Just like to say thanks to everyone who called in to my activations of NS-088 and NS-099 yesterday. The weather and ground conditions were pretty challenging and took their toll, and particularly on the second summit my operating may not have been exemplary :-s
NS-088 had the benefit of good 3G coverage, so I was able to place spots with ease (having first tried Andy’s SMS spotting facility without success - must check what I’m doing wrong…) Was particularly chuffed to get Andy as first in the log with an S2S 60m brought six contacts, G4OBK sadly being the one that got away. A change to 80m brought nothing at all, though I was gratified to hear when I moved to 40m that there were plenty of chasers listening for me. 40m yielded 12 contacts with familiar calls and the only continental station of the expedition, EA2TW.
NS-099 despite the EE coverage map did not have the benefit of any internet capability, at least in the sheltered spot I found for myself on the summit. (ironically as I began my descent, 50m below the summit I found ample 3G ) I was thus very grateful to be found on 60m by Mark 'VOF and spotted, which brought a run of a dozen contacts including a S2S with Esther G0AZA/P. This was no time for flogging dead horses, so I moved straight to 40m. I could just about with a bit of imagination hear Esther calling CQ SOTA on 7.118, but not enough to warrant a call so I moved down to 7.112 and called there. When after 10 minutes calling I’d had no response and feeling increasingly cold I knocked it on the head and packed up for the long walk out. I don’t like doing 60m-only activations these days, doesn’t seem quite like cricket especially from a “rare” summit so apologies for the lack of persistence on this occasion.
Remote this pair certainly are, no surprise they were amongst the few GM summits previously unactivated. I’m not expecting to get them as completes in the near future…
G0FEX
Hi Paul
It was good to get you in the log from NS-088, but nothing heard from you on the 2nd summit, very strange conditions, but never mind there is always another day.
Well do on the activation.
Cheers Ken
The GM inactivated list keeps getting shorter! Well done. I’ve looked at a few of the ones left. The majority are going to be pathless very long walks.
Tnx for the 2 bands on the fist summit and 60mtrs on the second,normally we are ok for the longer
skip on 40 but not to be this time Paul.Many tnx as always for your efforts. 73 Don.G0RQL.
Hi Paul,
I presume you registered with Andy - it’s not an open door into the SMS spotting system, you have to be accessing from a listed mobile phone number.
There can also be problems between SMS providers at times, if you are not on the same cell phone network, it’s possible that no SMS messages were crossing the two networks at the time you wanted to send.
Yes, registered with Andy and used successfully in the past. A different phone* this time though - I had the correct format saved as template in my old one, suspect I got the syntax wrong when I transferred to the new. Must check it out before I go out again. Or as you say maybe it was just the system being a bit flakey :-s
73 de Paul G4MD
*Same number of course - I’m not as daft as I look :-s
If it’s an Android smart phone, there are several “Apps” that will format your Spot message for you and send it to Andy’s SMS gateway - that way you don’t have to worry about getting the format spot on.
As i’d spent 15mins fannying with the antenna pole I was delighted to bag NS-088 for an S2S Paul, especially as See Morris Hill SS-274 is such a wee pimple it only took 15mins from the car park at the locked gate.
Paul, I wonder how many people asked you where I was. By the time I was on Windlestraw yesterday, virtually everyone had sussed we were taking separate holidays, though I did get the odd comment about using YOUR band. I hope that managed to do it justice with 20 QSOs. Another 26 on 40m CW and 8 on 30m CW means that I will need to spend a while putting the log on.
Well done on braving the trackless waste. It makes my ascent route look like a bimble in the park.
A few did say they’d been looking for you but the penny soon dropped
Glad to see the sky was working a bit better for you - very disappointing all round that it was such a struggle the day before. Thanks again to the chasers who looked for me and persevered in the face of the conditions.
Certainly was some of the most challenging ground conditions I’ve encountered on an activation, I was extremely glad when the car came into view at the end of the walk…
60m brought six contacts, G4OBK sadly being the one that got away. A change to 80m brought nothing at all, though I was gratified to hear when I moved to 40m that there were plenty of chasers listening for me. 40m yielded 12 contacts with familiar calls and the only continental station of the expedition, EA2TW.
) I was thus very grateful to be found on 60m by Mark 'VOF and spotted, which brought a run of a dozen contacts including a S2S with Esther G0AZA/P. This was no time for flogging dead horses, so I moved straight to 40m. I could just about with a bit of imagination hear Esther calling CQ SOTA on 7.118, but not enough to warrant a call so I moved down to 7.112 and called there. When after 10 minutes calling I’d had no response and feeling increasingly cold I knocked it on the head and packed up for the long walk out. I don’t like doing 60m-only activations these days, doesn’t seem quite like cricket especially from a “rare” summit so apologies for the lack of persistence on this occasion.
