In reply to M6EPW:
Looks like there is a lift on this morning. Hearing stations not
usually picked up.
Station in Daventry 5/1. M6CMG.
Indeed, Liz. See my comment a few minutes ago in the UHF Fun Weekend thread.
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
In reply to G3NYY:
GB2012MV also booming into Cumbria on 2m fm.
Like you say Walt, looking very promising today
In reply to M6EPW:
Stuart G0LGS was 53-54 here in Blackburn when he worked Mike 2W0YYY/P on 2m FM just now. That is unusual.
Hopefully conditions will be as good tomorrow When I hope to be out on a summit.
73,
Mark G0VOF
In reply to G0VOF:.
Yet another 2m update.
Hi Mark,
At last the 2m promised land.
Nice to work you today. Amazing conditions on 2m fm with the X-300 collinear.
At 0800 UTC I struggled to find a clear frequency from GW/NW-044 Moel Famau.
Once spotted there was a nice pile-up with DX from all over the country.
The longest contact was a 600Km hop with ON/KI6TSF into Braine-le-Château, not bad with 7 Watts and a vertical. Plenty of GI and GMs and a very nice s2s with Robin GM7PKT on GM/CS-005 Schiehallion, a very rare foray for Robin into North Wales. Incidentally, I heard him working OM too.
Mind you at 3553ft 1 51â„64inches he was twice as high as me 
My s2s with Liz MO6EPW from G/LD-037 Little Mell Fell was interesting, she was on her handheld!
Nice to catch Barry MW0IML/P on the fairly rare GW/NW-057 Foel Cae’rberllanfor a new s2s for me.
Also for the s2s with Pete GO0WGL from my old haunt G/SP-004 Shining Tor, this was Pete’s first ever SOTA contact as an activator. Uncannily, I was Pete’s first ever SOTA chase from the same summit, IIRC!!!
Great conditions, lets hope they last another day.
Thanks to all the chasers and the activators I’ve missed.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
i remember one day when me and dad went up the Worcestershire Beacon (WB-009) for a 2m Contest and we had a small fishing shelter sheltering us from the sun with a short pole and 2m yagi
after a couple of hours operating i went up to the trig point with the handheld and called on 2m calling frequency and was approached by a warden who asked if we had asked permission to be there and stated that our transmissions would be affecting the spiritual atmosphere of the malvern hills the warden then asked if the fishing shelter and antenna belonged to me and walked over to it with me and handed us a card and said they didnt see a problem in us being there and we give u permission to be here but next time call the number on the card
Matt
M3WDS
In reply to 2E0YYY:
LOL
“Mind you at 3553ft 1 51⁄64inches he was twice as high as me ;-)”
…At 4’ and a fag-end, everyone is twice as high as you Micky!
In reply to G8ADD: The Gliding Club is still present on the Mynd and has been for 78 years… They own the land… I am a member as well!!!
Nik M5DND
Final 2m lift report
The Aftermath.
Dave M0TUB and myself met up with Dave G4ASA at the honesty box lay-by, for our planned joint Sunday activation of G/NP-010 Pen-y-ghent at 0900 local time. After agreeing what kit to take along (pointless duplicating rigs and antennas etc), we settled on one FT-817 some lipos, linked dipole, a couple of handies and the X-300.
Very generously, the two Daves suggested I should carry everything, as my rucksack had never been so light
This summit looks a bit daunting from the lay-by, however, its bark proved to be worse than its bite. We made the trig point in about one hour and fifteen minutes including a couple of stops for a drink, chat and photo call. Bit of a scramble near to the top, but to be honest, I found GW/NW-044 Moel Famau, harder Saturday, when I was loaded up to the eyeballs with lead!
This summit is like Piccadilly Circus in the rush hour, there were huge numbers of hikers, hiking parties and families gathered around the stone seats and even a very large party of 20+ hikers quaffing Champagne at the trig. Needles to say, they did not sent me a glass over …most inconsiderate 
Well, as Brian G8ADD correctly predicted, the lift was over. With my handy and trusty collinear set up, I put out a CQ on 500. There was an immediate response and within 30 seconds the pile-up began. The fantastic DX of Saturday had all but evaporated, although Ken G3XQE managed the trip from Coventry, this after working the two Dave’s on CW. I glanced up and found myself surrounded by fascinated hikers watching the proceedings, with one couple staying for well over an hour totally engrossed in the proceedings.
In the meantime, the two Dave’s were busy pounding the key on HF, although, they seemed to be struggling a little. After a couple of hours, this was of course, Tubbys excuse to wander over and relieve me of the handy. Only fair really, as he had carried the collinear for a good 200 Meters up the easy bit of the hill
Dave M0TUB/P worked a nice pile-up, including a S2S with Andy M0FMF/P, on Blencathra and Geoff M6MZX/P on G/NP-015 Great Knoutberry Hill.
Other S2S included John M0VCM/P on G/WB-003 our second S2S in a week, John GO0OOO/P on G/LD-024, Rob MW0DNK/P GW/NW-071 as well as three Wainwrights.
A nice days radio saw me finish with 90 contacts 84 on 2m and 6 on 70cm , not too sure what the two Daves finished up with but they seemed to have really enjoyed this activation.
Thanks to all of the callers who took the time to call in.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Thank you to everyone that I worked over the weekend from both home and from Little Mell Fell on Saturday and from Crag Fell on Sunday.
It was an amazing weekend with the lift on 2m FM. Sadly only two takers on 70cms though. I lost count of the S2S contacts, not to mention the distances involved with many of them on Saturday. I even managed to work three stations via my homebrew sotabeam that normally are unable to work Little Mell Fell, giving them points for both SOTA and WOTA.
It was also fascinating to listen to both sides of the QSO between Robin on GM/CS-005 and the Belgium Station whilst waiting to work Robin myself.
Unfotunately I didn’t get that far, but did manage to suprise Mike using just my handheld with the rubber duck upon reaching the summit of Little Mell Fell with cracking signal reports both ways before setting up the main j-pole antenna and SOTA beam. Many other long distance contacts were also achieved, taking one or two chasers by suprise.
Saturday was the perfect day for sitting on top of a fell playing radio.
What a difference a day makes though.
Sunday was reasonably good when setting off, although a stiff breeze was blowing in but, an hour and half later, once on the summit of Crag Fell, I could see the storm blowing in across Great Gable and Sca Fell and hoped the weather would hold. For a short while I was just battered by the wind whilst working many /p and other stations and watched as the weather engulfed the valley of Ennerdale before finally swinging round into my direction and closed in behind me.
I sat and operated through the storm for quite a while as by this point, despite the complaints from two dogs saying they wanted to go home, huddling against the cairn alongside me, Karen and Neil were en-route to Great Gable, Derek, Colin and Heather to Sca Fell, Phil on Skiddaw and John was on Pike Of Blisco.
Thankfully the S2S’s were reasonably quickly achieved, so decided now was the time to beat a hasty retreat for the forest below and bridleway down before the full force of the storm closed in and visibilty became nil.
Despite the relatively short stay on the summit on Sunday 8 S2S’s were achieved and approx 30 QSO’s
Apologies to anyone that I missed on Sunday or that I had to ask to repeat call signs slowly or both that and reports more than once, but conditions made the level of wind noise amongst other things, very difficult to hear the radio despite the volume being turned right up.
Depsite that a good day of radio was enjoyed and rounded off the weekend quite nicely as I manage to get back to the car before the storm completely engulfed the western side of the lakes.
73
Liz.
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Very generously, the two Daves suggested I should carry everything, as
my rucksack had never been so light
Pants on fire!!
Only fair really, as he had carried the collinear for a good 200 Meters up the easy bit of the hill
Pants blazing!!
they seemed to have really enjoyed this activation.
Indeed I did - thanks for the company.
Some good conditions on 2m and 70cm again today.
My day started around 0830 seeing various stations on the west side of the UK spotting stations in Southern France and North Spain, but living some 230m or so below the Cotswolds meant almost nothing was heard, as conditions seemed to be holding up around 1015 I made the decision to go ‘portable’ for the day.
Whilst mobile on route to my chosen location in IO81WU at approx 0955z I heard Mike 2E0YYY/P on WB-004 who informed me that he was hearing French stations on 2m FM.
I arrived at my parking spot and got the 2m and 70cm beams erected by 1130, but didn’t work anything else until 1052z with F5ICN from JN03 being worked on both bands followed shortly afterwards by EA1DHB/P on 2m.
Although it was not the busiest of days I worked a number of other French Stations on both bands and even managed to grab EA2DCA/P on EA2/VI-011 on 2m.
Stewart G0LGS
In reply to G0LGS:
Hi Stewart,
Nice to work you this morning. The 2m band was in good shape, with plenty of DX in the UK.
Working vertical on 2m FM from G/WB-004, calls from GI, EI, GD IOM, Berwick, Durham, Kent, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Devon, Lincolnshire, as far down as Bognor Regis, the list is pretty long. Well over 200 2m contacts logged.
Wonderful days radio.
Thanks to all the chasers who took the trouble to call in.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
I’ve been listening to Spain on 2m SSB this evening which is very unusual for me.Unfortunately the station I was hearing very well at 52, turned his antenna to work somebody else before I could give him a call.
73,
Mark G0VOF
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Hi Mike
Nice to work you WB’s are usually difficult on 2m from here 
Just looked at profile from here to WB-004 - only thing in way is Black Hill SP-002.
Listened for a while after contact and you disappeared each time you reduced power.
You were 59 with rapid flutter each time a plane took of or landed at LBA
Will be doing some Humps in Dorset first week in October will alert/spot on www.summitswatch.org.uk/sb/
Hope I get chance to work you
Roger G4OWG
In reply to G0VOF:
In reply to G4OWG:
Thanks Mark and Roger,
With the benefit of hindsight and depending how much confidence one is prepared to invest into the Hepburn lottery, perhaps I could have chosen a better summit and even mode for yesterdays predicted lift conditions. No doubt, at 1800 ft ASL, 2m ssb would have produced a shed load of dx into the continent.
Having said this, 2m vertical can produce some spectacular results and for the listeners who follow such activations, will also be very rewarding. They get to hear just about everything from the activator and quite a few chasers (subject to yesterdays qsb), unlike a beam activation where they’ll miss an awful lot.
As an after thought, did anyone work 70cm yesterday, if so, how did they find conditions?
73 Mike
2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Mike,
I was on 70cm FM except when working you and the odd 2m ssb contact. Four on each hill. Nothing exceptional. WB-011 to Mansfield being the best distance for me.
Thanks for the S2Ss.
73,
Rod
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Working vertical on 2m FM from G/WB-004, calls from GI, EI, GD IOM,
Berwick, Durham, Kent, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Devon, Lincolnshire, as
far down as Bognor Regis, the list is pretty long. Well over 200 2m
contacts logged.
Just to let you know I heard you (varying between 31 and 52) on Ros Hill
SB-009, but you didn’t seem to be hearing my 5W signal (I think you said
you were running 10W). I also heard Liz M6EPW on a WOTA, and although I
believe she heard me we failed to exchange reports
Since we stopped to activate SB-009 in a 400+ mile journey we couldn’t stay
that long, but I did at least manage to activate it on 2m FM with 9 contacts
(best being south Aberdeenshire).
Caroline
M3ZCB
In reply to M3ZCB:
Just to let you know I heard you (varying between 31 and 52) on Ros
Hill
SB-009, but you didn’t seem to be hearing my 5W signal (I think you
said
you were running 10W). I also heard Liz M6EPW on a WOTA, and although
I
believe she heard me we failed to exchange reportsSince we stopped to activate SB-009 in a 400+ mile journey we couldn’t
stay
that long, but I did at least manage to activate it on 2m FM with 9
contacts
(best being south Aberdeenshire).
Hi Caroline,
Sorry I didn’t hear you from G/WB-004. To be honest, I’m very disappointed, as I’ve never managed a S2S with any of the G/SB summits and a modest summit such as G/SB-009 Ros Hill, at only 315m on my vertical, would have been a really nice contact.
Ah well, c’est la vie!
I also heard Liz and did manage an S2S with her on LDW-181.
Thanks for trying, Caroline.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
Hi Caroline.
Sorry we could not complete the S2S. Unfortunately someone else was on 300 that I didn’t hear to start with and I couldn’t’ hear you above them to ask you to qsy.
A great shame as you were 4/1 onto Gowbarrow Fell in the Far Eastern Lakes, close to Little Mell Fell.
I did try to find you a gain and put a call out but we must have just missed each other.
Better luck next time when hopefully the weather will allow me to put the antenna up at full height to get full advantage of signals. The wind on Saturday meant I risked snapping the pole if I had put it any higher than I did.
Hope you still had a good day.
Mike , many thanks for the S2S.
73
Liz
In reply to 2E0YYY:
I’ve never managed a S2S with any of the G/SB summits
Hi Mike,
At the moment there are only five G/SB activations
recorded in the database for 2012, so not many S2S
opportunities. I was on G/SB-004 on 21st July 2012
and managed a S2S with David M0YDH on G/LD-021 and
Glenn G6HFF on G/NP-017. You were on G/SP-004 that
day but I couldn’t hear you even with the 3el beam
pointing in your direction. Maybe G/NPs in the way?
That would have been nice to add to the collection!
73, John M0VCM