If things go to plan I will try for my first winter bonus this Sunday starting about 10:30. I will operate 2m FM and HF both SSB and CW. Actual HF bands used will be based on conditions and any contests. Spots will be posted.
Sunday seems like a nice weather window here in the south of the UK but not so pleasant further north.
As always I thank all chasers in advance and perhaps this might be the occasion for my first CW S2S?
Hope you have a succesful activation, John, and good luck in perhaps having a succesful S2S using cw. I may be out somewhere activating on Sunday morning, so I will keep an ear out for you!
73, Matthew
I probably won’t be at a summit… but I would be very happy to catch you… to finally get High Willhays complete after my activation in 2019… 
73 Armin
What is the best band for you and CW or SSB? If I can find a free frequency 40m might be best into DL but 20m might also work. 30m also of course with CW.
I certainly won’t be using CW tomorrow but will be hoping for a s2s with you on 145 fm - as long as you stay around long enough (not due until 11.30am) as it is a long drive and a long walk to the summit of Fan Gyhirych GW/SW-006 in the Brecon Beacons. I need to chase High Willhays for a complete having activated it late last year - when there was no wind at all and I had some problems with midges - in October!! I reckon we ought to be able to make the distance so please listen out. 70cm might be a bit more of a stretch (if you have the kit.). Good luck with CW but please don’t forget to listen out on 2m.! thanks
73 Viki M6BWA
you can’t be sure… we will see what works…
73 Armin
Viki, I will pack my SlimJim for 2m. For UHF I have a new 10 el Yagi which I would love to try out - but no promises! I will put it in the car and see what my legs think when we arrive at the car park. There are two of them so I may be out voted.
Is your UHF vertical or horizontal polarisation? I can easily do both after modding the Yagi.
Sounds good John. Vertical - but you wouldn’t know it if you have seen some of the pictures of my mast!! In theory i can pick it up and make it more horizontal but depends on wind and terrain. - and inclination!! (Sorry!)
Good luck
Viki
Just a quick thank you to all the chasers today and especially for the S2S, my first in CW and also for my first S2S on 70cm FM with M6BWA/P Viki.
And of course apologies to those I didn’t reply to, the pile-up was by my standards large and I had to go QRT when I started shivering and could no longer send. It was cold!
I will post a report in a day or two and try and put together a short video with some selected sound clips of the two CW S2S as it might be useful to other CW beginners to hear what one sounds like. It was certainly something I was unsure of until quite recently. I am not sure if including the pile-ups will help encourage others to take up CW but I guess I will I have to include a sample.
I will activate G/DC-001 again in the summer when it is warmer. Today was also my first Winter bonus and after shivering so badly I am not sure 3 points is enough compensation! 
Lovely to work you John this morning, and I think for the first time. When I saw your spot, I remembered your post about hoping to get a CW S2S, so I couldn’t resist giving you a call. You were easy copy from GW/SW-041, and your CW was easy to follow. Nice one! Look forward to reading your report in due course, and hopefully not too long until our next S2S.
73, Matthew M0JSB
Matthew, thank you. An unexpected bonus is you gave me a complete for GW/SW-041. I wasn’t sure I would get a complete as I only got 2 QSOs on Black Mountain when I was there so didn’t qualify the summit but obviously, as I now realise, only one QSO each way is needed for a complete.
Many thanks again.
Thanks John, glad to give a complete as well as a S2S! 
Many congratultions John and many thanks for the 2 s2s from DC-001 to GW/SW-006 (Fan Gyhirych) in the western Brecon Beacons. Particularly good to hear the 70cm call at 59/59 and I know it was your beam that was doing the trick rather than just my dipole. Well done for deciding to lug it up the hill. It sounds as if your CW also passed the test with flying colours so your technical side seems to be sorted for Winter Bonus harvesting BUT you do need to source and wear enough clothing.
I got cold on SW-006 as there was a brisk W wind and there is no suitable protection on that hill for someone needing to be as high as possible (M0JLA finds a peat hag somewhere and cuddles into a hole but always quite a bit further from the edge and’or top). Why was I cold? very stupidly because I donned my long sleeved padded jacket over my existing 6 layers on my top (plus 2 scarves and a jacket) but couldn’t be bothered to put on overtrousers over my lined trousers as ‘I wasn’t going to be there long’…! Doh It must have been about 40 mins later that I started to pack up and then I heard an EI summit after the dipole had been packed away (of course). By the time I had changed my battery and got out the telescopic RH770 (without 2 top sections which I accidentally sat on in Mull!) I got the contact with a very patient EI5KO (sorry Keith) on summit EI/IE-018 Two Rock Mt it was much nearer an hour and the cloud had been down most of the time. Brrh - but the brisk walk down soon warmed me up - and the sack was much lighter as I was wearing the extra clothes.
It is very important to stay warm anway but, I guess, particularly so when you need nimble fingers (and brain) for CW. For safety’s sake, carrying a bothy bag in winter conditions is also a wise precaution - as long as you actually get round to using it if conditions are bad enough. Once again congrats and thanks for the complete - the first this year.
73 Viki M6BWA
Viki, many thanks for the Shiver 2 Shiver!
On a serious note I have never felt so cold on a summit. If someone had seen me trying to post a spot with fingers unable to touch the screen in the right place they would have been calling Dartmoor Search and Rescue!
But on a marginally happier theme I thought I had taken a photo of the beam and Slim Jim on the mast but it seems my phone thought my feet were a better subject.
