Fail

A little stroll up to The Cloud G/SP-015 with Liam on Thursday 27th April 2017, as a result of having nowt better to do. The sky was threateningly grey but thankfully hardly any rain while we were out. Liam still accepted use of the bothy bag though to keep a bit warmer while playing his games console.

My intention was 30m PSK31 and CW, so not sure how I inexplicably alerted for 14MHz. In any case, it was not to be. The connector end of the feeder had developed an intermittent which was impossible to fix, as much as I tried. So no HF.

Instead, I made 3 contacts on 2m FM on the VX7R handheld before descending.

The Harrington Arms at Gawsworth was shut on the way back so we ended up meeting Jimmy M0HGY (on his way home from work) at the Weston pub on our estate. Now to remake the BNC connection on the feeder for the 30m dipole.

Upcoming activations will focus on 20m with the GP and 40m with the dipole which are planned as the HF options for out forthcoming GI and GW expeditions.

We’ve all been there Tom, where some equipment simply didn’t work on a summit. At least you had the fall back of two metres FM AND you had a nice walk out with a visit to the pub to finish it off - I wouldn’t call that a fail.

Ed.

Neither do I Ed. Just wanted a catchy headline to draw people into the thread. These days a thread title of “G/SP-015 SOTA activation” just doesn’t cut it :wink:

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No elephants sighted on G/SP-015 today?

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No Andrew they only exist in rooms with deaf Baofengs :wink:

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I have found the elevated GP on a SOTA Pole works well on 20m, using 3 ground planes plus nylon cord for support at the feed point 5m above ground level. Currently it is installed on a rooftop in Malta basking in the sunshine. BNC plugs and waggy wires are a bad mix, that said, I have ripped an SMA plug off the feeder by careless footwork.

Sometimes we do not succeed, but we never fail, try try and try again.

Watch out for the leprechauns, they love to have fun tangling wires.

David 9H3DS

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Yes my 20m GP is my favourite antenna. I have worked the world including lots of exotic DXCC on that from summits with 5 watts.

The 30 dipole is now repaired and will be tested from G/SP-015 in an hour or so.

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A fail to me is when you get there and have forgotten something of importance and well needed to get on air.

Done that once DOHHHH

karl

I think you call that bit of vital equipment a radio Karl. I have managed to leave, pole, coax and antenna behind on separate occasions, but have always managed to sort something out to qualify the summit. Now had it been the radio… hmmm, it must be worthwhile having the odd Baofeng lying around in the bottom of the backpack. :wink:

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Did that one forgot me pole almost failed had to go back and get it thankfully only few miles and forget to recharge ya PPSU.

karl

The parking area is within the AZ on this one. Colin and I walked to just beyond the large boundary stones. I was about to set up there when I realised I had left my pole in the car. We returned to the car and Colin had to go to collect his lads from school.

I went partly back up the path and set up for 30m. I’d had the connector on the feeder repaired that morning and picked up a couple of spare 259 to BNC adapters. Sufficient to determine that the fault lay with the 817’s rear connector. The front connector had been broken and left unfixed for a few years … so that was the 817 out of action.

Time was running out before I had to get back on the road for the night’s gig in Harrogate. I grabbed the handheld and wandered back up to the boundary stones. Several CQ SOTA calls produced nothing, so I resigned myself to my first ever non-activation and walked back towards the car.

I continued the occasional call, knowing the full length of the path was in the AZ. To my delight, Colin M1BUU/M came back and worked me, so at least the activation existed! No other replies though, so I’ll have to return this year if I want to claim the point.

Then onto another FB gig with Joe Longthorne and the band, and now in a Travelodge on the A1 ahead of tomorrow’s gig in Essex. Life on the road!

Just as an aside… do bands still play at the Army + Navy in Chelmsford? we used to hang out there all the time when I worked at Marconi Comms… about 20+ yrs ago??

Richard// N2GBR

Hi Richard,

I have no idea TBH. I’m gigging in Essex tonight, but it’s not my usual stomping ground.

Tomorrow’s gig is in Wolverhampton, so might be able to do a little SOTA activation on the way from here to there.

Tom M1EYP

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No fail on Walton Hill G/CE-002. Wandered up with just the 2m FM handheld and rubber duck. Five contacts in 7 minutes - easy.

Sometimes I suspect I overcomplicate this SOTA business…

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Hello Tom. As a Chaser only, may I say it would be great if Activators considered more use of 2Mtr. and 70cm. FM. perhaps thereby, raising the level of interest in SOTA and greater use of these bands.
Best Wishes, Paul M0CQE.

Hi Paul,

I’ve worked the 2m band on three of my last four activations and the chasers are still out there.

As for 70cm, I did my first contact last week, for quite some time. Just taking a quick look at my SOTA log, I’m ashamed to say, in the last 4 years, there have been just 7 UHF contacts and most of them happened because they were summit to summits.

With a colinear, I’ve really got no excuse for neglecting 70cms, because one push of a button on my FT-857 takes me from 2m to 70cms.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

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Hello Mike. Thanks for your reply, your input is most welcome. As you know the 2Mtr. and 70cm. bands can produce very good results. Very few Activators seem to try these bands and I am sure many would be surprised with the results, if they did. Even DX, (not on the scale of your usual DX, of course), is possible.
If an Activator is prepared to spend a little time during the Activation, to leave the HF bands for a short time and try 2Mtr.& 70cm. this would be great all round. Anyone thinking of giving this a try, PLEASE put the info. into your Alert.
Best Wishes. Paul M0CQE. PS. Just had QSOs with MW1MAJ/p, MW3ZCB/p and MW0WML/p on the 2Mtr. Band and MW3ZCB/P also on 70cm. Band. They where Activating GW/NW-006, Tryfan, 83Miles from my QTH.

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I can’t speak for most activators, but I routinely use 2m (and sometimes 70cm, though with limited success). The only exception to that would be where I have reason to suspect that 2m won’t get any results (experience has shown me that Scotland is difficult to qualify on 2m).

In fact 2m is my usual start to an activation (whilst I get my breath back before rigging the HF antenna :flushed:)

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Not according to the evidence from the logs of GM’s most prolific activator

Well Robin’s signals seem to have a certain magnetic attraction. :wink: I aim to test that theory by activating a few up his way later in the year. I hope some of his aura has been left on the hills to help me out.