Ed we were sharing for some, but both monitoring different bands. I think we both used the same radio for you… i am probably a bit louder on the mic!
Great to get you.
Martin
Indeed! Not only was Manuel my first chaser, but he also then alerted me to the fact that Dave (JKS) was calling me. Thanks Manuel
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I’m always up for DX SOTA, so the prospective of “easy” S2S DX persuaded me to get on a local summit and try my luck: Monte Croce dei Fo’ I/LG-029.
Nice weather, not too windy and not too sunny, the many wild horses inhabiting the area were not in sight, good.
Setting up the station is tricky with an EFHW, the feed point is often too low to the ground due to the lack of supporting trees and SWR is less than ideal.
My station was an Icom IC-705 powered from an external LiFePO4 battery, 10W output. I try to bring a comfortable chair if weight is not an issue.
First problem, mobile coverage was poor and I needed it to spot myself and find other activators, I’d rather avoid fiddling with the interface designed for ants of the FT5D to spot via APRS2SOTA. Second problem, band conditions were not conducive to Trans-Atlantic QRP contacts.
First contact: S2S with Beppe @I1WKN, you can count on him, always activating in any weather or season.
I managed 31 QSOs, 10 SSB, 31 CW, 20 S2S.
Now the best part: just before wrapping up Gary @KT0A on 15m CW, S2S to W0D/BB-024 (South Dakota), while I was trying to copy him a passerby curios about my equipment was asking what I was doing and I mumbled something about amateur radio and talking with the US, I’m not a good multitasker nor an excellent steward of the hobby.
Did I mention this was my first CW activation? Chasing is easier.
Despite the ionosphere not collaborating it was a fun day, I met the horses on my way back.
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Thanks David. We exchanged reports and then you went right down into the noise so I’m glad we made it.
I’m really pleased my signal was making it across so I’m so sorry I couldn’t hear you.
Hopefully propagation will be better next time.
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Better luck next time, Andy!
Rob
Hi Carlo, you might like to look at SOTAMÄT as a possible way to spot without cell service. it’s covered on this reflector here ( it can work Smartphone speaker to radio microphone - no need for the complex interface connections):
SOTAmat 2-minute explainer video - Online Resources / Third Party Software - SOTA Reflector
73 Ed.
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Hi David, now I know, who called me, HI. Unfortunately your signal was really week on noisy frequency, I copied only N6… something. Pity. I had FT-857, 100W out to inv. V dipol approx 6m high, powered by LiFePo4 12V 22Ah. I am sure next time with better conditions qso will be done.
73,
Pavel
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The view from Mike Oldfield’s local SOTA summit - Hergest Ridge G/WB-008
It was more or less the same situation at my end as for everyone else. Conditions were just not with us this time, but a few Trans-Atlantic contacts were made. The April event is always less productive than the November one, but these were not the worst conditions that I have experienced in April. Hopefully this was just a poor day and we will have much better conditions next time.
The huge expanse of Hergest Ridge as viewed from the operating position on the north-west edge of the plateau.
The take off generally towards the States.
I started at 12:00z having to work “blind” without any spotting facility as my mobile phone decided to go crazy. One minute I had 99% battery, then inside one minute just 10%. After a restart it was at 65%, then it kept rebooting itself and so it went on, so I switched it off. My emergency phone was available, but it is only a “pay as you go” phone and not really suitable for internet use. I therefore decided to start on 20m CW and hope the RBN found me…I worked 16 including Fabio IK2LEY/P on I/LO-448 and Carlo IU1KGS on I/LG-029. Romain SP6SUD/P on SP/SZ-012 was operating 2kHz below me, so I worked him before moving to SSB. There I found and worked Andy CT9/G6PJZ/P on CT3/MI-006 and Rob DM1CM/P on DL/BE-093.
Moving to 17m at 13:00z, I made contact with Paul N1ZF on W1/MR-003, reports 439 both ways. After looking around, I called CQ and worked Vladimir YU1WC/P on YU/CS-046. Then Les K4DY called me with a reasonable 569 signal, but the hopes of a pile up came to nothing. Roy WN3F on W4V/SH-024 was a decent 559 signal, Robert KU4R an amazing 599 and Jean-Paul AB4PP 569, but other than a couple more EU chasers, that was all. I couldn’t find any activators on 17m SSB.
I decided to try 15m CW and found and worked Manu EC7ZT/P on EA7/MA-022 and my CQ just raised replies from LZ4UX and once again Les K4DY who gave me the same report as 17m, though he was a little stronger with me on the higher frequency. Both 24MHz and 28MHz had stations from CX. PY, 8P6, YC and JA heard, but no SOTA action. I decided to give them a miss which may have been a mistake.
Back on 20m CW, at 14:20z, I worked another 4 EU stations including Bruno OK/HB9CBR/P on OK/JC-021. I gave Colin M1BUU/P on G/NP-004 a call on 17m CW at 14:35z before calling CQ myself a little higher up the band. The weather, which had been heavy cloud cover and the occasional sunny period, was now deteriorating and the odd spot of rain was falling. Alfred VE3OT was first into the log in this session and I heard Ed K1RID call, but he promptly disappeared…3 more EU chasers were to make the log before Pete WA7JTM on W7A/MN-095 called me followed by Ken K6HPX to put a big smile on my face at the end. I packed up and made my descent with the rain thankfully holding off until I was making my way home.
The set up - KX3 running 3W output, driving the MX-P50M linear to 30W feeding the antenna via the LDG Z11 auto-ATU.
My version of the Slidewinder vertical antenna - homebrew mounting plate to fit a pole, with a 12AWG wire vertical element taped to the glass-fibre pole rather than the coil having to support a whip.
Overall, 41 QSOs were made, of which 3 were Trans-Atlantic S2S contacts, 6 were Trans-Atlantic chases (Les K4DY on 17m and 15m) and there were 9 other S2S contacts. Not a huge haul, but enough to satisfy and I got to return to Hergest Ridge, the first time since 2006.
Many thanks to everyone that went out for the event. I’m already looking forward to November. 
73, Gerald G8CXK / G4OIG
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Makes it all worth it Gerald!!!
73
Pete
WA7JTM
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And how Pete… we’ve missed out over the last few years for one reason or another. It was great to get you in the log once again.
73, Gerald
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The weather was fine - sunny, no wind, temp about 14°C.
We activated together with Karel OK4DX the OK/KA-008. Benefit of this summit is nice tourist shelter, which was fully occupied by us:
Of course the trigonometric point was used as base for our antennas:
We used fan dipol antenna for 20m and 15m and also a separate EFHW primary for 28MHz.
Radio was FT-857 with full 100W out, powered by LiFePo accu 22Ah.
The conditions were not excellent, I would say. Nevertheless we worked some NA stations, specially Karel on CW. Unfortunately no S2S… EU signals were almost strong with few S2S contacts. On 10m we heard many PY with stong signals and some LU stations, but without chance for us.
Anyway it was funny afternoon!
CU next time,
73
Pavel
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Great set-up. 
Geoff vk3sq
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It’s been a long time in the making Geoff and has been develooed specifically for the S2S events. I don’t usually use this kit on the summits. Having an FT-817, an IC-703, several multi-band dipoles and a 40m EFHW, I am well equipped for SOTA operating. Perhaps I should use this set up more often.
73, Gerald
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Oops sorry Scott, the road must have been closed for mud season. I updated my note.
Very happy to work you and log a complete!
fred WX1S
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I decided to miss the last football game of the season (Macclesfield away at Mossley) in order to participate in this event. The game was a “dead rubber” anyway with the championship already sewn up a few weeks earlier.
The Cloud G/SP-015 - Saturday 22nd April 2023 - 1225 to 1823 UTC - 111 QSOs, 30 S2S.
20m was nice and busy with lots of S2S opportunities - but virtually all UK and EU. No sign at all of transatlantic propagation on this band through the afternoon.
20m CW - 26 QSOs - 8 S2S:
IK2LEY/P - I/DO-448
SP9MA/P - SP/BZ-061
IU1KGS - I/LG-029
F5JKK/P - F/CR-257
EA4DON/P - EA4/MD-020
G4TGJ/P - G/NP-028
IU3QEZ/P - I/ER-069
DL6CGA/P - DM/BW-018
2m FM - 20 QSOs - 9 S2S:
G4BML/P - G/SP-010
G0AZB/P - G/SP-014
MW0IDX/P - GW/NW-054
G7FIE/P - G/SP-004
MW0KXN/P - GW/NW-060
MW0RWX/P - GW/NW-054
2E0BIA/P - G/SP-004
M0JKS/P - G/SP-004
MW0PJE/P - GW/NW-034
20m SSB - 26 QSOs - 8 S2S:
2E0BIA/P - G/SP-004
CT7/G6PJZ/P - CT3/MI-006
DD5LP/P - DL/AL-179
DM1CM/P - DL/BE-093
S57S/P - S5/BR-018
OE/OK2PDT/P - OE/NO-325
SP9TKW/P - SP/BZ-070
HB9/HB0PR - HB/SG-032
20m FT4 - 11 QSOs - 1 S2S:
MW0PJE/P - GW/NW-034
15m CW - 5 QSOs - 2 S2S:
YO5IA/P - YO/WC-077
AB1WX - W1/MV-003
15m SSB - 4 QSOs - 2 S2S:
IW0HLE/P - I/LZ-181
IU0LII/P - I/LZ-181
15m FT4 - 6 QSOs
15m FT8 - 13 QSOs
Finally, after packing away the 20m GP and replacing with the 15m GP, some hints of excitement! Only one DX NA S2S ITL - but at least I got one! But lots of other nice DX too, some of it rather surprising!
20m DX:
CT3 Madeira - CT9/G6PJZ/P on CT3/MI-006 (S2S)
15m DX:
W Tennessee - KU4R
W New Hampshire - AB1WX on W1/MV-003 (S2S)
YB Indonesia - YD2UWF
W North Carolina - AB4PP
PY Brazil - PY5EJ
UN Kazakhstan - UN9FF
W Maryland - KA3SDL
W Wisconsin - WD6BNY
W Washington (state) - NA7P
VR2 Hong Kong - VR2VOG
HS Thailand - HS0FVS
So while 2 DX S2S was well below par for what I had hoped for the event, the log was still a decent haul overall, and I really can’t complain about bagging two “ATNO” DXCCs in VR2 and HS.
Great event - enjoyed it - worth missing the footie for. Any chance the November event could be on a Sunday for the 2023 session? I’d happily forego the football again - but I can’t really justify writing off a day’s pay!
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Thank you Ed, I was vaguely aware of its existence, I’ll take a look at the docs.
Well done Tom 
Geoff vk3sq
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Well everything is open for discussion Tom. I cannot recall why we ended up with a Saturday event back in 2016 after I had suggested holding it. It would have been a democratic decision. While people have said I organise this event, in reality, I don’t… we, the participants do! In recent years it has more or less organised itself and been left to run. If people feel Sunday is more appropriate, then lets move it. Comments?
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Happy either day here, so would be up for Sunday if others are happy.
Martin
2E0BIA
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Hi Tom, my call sign was actually CT9/G6PJZ/P.
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