In reply to M1EYP:
Very strange that we did not see or hear you on the cloud, even more so that I was there during your activation times wandering around taking pictures, with a handy on… The summit must be a bigger place than it seams…
We parked by the steps/private road, the road had some ice on it but access was fine.
Oh well maybe next time Tom you could use a large antenna that way I wont miss where you are when I am taking pictures around the summit before I set up… 
There was certainly no way up that road from the Bosley/North Rode end, unless with a 4x4. I presume you came in from the Rushton Spencer end. I was going to go round and try that way after failing to beat the ice, but then fancied the longer walk up from Timbersbrook, which is a much more satisfying approach.
I was admittedly using the VX-7R with RD, but I was stood by the trig point, so there is no way you would have missed me. You must have arrived after we left, and the QSO times suggest this is probable.
Cheers, Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
Must have been a very close shave missing each other then, less than a minute.
QSO times are not the time we arrived, we are often taking in the views for a while before we set up. I chose to take some photographs first so had a good walk around.
We came up from the Buxton Road, via Peover lane. Which is the North Rode way, not in a 4x4 I might add, just in a trusty 2wd. There was some good snow and ice about, but I never have a problem driving in snow and ice though.
Maybe next time.
Yes, that’s the same way that we failed to get up, as did several others. Perhaps we were on the summit at the same time without realising it, as Liam and I hung around for a bit playing with a sledge after I went QRT. There wasn’t that much snow left up there; we must have looked a right pair! I was quite surprised given the ice on the road.
Tom
But more importantly, and much better was my activation yesterday, Monday 4th February 2007. It was with a sense of optimism that I left work in bright, dry and not-so-windy weather. It was cold and windy on the summit, but the trusty topograph was perfectly positioned to act as my shelter and backrest.
The activation was hugely enjoyable, 24 contacts on 40m CW, with 8 DXCCs: DL, F, HB9, HA, I, LA, OK and UT. It was a pile-up right from the first CQ call, until over 35 minutes later when I worked Ukraine - a pleasing contact. I then struggled to work an HB station whose CW only clipped in towards the end of the dashes, making it near impossible to read! He eventually managed to correct the problem, and we exchanged, followed by a final contact into OK.
I started to pack up at 5pm, and realised that it had turned very cold indeed. I made it down without torchlight, and drove home to the delights of a hot chorizo, feta cheese and cucumber ciabatta, followed by Jimmy’s treacle tart. Monday’s is always a treat in our house, as it is the day of Jimmy’s Food Tech practical at school!
73, Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
Tom, I hope you will see my post as the constructive critisism it is intended to be and not as an offensive post.
Is it really neccessary to post EVERY single day to tell us the results of your daily Cloud activations and the content of the menu in your home?
Surely you would be better to keep your personal daily diary on your own website instead of taking up so much space on this reflector?
Mike
No it isn’t really necessary, but most chat about a hobby isn’t! It isn’t taking up ‘so much space’; every report is tidily filed inside the one single thread. The thread is clearly and unambiguously labelled, so it is easy for anyone to choose not to read it. It’s there for anyone who is interested, and not doing any harm to anyone who is not.
Thanks for the comments Mike, no offence taken. I will, as you suggest, endeavour to update my own website in the near future.
Saturday will be the last activation of The Cloud - for now!
Cheers, Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
OK Tom, thanks for taking it the right way and fair enough about people having the right not to read it.
The only reason I mentioned about you taking up so much webspace was because, as you will know, I was emailed recently by MT and I was told that I was posting too often on the reflector, I must re-read that email, I must have misread it. I thought you must fall into the same category, ie posting too often.
Let’s just hope that EVERY activator does not follow your example or the system will crash for sure!!
Cheers
Mike
In reply to M1EYP:
Doesn’t matter who you are Tom someone will always be critical of you on this reflector. I enjoy reading your stuff and if it wasn’t here I wouldn’t see it.
Mike g0hio
In reply to G0HIO:
Mike, I attacked nobody on this reflector, I made that very clear in my post.
If you see my harmless post as an attack, then tough, live with it, I’m sick of walking on egg shells. Tom saw no harm in my post so I don’t see why you needed to stick your oar in with an offensive comment like that, maybe MT will give you the same warning others received lately!!
Tom knows, I was told that I was posting too often, Tom is posting more than I ever was, end of, I just brought it to his attention in a similar way in which I was told.
If Tom’s stuff wasn’t on the reflector you would still see it Mike because Tom regularly posts links to his personal website on the reflector and I’m sure there will be links to Tom’s site on sotawatch and or the sota website.
Mike
In reply to GW0DSP:
Calm down Mike I wasnt looking for an argument, I like reading Tom’s reports and didnt want him to stop posting them.
In reply to G0HIO:
In reply to GW0DSP:
Calm down Mike I wasnt looking for an argument, I like reading Tom’s
reports and didnt want him to stop posting them.
Doesn’t matter who you are Tom someone will always be critical of you
on this reflector.
I’m certainly not looking for an argument and I’ll have no need to calm down Mike, as long as you refrain from flippant comments such as that above, especially since MT highlighted the fact that such remarks will no longer be tolerated.
I have purposely kept off the reflector since Mick received his ban and others received stern emailed warnings from MT. I decided, in the best interests of sota, not to post anything which could even remotely resemble an offensive remark, maybe you should consider likewise and stop and think how the content of your posts could be taken before pressing the post button.
Tom’s reply to my original post should have told you that he was happy with my comment and also that he intended to carry on posting his reports, as is his right to do so and I feel that there was no need for you to post a comment like that.
Forget it now, no hard feelings.
Mike
In reply to GW0DSP:
Tom knows, I was told that I was posting too often, Tom is posting
more than I ever was, end of, I just brought it to his attention in a
similar way in which I was told.
Hi Mike,
This worries me - I thought the reflector was quiet and rather dull of late. So we are being instructed to limit the number of posts now. If so, it is one step too far in my book.
I will resist making any further comment for obvious reasons!
73, Gerald
In reply to G4OIG:
To clarify this Gerald, no-one is being told not to post too often on the reflector.
I was told that I had been posting too often in a private email.
To be fair, I can’t and I’m not going into that, the matter was resolved amicably.
73 Mike
PS I agree, the reflector is quiet and very dull of late.
In reply to GW0DSP:
Thanks for the clarification Mike. I am glad Big Brother is not in evidence on this issue, but sorry to learn you have been criticised for past posts.
73, Gerald
In reply to M1EYP:
Please keep up the reports Tom… It’s been nice to read about activations etc. on the reflector recently.
73 Marc ON/G0AZS
Hi Tom,
tnx for the fb QSOs from G/SP-015.
What antenna did you use today and yesterday?
Your signals were stronger than on earlier operations.
Sigs went up to 599 yesterday and to 579 today!
Vy73 Fritz dl4fdm,hb9csa
Thanks for the kind comments Mike G0HIO, Marc G0AZS and Fritz DL4FDM.
It is possible that I am getting intuitively better at the layout of my dipole Fritz, but I think it is more to do with conditions. Today in particular, virtually every received signal was a huge 599. It was another very enjoyable activation. 19 contacts, 7 DXCCs (G, GW, HB, DL, F, RN, LA) and even a bit of life on 2m FM for once! Russia was a new one for me from a summit.
I won’t mention what I had for my tea, suffice to say that it is Pancake Day!
73, Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
I won’t mention what I had for my tea, suffice to say that it is
Pancake Day!73, Tom M1EYP
now now Tom, that was below the belt.
Hope you enjoyed your pancakes, hi.