I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t done enough CW in this year’s SOTA Challenge. So I’ll prioritise that in the activation I will shortly be going on G/SP-015.
Keys at the ready, and hoping for some DX!
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I’m stuck at home and won’t be able to work you as a chaser from my 25m-ASL QTH.
On activations I usually try 2m CW after HF CW, 2m FM and 2m SSB but am getting even fewer chasers than earlier in the year. It’s true I don’t hang around calling CQ for too long as by that time I’m a) getting too cold or wet or b) running out time.
It’s a pity the 2026 Challenge doesn’t reward 2m CW QSOs (per summit) in addition to 2m SSB ones. If it did, one could do your quick[ish] common-or-garden, week-in-week-out activation on 2m FM/SSB with vertical antenna and come back to that summit on a warm sunny day with a Yagi and leisurely do some 2m CW DXing.
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Not sure I was DX, but certainly a rare one on CW.
I saw this original post and wondered if I could setup something quick. With it normally being 59 on SSB I wasnt worried about marginal signals.It was an interesting test and I will need to see if I can work out the use of the software a little better.
Fldigi and Flrig were hastily setup. and took a little to figure out out to do the transmit rcve switchover, but it was a valid qso 
if very brief . I kept it to bare minimum of callsign and report. In theory I should have sent my locator, but as we had literally exchanged it on SSB not 5 minutes beforehand there was no need to complicate matters. I have no idea how it sounded at your end either.
It did make me wonder if someone has ever created a Monty Python Hungarian Phrase book CW app. How would I have known that I wasnt transmitting “My hovercraft is full of eels”
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How curious. I actually watched that sketch on TV (And Now For Something Completely Different) when I got home from my gig last night!
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Hi Tom,
You could try posting on the Facebook group “2m/70cm/23cm SSB and CW Only Skeds” and pointing towards GM
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As expected nothing heard.
I’m almost exclusively CW on HF but have also done very little CW on 2m. I need to change that.
I’ve only activated for the 2m challenge a few times, so I’m not pretending to be an expert, but just a thought….
My small number of CW contacts have been on the same frequency as used for SSB - put up a spot, send a few CQs in each mode. A couple of times I’ve been called on SSB, and been detectable but unreadable the other end, so just switched to CW.
(Put a note on the spot listening for either mode)
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I agree, it is frustrating quiet when calling on 2m CW and I must say, I normally limit my Sota CW to HF. Two exceptions though, working a 2m Sota CW station in Devon from Larrison Fell in the Scottish borders and a far Eastern DL Club station on the Sota CW weekend a few years ago. I have also alerted ops on 145Alive to a period of operation on 2m CW. This has been fruitful on each event netting useful DX. So it would seem that the key to making 2m CW QSOs is to alert the right people to improve the station “visibility” to others. Random calling does not cut the mustard but as Adrian says, the punch power of CW over FM and SSB is very significant.
David G0EVV
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Sorry Tom was out with the XYL but will always listen when I’m around just in case I can hear the activator.
P.S Knowing if the activator is Vert or Horz helps. I do both now.
]
Don PLP.
Well and FWIW I was listening from JO50CG87CH all around 2m SSB and CW. Icom IC-705 @ 10w with a 4-ele Yagi. I didn’t hear anything from G_land at all. I’ll be here until 24 June. Don’t know if 10w and 4-ele will make it that way. But we’ll try when I see aVHF spot.
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Totally agree David. Indeed calling on 2m CW at any time is pretty much a non-event and has been for many years. The only exception is when aurora is present when the mode is easier to copy than SSB and everyone comes onto the band.
When I operate 2m CW from a summit I always tag it onto my 2m SSB operation, usually on 144.333MHz… my preferred frequency. I don’t ever recall moving down to 144.050MHz to call. I used to work a few people on a fairly regular basis, notably Reg G3WPF and Frank G3RMD. Nowadays the person that will call me on CW is Jack GM4COX, usually when he is having difficulty copying me on SSB. Occasionally I work others, but to do so is the exception rather than the norm. Sad really as the mode has excellent potential.
73, Gerald
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I suspect the relative lack of RBN cover doesn’t help. On HF, RBN will usually get you spotted reasonably accurately within a minute or two, at least in Europe. VHF isn’t quite so well served.
So far this year I’ve only briefly heard one SOTA CW activator on 2 metres, and that not long enough to work them on CW.
Today was weird, even with SSB. Summits I thought should be relatively easy copy were inaudible. I even pulled up the Hack Green SDR to check, and could hear one activator on that, but not the slightest here. Having my yagi stuck vertically-polarised probably isn’t helping, at least some of the time, but also, maybe, a pigeon’s done something to it as it is looking a little wonky. More impetus to get the new one sorted and mounted…
There’s still half a year of Challenge to go, so I hope I’ll catch some 2m CW summits before the year’s out.
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I can tell by viewing other activators’ spots that my activations are usually shorter than theirs, mostly less than an hour QRV with – this year – 2m CW the last band/mode combination. 2m CW QSOs so far this year: Jan, 6 ; Feb, 3 ; Mar, 4 ; Apr, 3. Bear in mind, none were with a 2m Yagi^^ and with going QRT after 3-4 CQ calls with no more chasers.
^^Carrying that antenna in a shoulder bag makes for a dedicated one-band SSB/CW activation for me.
The number of SSB QSOs is bigger and of course FM bigger again. I think the 2026 Challenge has definitely increased 2m SSB activity but not much for CW and not much for 70cm on any mode.
I’ve been grounded for the last 5 weeks with our newly-adopted, medically-challenged, 4yo, female ex-breeding dog but I hope to get on a SOTA hill with my Yagi for the 14th June RSGB 144MHz Backpackers contest and do a lot more 2m CW [if I can manage those long exchanges – Why the postcode prefix if you’re already sending your locator?]
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Also don’t forget theres a couple of SOTA weekends coming up which should see additional activity and STS possibilities. If people know they are being looked for they are more likely to pack a key.
27th June - Welsh Association Hog Roast - Mainly GW/NW GW/MW and G/WB but can get very busy.
25th/26th July - Northern Pennine Weekend
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I’m sorry to hear that. So far, I’ve managed 70 CW QSOs out of 100. However, here in the north of Germany most of my few chasers are about 400 km away. It was often very difficult in CW, and contacts in SSB were rare strokes of luck over this distance.
73 Chris
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The challenge is mainly taking part in 2m SSB. But here in central Europe, there are some dedicated CW chasers and activators 
I think that Chris @DL1CR sounds a bit pessimistic in his post above. We had many great QSOs during the last months all in the 400 km range. These contacts were possible even though we both are usually located on just around 400 m a.s.l. and CW definitely made the difference! But of course these DX QSOs on 2m usually are skeds and the pileup following a 2m CW SOTA spot is within limits.
I might write a longer post about my 2m/70cm SOTA activity soon. I hope to find the time.
I am really looking forward to the AGCW 2m/70cm Contest on Saturday, which is a pure CW contest! 
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Thanks for the heads up, Thomas!
The AGCW 2m/70cm contest in March was real fun. I made 18 CW QSOs on 2 metres (arrived half an hour late at the summit 
)
I’m really looking forward to participating the full two hours on Saturday - wx permitting.
25 watts, 6-element Yagi and Double Hourglass Loop 
See you in the contest!
73, Roman
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I am looking forward to a S2S, Roman I hope the weather will be better than last AGCW! There I managed to make 31 QSOs on 2m CW and 9 on SSB afterwards.
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