Hi Andy
Early 1983 when I was in New Caledonia worked once on 6m Japan with an AN-PRC/10
(AM 1,5w) and into a GP antenna at 15m high 
(sorry out of topic)
73 Ăric
(sorry out of topic)
73 Ăric
2 Likes
First report from the Welsh Borders 6m fm 5w SOTA activation:
G/WB -022 Seager Hill (near Hereford) starting at 0830 - and THE PIGS WERE FLYING!! I recorded my first ever overseas contact using the trusty handheld VX-7 by talking to SM6SIM in Sweden just when I was about to take down who reported his first English contact and gave me 48 (he was 56). This was the icing on the cake when, with a fair amount of hard work, I had already recorded 4 on 6m (2 S2S thank you G4TQE, WB-010 Wrekin, G4AZS, WB-018 View Edge for contacts on all 3 bands) and 2 local callsigns M0WYP and G3YNT (who was actually calling on 51.51 and was rather surprised to be hi-jacked!) So I ended up with 17 contacts 2m-7, 70cm-5, 6m-5 but I consider this was beginnerâs luck and very much aided by the other 2 activators. I feel Hegdon Hill WB-023 will be a lot hotter and also less productive at 1715 this evening.
We have drawn up an ambitious plan for the rest of the week starting with, probably, an early and late activation tomorrow (like today) but may revise this. Please listen out and I have already discovered that I may hear you 59 but my 5w may not be audible at the other end. Thanks for your help.
Viki M6BWA
6 Likes
I tried 6m FM on my last summit (G/SP-012) today, but couldnât raise a QSO. I noticed you were on G/WB-023 at the same time so was hoping we might make a S2S - but I think you were on a different band by then.
It was a good day - and blazing hot!
Lambrigg Fell G/LD-046 0632-0642z
10 QSOs - all 12m CW
Hutton Roof Crags G/LD-052 0845-0926z
34 QSOs:
12m CW: 11
10m FT4: 4
10m SSB: 19 (S2S - HB/AR-012, I/LO-326)
Arnside Knott G/LD-058 1106-1151z
32 QSOs:
10m CW: 12 (S2S - HB/BE-135)
10m SSB: 8 (S2S - HB/JU-008, DM/BW-801, LA/AH-007)
10m FT4: 12
Longridge Fell G/SP-014 1448-1543z
28 QSOs:
6m CW: 14
6m SSB: 2
6m FT4: 12
Easington Fell G/SP-012 1729-1805z
11 QSOs:
6m FT8: 6
6m CW: 2
6m SSB: 3
2 Likes
Sorry we didnât make it but I was struggling on WB-023 but eventually got 4 x 6m fm contacts - as I have on all 3 hills so far. I even got 7 this morning (Garway Hill G/WB-13) more than either 2m or 70cm which were 5 each. Local listeners and chasers are interested and supportive but find it difficult to hear my 5w. Iâm sorry to say that no more overseas contacts have washed up!
Out at 1730 UTC in a wood (Burton Hill G/WB-020) tonight which should provide shade but almost impossible to put up a mast or get anyone to hear me. Rain promised for tomorrow but might get out later.
Keep on listening on 6m fm I got another s2s with G4AZS/P on G/WB-015 but I donât think my signal normally travels far - probably Cwmbran or Cheltenham were the furthest today (from the Welsh border West of Hereford).
73 Viki M6BWA
1 Like
About to go QRV in 6m FM nowâŚ
Canât hear you here, Tom.
For some reason, that doesnât surprise me Brian. Have you checked that coax yet?
In QSO on 520 atm btw
Yes, but in any case its a different antenna and feeder!
10m seems to be taking a rest now, it was almost crowded earlier.
Weak copy that I think was you on CW before a rock-crusher came on. Pity I have no key!
1 Like
After a bit of struggle to find and work Viki earlier using my Horizontal beam - eventually finding her with the beam pointing the wrong direction I have made a Slim-Jim from 450 Ohm ladder (took me about 30 minutes) and it is now deployed (in tempoary location) ready to try for a later summit.
9 Likes
Did it work Stewart?
Thanks for creating a new aerial to try to get me on 6m fm - it looks remarkably like mine but with added window and roof tiles! Will it survive in the more windy conditions that have now setting in? If you were using it last night between 1700 and 1800 UTC then, sadly, it presumably didnât work to WB-020 Burton Hill with extensive beech woods. I could hear Giles G0NXA in Bredon strongly but he couldnât hear me and I know Tony G3YNT in Newent (a new determined 6m fm chaser) was also trying but I couldnât hear him. I finally got my 4 from G4HQB and 2E0OVW (Ludlow), M0WYP (Leominster) and G4WTF (Hereford - Ian who lashed up an aerial in the garden after hearing my first calls on Monday and has been essential to my âsuccessâ ever since). So all contacts were very local from a hillock which is difficult to qualify even on 2m fm let alone something more obscure. Thanks everyone.
It looks like a rest day today with some steady drizzle (but we need more) but we have plans for Thursday and Friday which may include WB-004 and (?) 018 on Thursday and 019 and 021 on Friday but subject to wx etc. Must remember to pack some warmer gear! It has been suggested that I could try slanting my J-pole to increase my chances of being heard by horizontally polarised chasers⌠any comments? and in which direction do I slant?? I have a feeling that slightly increased winds may make this slightly perilous but it is possible that the pegs will go in a bit further if the ground is not quite so hard.
Viki
We heard Giles calling you on both 2m and 6m, but we could not hear you on either band.
I worked WB-020 several times before on 2m FM, but from my log it appears you are not included in the list of those I have worked before (unless I failed to put such a contact in my main log).
I was still hearing lots of EU Stations (using FT8) on the new Vertical yesterday, but it got taken down before bed-time. It will probably only go up again when Iâm aware you might be workable or perhaps if I get out on a summit myself sometime.
I have also replaced my 2m and 4m versions of that antenna with newly constructed ones, again these wonât get much use unless Iâm on a hill somewhere.
73 Stewart
1 Like
Itâs all pretty much on FT8 Tom. Take your data set up next time. 
Iâve not heard anyone using FM and calls at that end of the band have received no response, so well done Viki getting the contacts that you have made.
Must say it was a real pleasure to work Jorge EA2LU the other day on 6m CW. Pity that neither of us were on a summit.
I did! Plenty of QSOs on 6m FT8, FT4, also CW and SSB. Just none on 6m FM!
Managed a couple of 6m FM QSOs in another recent activation though.
Finally heard you Stewart on 6m fm with your super new roof mounted vertical from WB-012 (High Vinnalls outside Ludlow) - better than our 70cm contact but not as good as 2m! Donât think you can have been around when I was on WB-019 (May Hill) on 6 June when I made quite a few Gloucester/Cheltenham contacts.
Hope to hear you on 70cm at the beginning of July if not before.
73 Viki M6BWA
It is the end of the June SOTA Challenge week and I can look back on my attempts, in the Welsh Borders, to make contacts with 5w from a VX-7R handy
and a J-pole supported by a Sotabeam âTactical Miniâ mast. If that pole is the âminiâ version then please donât suggest I would do better with the âmaxiâ version as it took me all of my strength and cunning to get it upright and keep it that way (I normally use a small 2m/70cm dipole). When erecting it chose to fall down across the road (Hegdon Hill) and the footpath (Callow Hill)
but luckily nothing was passing on either occasion. The brambles on Callow Hill were awkward but not as bad as the small hawthorn tree that, once having found the guys, was reluctant to part with them. The medium birch tree on High Vinnalls
was more amenable when, unnoticed by me, the pole collapsed into it but it took quite a few tries to get the mast upright again while a patient chaser was waiting for me to appear. The ground was clear and fairly flat on Garway Hill - and the âlocalsâ were happy to ignore me!
The weather rather added to the Challenge (was it specially ordered by the MT?) as it was (for us) very hot for the first 2 days so we had to go home for a siesta in the middle of the day and then venture out in the evening when it cooled. Wednesday it got colder and rained everywhere except in our garden so Thursday was a pleasant cool day with 3 more activations. Saturday was the last available day and a bitter wind was blowing on May Hill (G/WB-019) so out came the full winter gear including padded hat with ear flaps and skiing gloves!!
I did try to get contacts on 6m fm by calling on 51 51 but this only raised a couple of contacts during the 9 activations so I resorted to working on 2m fm and asking people whether they would try to contact me on 6m. A surprisingly high (to me) percentage had suitable kit but the main problem was that they couldnât hear me - which was particularly frustrating when I could hear them quite well but I also meet this problem with 70cm fm. The other problem was that I was vertically polarised and many had horizontal aerials but sometimes this sufficed.
During the 4 days of activating on 3 bands I made 149 contacts with the majority on 2m but I had 59 6m fm contacts from 36 different call signs which was far better than I (and others??) had expected. Most of the contacts were fairly local (the West Midlands from Titterstone Clee, Gloucester and Cheltenham from May Hill) but the highlight was at the end of the (hot) first activation on G/WB-022 (a small hill near Hereford)
when a voice said âI have never got England beforeâ and SM6SIM from Sweden gave me 48 while I returned 56 - my first contact outside Britain and Ireland with the handy. A piece of luck.
Many contacts (I canât call them chasers as most people probably had never heard of SOTA - let alone the 6m Challenge) were willing to try to give me a QSO on 6m - if that was what I wanted) but did not usually use the band (âFirst ever 6m contactâ, â2nd one in 35 yearsâ, âI was going to throw the aerial away as no-one uses the bandâ, etc etc were the comments) but some of them waited for me on the next hill to have another go. My thanks to all of them especially the Saturday âGloucester coffeee morning netâ who were persuaded by one of the members to give me a call and also to G4AZS (Adrian) and M0TYM (Alasdair) who gave me 6m fm S2S (rare beasts?) from WB-015 and 024 respectively. I feel this was a ânever againâ activity but it was certainly a Challenge!
Viki M6BWA
10 Likes
