In reply to F6ENO:
Happy birthday Jimmy !
Yes, Happy Birthday Jimmy! Obviously Alain has you noted on his calendar as I couldn’t find the Birthday Honours List on SOTAwatch. Hope you have a pleasant day.
73, Gerald
Jimmy will be 17 tomorrow (Friday). I imagine Alain picked this up from the SOTA group on Facebook, where birthdays are in the system and automatically announced.
Tom
In reply to M1EYP:
I imagine Alain picked this up from the SOTA group on Facebook, where
birthdays are in the system and automatically announced.
Yes Tom !
73 Alain
In reply to F6ENO:
Sorry, but some of us prefer to remain faceless, or should that be Facebookless. Presenting photos on Flickr is enough for me… more than enough!
73, Gerald
G4OIG/P on G/SP-015 will soon be premiering on http://tomread.co.uk
de M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
G4OIG/P on G/SP-015 will soon be premiering on http://tomread.co.uk
Heaven forbid! I normally only star in SOTA videos and then have to share a pint or two with the camera operator…
Interesting to see that my activation of The Cloud does not show up on the “50 Most Recently Activated Summits” page on the database - presumably its fuse has blown seeing it is activated so frequently!
When you do eventually kick the unique habit, and return to your favourites, The Cloud is sure to be amongst them. Make it a more sociable time of day and maybe you can share a couple of pints of Bosley Cloud Beer in the nearby Rushton Inn with the camera operator!
Yes, it looks like the Database is broken in that respect. The summit report for G/SP-015 shows activations by me on 19 Sep and you on 23 Sep (I have others I haven’t entered yet), but the Most Popular summits list shows the last activation by Sean M0GIA on 12 Sep, as well as the absence of The Cloud in the 50 most recent activations table. I’ll let Gary know.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
When you do eventually kick the unique habit
I don’t know if you ever had (switches to sotto voce) a B call (back to normal voice) Gerald but you could reactivate that and use it for repeat activations and keep G4OIG at 100% pristine uniques.
As I have long since lost my 100% unique rating I don’t worry that much. There are a few which are always worth doing again. Strangely enough, Lammington Hill is one of them. It’s only a tiddler but there is something exceptionally pleasant about it. It could be that every time I’ve been there I’ve had Sarah accompanying me. Likewise Green Lowther and Blackhope Scar (the long route) are enjoyable everytime too. I just need to find something for Sunday now… Carn Mairg if the wx is good.
Andy
MA0FMF
Thank you Alain and Gerald for the birthday messages.
Jimmy M3EYP
Tuesday 6th October 2009, and the Winter Fun Evenings are here without doubt! How do I know? Well, requiring my headtorch to be on from the start of my ascent for one!
Then again, my ascent only commenced at 7.55pm BST. Dinner wasn’t served until 7pm at chateaux EYP, and faced with a choice of sitting down to homemade lamb stew and dumplings, or venturing out into the torrential rain outside, I decided later was better.
The rain had eased while I was ascending The Cloud G/SP-015 though, albeit still rather wet! The main danger however was not the rain still falling from above, but the deep torrents of water streaming down the path from higher up the hill. With careful directing of the headtorch beam, and a couple of dainty steps of which Nijinsky would have been proud, I managed to keep my socks dry.
As I arrived on summit, the rain was lighter still, but showing no signs of stopping. I knew I was going to miss the first half-hour of the contest anyway, so I didn’t see the point in rushing the set-up, preferring instead to take time to make sure everything was done properly. The optimum position for shelter was the south-western facing side of the topograph. In order to have my pole handy for rotating the beam, this necessitated at least one difficult guy peg into mostly hard ground. After a few repeat attempts, I achieved a satisfactory arrangement.
The rain had stopped, so I left my bothy bag handy to the side of me while I opened up on 2m CW. No takers there, so off up to 144.330MHz SSB on a very busy band. This QRG was held for 25 minutes, working 23 stations in the process. That was a decent start that in some way made up for the late arrival. I now went into S & P mode picking up the extra multipliers before settling for a run on 144.295MHz SSB.
Signals were generally good from around the UK, and squares IO64, IO74, IO80, IO81, IO82, IO83, IO84, IO85, IO86, IO91, IO92, IO93, JO01, JO02 and JO03 were worked. Best DX was GM4AFF in IO86ST, 404km. It was necessary part way through to get into the bothy bag to avoid the rain, and then out again to enjoy the calm mild evening later.
Surprise visitors in the form of a man walking his dog by torchlight came by the summit about 9pm. By 10.30pm, I finished on 59 QSOs, 15 multiplier squares and 5 DXCCs (predictably G, GW, GM, GD, GI). My score of 99,000+ was probably my best ever for a 2m activity contest, but all the other scores were better than usual too. Several stations finished with more than double the serial number I had reached.
Many thanks to any SOTA chasers that worked me. I did hear Brian G8ADD working a station in IO91 just before I did, but I suspect Brian will have had his beam pointing south for that one, and hence never heard me tail-end him!
A really good evening, and now looking forward to 70cm next week, where the Macclesfield club tends to do really well. The secretary of the club Adie M0PAI did well again last night from IO93, and we chatted on 2m FM while driving back to our respective homes. I was a good boy and resisted the charms of the Harrington Arms!
73, Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
I did hear you, Tom, but though I spent a lot of time searching for you I never heard you calling! It shows the effect of altitude, though, I thought there were fewer stations about than usual!
73
Brian G8ADD
This week it was the 70cm version of the RSGB VHF activity contests, and I headed out to The Cloud G/SP-015 as usual, looking forward to the event.
Motivated by our 2nd place standing nationally in 70cms, the Macclesfield radio club members made the special effort to be out and about for this one. Members I worked were Jimmy M3EYP (who was at home in the shack), Roger M0GMG/P on Shining Tor G/SP-004, Sean M0GIA/P, Greg 2E0RXX/P, Allan G0JNJ/P and Adrian M0PAI/P.
It was nice to get a rare S2S with Roger. S2S QSOs used to be quite commonplace in the activity contests, with Pete M0COP/P on Long Mynd-Pole Bank G/WB-005, Ron GW4EVX/P on Foel Fenlli GW/NW-051 and Adam M6AXL/P on Rombalds Moor G/NP-028, plus of course the previously popular SOTA Fun Evenings, but a Tuesday night S2S is now a collectors’ item.
As usual, two thirds of the QSOs were made during the first third of the contest, but my score didn’t really get going in that early period. Many contacts yes, many multipliers - no. Thankfully, a run of ‘new ones’ in IO85, JO01, JO02 and JO03 were added in the last half-hour, so although the QSO rate was slow by then, at least what I did get boosted my score.
It was a pleasant mild and dry evening, and not even the bothy bag needed to be deployed. Refreshments were limited to a single bottle of Lucozade Sport, which at least ensured I had enough energy for the descent! 70cm CW drew a blank as usual, 70cm FM brought two QSOs into the log, while 70cm SSB produced 50 of my 52 contacts.
Final score was 52,740 with 12 multiplier squares, best DX GI6ATZ 286km. “Missing” squares this time were IO63, IO64, IO70, IO75, IO80, IO86, IO90 and IO94. How I would love to bag 20 multiplier squares in a contest. One day…
Tom M1EYP
On our trip to England this year we also activated The Cloud G/SP-015. We split up in 2 teams but got a little short time so the last group with M/LA1DNA and me had no time for setting up HF antennas and rigs. Was calling Tom M1EYP on VHF but no qso. Nice summit and beautiful view from this top. En rout to the top the first team with M/LA1ENA and M/LA1TPA was going down. Accompanied by 2E0RXX and M0GIA: Sad we had so little time here would liked to get to know these hams.But hopefully we all be back in UK next year also.
Please listen for our local most activated summit.
72/73 de LA1KHA Kjell
Hi Kjell,
The reason why Tom M1EYP didn’t answer your call on VHF is because both of us and our family yesterday were on the plane to Menorca island for a weeks holiday.
I hope you and the other LA SOTA activators enjoyed the SOTA trip in G and GM and I hope all you enjoy the Rhisworth conservation.
I hope to meet with you and the other LA ameters who will be in G next year.
Jimmy M3EYP in EA6
In reply to M3EYP: Hello Jimmy, Ok hope you all enjoy the holiday in EA6. Yes hope to see you both next time if it turn out that way for us all. And I always hope to QSO you both any time, frq or mode.
73 de Kjell LA1KHA
In reply to LA1KHA:
It was great to meet you Kjell and the other guys, next time will be different as Mads will soon explain.
Hope to catch you on the bands soon. Sean M0GIA
Dr OM Sean M0GIA
We are all exited to see what next years G-qrp trip will be like.
hpe cu agn sn dr om.
72/73 de LA1KHA Kjell
Driving home from work on Tuesday 3rd November 2009, through driving rain and blustery cold wind, I was asking myself whether I was really ready to face the reality of the British winter so soon after soaking up the Menorcan sun. But it was contest night, so it was a no-brainer…
In fact it was clear and dry as I ascended the hill by torchlight a couple of hours later. However, it was still very cold, and rather windy. That wind direction made the selection of the preferred perch near the trig point mandatory, and I was up, running and QRV by 2014z.
Conditions were not so good with lots of deep QSB, and activity levels not quite what they can be. Nonetheless, I finished with 46 QSOs and 11 locator square multipliers, not too bad, but certainly not my best. Those 46 QSOs were comprised of 44 on 2m SSB, and one each on 2m CW and 2m FM.
Next week, it is my favourite one of the month, the 70cm activity contest. Hopefully the Macc club will be back out in numbers for that one, as we are 3rd nationally at present in the 70cm ACs. MDRS numbers were significantly depleted last night for one reason or another, but hopefully we will be back to “full strength” next week, especially as Cray Valley RS has just overtaken us!
Tom M1EYP
Similar story on Tuesday 10th November 2009, a very wet teatime, and the occasional “Do I REALLY want to go out in that?” moment. By 6.30pm, Sean M0GIA decided he was joining me, but “just for the exercise”. And he got his exercise, you can bet on that!
We parked out cars on Cloudside, and began our torchlit ascent of The Cloud. A light fine drizzle kept things a little damp. After setting up the £11 Sainsburys tent and moving onto antennas, the rain became heavy. Because we were rather early, I decided to set up the Magic Moggy and do some 20m before the 70cm activity contest. It was while setting this up that I realised I had not put the 70cm elements into my pack - they were still in my car!
“I’ll go and get them, I wanted the exercise anyway” remarked Sean. He disappeared down the hill with my car keys, while I continued setting up the 20m vertical. I was not as early as I had estimated. As I settled in the tent to open up on 20m CW, it was already 1950z, just ten minutes before the contest start.
I scanned the 20m band, both the CW and SSB segments. There was not a hint of activity anywhere, but the SWR asured me that the system was configured properly. Yes, 20m was as flat as a pancake, and as empty as my wallet. With Sean now reascending the hill with the 70cm elements, I decided to take it all down again so as to be ready to deploy them immediately upon arrival.
It had now stopped raining, so Sean stood outside the tent listening to me doing the contest, starting ten minutes late at 2010z. As the pile-up convened on my QRG, Sean announced he was going home, so I thanked him for the company and getting the errant elements.
The contest seemed to be going quite well with over 20 contacts made in the first half-hour. I was somewhat unnerved by someone shouting outside my tent. “Hello?” I called. “It’s me Sean” came the reply. “Is there a problem?” I enquired. “There would have been” he said, “I got to the bottom of the stairs and found your car keys were still in my pocket!”.
So Sean had now ascended The Cloud three times inside the hour, and was now feeling completely exhausted! I remarked that he ought to be thanking me for all the exercise he had got, a comment that struck me as hilarious, but possibly wasn’t quite as funny for Sean! And off down the hill he went for a thrid time.
Contacts and multipliers were slowly building up, but there was disappointingly nothing from EI, GI or GM, nor squares JO01 or JO03. Yes, Bryn G4DEZ wasn’t worked! I briefly heard him but only weakly, but most of the time there wasn’t a trace of his signal. At the final reckoning, I had made 43 QSOs, 39 on 70cm SSB, 1 on 70cm CW and 3 on 70cm FM.
Packing up took longer due to the tent/shelter, and descent was slow due to the prematurely dimming light of my headtorch. In the car, the heater was whacked on, and I drove to the Harrington Arms in Gawsworth while chatting on the GB3MR 70cm repeater. A few contesters were on here ‘winding down’, including one that had done all his QSOs on FM. A late pint and bag of crisps were enjoyed at the pub before I completed the journey home.
Thank you to anyone reading this that worked me.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
I got more exercise than i planned, coming soon the SOTA workout video! Sean M0GIA