I just wanted to apologise to those trying to chase me on 20m cw when I was on GW/SW-006 today. I’m very conscious that I closed down rather rapidly before I’d worked everyone calling. Unfortunately with high and icy winds blowing on an exposed summit, I was getting very cold and reached the point where I felt I had to pack-up and get walking again. Rest assured that I had more than a pang of guilt when I switched the radio off with the sounds of at least two others calling me. It’s the first time since I started doing SOTA activations that I have cut things short. I guess it was going to happen sooner or later.
Many thanks to all worked today and hopefully catch more of you again soon from another summit.
I was lucky and could chase you before that sudden QRT. Thanks for the activation and the QSO too.
I wasn’t listenning on the frequency when you switched off your rigs. The only suggestion I would make and it doesn’t make any difference in terms of time exposed to the cold/wind, is announcing a SRI MUST QRT. We all can understand this and I think it’s better than just switching off letting your chasers several minutes calling you or waiting for you.
I have had to go QRT in a hurry some few times and I remember I did announce that SRI MUST QRT on the air for the chasers to know.
Maybe you already did it and my suggestion is unnecessary.
73,
Many thanks for the QSO earlier today and for your advice. I did manage to send a couple of ‘QRT’s, but without any explanation. Unfortunately it was all my poor summit brain could manage!
I am all the more pleased, Matthiew, that I was able to reach you in SSB.
At that moment it was also cold and my feet were freezing.
But when I heard that you were in the tent on the mountain, I was glad about the shelter on my summit.
Good suggestion. I’ve been lucky so far and managed to work through pileup chasers before deciding it’s too cold to continue. My problem is, I’m so focused on doing back to back CW QSOs, I don’t notice the change in weather conditions or how cold I’ve got until I finish logging the final QSO. I agree with the others, no need to feel guilty.
I never bother using my radio’s ‘text’ memories but that’s an excellent idea. I need only press two buttons on the [KX2] radio and it could be sending that or an even more descriptive QRT message whilst I get on with packing stuff away.
My little dog [even with dog coat on] often starts shivering before I do and that is a useful warning indicator.
The most recent was after the mast fell over twice in a gale and it was starting to rain.
