Just thought I’d post on here, a little after the occasion, to say that last Saturday (1st) I made my first SOTA activation by climbing Corse Hill [GM/SS-236].
I was encouraged by a group on the OARC Discord channel and had intended last Saturday’s climb to be a practice for this Saturday (8th). Sadly rain stopped play yesterday, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience last Saturday and will repeat it again.
A friend, GM4JPZ, gave me his old 2m SOTABeam, so using that and my trusty Kenpro KT-22 2m HT, I merrily yomped up the hill. Even though I live in Scotland, I clearly wasn’t thinking as I forgot to take any waterproofs of any sort with me. So, in true Michael style, ended up soaked to the skin. In an effort to keep it dry, I packed my blazer in my rucksack, leaving my white shirt exposed to the elements. It probably looked more like a wet t-shirt contest than a SOTA Activation, but that’s a story for another day!
I managed to make 8 QSOs with this setup, the longest being a S2S QSO across near Edinburgh. I was very pleased with that, especially considering the TX power of my HT being only 1.3W!
Had the weather been better, I would have attempted some HF CW - but there’s always next time 
73 all - hopefully before long I can write of more SOTA successes.
Michael
