpful if you could give me a few highlights from your perspective.
Alternatively, I will glean something myself from your report, but think it would be better for you to provide the emphasis. If you choose to do so, feel free to attach/link your favourite SOTA photo.
I will grab something otherwise anyway, so thanks for the offer.
Ah, I see what you mean. Summarising all the enjoyment experienced on all those summits (aye, even the soaking we got on White Hill SP-006) will be a difficult task. I’ll run through the list which hopefully will enable me to put some pointers together for you. As to the photo, the one of the sunrise on Brent Knoll G/SC-007 is indelibly etched on my brain and will be until the day I die. The moonlit ascent of Fair Snape Fell G/SP-007 is an unforgettable memory. You can’t buy such experiences!
That’s the stuff Gerald - yeah that would be great. I look forward to receiving it. It will certainly inspire me to create some more meaningful and interesting press releases than if I just gleaned the “obvious” information and producing something rather formulaic.
BTW, ISTR that Brent Knoll is not a SOTA, but a HuMP. I guess you are thinking of Long Knoll, also one of my own favourite SOTA memories…
BTW, ISTR that Brent Knoll is not a SOTA, but a HuMP. I guess you are
thinking of Long Knoll, also one of my own favourite SOTA memories…
Obviously I’ve been up and down the M5 too many times recently… either that or the medication I’ve been on caused the mental aberration. Most likely the latter I’d say!
Of course, I no longer need to go down the M5 again in G SOTA. But wait a minute, I’m starting to sound like you… I blame Jimmy. And I blame you for giving Jimmy your Uniquefever.
I would love to return down the M5 as I would love to repeat Brown Willy - on a nice day! And I guess GW SOTA will still demand me to use the M5 a few more times…
Brent Knoll does look to have some appeal as a hill. We drove past it a few times during our Easter heatwave SOTA trip to Cheddar earlier this year. ISTR it is Peter G3TJE’s local lump.
I should add that I have received a few emails containing information and photos regarding the above ‘publicity list’. Thanks to all that have contributed.
In reply to M1EYP:
December 2011 RADCOM arrived today, and the Front Cover photo was taken by MM3WJZ on his activation of Ben Cruachen… Well Done, Iain !
73 de Ken GM0AXY / LA6EF
You didn’t see me slip that powder into Jimmy’s drink when we met after the January 2008 Activity Day… so long to actr, I didn’t think you’d notice the effect.
As for Brown Willy - hmmm, yes. It was brilliant weather when I activated it and it is a very pleasant spot with a lump of rock to use as a wind break. Walked up Rough Tor beforehand from the west, just for sport… made rather good training for Elidir Fawr and several other rock infested GW summits.
Brent Knoll is Peter’s local hill - I’ve worked him several times when he’s been up there. I think the appeal is its isolation… from other hills that is!
Many thanks to Roy G4SSH for the news details and photo I requested. I would really appreciate any other photos and comments from participants concerned on any of the suggested news items in the first post above. I have added the W5 trip of Carolyn and Helen to the list, as I think that would make a great story in the news pages of the mags.
I would really appreciate any other photos and comments from
participants concerned on any of the suggested news items in the first
post above.
I had something taking shape in my head, but having read what you say above I don’t think it would be what you are looking for. Can you clarify - are you writing a single article that covers all of these items? I really don’t want to write 1000 words and have it subedited down to 20!
I have hundreds of photos, but those of the MG activation are very dull indeed, being a pretty accurate portrayal of the weather at the time. Unfortunately we have no photos with both me and Caroline, as one of us is always behind the camera (though we did find a pair with Photoshop potential…)
I am not writing it all as a single article, although there is nothing to stop any individual magazine asking me to do so (this has happened before). In the first instance, I will be submitting each individually as a press release news item, of around a paragraph (estimate - 50 to 100 words) each.
So yes indeed, don’t write a big article, just email me a few bits and bobs - for instance first summit, MG summit, interesting/funny events, comment/opinion. I will write the actual press release, I’m just looking for a few things that may be different (and more interesting) than the obvious things I would report on if writing without collaboration.
