Well done to Phil G4OBK becoming only the third chaser in the database with 70cms CW points.
Could just hear Gerald GW4OIG/P but he couldn’t hear me 
Perhaps a few more activators could try this band/mode combination?
Roger G4OWG
In reply to G4OWG:
Hi Roger,
Good to see 70cm cw on an upturn. I have tried it on a few summits, with little response using 9ele and 20 watts. I usually manage to work Gerald on his expeditions on 70 cw or ssb, as does Don (RQL).
Well done Phil on two super contacts with Gerald. We must try a sched on 70 cw and see if we could make it from our home qth. Have worked Tom on Cloud a couple of times, once on cw, so we would probably make it. Can just hear the 70cm Angus beacon under average conditions.
73,
Frank
In reply to G3RMD:
I’d be interested - to gain some extra WAB areas. My CW needs a little practice too!
73 Graham G4FUJ
In reply to G4OWG:
Hi Roger/All
Yes it’s surprising what can be worked on 70cms. I’m not sure what Gerald GW4OIG/P is using in Wales at present but here the topography is far from ideal for UHF work. I’m using a barefoot FT-847 (I think I get about 40w out on CW - no power meter in line)to a Vargarda 17ele beam mounted a scaffold pole on my single storey shack at 8m AGL. My QTH is in the bottom of the Vale of Pickering at 25m ASL and the Castle Howard Hills are 8 miles away at 116m ASL and in line of sight to MW/SW Wales.The antenna is low but I suppose the bonus is virtually no line loss as I use Ecoflex 15 coax.
I was in and out most of today but was lucky to be here at the right time to hear Gerald’s CQ Calls in CW on 432.233 MHz again and work him on 3 SOTA’s. He is about as strong as John G4YSS is when he activates GX0OOO/P on 160m in the NP/LD areas, but without the noise levels usually experienced on top band. I think top band would be more consistent over time though than 70cm though from experience. However Gerald is much further away.
I’ve not used 70cm much in the past due to dissapointing results compared to 6m/4m/2m but thank’s to Gerald’s activity I’ve now boosted my Maidenhead Squares worked on 70cm from 14 to 16 as I hadn’t worked IO71 and IO72 before. It’s good fun trying to “push the envelope” in SOTA on any frequency!
Good DX
Phil
In reply to G4OBK:
Hi Phil.I am most impressed with your 70 cm contacts .I know the terrain out of Pickering and to also get over the Pennines.Congratulations.Geoff G6MZX
Many thanks to Phil, Frank, Don and Graham - you are all stars! Apologies to anyone else that called, but didn’t make it.
The results were surprising - actually surprisingly inconsistent. It just shows terrain is all-important on 70cms. The best results were from MW-037 and MW-035 with the latter being qualified on 70cms in its own right. Some higher summits were disappointingly poor by comparison.
I was running an FT-817 to a Microset RU20 dual band linear giving a nominal 20 watts out depending on battery voltage to a homebuilt 6 element DL6WU spec yagi at 5m. The linear has a Gasfet preamp on each band and the feeder is 4.7m of 5D-FB semi-rigid cable fitted with BNCs. Quite modest really. The fact that the linear is dual band has been a great boon to my operating as it autoswitches between bands and it is lighter than carrying two separate linears, cables, etc.
So thanks to all we worked for an excellent two days. Both Paul and I really enjoyed the expedition and we are already talking about doing another one. Apart from being early on the first summit of the first day, we weren’t more than 15 minutes out at any time relative to the excellent itinerary that Paul prepared. No doubt a report will appear in due course.
73, Gerald
Postscript 13:30 hrs local
Don G0RQL worked me on all 10 summits
Frank G3RMD unfortunately missed me on 2 and only just.
Phil G4OBK worked me on 5
Graham G3OHC worked me on 2 and I copied snippets from him on at least 2 more
I have read through the spots posted and would like to thank everyone who put spots on, particularly with comments as to what I was doing. This is much appreciated.
Apologies to those hoping I would get onto 7MHz CW - it soon becamne evident that the level of interest on 2m and 70cms was taking up all of the 45 minutes allocated for each summit.