I wish you all a very happy Christmas 
and a nice SOTA related gift 
.
Some days ago Santa (Post) brought me my 2nd QMX kit, this time for 20 … 10 m. Hope to meet you in 2024 on the higher bands.
Did you get something for SOTA / HAM radio?
73 Ludwig
Merry Christmas to you Ludwig and to all SOTA participants.
And thanks to all who keep the wheels of the supports software turning.
This comming year is likely to see the sunspot count peak, so make the most of it.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
Merry Christmas to everyone in SOTA.
Jimmy M0HGY
A very Merry Christmas to everyone involved with SOTA. Just unwrapping my new SOTAbeams CW filter for my FT818. I suppose that means I’ll now HAVE to get my CW skills sorted for 2024…
Vy 73 Mike
Merry Christmas everybody 
73, Ben
GW4BML
Merry Christmas all from me too…
73
Adrian
G4AZS
Merry Christmas from me to all involved in SOTA. I’ve not yet opened any presents, but don’t expect any SOTA related gifts. It’s impossible wrap what I want… time. Time to get up the hills and mountains. Hopefully the New Year will bring that gift. 
Post opening edit:
I was wrong - a solar power bank for charging the phone, a pair of thermal socks to replace those which are almost time-served and a bottle of 12 year old Singleton of Dufftown Speyside whisky which I am taking as a hint that I need to activate more GM/ES summits, especially those in Moray. 
Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Here’s to gentle conditions on your chosen summits 
Preferably BEFORE negotiating the multiple delights of the famed “Whisky Trail” otherwise they might become even more of a challenge than usual…
I got USB rechargeable hand warmers, a hill walking book and 3 bottles of whisky. My sister-in-law comes with her family this evening so there might be more…
Merry Christmas
73 Richard
PS. My whisky suggests I need to find summit near Loch Lomond, Campbeltown and Islay.
G4TGJ: … there might be more…
or less?
Certainly did Ludwig. I just unboxed a Sirio SY-4 four element 10m/11m band Yagi. Should do OK in the Chasers section of the SOTA 2024 10 Metres Challenge with that and also boost my DXCC score on that band (Currently 309 confirmed).
At 71 this could well be my last solar cycle peak so I intend to make the best of it on 6 metres and where the Sirio SY-4 should make a good account of itself on 10m and on 12m via my ATU…
Putting it up in early February, that’s the plan. I have sold my Hexbeam to a guy in York. I plan to keep the SY-4 up for a year or two depending on propagation and then put something else in it’s place.
73 Phil G4OBK
Well, Santa brought me a Discovery TX-500 to save my back from lugging the current FT818+amp+2 sets of batteries up hills (he also emptied my band acct of a good NZ$2k, so the radio better be good).
Sadly he didn’t look up the connector details on the new radio, and so I now find myself on holiday with a selection of antennas terminated with PL259 connectors, and a brand new radio with a BNC socket. Only one store in ZL3 claims to stock the required converter and that’s Jaycar in Christchurch - a long way from where we’re currently touring.
I did however manage to work out how to put the CW keyer in ‘practice mode’ (i.e. sidetone & no TX) so did manage to spend the night of xmas eve practicing my CW sending by working my way through the menu of the pub we’d parked up behind. For some reason I find Curry and Rice really challenging. But as a ZL, Pizza is a doddle.
Hope xmas treated you all well, and that the new year brings us many QSOs, and many more wonderful activation reports to read.
It’s a divine message from on high telling you that the PL259 series is Beelzebub’s own connector. Change them to BNC and you can use both the 818 and TX500 on the same antenna.
Merry Christmas all. ( We’re eating and drinking using a shift system here 
)
I never use PL-259’s, I hate them! My FT-817 has a BNC adapter permanently screwed to the SO-239 on the FT-817’s rear panel. (Yes, I know there’s a BNC on the FT-817 front panel but I don’t like having the feeder there.)
You have to choose your adapters carefully, there’s some awful ones out there. I have a really scruffy adapter on the FT-817 but it works well but the plating is flaking off the exterior. I bought a replacement adapter and it looks pretty but the quality is awful and connection is not always 100%.
73, Colin
Merry christmas to everyone!
What is behind the dislike of pl259? They’re bulky, but I"ve never had one fail. Whereas both bnc sockets and plugs seem to fail regularly (pin on plug retreats / centre contacts on socket become loose & sideways pressure required for a contact). Maybe I just have a bad batch.
Are bnc superior in any rf sense? Or is it just personal dislike?
Generally the quality of connectors is poor and they are non-constant impedance. At HF the impedance won’t make any tangible difference but at VHF the so called ‘UHF connector’ is awful and VSWR will be affected.
N type, BNC, SMA etc are all designed to have a consistent impedance- usually 50 ohms for ham RF use. It’s like plumbing - you want your pipe to be the same diameter throughout for consistent flow, if you have a narrow piece or a wide piece, the flow will be affected.
Hi everybody ,all the best xmss days and more 
felicidad and unión on this Radio montain TeaM , im rokiee my hobbie is also fishermeN when is posivility In the Montain i Like also fotograft black/whith and intelectual magacine,also Lisent oldschol vintages music récords in my olds tecnhis rocks you cand find me on 🛜 our maybe deport work Decathlon (IN92eb)thanks 4 pacient and read me happy new year 2024 and i Hope to SWL maybe conexión regards an See you on the air ,Cult araund the worlD 44! Me ivan pico …
… I was taught UHF means ‚unsuitable for HF’
mx and 73, Roman