Afternoon gig, so I had a very restricted time window to nip out and get a walk/activation in during the morning. Especially after getting up late following a rotten night’s sleep.
It was deathly quiet on 2m FM - but this was to bring about an unexpected bonus. Just one contact - G1PHN from Cleehill - was made on the analogue mode.
In desperation / exasperation, I QSYd down to 144.6125MHz - the nominal C4FM centre of activity QRG.
To my astonishment, there was a loud and clear station chatting away. The display on my Yaesu FT70D told me it was G6PJZ. I then heard mention of SOTA - this was an activation in progress!
Andy G6PJZ/P was on Old Man of Coniston G/LD-013 - and despite only having the rubber duck at my end, a C4FM Fusion S2S QSO was made easily.
Andy had done really well and actually managed to qualify his summit on Fusion. I had no such luck and had to call it a day on two contacts - but the second was a belter!
It was a fantastic occasion with all our friends old and new, work colleagues old and new, family (mainly old) and, as usual for one of my events, a licensed amateur/SOTA activator count into double figures.
Congratulation both of you,I had one of those memorable occasions over 30yrs ago.
I must remember to have a listen on fusion I have it on the same radio and aerial
I have worked you on the Gun analogue so there may be conditions to allow a contact on fusion.
73.Don G0RQL.
Thanks for the S2S Tom. It was certainly a good start to my C4FM experiment. You were contact number 5 in that mode and very unexpected! Lovely audio (about a 52). I was using an FT 70D into an MFD.
Interestingly (IMHO ) I heard you again later on FM and your readability had dropped to about a 3 or 4, whilst your signal appeared to strengthened slightly to maybe 4. I think you might have been trying to call me, but I was already in another QSO and didn’t find you again afterwards.
Congrats to you and Marianne (NI wives are the best )
Yeah I realised it was someone else you were going back to, not me, on analogue, so I shut up. I couldn’t hang around. If I’d been late for my silver wedding do, then divorce proceedings would have commenced before the actual anniversary date at the end of the month! (That’s the “flip side” of a GI XYL…!)
Still it works out as extra points for me as I’ll claim you on FM in the SWL section!
) I heard you again later on FM and your readability had dropped to about a 3 or 4, whilst your signal appeared to strengthened slightly to maybe 4. I think you might have been trying to call me, but I was already in another QSO and didn’t find you again afterwards.
)