Our long planned trip to ‘easy’ summits mainly round Inverness, with a brief visit to Kingussie and Loch Lomond is getting rapidly nearer and I am watching the dry weather and sunshine gradually ebbing away from the area… Perhaps I chose the wrong dates after having had super weather in GM/ES-land the last couple of years but fingers are crossed. The outline is:
13 May drive to Glasgow
14 - 17 May based at Culloden mainly for small hills east of Loch Ness
17 - 24 May based Evanton for small hills up and down the coast south of Golspie (and some Pictish stones etc)
24 - 29 May based near Newtonmore, might have to try for some 4 pointers as the hills are a bit higher here!
29 May - 2 June SE Loch Lomond , again the lower hills.(NOT Ben Lomond)
2/3 June driving back to the Welsh Borders.(hopefully we won’t bring Covid back with us this time!)
As usual I will be calling, with 5w, on 2m fm and very hopefully on 70cm as well. Rod M0JLA will be on HF (with QMX and some natty small batteries he’s just bought) mostly on 40m and 20m I believe. I will probably beg a contact from him now and then when desperation strikes (memories of Ord Ban outside Aviemore and there is another similar summit just above Kingussie). I don’t think any of the hills on our list will be easy on 2m unless I get some help from our northern friends. Sadly I think I will be out of range of the Aberdeen supporters but I will listen out for their daily net if I’m up there at the right time. Any suggestions of local amateurs to contact would be welcomed. When in the area I have had contacts from Helmsdale and Wick so I hope they will still be listening. One contact will be enough for me as I’m looking for uniques.(and completes but I haven’t chased any of them so I will definitely need local help for this!!) Tx for your help
73 Viki M6BWA
Sounds like a nice trip! I’m sure the weather will work out okay.
Lots of lora activity in the area and had several FM contacts with those watching the Lora website and seeing me out and about. Perhaps a tracker might help to get some locals attention?
I’ll be out and about on some hills in May. Generally Fridays are when I’m out but will alert, and maybe if we’re lucky have some FM S2S.
Hi Viki,
I’m heading up to Sutherland on the 22nd for a week of GM/NS sota activities. I plan to do a hill between Daviot and Brora on the way up so hopefully we can catch an s2s or say hello in passing.
Andy
MM7MOX
Hello Viki,
I will be travelling near Inverness May 19 and 20th May, and just north of Dundee May 21 and 22nd.
I will have only a 2m HT with a long-ranger whip (RH770), but I will keep a watch on the alerts to see if a contact can be arranged, perhaps even a S2S. I am looking for uniques, so a single contact will make my day!
I look forward to speaking with you,
Ian
VE6IXD
I hope your trip to Scotland (GM) goes well. With regards to activating the GM/NS SOTA summits on 2m FM and 70cm FM, can I please suggest to if you don’t get any response to your CQ calls from the calling channels, you put out a CQ call on 145.575fm. 145.575fm is the local Inverness chat channel and lots of radio amateurs in the Inverness area monitor this frequency rather than the calling channels, this was my experience when I was activating SOTA summits in that area back in 2009 and 2010.
Tx you all very much Alex, Andy, Ian and Jimmy for your very helpful replies. Looks as if there is some chance for s2s if we get the alert up in time (don’t find this easy!) but we will be hampered by the fact that we will be on fairly small hills - unless we try to snatch something larger (I have some little ideas…) but my fitness has taken a recent hit. I do know that MM0FMF is heading north and will be “near the Griams from 22nd onwards” with a companion so even more reason to listen out.
Particular thanks to Jimmy for the info about 145.575 as the that channel in Inverness. That sounds very useful.
Fingers crossed 73 Viki
Unfortunately we’ll be at the opposite end of the country for any time overlap with your trip, so no possibility of 2m or 70cms S2S, though we might hope to get Rod on HF. We are interested in what summits you do as we have a trip to GM/ES and GM-SS planned for September. Hope you have a good productive trip. It was good to meet Rod in person at Blackpool.
M6BWA
Hot weather continues. roasted on Sow of Atholl GM/CS-078 yesterday- hard work for nul pts - 2 on vhf from Pitlochry (via repeater) and Glamis, Today 2 little ones, swapping summits, CS-119 with masts 4 vhf (inc Isle of Lewis) - super then CS-113, a bit lower and nul contacts - except M0JLA on the other hill - and he didn’t qualify either on HF! Tried Inverness repeater but no-one heard. We have plans for tomorrow but also a problem so not sure if we will be up and about. Beautiful scenery in bright sunshine but a bit warm. Fingers crossed up to Alness on Saturday. BTW large roadworks on A9 just South of Inverness so most of roadside by GM/CS-109 coned off (including laybys) - not a good time to be activating it .
73 Viki
Hi Viki,
Sorry to hear about your struggles with qso’s.
Thanks for the information about the A9 at CS-109, it may have to be completed next trip.
I’m still planning to travel up on the 22nd and stop off just north of Inverness for a flyby activation.
Andy
MM7MOX
I was listening on HF but conditions seem a bit rubbish. Even double checked the antenna connections. I might have heard a hint of a signal but nothing workable. Let’s hope conditions improve! Good Luck
There were 3 flares Wednesday including an X class. SFI was down to 122. Shock tabloids full of stories about big CME due hit and the world would end soon.
Really sorry to hear of your problems in getting contacts. When Paul G4MD and myself activated those summits, HF was really a must and the higher bands at that. I only had one contact on 2m FM from each of them. 145.575MHz was the local monitoring frequency, but as to what the situation is now, 11 years on, who knows?
I did listen for Rod, but the bands were in a very poor state. To check my set up, I even logged onto Hack Green and that wasn’t showing much on the waterfall. 20m wasn’t that much better, at least until later in the day.
I hope you overcome your problem so you can get back on those lovely hills soon.
M6BWA
Tx for the sympathy about the lack of contacts but my aim for this ‘expedition’ was to qualify each hill (ie 1 contact - preferably on 2m fm) and any points would be a bonus. Sadly Rod needed a day off today (but listened out for me!) as he damaged his left thumb when slipping on a loose stone on the very steep bit of the track down from CS-113, the second hill yesterday. He is now wearing a brace and coping with driving luckily (the only driver) but felt he should rest it - and possibly tomorrow (probably NS-151 Mount Eagle on the Black Isle as we travel up to Alness. ) Thanks to his help I managed to qualify both of the little hills today GM/CS-118 and 117 - only just but I was delighted. Have not yet managed a 70cm contact with anyone else but tried to reach up to Wick today but it didn’t happen! The route up 117 was interesting and involved breaking off dead twigs from the fir trees to get up the space between when the ‘clear ride’ was thronged with 5’+ new trees which were totally impenetrable (photos to follow). On the way down I carried the light rucksack (and poles) like a battering ram to get through (idea from hill-bagging) but did loose a scarf somewhere and didn’t find it on the way down! Glorious views again and a sunset tonight which seemed endless and almost completely cloud free. I do like the crisp bogs and hope they stay like this for the rest of the stay! Grateful thanks to Angus, Secretary of the Inverness Club who is publicising our activities on WhatsatApp etc.
73 Viki
Thanks for the good wishes, Gerald. It has improved so I am hoping to find out tomorrow (Sunday) if that is enough - I think twisting the pole-joints will be the real problem. We shall be together this time so it might be a four-handed effort and then we will have difficulty getting the pole compacted at the end I hope your ills are improving also.
Slowly and gradually, but with some strange things happening along the way. Not out of the woods yet, though I am earnestly searching for a ride to take me to the edge. Mental Health services are suoer slow, though in NHS thinking, a few weeks is no time at all. I must say the support from the SOTA community has been brilliant and I am grateful for that.
I hope all goes okay tomorrow. Unfortunately I won’t be around to chase due to family commitments. No time off I’m afraid.
I hope your ills are improving also.