Several SOTA activations are alerted for 2m SSB at 1400-1600z Sunday afternoon. This includes stations in DL, G and ON, and the conditions look potentially favourable for DX.
The event in progress will be the 3rd session of the RSGB Christmas Cumulatives, albeit only the first (and probably only) session of participation for myself - and possibly others.
Join in if you can - either as a chaser - or even better as an activator - for this rare feast of 2m SSB SOTA DX!
I will hopefully be qrv from 1330z in order to make some contacts before the band gets crowded in the uk. Usually I qsy 10-20 down from 144.300. Will spot but not sure if I can access sotawatch on the summit.
80 w @ 11,5 dBd
Ahoi
Pom
Will you be on KST Pom?
I don’t know if there’s internet coverage on NS-127 and I’ve never tried KST on my mobile before. So the answer is maybe.
The 70cm world record was broken yesterday (D41 => GM) so if conditions persist you might all work some good DX!
FT8… doesn’t count 
OK, it was my mate Ian GM3SEK, so it does!
I thought the record was made EME!
4556km tropo Brian. 4556!!!
Small beer compared to ~800,000km! Dam’ good for tropo, though!
He set a new 144MHz tropo record at the same time.
That 70 cm record may have been beaten today as well. Good condx on 2m, so 70cm probably also. In 2m FT8 worked easily into Spain, Germany and France from NE England (Not SOTA). And on SOTA a diamond QSO on 2m SSB from here to DM/NW-148 Hengeberg with Mario DL4MFM/P. 100 watts to a 7 element yagi at ,y end, not sure what Mario had but he peaked at 55. .
73 Phil
Unfortunately not a cat in hell’s chance of getting a 2m antenna up today on Dun Rig GM/SS-052. Wind over 40mph plus gusts in excess of that and I could hardly stand up myself. Darn chilly as well.
74 QSOs on today’s G/SP-015 activation, all 2m.
2m FT8 - 4 QSOs
2m SSB - 51 QSOs
2m FM - 19 QSOs
DXCCs (11):
DL: 2
EA: 2
EI: 1
F: 7
G: 49
GD: 1
GI: 2
GJ: 1
GW: 7
OZ: 1
PA: 1
QRAs (27):
IN53, 83, 87, 89, 93, 98, 99, IO63, 64, 70, 74, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 91, 92, 94, JO01, 02, 03, 32, 42, 55, JN05, JO22
S2S: Mario DL4MFM/P on DM/NW-148 (2m SSB)
ODX: EA1FDI in IN53tf - 1199km
Good fun that! Not bad from a cold hilltop with an 817 running 5w into a battered old SOTAbeams SB5.
I saw the forecast of 40+mph and -7C windchill and thought “hmmm”. Now I knew you and Paul would make an attempt as you had come a long way. But also you were smart enough to turn back if too windy. I had other things to do so had to cancel my activation (not hard with the WX) and I went out to somewhere just South of Edinburgh (actually South of IKEA) that is basically LOS to Dun Rig with the gear from the other day + the FT290. I managed to forget the 290’s power lead but I was ready with the 817. I called a number of times after seeing your spot but thought “why no full frequency”. That’s when I checked the full spot and saw the message. Oh well, never mind. Then it was off to IKEA for some shopping followed by an afternoon of flat pack assembly and several martinis.
Since four years we are doing “Raus auf UKW” here in Germany on December 29th which means “Out on VHF” and is based on an idea of Pom, DG7ACF. I always test “new” mountains which are not on my normal VHF mountain agenda. The Hepburn Index forecast was excellent and no rainfall was predicted, so a lot of activators dared to go outside.
For my station I chose only the small antenna, a rather bent 5-ele DK7ZB on a 3m high lamp tripod. TRX Yaesu FT-857, 50W.
After switching on the station I heard G4LDR with S9+++. I could break the pile up to GU6EFB on the second call. A new DXCC on 144 MHz - great. After the contest was finished, I made a spot and Phil, G4OBK, called me back. That was a big surprise.
I wanted to do QRT a long time ago, but some local stations called me. Then I heard a quiet “Yankee Papa”. As the signal increased a little, M1EYP/p from G/SP-015. Thanks Tom for having the patience to wait so long. This was my first S2S to UK and probably also my S2S ODX: 720 km
ODX was G7RAU from the rare locator IN79JX for 970km. 4x S2S, unfortunately I did not hear Pom, although he is actually only a stone’s throw away.
73, I hope we’ll hear us at the 5th “Raus auf UKW” in 2020. HNY!
Mario, dl4mfm
Daten von OpenStreetMap – Veröffentlicht unter ODbL
Seine QSO-Map kann man sich hier erstellen. Einfach das ADIF-Log hochladen.
Great to hear of your G <> DM s2s, guys. Well done!
Seems, DM/NS-127 was a bit off the G-duct. Only two G’s were worked, none of them SOTA or chaser. On the other hand, there were a bunch of south-DL stations booming in even when the antenna pointed NW. Unlike the stations from The North, who were much smaller signals than usual.
Due to strong wind gusts on the summit I only used a single “5 Elli” yagi. With the pole bending in the wind, the expected radiation pattern of a 2x5 stack would have been perfect for EME, but rather not for tropo. 
I heard Mario in QSO with a G station, but couldn’t find him again later on. The icy winds and the promise I made that I won’t play much longer than 1600 loc forced me to qrt after a good hour.
DXCC: SP, DL, G, ON
s2s: DL1ASA/p, DO1DJJ/p, DL1DVE/p, DO4TE/p
views: great
Ahoi
Pom
Thanks for FB report Mario, Pom and Tom.
The Tropo is still flowing this morning. I can see good sigs on FT8 coming in from DL, F, ON and PA and last night the BBC and ITV HD Channels from Emley Moor Transmitter were unwatchable in IO94 because of it. Anyone going out today to do VHF/UHF SOTA may get some good DX again.
73 Phil G4OBK
Good going. Particulary on the S2S into Germany. I wonder if that’s a first on 2m SSB?
