I’ll listen out for you again this year Fraser.
No meetings scheduled for Friday morning so should be a bit easier to arrange.
Andy
MM7MOX
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It all depends on border control. I’m aiming to sneek through in the wee hours when they are at their lowest ebb. I will of course have nothing to declare… my personal snow will be out of sight several thousand feet up. 
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First phase going well. Left Glasgow on the 0808h for Edinburgh. Hangover levels minimal thanks to plenty of water and a reasonably early night.
Rumour is I may have some company for my hike. Not sure if he’s bringing a radio.
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Hopefully you have fully working trains.
…It said the issue appears to be a fault with the onboard GSMR radio system, which is used to communicate in case of emergencies.
I won’t be listening for you on 2m…A bit too far for me. Enjoy.
Cheer
John
M0VAZ
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Amateur Hour on Cairnpapple Hill
Mo collected me from Bathgate station and we set off on the short drive to the car park for GM/SS-254. We were meeting with Andy @MM0FMF, who arrived seconds before we did.
Introductions and pleasantries were exchanged. Mo retired to the car to read. Andy produced an experimental inflatable 2m/70cm antenna, a pole and off we went. I had a yaesu VX-7r, slim-G and 4m pole in my bag.
A chilly morning, with us both wearing lightweight down jackets on the short walk up the icy road and then across upland grazing land to the trig. No more than a ten minute walk.
Andy unwrapped the antenna from it’s hi-viz bag. It had an inflation valve, much like those found on an aircraft life vest. It also had a separate valve for connecting to a small gas cylinder, which Andy had in plentiful supply, so that’s what he used.
Andy unpacking the antenna
He hooked up the cylinder and opened the valve. The antenna inflated instantly and was absolutely solid! Impossible to squeeze by hand. Excellent. It’s from a company that do marine comms. and is derived from a marine band antenna which is for using in emergencies from a life raft.
the fully inflated 2m & 70cm antenna
We secured the antenna to the mast and hoisted it. Then Andy went on the hunt for his PL-259 to SMA adaptor.
Which he didn’t have.
So, we took the antenna down and put it away. I attached my slim G to Andy’s pole and hoisted that. I hooked up my venerable Yaesu VX-7R, spotted and called CQ.
I struggled through a QSO with GM0VEK, with his audio being wiped out at regular intervals thanks to a nearby mast.
Oh dear!
Andy produced a Yaesu vx-170 from his pocket. A quick swap and I got going again, QRM free. A summit to summit with @G4OIG (GM4OIG) Gerald on The Crock gave both Andy and I Completes. Andy @MM7MOX called in from his work in Edinburgh, and after some others, 2m went quiet. Happy with six in the log, we packed up and headed down.
Andy working Gerald, summit to summit. His radio, my antenna
We jumped into our respective cars, descended to Bathgate town centre and headed to the Cafe Bar 1912 for tea and medals, although we hardly deserved the medals, with us barely able to create a functioning amateur radio station despite having two sets of kit!
QSO map. S2S was 100km+ north
I’m writing this from the car, with Mo driving us north, the air powered antenna stowed in my bag. I’ve got it for a long term test, so look forward to seeing and hearing more…
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You can be glad that train delays in the UK are so uncommon that they’re still featured in the news.
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HoHoHo! It was a fine example of preparedness at work. 2 antennas, 2 radio, 1 external battery, 2 antenna poles. I missing PL259-SMA adapter, Fraser didn’t bring his 2m filter as he couldn’t find the adapter.
Anyway we made 1 working station out of that. 
I was down to say hello to Fraser and Mo. I have had QSOs on the air with Fraser, we’ve chatted on the phone, chatted by SMS and many messages via the reflector but never met in person. The good thing was after saying hello and a handshake it was like I’d known Fraser for a long time as we chatted about all sorts of things. Oh and also for a complete with Gerald GM4OIG (who had brought some crufty WX up from England).
It was really a quick activation because Fraser and Mo had to get back up North before the bad WX moves in. Strong gale force winds and heavy rain is predicted (or snow for Fraser’s QTH) and he was off to the dentist as well. So Fraser worked 5 and then we both worked Gerald on GM/ES-056 Crock for a complete. We could have called for longer but we made our way back
to the cars and then the three of is made a 1.5mile trip into Bathgate for a very nice coffee and chat.
Fraser working Ken GM0AXY on 2m. GM/SS-254
Very interesting cloud formations looking SSE towards the Pentland hills.
I knew we would not have much time so I was happy with my complete… I’ll wander up again over Christmas to activate this on 10m.
I meant to say my jacket is a Berghaus Pole Jacket from 1982. Yes 42 years and just one tiny wear hole in one cuff. It’s filled with Dacron Holo-Fil, hollow artificial fibres so it is amazingly warm. Too warm to walk in. Also unlike real Down, it doesn’t compress well. I keep for low-activity outdoor events like contesting in the Summer in GM ! But basically when you need to be warm and wont be exerting yourself. Also in heavy rain, the hollow fibres capillary up the water so it stays warm but weighs several kilos 
Still amazing condition for 42 years of use.
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Here was me thinking I wouldn’t see a pantomime this year !
Seriously though, it was good to get Qso’s today on 2m. I got Gerald as well from his hill on the Quansheng, fortunately not a lot of interference in the car park where I was.
Good illustration of getting things to work despite obstacles.
Hopefully catch you again before too long, I plan to be out Monday and Wednesday next week weather permitting.
Andy
MM7MOX
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Amateurs! 
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I was going to pack my ft-65 but couldn’t find the charger. I could, however, lay my hands on the VX-7r and it’s charger. I’m actually quite disappointed that it suffered from breakthrough today. It’s never let me down, even on the multi-masted Brimmond Hill, Aberdeen.
Of course, I did have the Quansheng in my rucksack pouch, but daren’t take that out in front of Andy 
.
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I would have liked to see the FT-65 working in the field. Anyway my venerable 16 yr old VX-170 seemed to work. We’d have been up that well known creek if that had had problems as well. I have used it from there before but just with its rubber duck not with an external antenna. The last time I worked Gerald from there was on my 1985 vintage FT-290mk! and the telescopic whip but we were using SSB.
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Pleased to work you both from Crock GM/ES-056 for the Completes. I had a similarly thin number of contacts, mainly down to my lack of forethought when I set up the HF antenna… a debacle I shall give further details on when I write my activation report. I was pleased to work Andy MM7MOX, though I did keep inferring he should upgrade his licence to MM0. 
I’m pleased we made contact without any bother as I later discovered a fault on my 2m feeder. Despite that it did connect properly briefly to work Don G0RQL on SSB, but a couple of other contacts were a struggle due to the bad feeder.
On my second hill, Hare Cairn GM/ES-063, I was pleased to give Fraser a second Complete when he stopped for lunch in Blairgowrie. Again no HF from that hill…
As for me bringing crufty weather, well you all know it’s what I do. This time I arranged a two day delay so it would arrive once I’d set off back south… and indeed it did!
73, Gerald
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