Is anyone planning to be active from a summit for tonights 70MHz UKAC? If so, let me know and I’ll look for you.
I’m not going out there (!) but will probably be on from base with 160W of ssb or cw to give a few points.
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As far as I know, I am the only person regularly doing UKACs from a SOTA summit at present. Then again I think GM4GUF participates from a SOTA summit sometimes. Anyway, I don’t do 4m, so it won’t be me. Nick M1DDD from our contest group should be a decent signal for you if he’s on. He isn’t on a SOTA summit, but certainly up above 500m ASL in the hills. Reg G3TDH will be on, but home based down on the Cheshire Plain, so whether you’d get him I’m not sure.
Good luck.
Andy,
I will be out on a SOTA summit but active from a Car! It will not count I’m afraid.
My mate and I will be using the Club Call M0TWC from G/WB-012 IO82OI
Hopefully work you from there!
73
Matt G8XYJ
I didn’t know you could get a car up High Vinnalls Matt. I guess it would have to be a chunky 4x4 rather than a normal road car? Is it a public byway up there or do you need a permit? Not that I would whenever I return; its a lovely walk and I’d want it to qualify for SOTA!
Hi Tom
You need permission, my friend sorts that with the Forestry Commission, however it costs money to use, but its a really good VHF hill as it drops away so quickly (As you already know).
I agree on the walk, a very nice route up indeed. I was tempted to drive up tonight, get out the car and set up the SOTA gear prior to tonight’s contest. However if i get close to MG this year, this hill will be where I get the 1000 points! Mainly because for me as an activator, this is where it all started! As a result I am saving it, it will be activated on as many VHF bands as I can carry and a crate of beer will be carried up for anyone wishing to join me, I dare say M0MYA, M0YDH and 2E0BTR could all easily drink the crate themselves!!!
The drive is fairly easy on bog standard Forest tracks, they can be slippery when wet but the Skoda Octavia I drive is fine normally.
Below is the route that is taken in red, nice walk down as well, makes the hill circular for a change. Blue is the standard way most people go up, it is also now gravelled that way so makes life alot easier as me and the chocolate Labrador (Amber) discovered last October.
73 all
Matt G8XYJ
I wont be on a summit but I may have a listen round as I’m in the process of putting together a simple half wave dipole that I can take up the next summit that I attempt.
Sad I never heard you 
I worked some GMs and north G plus g4asr, gw8asd, g1swh,g3vca and g4bwp into deepest G, but didn’t hear much else (a couple more I couldnt identify)
Was too cold to sit outside for too long.
My ‘new’ dipole was resonant at 71MHz, so a bit short, but was still within limits at 70MHz so I might give it a go later in the year.
Hi Andy
We were QRV, but from our secondary site!
We tried to get up Vinnals but due to a tree falling down in our way had to go to a lesser hill! As a result the takeoff North is dreadful!
Still 49 QSOs and (8 UK Mults) was OK!
Good test for the new antenna - a 4ele DK7ZB made by VPA antennas in Poland! Very good and quite reasonably priced.
73
Matt G8XYJ
I had a dabble from home for about 20 minutes, using my vertical end fed half wave. I worked three relatively local stations (didn’t hear you, Matt, sorry). I heard a couple more down in the noise. I heard nothing on CW or FM.
In the past, I have rigged a horizontal dipole at a similar height, with far better results. This wasn’t a scientific comparison, but seems to confirm that cross polarization is an issue!
It will be interesting to see what people use in the Challenge. Will most chasers have horizontal beams?
Adrian
G4AZS
I’m always wary of companies who quote gain in terms of dBi, only one notch up from those that quote in just dB…
I’ll be using either a 3 element triangular quad, or a simple dipole, so will normally be horizontally polarized.
If I now someone is only taking an FM transceiver I might put the dipole up vertically polarized instead but that will be by prior notice.
I too am wary of dBi figures! Luckily VPA antennas are built to the spec laid out by DK7ZB!
http://www.qsl.net/dk7zb/start1.htm
Scroll to 70MHz on LHS and then select the 4 ele version. Mine is the 50 Ohm varaint, so it claims 6.4dBd.
I believe that the SOTA Beam was based on the 3 and 5 ele lightweight variant from this website.
73
Matt G8XYJ
Adrian
I am thinking a 6m Dipole is the way to go.
The longest Telescopic whips I can source are 1150mm so I am planning to get some Aluminium turned, one end will be threaded with 3/8" UNF and the other with the thread of the 1150mm telescopic whips. I think they will be about 350mm each section making 1500mm for each leg! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-5mm-Female-Thread-FM-Radio-TV-Telescopic-Antenna-Aerial-45-Length-/361164733960?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5417187e08
I have already got one of these from a previous antenna - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-8-TO-3-8-DI-POLE-CENTRE-/161531022542?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item259bffccce
Mount it on some plastic conduit, stick it on a fishing pole and away you go!
However that will work well on 6m Tropo! If there is sporadic about then a wire vertical will be fine!!! It is so hard to say what to do, but I think with 6m Horizontal you’ve got a better chance of picking up people!
73
Matt G8XYJ
I’ve noticed that even some respected antenna makers/suppliers have started to use dBi so I just take 2.15 off their claimed figures. It’s a bit of a strange measuring system is isotropic as you start by assuming that you could have an antenna that radiates uniformly in all directions of course.
That looks like a useful thing.
I’m thinking two similar antennas connected to that might make a useful antenna. Say 2 10M ‘mobile’ whips with 3/8th threads on them.