15 Years and what do I get?

Activator Stats: 4563 total points (3420 activator, 1143 winter bonus). 1528 activations. 605 unique summits. 8 associations and 28 regions. 18751 QSOs (top chaser G0LGS 322). Activating since 12 Dec 2010!

Chaser Stats: 5304 points. 390 unique summits. 6 associations and 26 regions. 2570 QSOs (top activator MW0JLA/P 230), unique activators 569. 6628 S2S points, 2378 total S2S QSOs. Chasing since 30 Dec 2010. (Sorry, I haven’t quite reached 15 years – yet!)

Well that is what it now (15/12/2025) says on the top line of M6BWA ‘My statistics’ – Activator and Chaser. However this summary omits one of my most cherished statistics : Completes. There I languish way down the G list at No 11 with 336 completes but Hooray – it was 335 a month ago with the previous one added on 23/9/25. This means my rather ambitious chase of G/LD-056 from GW/NW-051 (Whtbarrow Lords Seat from Foel Fenlli on both 2m and 70cm using a RH770 telescopic aerial on a 5w Yaesu VX-7R was actually a new complete after a wait of 11 years! Why this rather slow rate of progress? Well perhaps I should mention that I normally only operate on VHF and UHF and only from SOTA summits so all chases are S2S. This is highlighted by the fact that I have activated 605 uniques but only chased 390 uniques summits. Also the range of my VX7 is limited so I have quite a number of activated but not chased summits in say, G/LD and GM/ES but I can only chase them if I am within range – which I apparently was, on this recent activation at only 129 Km with a high proportion of sea route. (I’ve never used the map icon on the S2S list before – great!) However, in September, Great Orme GW/NW-070 to Scafell Pike G/LD-001 131km on 2m was almost all sea! From memory my longest 2m S2S is over 300Km and I managed 246Km on 70cm from GW/SW-002 Waun Fach to EI/IE-037 Djouce over the Irish Sea in March this year.

Well the above sums up what I have spent a fair amount of time (also energy and money..) doing in the last 15 years. There are also a few thousand pictures, many memories (probably fading now) and some frequent visits to a sports therapist in the last couple of years.but my greatest thanks must go to my husband Rodney M0JLA without whom I wouldn’t have picked up a radio and passed the Foundation exam. Since then he has been driver, guide, troubleshooter, IT expert and, occasionally, rescuer. I remember the occasion when coming off Stony Cove Pike, he carried both rucksacks at once down to the car on the Kirkstone Pass after I slipped on a rock and twisted my ankle - and I can’t even lift his sack! Fortunately I’ve forgotten the other times he has rescued me - except for the time he yanked my leg out of a narrow boggy hole on Sighty Crag (where else?) which was too small for extraction when I tensed my muscles to pull. Happy Days!

This is not a farewell message (I hope) but the poor weather has given me time to take stock and see where I had got to at this milestone. 73 Viki

(My apologies to the songwriter of ‘15 tons and what do I get’ where the singer ends up only a day older as well as deeper in debt. Sadly, I have aged more..)

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A brilliant list of achievements Viki and always a pleasure to get a S2S with you, even if I do have to change to 70cm! It is great that the hobby allows for a wide range of different goals. I look forward to chatting soon!

Martin 73

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You get to still be the top activator I’ve chased, twice over, even though we haven’t had a QSO since April

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and Rod

Cheers

Rick & Cathy

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Well done on your 15 year anniversary Viki. It is always a pleasure to work you. Your dedication to 2m… and, in particular 70cm FM, is to be admired. I often think of our 70cm contact when I was on Beinn na Duatharach GM/SI-085 on Mull and you and Rod were on Beinn Breac GM SI-046 on Arran. A most unexpected bonus as I wasn’t set up for 70cm.

All the best for your future activations.

73, Gerald

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Phew, that’s good to hear.

Always good to do, I think, and thank you for sharing your stocktaking!

I look forward to many more QSOs along the way.

Best wishes to you both,

Adrian

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An excellent achievement in anyone’s book.

Well done!!:+1:

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Our s2s fest whilst up in GM/NS has become a staple of my calendar !

Thank you for introducing me to 70cm operation on my first activation summit a couple of years ago.

Always a pleasure.

Andy

MM7MOX

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Brilliant Viki! Thanks for summarising this huge effort. Looking forward to more S2S contacts and even the odd day out like this summer.

73

Gerald

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What a brilliant write up and thank you for all the QSOs !

I always remember hearing you while I was on Ben More Mull GM/SI-003 while you were on Mona Gowen. At just over 200km it may not be the longest but how 2m VHF navigated the entire highlands, I do not know. Up there as one of my all time favorite QSOs ever! I never thought to even try until you did and then heard the unmistakable voice of Vicki crackle through….

Incidentally I’m on Mull right now - what a memory. Takes me back !
G5OLD

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