Happy Easter to everyone involved in SOTA.
Jimmy M0HGY
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And to you too Jimmy. 
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Thanks Neil.
Jimmy M0HGY
Happy Easter.
Paul
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Thanks Paul.
Jimmy M0HGY
Easter Sunday 21st April 2019 - Lad Law G/SP-008 & Pendle Hill G/SP-005
Gig: Joe Longthorne
Venue: Viva Blackpool
I’d stayed over at a pub in Hull after the Saturday gig. It was another stunning day, and so the drive west was very pleasant. I told the satnav to drop me on the side of Boulsworth Hill from where a good track leads most of the horizontal distance to the summit. There’s just a bit of an uphill pull at the end, but one is well into one’s stride by then so it is soon negotiated.
I elected to just use 2m FM from the handheld in order that I could have time for another summit before work in Blackpool.
In fact, I went very lightweight - no rucksack, no coat, no jumper, no food, no water, no battery, no mast, no trekking poles! Just me in shirt sleeves, sunglasses and factor 50, with logbook, pencil and FT70D.
Seven QSOs made on 2m FM before the return walk and driving over to Pendle Hill G/SP-005.
The road on the side of Pendle Hill was very busy with cars parked from half a mile before the footpath up to half a mile after it! I was fortunate to get a recently vacated spot right next to the track. In the track entrance was an ice cream van so I indulged in a can of Fanta and a Mr Whippy.
There were several hundreds of people on Pendle Hill, with both main routes looking like busy ant trails. There were even a number of folks ascending the direct route straight up. This is marked as a PROW but I have only ever previously seen fellrunners using it. It could be that someone got injured today as a mountain rescue team, a helicopter and two ambulances were in attendance later as I descended.
It was an enjoyable walk up in the hot sunshine with lots of people to have a chat with. At the summit, family groups were queueing up to take their turns for photos at the trig point!
On 2m FM I made eleven QSOs before descending on the opposite path. Now in Blackpool, soundcheck complete and about to go for tea. Happy Easter everyone!
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It’s evening, anyway Happy Easter everybody!
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Happy Easter !!!
Traditional Easter family hike was onto OM/ZA-013 this time 
Short activation was on 2m FM only.
Thanks to all chasers.
VY 73, Jarek SP9MA
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Easter Monday 22nd April 2019 - Gun G/SP-013 & The Cloud G/SP-015
This was a completely unplanned pair of activations. I was walking out of the Moss Rose football stadium after watching a goalless draw in the League 2 match between Macclesfield Town and Newport County. I suddenly felt some sense of guilt that I’d spent much of the day plunging calories down my throat, but not particularly exercising. I made the decision there and then to undertake two SOTA activations on the way home!
It was a beautiful sunny and warm April early evening, and shirt-sleeve order ruled again. On Gun G/SP-013, I made four QSOs on the VHF FM handheld, all on 2m, and all with stations beginning with the number ‘2’!
The same four stations were worked again over on The Cloud G/SP-015, with the addition of an M0 and an M6. So 5500 steps recorded on my Fitbit watch and submitted to the MyFitnessPal app via the magic of Bluetooth - unfortunately still wholly sufficient to balance the calories consumed in the form of beer and curry.
Yorkshire is to celebrate Easter two days late to take advantage of 50% off deals on chocolate eggs.
Not only are thrifty Northeners buying their chocolate for Easter 2019 now the prices are reduced but are also stocking for next year just in case a Brexit has occurred by then and chocolate is on ration.
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