G4YSS: Six NP SOTA’s: NP10, NP17, NP4, NP13, NP19 & NP24, 10-03-15 Part-2
Part-2, Draft-1
GX0OOO/P (G4YSS) on:
G/NP-010/ 4 Pen-y-Ghent
G/NP-017/ 4 Fountains Fell
G/NP-004/ 6 Whernside
G/NP-013/ 4 The Calf
G/NP-019/ 4 Yarlside
G/NP-024/ 2 Hoove
TOP BAND:
PLEASE NOTE: The observations in the above report relating to 160m are annexed off herewith in part-2 due to word count restrictions of 32000 characters. Apologies for this - G4YSS. Part-1 of the report can be found on the reflector via the following link:
TOP BAND:
It was great to be back on Top Band after a long gap but at the same time there was pressure and a respectable amount of apprehension due to darkness on a featureless (excuse for a) summit, combined with tiredness. Either the latter or the fact that I had been changing the keyer speed and have left it too high for use with a simple toggle switch, may have been the cause of spraying dots etc. Apologies but I don’t think anybody missed out on a chase due to my bad keying.
Apologies to Nick G4OOE also. I found ‘3557’ pencilled on the margin of my log when I get home but didn’t fully understand what was meant at the time. Working G4OOE/P on Oliver’s Mount on VHF from NP17 kind of made up for it but I am sorry Nick is not in the 160m log also.
Qualifying with just CW on NP24 was as pleasing as it was a relief. It was obvious from switch-on that night conditions were well on the way to being firmly established despite the fact that it was only about 25 minutes past sunset and still twilight. Mark, Phil and Roy are seasoned 160m enthusiasts who I have worked dozens of times on 160m but we also attracted the attention of Bill G4WSB down in Swindon and surprisingly DK1WI Gert.
If that wasn’t enough the SSB session produced good results too in the form of 8 QSO’s, two of which were with overseas stations (PE5ROS & OH9XX) not to mention old friends scattered around the UK. I took the opportunity to test the linear too. This only runs 45 to 50 Watts which likely would not have been enough for daytime 160m operations but proved up to the job in darkness. In fact the closer stations were still hearing me when I dropped to the 5 Watt level of the FT817.
Roy G4SSH did a mighty fine job of organising NP24’s Top Band operation at short notice on my behalf. He informed interested parties with a view to qualifying the summit as soon as possible and managed to work it himself despite having no proper aerial for the band. One final note. If there had been time to put on 80m too, I would have done so.
73, John G4YSS.
(Using GX0OOO/P; Scarborough Special Events Group Club Call)