For once everything went to plan for my activation but this isn’t the case every time. Sorry about your problems but you must have sorted them in the end to get those QSOs.
I think 20m was the favoured band particularly for DX but looking at psk reporter map later I saw my 40m signals were being heard in NA and of course they were much better for nearer stations including France and Germany.
Moel Siabod? I would have loved to complete this summit completely on VHF! I activated it back in 2016 on 144 MHz FM.
Condx weren’t with us anyway, Pete. No qos with the UK from DM/NS-127 today.
MW/DG7ACF/p, spot the operator! 
Ahoi
Pom
It’s a shame it didn’t work out, that would’ve been a great summit to summit 
It was great to make contact on FT8 @G4OBK Phil. I packed my laptop, mini USB and icom 705 as well as the KX2 hoping I could configure this on summit - in the mist and freezing cold 
I made great use of the Cairn to shade from the cold wind!
Once I’d sorted my snapped 6m pole out on summit due to the heavy wind, I worked 60/40/20m SSB on the KX2. I then started setting up my equipment on summit for data modes, and to my surprise it worked and my second contact was Canada 
I then had a red screen of a major pile-up. It’s not my cup of tea, but I will deffo have another go because it resulted in me having no issues making my soup for breakfast! hi!
Unfortunately I didn’t make any S2S contacts, but I certainly worked a lot of chasers! Full report to follow on reflector later.
73, GW4BML. Ben
Hi,
here is my DATA report. Thanks to Tom @M1EYP and John @M0WIV for my 1st DATA S2S. After one and a half hour drive close to the Wilzenberg DM/NW-207 I used the bike for the last kilometer up the summit, because I was a bit short of time that day. Weather was fine with no fogs like we had the day before. I started at home with a temperature of 0°C. The lower I came the lower the temperature and the higher I came the temperatures rised, a classical inversion situation. VHF tropo would have been worth a try, but antennas were at home and time to short.
On top of the hill is a steel tower and I fixed one end of my EFHW in 9 m height, the other end was tied around a tree, so it became a sloper. As this wasn’t my first DATA SOTA activity, setting up the rig and calling was fast and no problem. Number 1 in the log became @M0WIV and the last of the 21 DATA contacts was @M1EYP who got me on SSB a few minutes before. FT4 was no problem on 20 and 30 m, but on 40 m the QRG was crowded by strong RTTY making it impossible to decode any of the faint signals I could see on the waterfall. So I gave FT8 a go on 40. When no more stations came back to my CQ I changed to SBB on 20 and 40 for half an hour, to give those chasers a chance for DM/NW-207 too. In the end I had a total of 42 QSOs in the log.
Conclusion: DATA FT4/FT8 is always worth to try, the 1.3 kg plus for the tablet with interface are managable. One can catch random contacts and real chasers, as it was this time too. As long as carrying DATA rig isn’t common, it might help to announce DATA activities on SOTAwatch an this reflector as well to animate others to pick the gear and get more DATA S2S. Thanks Tom for your idea and initiative.
73, DL6DBN, Frank
Was he wearing a polka dot bikini?
Tom,
Can I suggest that you run another of these events?
I enjoyed chasing after the spotted stations and looking to pounce on any /P call.
FT4 lends itself to these sorts of events, sacrificing about 3.5 dB sensitivity for a double speed exchange as compared to FT8.
The recommended frequencies are not as crowded as the FT8 frequencies. While the coding is robust having an uber big station on your frequency does not enhance your chances for a contact.
I don’t think anyone tried 17 m or 15 m this time but with rising sunspot numbers good EU to VK/ZL openings will occur.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
Ron,
What path do you think the signals from Europe took to reach you? I was using a dipole orientated NE/SW and that seemed to work but is there a better orientation?
73
John
Hi John,
About 130 to 160 degrees, LP from here. It varies with where in EU the target is. So for a dipole it needs the wire to run NE SW roughly, as you did.
73
Ron
VK3AFW.
Ron,
Apologies, I’ve just double-checked and my dipole was NW/SE not what I said above. I was getting disorientated. 
However, this seems to make more sense as from what I’ve read the long path to VK from here is across the Atlantic via the Azores and over Brazil. This Google Earth image plots the short path to you going across Europe and over the horizon at about three o’clock. The opposite way is over the Atlantic and across the top of South America.
But as you’ve suggested, more tests required. I’ve just completed a 10m delta loop this morning and hope to try that from a summit soon.
No, the sun was out on the coast but it wasn’t that warm.
He had some pretty psychedelic mudguards though which gave him away.
Hi John,
You are right to use a globe. The Cartesian maps are misleading. You want the Great Circle bearing. You can find a calculator on line or use a piece of string on a globe.
For LP UK I beam South South East and the signal goes over the southern part of South America and across the Atlantic. The path skirts by the South Magnetic Pole.
SP is pretty much the opposite bearing.
If your antenna is an inverted vee then the combined V and H pattern will be more symmetrical.
It seems that you may have more choice of wire orientation in the UK than in VK3. The gum trees and tracks can limit our options.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
Hi Phil, have found JTDX Improved program and have install. Setting it up now. Any comments from anyone much appreciated.
Geoff vk3sq
Hi, interested in what power outputs people are using for FT8/ FT4
Thanks, Geoff vk3sq
Hi Geoff,
I was using 5w from the internal battery on my Icom 705. Second contact on FT8 was Canada
5 W from FT-817, trapped EFHW
10W from 705 with external battery.
Sorry mate,
The race has been run.
FT8 has passed the post first closely followed by other WSJTX programs and the knock offs in the middle of the field.
The NO FT8 people have lost their shirt on this.
Honestly if you don’t want to use FT8, people have no problem with that. But if you insist on yelling NO FT8 we might call for a white jacket for you.
There are lots of modes I don’t want to use but I’m not going to continuously denigrate them as not everyone shares my views. And that is a good thing.
So could you turn the volume down a bit. This string is for people who like FT8 etc. Please take your bias elsewhere.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
Hi Ron,
I agree. I started using these “machine generated modes” in 2018. I didn’t see the post by SP9WZS and its now been deleted…
In three minutes I just worked New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Philipines on 17m FT8 long path. Albeit, using 100 watts and a Hexbeam. To me as a CW enthusiast there isn’t much difference to sending 599 TU as having a bog standard QSO using an MGM mode, especially if I operate the mode manually as I do. I don’t use the automated features that some do, I prefer to operate the software by hand with the mouse.
73 Phil
Hi Phil @G4OBK … Ron @VK3AFW ,
I completely agree - I began trying FT8 out a couple of years ago when I was a 2W0 and resulted in working 100 countries in just under 3 weeks (I set myself a target :)) I must admit its not my cup of tea on a summit, but that’s because I’ve got a loud mouth and like to use SSB, hi!
On Saturday morning just gone, I reckon I could have worked ZL, VK, W, N if I had more time, there was a few W & N stations calling me, but I couldn’t hang around. ZL and VK were on the right hand side of my screen to, only 5w!
In my opinion, everyone has different desires when operating, we all have to respect that I also think I’ll have another go at data FT4/8 modes on a few summits in the summer when the wx is better!
Anyways, catch you both soon!
73, GW4BML. Ben
