bet ya there be a good few about
karl
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Confirming my activation (attempt Nr. 3 of this summit) Eisenberg DL/AL-171 on Christmas Day. I have contacted the restaurant and they (and their access road to 100 vertical metres below the summit) will be open. If there’s snow, they will clear the road however the forecast here for next week is warmer rather than colder weather so there should be no snow. I intend making this a leisurely activation, taking lunch at the restaurant and then “strolling” up to the castle ruins on the summit. Hopefully I’ll be able to find some space as this is a highly liked lookout spot for the locals and walkers from further away. I expect to use my newly built linked dipole (but will take the old dipole as a backup - just in case).
Times and bands are listed on SOTAWatch.
73 Ed DD5LP.
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I’ll be heading out to G/SP-015 about 0545z and aiming to be QRV around 0645. Probably 40m CW & SSB. Maybe 20. Maybe both. Activating buddies welcome, although M0HGY and G3CWI have both already declined the invitation, strangely enough.
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Hi Tom,
It looks like we’ll be a bit thin on the ground with you now being the forth announced activation (there are three alerts posted in SOTAWatch). I suspect all three of us will have plenty of contacts from the Christmas Pud filled sloths. I guess you’re trying for Long Path into VK at that time of day? If I can, I’ll try a contact with you from my home QTH as I’ll only be leaving at about 0930 UTC.
Over here in Germany, the 24th (Christmas Eve) is regarded as THE holiday and 25th & 26th are simply public holidays to get over (or extend) the excesses from Christmas Eve. So getting away on the 25th. was no problem for me.
Good luck with the LP into VK and all other contacts. 73 Ed.
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I warmed up for my Christmas activations with a short visit to The Cloud G/SP-015 on the evening of Tuesday 23rd December 2014. For some reason, the RSGB Contest Committee have completely done away with the December 6cm UKAC. It used to be dropped if the 4th Tuesday fell on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day, but now it doesn’t happen at all.
Nonetheless, Liam still had his youth group get together in Congleton, and I had a couple of hours to kill. I tried some 40m SSB activating, but that turned out to be a poor move, and only the local G3CWI was worked. After packing away, the handheld brought in four more on 2m FM. Bit of a bobbins activation to be honest. Tactics will be very much different for Christmas Day morning - but will still involve a plan to do some 40m SSB as well as other stuff (see the alerts).
Not for me I’m afraid…
I will be Chasing but what about CW Mountain Man Emil DL8JJ/P in his tent doing sota accompanied with family? …impressed. 10.00z on 40m/30m/20m Sensberg DM/HE-497…NEW ONE - RESPECT… I will be looking for him
73 and Merry Xmas
Phil (Supersloth but some years ago…)
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As the weather looks OK and I am getting over my horrid cold, I’ll give Moel Famau (GW/NW-044) or Foel Fenlli (GW/NW-051) a bash.
It’ll be 2M only and quick. I have jobs to do and Sue will be with me and not want to hang about.
Merry Christmas folks.
73
Gerald
MW0WML
OK, no snow at this level (650m ASL), so if any at 1100m, it probably wont be much. Have decided to keep the activation simple, so will stick with 40 & 20m (dropping 15 & 10m and hence not needing the new antenna) and will activate up to an hour on Eisenberg DL/AL-171 from about 1300 UTC, or until my fingers freeze up (if there’s still the icy cold winds we’ve had the last few days). Will self spot when operational. Hope to work lots of chasers.
73 Ed.
Pouring with rain here in Macclesfield so spare a thought for Mikey and Tom on the hill.
Happy Christmas
Richard G3CWI
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Just chasing for me this morning as it’s Christmas day with family later.
The weather here in Blackburn has improved significantly since earlier this morning. The rain & hail has cleared & there are large patches of blue sky so Mike & Tom should have an easier time of things now 
Merry Christmas to all activators, chasers & SWL’s.
Best 73,
Mark G0VOF
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It was a mad house this morning on 10Mhz!
The temperature rose above freezing once the sun came up.
Now some sleep before dinner!
Merry Christmas
72 Pete
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Well done Pete - nice Xmas jumper you have there! We can see the frost in your picture on Cleeve Hill. None here in Pickering North Yorkshire. We had a dampish 4c when you took the first photo, good to see you had clear blue skies on the later photo.
Merry Xmas!
Phil
Hi Pete,
Thanks for the 40m QSO this morning, I could just hear you on 30m in Blackburn but you seemed a little busy Hi!
Merry Christmas & best 73,
Mark G0VOF
Hi all
Just wanted to thank everybody that worked me this morning from G/WB-004. I had a great time, sunshine and fairly low wind all activation!
Tried HF for the first time, the lack of QRM was pleasant for a change.
60 and 40m were propagating very nicely around the UK with NVIS working a treat!
Even managed one QSO on 2m FM with my mate Dave M0MYA, felt like a S2S but of course he was on the non SOTA submit of Barr Beacon!!
Rig was the 817, 5 watts and the home brewed,less than £10 to make,inverted v link dipole (mine is an 80/60/40 variant). Had to use a 7ah SLAB as my lipo decided 2 years to swell, thought it unsafe to use it!! Forgot how heavy they are, went on eBay and bought two 3000 mah 11.1v lipos ready for 2015!
Finally, having used my android phone and wolphi link at home it was very pleasing to make a QSO on 40m PSK 31 using the gear! I originally bought the gear for this application, so was very happy! Only one contact, but I now know it works in a SOTA environment. Poor phone signal meant spotting was impossible!!
Now in the warm, sat at home with the smell of dinner wafting round the house!
73 All and Merry Xmas to all!
See you in 2015 back on 4m, 2m and 23cm!!
Matt G8XYJ
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Well, I’m grumpy (not really, but you know). This is because my early morning activation was blighted with appalling weather - heavy hail showers, disruptive wind and bitter cold. I managed to brave it out in my bothy bag, making 24 QSOs on 20m CW, 13 on 20m SSB and 1 on 2m FM (a S2S with M0BKQ/P on Rombalds Mor G/NP-028). A total of 38 QSOs for the activation.
I lost a lot of time for operating, sitting out for long periods of S9+ static rain noise. I monitored carefully and thought “If it starts clicking, I’m out of here”! As the weather abated around 0915 UTC, I decided to take down the 20m GP and replace it with the 40m dipole. I was halfway through this changeover process when I noticed the advancing turbulent grey wall homing in on me. To say I had a change of heart about doing 40m is an understatement.
So instead I made a sharp exit down to my car, whacked the heater on full and drove round the the Congleton care home where my 99 year old nanna lives. She was in a good mood because Santa had been and she was enjoying the festivities.
After arriving home and exchanging prezzies with the family, I glanced outside and felt cheated. Wall-to-wall crystal clear blue sky and sunshine. Perfect Christmas Day activating weather. Gutted. But not gutted to have kept the family happy by being home at a reasonable time and selfishly placing my activation smack bang in the middle of Christmas Day - that would not have gone down well at all! And Jimmy was pleased with this present:
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Lovely and sunny on Foel Fenlli GW/NW-051 earlier. Thanks to all the chasers. Some lovely Christmas QSOs.
73
Gerald and Sue
MW0WML
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I did a short CW activation of Ruardean Hill (G/WB-021) in the afternoon. Condx not too bad. I worked 28 stations, the farthest being EW1EO in Belarus. Only 4 UK stations worked … everyone must have been sleeping off the Christmas pud!
We were much luckier with the weather down here … unbroken sunshine all day and the temp was about 6 deg C. Not bad for Christmas Day!
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
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Managed it! After 2 failed attempts, I indeed managed to get to Eisenberg and activated it today (Christmas day). Cold, wet and windy meant I activated early and for less time than I had hoped. Thanks to the nine chasers who called me. Given the state of how I had to set up the antenna, you all did well to hear me at all!
All the best for the new year, keep safe and enjoy SOTA.
73 Ed DD5LP.
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And onto the Boxing Day activations then. It was another 5am get-up, but a much more favourable weather forecast. No rain, and only light winds. The temperature was down though.
Driving to The Cloud, a weird thing happened. I was listening to a special programme about Billy Joel on Canalside Community Radio (Bollington) on 102.8MHz. As I passed through North Rode, I began to intermittently lose the signal, and in its place came brief snippets of Capital FM, Derby on the same frequency. What was playing on Capital, but Billy Joel’s “River of Dreams”. As I drove along the A54 and up the hill towards Cloudside, the two stations alternated in dominance on the frequency, but it was Billy Joel playing regardless!
Coffee and mince pies were taken along for a little seasonal breakfast cheer!
The 40m dipole was taken as the only antenna to be deployed, and I realised it had been a while since I last used it in anger. Things started slowly as usual, as I waited impatiently for Europe to get out of bed. The rate did gradually pick up though.
In the end, I made 61 contacts - 45 on 40m CW, 13 on 40m SSB and 3 on 15m CW. Two QSOs were S2S - with Feri HA7UL/P on János-hegy HA/KM-019, and Bill G4WSB/P on Mynydd Troed GW/SW-009. I had hoped to do a bit on the 7.160MHz WAB net during the activation, but it hadn’t got going for the day before I decided to pack up and descend.
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Hi Tom,
Thanks for the QSO’s this morning, I was up early & saw your alert & had left the radio monitoring 7032. I was actually sitting in the smallest room when I heard your first QRL? & CQ calls, typical Hi!
When I first worked you, you were good 599 although later when you returned to that frequency you had dropped to barely readable, although you were obviously radiating a good signal as you were spotted by a HA.
During this “lull” in conditions on 40m I came across a pile-up on 10.118 & assumed it was an un-spotted activation. It was actually John ZL1ALZ & he was probably the loudest ZL I’ve ever heard. I very rarely hear let alone work ZL ( Over 20 years I could count the times on one hand with fingers to spare) so I was very pleased to work him. He gave me 559 so I gave him the same to keep things simple, although he was probably about 589 in reality at that time.
The broadcast radio phenomenon you describe used to be very noticeable on the road South out of Blackburn over the hills when a local station (BBC Lancashire I think, used to switch to a Manchester or Liverpool based station very suddenly as you went around a bend at the top of the hill.
Thanks again & best 73,
Mark G0VOF
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