To all the Activators worldwide that I have been lucky enougth to work this year. I would like to thank you for all your efforts, time & hard work that goes into operating from a summit. I especillay enjoy the DX Chasing side of SOTA and have been lucky enougth to work all over the world. You would be surprised at how many DX Activators I have heard but been unable to work. So if you hear that very weak signal CW/SSB it could be me! I would also like to thank the Management team who work hard in the back ground to keep things running smoothly.
Happy New Year for 2026 & may all your Chasers be DX.
Happy New Year and thanks for effort supporting G5OLD in the hills. Your chases helped many activations, either scraping the 4 I needed, making it quicker; PLP is usually my first caller !.Thanks a ton.
@GW0PLP Thanks to you for persevering…on my last summit your signal was solid, I feel that mine wasn’t as good, but you kept trying until you got the QSO…tnx 73.
Thanks Don, for your support this year. Given some of the distances you have worked me on 2m FM, I now always visualise you having a massive tower in your garden
Always great to get you in my log and I enjoy the brief chats we have when chasing🙂. Must meet up one day soon…is there still a cafe in your village? Have a Happy New Year with loads of Sota DX again in 2026.
I also want to thank all the activators for all the effort they put out to give us shack sloths some QSOs. It’s fun and rewarding to make these QSOs and tally up the points. Listening for the QRP signals is great practice for improving folks CW weak signal copying skills. It also gives us signals to work with to improve our receiving equipment, antennas, learning how to make the best of all those knobs on these modern radios!
So, keep on activating and we’ll keep on chasing.
73, and all the best in 2026
K6YK
Thanks Don, for your support this year. Given some of the distances you have worked me on 2m FM, I now always visualize you having a massive tower in your garden
Hi Paul, No big tower, No amps, QTH here is 650ft 198mtrs Asl overlooking Cardigan Bay & Irish sea. My VHF antenna is a Diamond X-300 on the Roof. My HF antennas at the moment are a home made Delta Loop fed with 300ohm ladder line which tunes 30 to 10mtrs. I also have a modified Sigma vertical with a 5ft fire-stick whip replacing the top section. My lash up but it works very well on 6,10,12 & 15mtrs. Radio is an FTDX5000 & FT991A for VHF. My Antennas change from time to time due to storm damage. N0 Remote SDR receiving in this shack. Its all done by pulling out weak signals using my Radios and Antennas. I don"t always work what I hear but that’s the fun off Chasing.
P.S. Their is a small Video of my QTH on my QRZ page,
thanks for the information Don, just had a look the video. It’s nice to be able to visualise where someone is chasing from. Very nice location, You setup works very well, you are always booming into me on summit.
Thank you Don for all the contacts in 2025 (and the previous 8 years). It often seems touch & go whether you or Ken, G0FEX, (thanks to him also) get there first. Thanks also to the many (3847) other chasers who have enabled me to qualify nearly all the summits visited over the past 15 years in spite of the reduced power (about 3.5W) this year on HF.
Thanks Don for the 2m chases around Wales, it’s always great to get support for 2m as it’s not the easiest to qualify on.. I always feel more satisfied if I have qualified on 2m
Also, thanks for working me on a brisk GW/NW-015 this morning, as mentioned this is the lake next to the summit that the ice had formed “waves” which I assume is from the the wind?
I’d like to thank all the chasers around the world. Being an activator wouldn’t me much fun without all the chasers calling in. We may have climbed the hill but you’ve had the patience to sit there waiting your turn to reply to our weak QRP signals through the modern RF fog. Although it can be frustrating being on the receiving end of a manic pile up where you can’t make out a single callsign, it’s great to know so many people want to work me.
Many Thanks Don for the kind words and encouragement given to Max MW7HDF who did his first activation from Ruadean Hill. It helped build his confidence. Max is only 15 and can just about hold his own with CW and will be starting his Intermediate with BDL next week. We had 52 contacts in the log that day. Always a pleasure to hear your voice John MW7WJS (Wacky Jolly Sailor) Happy Easter
