Hi everyone, I somehow managed activation number twelve on Hope Mountain earlier today, despite suffering badly with back pain.
It was my intention to activate from the farm side of the summit, using the FT-857D with 2 X 7ah slabs.
On arrival, David, the farmer was just about to leave to go on a job and wanted to lock the gate for security purposes, so I opted for the radio station side again.
It turned out to be a strange day, with the transmitter masts on site desensing heavily on 145-fm and 7Mhz ssb. 60m-ssb and 40m-cw were ok though.
All the same, it was one of the best days I have had on Hope Mountain, especially after diving into the hornets nest of a 7.032 cw pile up, phew!!
A totaly different experience to being on the other end of the pile up sitting in a comfortable chair in your shack, hi, it makes me much more appreciative of the regular 7.032 sota cw men.
Although I am a reasonably experienced cw op, I found it a bit daunting being the “target” in the pile up and hope I didn’t let the side down, hi.
In total I managed 44 QSO’s, including two s2s contacts with Frank GW3RMD/P on GW/SW-024 and GW/SW-030, thanks for the 4 new ones today Frank and also 7 DXCC countries, including ON, DL, F, EI, HB, LX, and HA, not forgetting our own G, GM, and GW.
QSOs were as follows…
2m-fm…7
80m-ssb…1
60m-ssb…13
40m-ssb…5
40m-cw…18
Thanks to all stations worked and apologies to those I couldn’t hear.
If anyone happens to activate Hope Mountain before I do it again, keep an eye open for a rubber duck off a FT-60 handie. I think I left it up there last night, near the corner of the fence surrounding the stone built radio station.
It’s the left hand corner as you look from the tarmac path to the trig point.
I suppose it gives me a good reason to activate it again later this afternoon, hi.
Is this the same RD as for the VX-110? If so, I may have a spare if you don’t find it. And while we’re on this topic, the small end bit of my VX-7R RD (the bit you screw off to put on the longer section for 6m) is somewhere on Lovely Seat…
I think this is a case of a length of wool around the neck tide to the antennas like your mothers did with the gloves in winter so you didn’t lose then hi hi
The Standard C528 hand portable transceiver had a loop on the side of the rig and one on the rubber duck. I always thought it was a brilliant idea, pity other manufacturers didn’t follow the lead.
7 DXCC countires if my log doesn’t deceive me, Mike?
73,
Peter
OOPS!!! Apologies Peter, you are correct, it was 7 DXCC countries plus the UK calls.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I forgot a certain ON station, you were logged in the database though Peter and I have now added ON to my original post.
