Bosley Cloud, Summer 2007

My summer late afternoon strolls up to this superb viewpoint in South Cheshire have begun. I ended up doing quite a few in 2006, mostly pointless, of course. Today was the second trip of the year, but will not be the last. I expect to have a wander up on nice weather days, maybe 2 or 3 times per week until the start of the summer holidays.

Today it was nice to have a S2S with another pointless individual on another pointless summit - Mike GW0DSP/P on Hope Mountain GW/NW-062. Perhaps next week I will try a debut CW activation with my lovely new Mini Palm Paddle - just arrived.

In reply to M1EYP:

Hi Tom

Many thanks for the point today on our s2s, it’s nice to see that you are doing the same as me, IE putting a summit on for 0 pts, mind you we got 1pt each today, hi.

I also, will carry on doing GW/NW-062 2 or 3 times a week in the nice weather, by means of giving 2 or 3 points a week back to the regulars, plus the R & R benefits to yours truly, being out in the countryside.
Might do a regular on GW/NW-070 also.

How about a cw s2s on 2mtrs next time you are on SP-015? just give me a days notice and we can go for it, should be fun Tom.

Not sure if I heard you say to Richard, G3CWI, that you plan a GW activation weekend? The offer still stands, no problem, would be my pleasure, just drop me an email, qthr on qrz.com, or ring me, will email my fone number just in case.

vy 73

Mike

In reply to GW0DSP:
Can the management clarify a point for me - can a summit be activated more frequently than once a calender year for the benefit of chasers but only claimed once by the activator? Its just that I have a few local summits I could activate regularly for chaser points without personal gain.

Glyn…GM4CFS

In reply to GM4CFS:

Hi Glyn

I’m not management, but, in a nutshell, yes.

You can only claim activator points once per summit per calender year.

Chasers can claim the points from you every time you activate the same summit, no matter how many times per year you activate it.

I do my local summit once or twice a week to “repay” the regulars who give me numerous points each week.

Hope this clarifies things for you Glyn.

73 Mike

In reply to GW0DSP:
Thanks Mike

Following injury and illness it could take a while before I am fit enough to handle the bigger hills near me but there are a few of ‘easy’ 1 pointers which I could activate on a regular basis whilst I walk them to build up my strength again. My aim is to back to ‘Munro Bagging’ fitness by the end of the summer.

73 Glyn

Chasers can claim the points from you every time you activate the same
summit, no matter how many times per year you activate it.

Nearly, but not quite!

Chasers may claim points from a summit only once per day!

In reply to M1EYP:

Chasers may claim points from a summit only once per day!

Yes, I should have made that point Tom, plus the fact that it is the summit once per day and not the activator, IE if ten people activate the same summit on the same day, a chaser can only claim the point/s from any one activator for that day.

Number 3 activation from SP-015 this summer, on the way home from work today. Warmer than yesterday, and less wind. Sat in my favourite clump of rocks which affords shelter from any south-easterly wind, which is what it was again today. With the setting sun shining right on it, it was a warm little spot. Stunning views across Cheshire as usual. The railway viaduct beneath, Sutton Common, Shutlingsloe, Shining Tor, Wincle Minn, Teggs Nose, Jodrell Bank, Mow Cop, Gun, The Roaches - wonderful.

My VX-7R suffered PMR QRM again. Not sure if this is coming direct or from the mast on Croke Hill (Sutton Common). Yesterday, heard a Macclesfield cafe mentioned in these PMR communications, but today they mentioned Princess Street, which is in city centre Manchester. I wondered if the Sutton Common mast had anything to do with it because yesterday (and before when experimenting with 10GHz WBFM stuff) I also had Signal 1 96.4MHz breaking through. This comes from the Sutton Common mast.

Anyway, three relaxed contacts on 2m FM, including a chap for whom this was his first contact after 6 years away from amateur radio - he’d never heard of SOTA! Also, one reply to my CQ call on 70cm, resulting in a nice chat. All very pleasant.

No more this week, but maybe next Monday or Tuesday I will have my first go at 40m CW from up there.

Wx still unsettled today. I may nip onto the summit on the way home from work today, but it will be a 2/70 handheld operation only. As soon as the wx cheers up again, I will do a 40CW from this hill.

In reply to M1EYP:

Looking at the alerts Tom, if you do decide to do The Cloud today, I reckon you’ll be the most popular man on the plannet, hi.

In reply to GW0DSP:
I was going to sneak one in today, however torrential showers & hailstones have put paid to that.

In reply to G1INK:

Same here Steve, was going to do Hope or the Orme on 60m and 40m cw/ssb, but wx is grotty in bursts, may be possible to sneak an evening quickie in though if the wx improves a tad, we’ll see.

The Bosley Cloud summer season rolls on. Limited time and suspect weather meant that it was (yet) another 2m FM handheld activation today, and the same is likely true for tomorrow. I hope to give the Palm Paddle a run out next Monday. (I forgot that yesterday was a Bank Holiday when mentioning it last week - in any case the weather didn’t hold!).

Plenty of stations worked despite the limited wkg cndx on my side, and some nice chats. And the views are always nice from the summit. The wind was in exactly the opposite direction as last week, so my usual hiding place at the North Eastern tip of the summit was “out of bounds”. Instead, I sat on the trig facing South East and using the trig itself for shelter.

More tomorrow, weather permitting.

The Bosley Cloud winter season rolls on. Second week of May? Rubbish. I got to the Cloudside parking area and my lovely silver Picasso with its porcupine-like array of antenna across the crest of its roof looked rather photogenic. I got the camera out and thought “I know - a SOTAscreens video of my ascent of this hill”. I was confident I could get the whole ascent from car to trig recorded in the few minutes that my camera might let me have. Wrong! It stopped just a few feet up the tarmac track, before the stairs and well before the expanse of National Trust land up to the summit.

I returned the camera to the car and resumed the ascent in fine drizzle, but much less wind than recently. I reached the trig point, and was quite comfortable in my Berghaus Goretex jacket which did its job of keeping the weather outside where it belongs. My Yaesu VX-7R would do similar when called into action later.

My first call, initially using Jimmy’s Yaesu VX-110 was immediately answered by
Mike GW0DSP, who not only spotted me on SOTAwatch, but then remotely logged for me as my biro was struggling on the waterproof pad. I hadn’t been able to find a pencil in my car prior to the ascent.

Three stations were worked, following which there was a 15 minute void. I could hear Mick 2E0HJD, but despite my efforts he couldn’t hear me. A couple more stations were worked, before I descended and returned home.

In reply to G1INK:

“I was going to sneak one in today, however torrential showers and hailstones have put paid to that.”

I was going to sneak one in today… just need the odd six hours for travelling :frowning: Chance would be a fine thing!

Have fun! 73, Gerald G4OIG

What, you mean you don’t have any summits you can “just nip up” on your way home from work Gerry? I have three on the doorstep, and a further eleven within an hour’s drive. I won’t bother counting the number for two hours driving, as that gets me into the heart of the Lake District, Snowdonia or the Dales! You ought to consider changing estate agent; I assume your house is on the market?!

When the weather gets really nice this summer, I am even thinking of some early bird Thursday/Friday activations on The Cloud G/SP-015 to complement the teatime trips on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesdays. Will anyone answer a 7am (0600UTC) CQ SOTA call???

In reply to M1EYP:

Tom,

You well know I don’t have a hill to nip up on my way home… only a Northamptonshire ripple. It’s an hour up the M1 to Bardon CE-004 and a similar distance / time down the M1 to Wendover Woods CE-005. Perhaps I ought to buy a boat and join ROTA - Reservoirs on the Air - there’s a few of those around!

I might be “found” on a SOTA summit on the first Tuesday evening in June for the next 2m AC and CC. It will need to be a unique though, so several hours drive each way.

73, Gerald

I won’t cause unnecessary duplication with my latest activation report on The Cloud G/SP-015, as it has mostly already been said in the “New Key on the Block” thread.

I am hoping to pop up on the way home this afternoon, possibly QRV sometime between 5pm and 6pm. Bands and modes, indeed whether I go at all, will depend on the weather, which is somewhat unpredictable today.

Today’s activation was completely different. The stiff wind was back, making it tricky at times to get the 40m dipole up, and making it rather chilly across the summit. I “qualified” the activation on CW with four different DXCCs - PA, HB, DL and HA, Hungary being a new one for me, and was then called by Fritz DL4FDM. This was nice, because it was Fritz who gave me my first ever CW chaser points a few weeks ago. We just about managed to exchange reports before my battery was exhausted - I hadn’t thought it through, and the FT-817 had been only on trickle charge since yesterday’s activation! It is now on a proper charging cycle ahead of another go tomorrow.

I finished the activation with two contacts on 2m FM, but with difficulty since the wideband Yaesu VX-7R handheld picks up loads of PMR QRM at this location, probably from the Bosley telecommunications tower across the valley on Croker Hill/Sutton Common. I must remember to borrow Jimmy’s Yaesu VX-110 for this hill in future.

Apologies to Mike GW0DSP who was possibly looking for a CW S2S given his coincidental Alert notice; I was unexpectedly early, and the battery was flat by 1610 UTC. Tomorrow’s alert time is probably more accurate, while Wednesday might have to be a 2m only activation.

The Cloud really is a great hill. Maximum elevation and maximum views for minimum effort. I never seem to tire of it, and heartily recommend it to everyone.

In reply to M1EYP:

Have you ever considered taking a seperate battery up with you. I use one of those 7aH things that you can get from various cheapo stores. Ideal for easy summits like The Cloud etc. I get about 5 hours of stiff operating from on good charge.

Mine also has a cigarrette type adaptor as well as different voltage outputs on the from in addition to the direct battery connection at the rear. So I can activate and charge the VX-7 at the same time.

It will also run a small linear if needed but obviously operating time is lessened.

Ian
G7ADF