GM/ES Winter Activity Day - Friday 7 February 2025 (Part 1)

[GM5ALX]

Absolutely fantastic day! The weather, the summits, the 2m activity, and the apres-sota

Just look at all these 2m spots!

I was on Carn na Drochaide, GM/ES-025, a corbett nestled at the feet of the big uns. Whilst it’s physically close to Braemar, you have to drive past Linn of Dee to the end at the Linn of Quoich. The big kick off was at 11:30, and only leaving Aberdeen after school drop off, and being stuck behind tootlers on the Deeside road, it wasn’t until 10:40 that I set off.

I elected for the direct route up to the top, but with more time a scenic route either to the west or east, or both in a loop, would make for a very pleasant trip.

The path is generally good, although comes and goes in places - or maybe that’s me from the path - and some heather bashing is required. Carn Dearg ascent gives you a bit of a false hope, as you then descend a little before climbing the final summit. As I was heading up 2m was starting up as the others were on their summits and calling CQ. I checked in with the GM0ESS callsign, and said I’d be at the top soon.

The views were starting to become very good as I climbed, with all the big peaks becoming visible.

I reached the AZ just after 11:30, and heard @G5OLD calling on 2m, and so he was the first S2S in the log. After our brief chat I was at the summit cairn, and started working the other activators. Four in the log on the HT and whip, and I started to setup the slim g on the mast. I’d also brought the Kenwood V71 for a little more power.

With virtually no wind on the summit, a few rocks held the 7m mast in place and I had the sun warming my back. The air was cold, it was -5C at the car park, and no doubt similar at the top.

I started setting up HF, had the wire up and just about to plug in when I heard @MM0FMF on 2m, who I’d spoken to before I was at the summit, and was glad to make a contact, as my first complete of the day. I then carried on on 2m working three more summits, including @MM7DCD on what sounded like a very wet and windy Ben Lomond, GM/SS-011. My second complete of the day (after only just activting it in the christmas holidays).

Great to get Barry @GM4TOE, on GM/ES-084, the Godfather of GM/ES

17 QSOs on 2m of which 12 were summit to summits! So there was at least 13 GM summits today…are we going to break the WORLD RECORD OF GM ACTIVATIONS???

The views from Carn na Drochaide were spectacular…Ben Avon, Beinn a’Bhuird, Beinn Bhreac (not SOTA), Cairn toul, Beinn Bhrotain, and no end to SW which I don’t know what’s what. Plus lovely views down into the Dee valley and Braemar.

And of course great to meet and put faces to voices in the The Bothy afterwards.

[M0JSB]

Well done to the all of the operators for such a great collective effort from GM. You provided me with a good incentive to spend an enjoyable couple of hours doing some SOTA chasing from my car. Looks like you had superb weather for it. It was rather different down here in Surrey!

In a way though I enjoyed getting some SOTA vibes from the cold sleety weather without the inconvenience of having to haul some radio gear up a mountain!

Was nice to work @G5OLD, @2M0OSB, @MM0EFI, @GM4TOE & @2M0RVZ from the above activity, plus plenty of other activators from other associations.

Thanks all & 73,

Matthew M0JSB

[M6BWA]

Wonderful to see all the pictures and read the accounts. Wish we had been in the area and could have found something small to go up to join in BUT we would have had to either found central heating already installed or had to lug the radiators up with us as I wouldn’t have survived in that cold. Great that so many of you could wangle the time off on the day - and actually meet up. How about having another go in mid to late May when we hope to be just north of Inverness then near Kingussie but Fraser has already said he won’t be around?
Viki

[MM0EFI]

@M6BWA

Fraser has already said he won’t be around?

That’s ok Viki - they are under orders to appear on summits when you and Rod are within 100 miles!

[MM0EFI]

@M0JSB

SOTA chasing from my car

My frozen brain did realise that M0JSB was you Matthew, however I think that was about 5 seconds after the 73!

[M0JSB]

@MM0EFI

My frozen brain did realise that M0JSB was you Matthew, however I think that was about 5 seconds after the 73!

That happens to me all the time! Good to work you and glad you had a fun day!

[G5OLD]

Today is going be hard to beat !

Early morning start, straight into some heather bashing

My Hill today was Sgor Mor GM/ES-026. Take two for this hill - I had planned to climb this hill in the autumn, but this was prevented by an injury descending Morven and a hasty retreat back to GE. And what a day to return!

Sunrise. About -7c

@MM0EFI Fraser had warned me about large sections of heather bashing, So I made an early start.

He was right, it took quite a while to summit, but this peak was absolutely worth it. You gradually approach an armchairs view of the Cairngiorms with their winter coats in fully show. All the major peaks from left to right, what a view.

Cairngorms on full show, Bheinn Bhrotan right through to Beinn Avon

Then there was a heap of 2m summit to summits with other operators in GM. Thanks to all, you never know next time we’ll need a NET controller

@GM0GAV had to ruin the summit to
Summit streak !!!

Sadly my attempt at 40m ended with just three contacts, clearly a solar event in progress killing NVIS Propagation. Later on I tried 20m and was getting great reports, until The band suddenly died and I started to struggle with even the big European Stations.

All polished off with food and drink at the Bothy in Braemar.

What a day, it’s going be hard to beat!

[MM7MOX]

I should be doing some GM/NS summits about then again Viki so hope to catch you then for some more s2s.
Andy
MM7MOX

[GD5MUP]

@M0JKS

with one a challenging S2S to Snafell (GD/GD-001) on the IoM

Thanks for bearing with me on that tricky S2S Dave, really made my day.

I summited Snaefell about 11:15 and promptly discovered that I’d left my 49:1 back at base, which was going to make my EFHW useless. Started to assemble the JPC-12 vertical but with the wind almost strong enough to knock me over I decided to knock that on the head and break it another day. So we were down to the Slim Jim on Tactical Mini, VHF only. And that’s when you picked me up.

4 QSOs in total, including 2 S2S and a natter with @2E0XGO Richard out near Whitehaven. Very, very cold. On a positive note I had my first outing with the Lastenkraxe and will be using that again in future - brilliant bit of kit.

[2M0WNA]

For some inexplicable reason the old Latin phrase “Mens sana in corpore sano” came to mind today.

It means “a healthy mind in a healthy body” but it certainly didn’t feel that way at 6am today when the alarm went. It was -7C outside and it was still the same when we pulled into the decent lay-by beside Braenaloin Farm on the wonderfully scenic Corgarff - Crathie road, starting point for our chosen summit of Gellaig Hill GM/ES-036. It was barely an hour’s drive from home.

It wasn’t my first activation of this 743m hill - which is arguably the easiest four-pointer in the Cairngorms standing high opposite Balmoral Castle on Royal Deeside - but this one would be very different from anything that had gone before.

Accompanied by my constant companions of XYL Ann and SOTA dog Sula (they don’t let me out of their sight nowadays in case, well, just in case……) we set off up the decent vehicle track.

Height was gained quickly and eagle-eyed observers will be able to spot our car in the lay-by far below.

We made good progress despite me being passed by some snails on the way up!

Gellaig has a large summit cairn which provided welcome shelter from the bitingly cold but mercifully light easterly breeze as the sun began to provide some warmth and the temperature slowly crept towards 0C.

I had my FT4xe handheld and an RH770 telescopic antenna with me for the expected 2m activity but also carried two new-to-me lightweight QRP CW transceivers - a (tr)usDX and a QCX mini - in the hope of trying some QRP CW. That never happened!

This part of Scotland is often thought of as a bit of a 2m desert, but thanks to the enthusiasm of our SOTA mentor Fraser @MM0EFI by setting up the first GM/ES SOTA Activation Day, for the first time ever it became hard to find a free 2m frequency on which to activate. I did not even get the chance to spot myself as the chasing was fast and frantic.

First up on the S2S list was Simon @GM4JXP then Fraser @MM0EFI followed by a welcome first FM contact for me with Andy @MM0FMF on Mount Blair. We could only feel sorry for Hibby @MM0RFN who was busy at work near Aberdeen and was my only non-S2S contact of the day, but the fun continued with Andy @MM7MOX on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh and then another welcome visitor to ES, Tim, @GM5OLD, followed by local regulars Chris @2M0RVZ and Alex @GM5ALX.

A quick hop across the hills brought a S2S with Archie GM4KNU near Dalwhinnie and then my best of the day with Alan, MM0VPM on Tinto Hill.

Unfortunately, while I heard Barry @GM4TOE clearly from Bin of Cullen, I couldn’t catch him in the general melee so missed out. Sorry Barry.

There was barely time for the obligatory pics of the glorious view before it was time to head down to our group rendezvous for lunch in Braemar. My HF kit remained unused.

SOTAdog Sula had slept throughout the activation but she loves the hills so much that she was unwilling to head back down. My XYL was similarly unwilling on such a fabulous day.

I was not so sure, though, as the low temperatures were beginning to seep into my bones and eventually answering a quick call of nature in such cold weather was to risk serious physical disfigurement, or even worse!

Just 20 minutes from getting back to the car, we were in The Bothy in Braemar enjoying a splendid get-together over lunch with our GM/ES SOTA group plus welcome friends.

Thank you Fraser for facilitating this great outing and for selecting such a splendid February day of weather in the Cairngorms. We’ve had much worse weather in July…!

The rogues gallery over lunch was (from left) Andy, Chris, Tim, Alex, Fraser, Mike and Simon. Thanks to Ann for the photo.

My activation map….

As for my “Mens sana in corpore sano” phrase of earlier. Well, the mind feels much better for a truly brilliant day. As for the healthy body, well, I’ll tell you in the morning………

For now it’s “Exeunt Omnes” stage left and “Salute”!

73 Mike

[MM7DCD]

I was a little late as conditions on Ben Lomond were a bit different from ES. I stopped to put my spikes on and considered patching it but I ploughed on.

Not a chance I was putting a pole and 5 ele Yagi up in the wind so just had a Quansheng with standard antenna on top!

4 S2Ss straight away but I had some (frozen) tuna sandwiches to munch on so hung on for 9 more in the log.

PS there was zero sun but the snow made my glasses darker than they have ever been so struggled to see Ham2k on phone (I had brought my wee haptic pen but some of the reports might not be too accurate)

[VK3SQ]

…terrific group photo. Glad you all had a fantastic activation day

Geoff vk3sq

[MM0EFI]

@2M0WNA

SOTA mentor Fraser

Should read Dictator

@MM7DCD

Not a chance I was putting a pole and 5 ele Yagi up in the wind

You seemed to have an entirely different weather system on the west coast. Well done for sticking with it and qualifying the summit . Sorry I missed you. Glad you managed to grab a few S2S though to make it worthwhile.

[MW0KXN]

@M0JKS

We did try …

That looks like @G6WBS, Shane, or at least his shelter and enormous rucksack. You keep good company Dave.

Unfortunately the photograph reduces any sympathy with you both sitting snug in a shelter eating Lynne’s cakes.

MW0KXN, Kevin

[G5OLD]

Living down south, means extended trips. Back for second servings today. Despite trying to be tactical and avoiding, the weather is not as nice as yesterday !

GM/ES-029 today

[GM4TOE]

@GM5ALX

the Godfather of GM/ES

That should read “grandfather” - I am reasonably fit but that 300m + ascent puggled me and the cold!!!
Wasn’t sure about getting any 2m contacts, I had resurrected an ancient Kenwood handheld which hadn’t seen any use in at least five years and fitted it with a 1/4 wave vertical. Could hear a number of stations but only GM5ALX was managed. 40m OK, 20m was manic on my vertical but I had to quit because of the cold.

Could we do it again - but when the weather is MUCH nicer please

[MW0KXN]

What a fantastic gathering. Faser, @MM0EFI, you certainly picked a fine day, and proposed a super event. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the reports and looking at the photographs. What a day. I hope that this becomes a regular GM/ES event and that I am at least able to chase next year.

Kevin, MW0KXN

[2E0XGO]

Mark .
I know the feeling of getting so far up the hill and realising something is missing . I once remembered to take my antennas out of the garage , but left them on the floor in the back of the car , which looked an awful long way away as I set off back down towards it . Surprising how much ground you’ve covered in 10 minutes or so .
Richard.

[M1BUU]

I’d driven about 5 miles from home on Thursday and realised I’d left my walking boots at home!
Glad I realised I’d forgotten them, but I still wasted 10 miles worth of Diesel and 20 minutes to rectify my mistake.

[M1BUU]

General reply to thread-

Looks like an awesome day for all. I did think about trying to join in from G/NP but I had a pile of work to do that I’ve been putting off and the WX forecast was for high winds.

I definitely need a trip to GM/ES, it’s been literally decades since I was up near Aberdeen. My dad lived at Buckie when I was a kid and he was friendly with some fishermen at Peterhead. Somehow I found myself on a fishing boat going out for a pleasure ride! I remember a Science museum too?

I hope GM/ES day can become a regular event.

73, Colin